System information

bit 8-kHz WAV files to be the easiest to work with and, most of the time, the best-
possible quality.
There are essentially two ways to get prompts into a system. One is to record sound
files in a studio or on a PC, and then move those files into the system. A second way is
to record the prompts directly onto the system using a telephone set. We prefer the
second method.
Our advice is this: don’t get hung up on the complexities of recording audio through
a PC or in a studio.
§
It is generally not necessary. A telephone set will produce excellent-
quality recordings, and the reasons are simple: the microphone and electronics in a
telephone are carefully designed to capture the human voice in a format that is ideal
for transmission on telephone networks, and therefore a phone set is also ideal for doing
prompts. The set will capture the audio in the correct format, and will filter out back-
ground noise and normalize the decibel level.
Yes, a properly produced studio prompt will be superior to a prompt
recorded over a telephone, but if you don’t have the equipment or ex-
perience, take our advice and use a telephone to do your recordings,
because a poorly produced studio prompt will be much worse.
Using the dialplan to create recordings
The simplest method of recording prompts is to use the Record() application. For
example:
[context_for_my_handset]
exten => 101,1,Playback(vm-intro)
exten => 101,n,Record(maingreeting.wav)
exten => 101,n,Wait(2)
exten => 101,n,Playback(maingreeting)
exten => 101,n,Hangup
This extension plays a prompt, issues a beep, makes a recording, and plays that re-
cording back.
‖
It’s notable that the Record() application takes the entire filename as its
argument, while the Playback() application excludes the filetype extension
(.wav, .gsm, etc.). This is because the Record() application needs to know which format
the recording should be made in, while the Playback() application does not. Instead,
Playback() automatically selects the best audio format available, based upon the codec
your handset is using and the formats available in the sounds folder (for example, if you
§ Unless you are an expert in these areas, in which case go for it!
‖ The vm-intro prompt isn’t perfect (it asks you to leave a message), but it’s close enough for our purposes.
The usage instructions at least are correct: press pound to end the recording. Once you’ve gotten the hang
of recording prompts, you can go back, record a custom prompt, and change priority 1 to reflect more
appropriate instructions for recording your own prompts.
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