Hi there,

I've mainly been a lurker on this subreddit and believe I now have something valuable to contribute.

I'd like to discuss an effective way to record and process audio evidence. While this might seem trivial to some of you, I've yet to find a comprehensive technical guide on effective audio recording. This post is primarily aimed at people in precarious situations (e.g., an impending divorce) but could also benefit others who simply wish to be extra cautious (e.g., a college student trying to sidestep Title IX complaints while concentrating on studies).

A challenge in situations like divorce could be the inability to capture key conversations: these could include your child mentioning that your spouse has bad-mouthed you, instances of verbal abuse (which could qualify as domestic violence), or casual conversations that counter false allegations. It's impractical to record everything: first, due to hardware constraints (e.g., battery life), and second, because extended recordings of silence complicate subsequent evidence review.

For hardware, I suggest using a voice recorder with Voice Activity Detection (VAD) functionality (also known as a voice-activated recorder). This offers an advantage over cell phones because of (1) longer battery life (usually 30+ hours), and (2) VAD functionality (footnote 1), which can prolong battery life for days and yield shorter, content-rich recordings.

A quick search on Amazon reveals several capable recorders with prices starting from $50. Some even offer "privacy" features, ensuring content accessibility only on a trusted computer. However, I'm uncertain about the efficacy of this feature.

Once you have your recording files, the subsequent steps involve backing them up and transcribing. Ideally, a secure cloud storage should exist where recordings can be uploaded, transcribed affordably, and accessed without jeopardizing one's privacy. These files should also be easily sharable with your attorney.

After some preliminary research on transcription tools and services, I discovered that many cater more to businesses than individuals. After trialing and comparing prices and other factors, here's a summarized list of my findings:

  1. cockatoo.com: Cost-effective without unnecessary features (e.g., Microsoft Teams integration). They offer 10,000 minutes (166 hours) of transcription per month for just $15/mo. However, there are downsides: (1) manual work is required for uploading and downloading, (2) no specific terms of service, and (3) the pricing seems unsustainably low, even beneath what some cloud providers typically charge.

  2. Rev: User-friendly but pricey, utilizing human transcribers. The seamless workflow involves uploading recordings to a secure Dropbox folder (sharable with your attorney). After connecting Rev to your Dropbox, you can select files, get a quote, pay, and retrieve the transcriptions. There's no subscription, no minute limits, no strings attached. The primary drawback is the cost: $1.50 per minute. I didn't test this.

  3. (Recommended) Otter AI: A renowned company in this field with commendable Speech to Text AI. While pricier and having certain limitations (e.g., on the number of audio files), their Dropbox integration is solid. Prices start at $20/mo for 6,000 minutes of monthly transcriptions.

  4. Zapier + Dropbox + Speechtrans: Another intuitive yet expensive option at $99/mo (excluding Zapier costs). It auto-transcribes any new Dropbox audio file. However, the product seemed immature, and I didn't experiment with it.

  5. (Recommended) ElevateAI: One of the superior services with a generous free tier, albeit having again unsustainable low prices. Dropbox integration is currently absent.

  6. GCP, Azure, AWS: These cloud providers offer speech to text services but are not usable by end users. They're mentioned to provide a cost context for the previously mentioned applications.

  7. Mozilla Deepspeech: Free. This option requires utilizing your computer for transcription. However, technical expertise is necessary, and Mozilla no longer maintains this project.

It's evident that details can evolve over time. Key takeaways should be (1) the advantage of using a specialized voice recorder, and (2) the steps to employ a voice transcription service.

This methodology for recording audio evidence could further benefit from incorporating timestamping and location history. Unfortunately, no application currently offers these combined features.

Postscript 1 - Disclaimer:

This post primarily addresses the technical aspects of recording evidence. Readers must ensure compliance with regional laws and regulations. The author neither endorses nor recommends any illicit activities.

Postscript 2 - Product Review, Affiliation, and Recommendation:

While specific products are referenced, the author holds no affiliations with the manufacturers or producers, nor were any paid promotions involved. If using products for purposes other than their intended use, readers must adhere to the respective terms of service.

Postscript 3:

Mistakes are human. If there's an oversight or error in this post, kindly correct me. Let's be kind to a novice Redditor.

Footnotes:

  1. If desired, I can write an additional post on maximizing your phone's audio recording capabilities. Until then, trust me — invest in a voice recorder.