New Feature: Recording using the VoiceMap app

[helene]

You can now record your tour audio in the VoiceMap app using your smartphone, with every step fully integrated into Mapmaker.

With this new feature, we’ve streamlined the recording process and made it easier for you to record your audio directly and troubleshoot any potential problems. No more dealing with separate recording devices or apps. No more moving between recording software and your script – whether it’s on a second screen or printed out. And no more downloading files, renaming them, and then uploading them to Mapmaker. Everything happens in one place, right on your phone.

The recorder is currently available only in the mobile app. We’re still fine-tuning it, so we’re keen to hear your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below.

Record Like a Pro, Right from Your Phone

You’ll find the recorder in the Create section of the app. Tap the microphone icon at the bottom of your screen, look for your tour in the Production section, and select Record Sample.

The recorder puts everything you need in one place:

• You’ll see your script on the screen, so you can read along as you record
• At the same time, you can record your audio using the recording features

What the Recorder Looks Like

Here are some examples of what you can expect from the interface, with more detail on the key features below.

Image 1: The recorder screen, with the script at the top and recording features at the bottom

Image 2: The first recording step in the app, before the sample has been uploaded. You can see the status of the location next to the word count.

Image 3: The recording steps, where the sample has been approved and the first and second locations have been recorded and uploaded.

Key features

When using the recorder, you can:

• Start and stop the script prompter easily by tapping on the script area, or scroll manually
• Use the size and speed controls to adjust your script
• Pause and resume recordings as many times as you like
• Tap Restart if you’ve made a mistake and want to re-record a location
• Upload your recording to your editor with one tap when finished

The recording process

The interface guides you through the process step by step – with available actions highlighted in color, while steps you can’t take yet stay greyed out.

Before recording your full tour, you’ll need to complete a sample recording:

1. Click on the red speaker icon next to Sample Required
2. The script from your first location will appear in the prompter
3. When you’re ready, tap Record and read the first minute of your script
4. After finishing, tap Upload to submit your recording
5. You’ll receive a notification email and feedback from your editor once they’ve listened to your sample
6. Your editor might ask you to record a second sample. If they do, they’ll provide feedback on how to improve the audio quality and delivery.

Once your editor has approved your sample, you’re all set to record the rest of your tour locations.

For a more detailed outline of how to use the recorder, have a look at our documentation.

[helene]

Recording tips from the community
I’m adding any tips and suggestions that we get from publishers who have used the recorder here. If you have any, please share them below.

• Make sure to put your phone in Do not disturb mode when recording, to avoid alert sounds popping up while recording

[jimturnerhistorian]

Thanks sooo much for creating this feature! I nearly had a nervous breakdown when I created my first VoiceMap walking tour in 2021. I tried to create a tent over my recliner chair and it was a disaster, it crashed on top of me several times. I was using printed notes which were hard to read and still talk into the phone, plus I had to put a sock over the phone to muffle nasal breathing and I’d have to stop and take the sock off to pause the recording. I had to do all of the recordings two or three times to get good sound and it took four or five days to get it all done. The final product was very good and I loved how the engineer added sound effects. I was at the historic Spanish presidio in downtown Tucson one day and I heard people listening to their phone without earphones. I was so surprised to hear my voice loud and clear I shouted, “That’s me!” and they were so pleased to meet the author that had me take a picture with them.
In the summer of 2022 I started to create my Tombstone walking tour and dreaded the recording part. This time I set up a “sound studio” in my closet with clothes as a buffer with blankets on the back wall. I brought up my notes on my laptop and spoke into the mike included. That wasn’t good enough so I bought a curved foam screen, a professional microphone, and a special recording program. I still had to do three recording sessions because on the second one I hadn’t chosen the professional microphone an the new recording program used the laptop one. I’d say the whole thing took me four days this time with less anxiety and no nervous breakdowns.
One of the reasons I waited another year before creating my Scottsdale tour is because I was dreading the recording part. Meanwhile I got a new phone in 2023 and it has a much better microphone than my old one that I probably bought in 2018 or so. I still dreaded juggling the notes and microphone and was going to have to buy a new recording program. To say I was pleasantly surprised to find VoiceMap’s new phone recording feature is an understatement: I was delighted! I especially love the scroll up screen text, it made it so easy! I was in a much better mood as I read through the notes and I’m sure that will come through on the finished product. It only took me one day this time, a couple hours in the morning and a couple more in the afternoon. What a relief! Thanks again to all of you at VoiceMap for meeting our needs to create a better product with much less hassle.

[helene]

Thanks for the great comment @jimturnerhistorian and for sharing your experience. I’m happy to hear that the in-app recorder has served you well. Do you have any tips or suggestions for someone who’s using the recorder for the first time?

[jimturnerhistorian]

Sure, it’s pretty simple. Although I had trouble adjusting the speed to make the text scroll at the same speed as I talk I realized stopping the scroll by tapping the screen was great. I read everything that was on the screen and then tapped it and talked while the text scrolled but stopped it when it filled the screen again and repeated the process. It all goes very quickly once you get the pacing synchronized. I liked that it brought up all the stops and when I hit upload it marked that stop as done so I always knew where I was. I also liked that you just tap the stop you want and it opens the text. A few times I just started scrolling and reading and then realized I hadn’t pressed record so the digital clock at the bottom was still at 00.00. I only did that two or three times before I got into the routine of clicking the stop and then hitting the record button immediately. I also glanced down to see if the clock was running. Those are operator errors, of course. The recording process worked perfectly once I got the hang of it.

[helene]

Thanks @jimturnerhistorian, this is great to hear. Yes, I agree, I like the fact that there are various options to stop and scroll the text. Just highlighting for anyone who hasn’t tried out the recorder yet, that you can use the red and green arrows next to the speedometer to adjust the speed of the text as well.