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The easiest way to record media interviews in 2021

By Jared Thompson | April 20, 2021

Recording a phone call hasn't been easy. Blinder has changed all that.

  • Using Blinder, you can record an interview—video and audio—with isolated and compiled tracks
  • No app is required and Blinder works on any connected device
  • You can even record calls you set up between other people, even if you’re not on the call
  • Record high-definition video tracks in rooms up to four participants
  • Organizations like Discovery Channel, SKY TV, and Stuff save hours with Blinder

Capturing a recording of a phone call is useful in a number of industries--journalism, public relations, law, healthcare, marketing research, and human resources (to name a few). Yet, there are only a few easy ways to do so, and they don’t always provide clear audio of both sides of the conversation, nor is there a backup when the equipment used fails.

I’ve seen it all after more than a decade as a media specialist. Transcribing assistants recording from the speakerphone, journalists wiring an array of lines in and out of their phone to a digital recorder, and PR managers paying to dial through conferencing apps to merge calls in order to record a low-grade audio file.

Each of these has pros and cons for cost, compatibility, and usability. But they’re all obsolete methods for the way to work in a post-COVID world.

  • What do you do if you want to record a multiparty call?
  • What if you forgot batteries for your recorder, or you can’t set up an app to record an incoming call?
  • What if you want to record a call you scheduled for people other than yourself?
  • What would you do if you wanted to record a video call from your phone?

Answer? Try Blinder.

Blinder is a call recording and interview management program conceived by a media manager and perfected by customers from the world’s most in-demand, privacy-conscious, and time-sensitive individuals and organizations from the world of sports, music, and media.

What’s different?

You have everything you need to use Blinder--any time, anywhere. From a browser-based dashboard, you can start or schedule a video or audio call, record it to cloud storage, and retrieve an HD full-room recording and the individual tracks from each participant.

Joining a call through Blinder is easy. Participants simply click a link to open their browser for a video interview or answer their phone as normal for an audio call. All they need is a computer or mobile device with a camera, microphone, and internet connection.

Blinder allows you to manage video calls for up to four participants and voice calls for up to three parties. You don’t even have to be on the call yourself. So if your job is news gathering, multimedia storytelling, or managing media interviews, Blinder is the tool for you.

What’s the benefit?

With Blinder, you and your interviewees are not jumping through hoops -- like downloading Zoom or finding a long-lost Skype login -- to take a call. Joining a call is a one-touch process. You can even automate notifications and a reminder 10 minutes before the scheduled call time. (Trust me, that 10-minute reminder is gold for meeting deadlines!)

This keeps your interviewer and interviewee more stress-free as they prepare to conduct an interview, leading to a better conversation. The one-time-use links that are unique for each participant keep the call secure to only those who have been invited.

You won’t even have to press record. As soon as the first guest joins, the call records server-side, which prevents the added disturbances, such as latency and distortion, of local recordings.

The Blinder account user can monitor the status of any call they schedule in real-time.

Why else would I use it?

If you’re not a journalist, you might be thinking you don’t record many phone calls. That’s true--because it’s been hard to do. Blinder makes it easy.

When many of Blinder’s early adopters were exploring the product, they were unsure about how often they would record calls they set up for others. Yet month after month, more than 90 percent of Blinder calls are recorded for editing and publication; recycling for social teases, multimedia stories, and podcasts; media training; or just for safekeeping.

Note: The laws on recording phone calls vary by country and state. Blinder makes it clear to all parties that the call is being recorded and joining the call is consent to record. In areas where recording is prohibited entirely, Blinder is not accessible.