Retell Pico User manual

Call Recorder Pico Manual UK © 2009 Retell
1
Retell Call Recorder
Pico Manual
Version 1.001.10

Call Recorder Pico Manual UK © 2009 Retell
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1. Green LED *
2. Red LED **
3. Record button
4. Handset out / Line out
5. I II Switch
6. Handset in / Line in
7. USB
8. Speaker / microphone ***
*) The green LED indicates that the software on the
computer has detected the Pico and its driver is running.
**) The red LED indicates a recording is being made.
***) Connect a microphone to record a conversation in the
room, or connect speakers to play back a previously
made recording.

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Care and Maintenance
Keep the Call Recorder Pico dry. If it gets
wet, wipe it dry immediately with a soft,
clean cloth. Liquids might contain minerals
that corrode the electronic circuits.
Use and store the Call Recorder Pico only in
temperature conditions between 0 and 40
degrees Celsius. Temperature extremes can
shorten the life of electronic devices and
distort or melt plastic parts.
Keep the Call Recorder Pico away from
excessive dust and dirt.
Do not use aggressive chemicals, cleaning
solvents or strong detergents to clean the
Call Recorder Pico.

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Contents
1Introduction...........................................................7
2Getting started.......................................................8
2.1 Hardware installation.............................................8
2.2 Notification ...........................................................8
2.3 Connecting the Call Recorder Pico ..........................8
2.3.1 Record from telephone line .................................9
2.3.2 Record from handset ........................................10
2.3.3 Record from microphone...................................10
2.4 Connect the Pico to the PC...................................11
2.4.1 Connecting the first Call Recorder Pico ...............11
2.5 Software installation............................................12
2.5.1 Software configuration......................................13
2.5.2 Connecting more Call Recorders Pico..................13
3Options ................................................................14
3.1 Language ...........................................................14
3.2 Device settings ...................................................14
3.2.1 Basic ...............................................................14
3.2.2 Start / Stop......................................................15
3.2.3 Volume............................................................17
3.2.4 Extra ...............................................................18
3.3 Setup .................................................................19
3.3.1 Playback ..........................................................19
3.3.2 Recording ........................................................19
3.3.3 Notification message.........................................21
3.3.4 Data storage ....................................................23

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3.3.5 Start -up..........................................................24
3.3.6 Security ...........................................................24
3.3.7 Display ............................................................25
4Playback and recording........................................26
4.1 Normal playback .................................................26
4.2 Playback in a call.................................................26
4.2.1 Playback and recording control display ...............27
4.2.2 Hotkeys ...........................................................28
4.2.3 Playback by the Pico device...............................28
4.3 Automatic recording. ...........................................28
4.4 Manual recording ................................................29
4.4.1 Adding notes to a recording ..............................29
5Layout of the software.........................................31
5.1 Main Menu..........................................................31
5.1.1 File..................................................................31
5.1.2 View................................................................32
5.1.3 List..................................................................34
5.1.4 The Recycle Bin................................................34
5.1.5 Action..............................................................35
5.2 List, Search and Audio buttons .............................39
5.2.1 The List button.................................................39
5.2.2 The Search button............................................39
5.2.3 The Audio button..............................................40
6Problem solving ...................................................43
6.1 Restoring your soundcard ....................................43
6.2 Problems setting the Start/Stop level ....................43
6.3 Problems setting the Stop time.............................44

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6.4 Problem with playback volume slider.....................44
6.5 Problems with distorted audio ..............................44
6.6 Problems with high Start level ..............................44
6.7 Problems with automatic start / stop.....................45
6.8 Problems with PC start up after connecting Pico.....48
7Software Update Online.......................................48
8Acknowledgements..............................................49
8.1 Privacy ...............................................................49
8.2 Liability ..............................................................49
Appendix A .................................................................50
INDEX.........................................................................52

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1Introduction
The Call Recorder Pico is a system to record and archive
telephone calls on a PC. It consists of a PC application and one
or more Call Recorders connecting the telephones to your PC.
Depending on the number of USB ports and the capabilities of
the PC, it is possible to record from up to any number of Call
Recorders simultaneously (4 Call Recorders per 1Ghz).
Every gigabyte of free disk space allows you to record up to
180 hours of conversation on your hard disk.
The Call Recorder Pico can record from analogue and corded
digital telephones, from Skype© and from a microphone.
Recordings are stored in a comprehensive archive. The archive
is displayed on your computer screen as a list of recordings. In
the list the recording properties like date and time of the
recording are stored with the actual recording and can be
viewed in the archive. Queries can be made to get a clear
picture of the amount of recordings or to find a specific
recording quickly.
NOTE The Pico stores all recordings on your PC. For it
to make a recording it is necessary that the PC is on
and the software is running.
Call Centre use
This call recorder can be used in small businesses where one
telephone line is connected to one call recorder, but it is also
possible to connect a Pico to every line in a Call centre.
For the use of Pico’s in a Call centre an API can be installed
through which the Pico and the Call Centre’s software can
work together.
Read Appendix A to find out more about this API.

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2Getting started
The Call recorder Pico is set up in a sequence of steps. The
following paragraphs will describe the steps involved. They
are:
Connecting the Pico to the telephone
Connecting the Pico to the PC
Software installation
Set up of the software
2.1 Hardware installation
Depending on the kind of telephone you want to record from,
the Pico is connected to the telephone line or the telephone
handset.
You will find instructions for recording from an analogue
telephone line or recording from the handset of a digital
telephone.
The Call Recorder Pico works best with a properly installed
sound card or sound device in your PC. However, the Pico can
also be connected to external speakers. The signal on the
speakers is a mono signal.
2.2 Notification
When recording a conversation with the Pico it is possible to
notify your conversation partner of the recording through a
regularly returning beep or through a spoken message. See §
Setup3.3.3 about recording and play back of the notification
message.
2.3 Connecting the Call Recorder Pico
Determine the kind of telephone you want to connect the Pico
to. This will either be a normal (analogue) or digital (e.g. Key
System, PBX, ISDN) device. If you have an analogue
telephone, use the “Record from telephone line” method. If

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you have digital telephone, use the “Record from handset”
method.
2.3.1 Record from telephone line
Record from telephone line can only be used if you have an
analogue telephone. When "record from telephone line" is
used the Pico can detect "on/off hook" straight from the
telephone line.
The switch between the telephone sockets must be in
position I.
If you have a cordless analogue telephone set, connect the
Pico to the base unit.
If you have ADSL, connect the Pico between the ADSL modem
and the telephone. See the diagram below.
Record from telephone line

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2.3.2 Record from handset
When "record from handset" is used the Pico needs to detect
"on/off hook" by “listening” to the handset. The handset
must be corded. The switch between the telephone sockets
should be in position I. Depending on the wiring of your
handset you may need to put it in position II if position I
interferes with the normal working order of your telephone or
the recordings are of poor quality. See also Problems with
distorted audio § 6.5. See the connection diagram below.
Record from handset
2.3.3 Record from microphone
A third possibility is connecting the Pico to a microphone.
Conversations in a conference room or office could be
recorded with the Pico connected like this.

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After connecting the Pico to the telephone line or microphone,
it can be connected to the PC.
2.4 Connect the Pico to the PC
Once the Pico is connected to the telephone it can be
connected to the computer using the USB cable.
2.4.1 Connecting the first Call Recorder Pico
The Pico can be connected to any free USB port or to a USB
hub. If connected to a hub, this hub should have an external
power supply.
For Windows, 2000, XP and Vista the Pico will show up in the
device list after a couple of seconds.
Warning: Installing the Pico will make it the preferred sound
device of your computer. If you have a soundcard in your
system and you use it for other applications it is advised to
restore your original sound device as preferred device. To
restore your original sound device (your soundcard) as
preferred, please follow these instructions:
Click "Start" and select the Control Panel.

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Select "Multimedia" or "Sound and Multimedia"
Select the Audio tab-page.
Now select your preferred device for playback.
2.5 Software installation
Place the CD-ROM in your computer and the software
installation starts automatically. If the installation is not
started automatically, locate the file ‘CRPicoInstaller.exe’ on
the CD and start it by double-clicking. Follow the instructions
on the screen.
Select your preferred language for the installation.
You are prompted to accept the software license
agreement.
Now enter the user details and the installation key
provided with your product

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Only then you can proceed with the next steps of the
installation:
You will be asked:
to confirm the location on your hard drive where the
software will be installed
specify a location for the data files
whether you want a desktop icon for the application
When the installation is finished you will be asked to register
your Pico on line.
When the software starts for the first time you will be
prompted to check for online updates. Please execute this
check.
2.5.1 Software configuration
When you start the software for the first time, with the new
Pico connected, the Device list will open.
Make the connection and recording settings there. See Device
settings §3.2.
2.5.2 Connecting more Call Recorders Pico
Once the first Pico has been connected, recognised by the PC
and it shows up in your device list, the second Pico can be
connected. Wait until this device has been recognised and
installed before connecting consecutive devices. If you
connect a number of Pico’s, make sure to give them a ‘device
name’ , to make identification easier.

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3Options
3.1 Language
The Pico software is translated into a number of languages. It
is possible to change the display language at any time.
Select your language and click.
3.2 Device settings
Following the description in the previous paragraph, start the
software and open from the Options menu the Devices
screen.
To the left you will see a list in a drop box of the available
audio devices. All connected Pico’s should show up in the list.
Make the device settings for all Call Recorders separately.
Select one of the audio devices, and then change its settings.
Icon
By default, the Serial number is used as the device name. An
enabled Pico shows up as a button in the List tab.
3.2.1 Basic
Device name
Each Pico is identified by its serial number. For the individual
user it is easier to address a name to the Pico to identify it.
The name is referred to as the ‘Device name'.
Enter a name for the device in the ‘Device name’field.

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Input channel
The Call Recorder Pico can record from a telephone or a
microphone. To record from a microphone, connect it to the
Pico.
Select ‘microphone’ as Input Channel.
It is not possible to record from a telephone and a microphone
at the same time.
Device is connected to the:
Select either the telephone Line or to the telephone
Handset according to the way the Pico is connected.
Enable recording by this device
If you want the Pico to record, this checkbox should be
checked (it is by default). At some point however, it could be
necessary to disconnect one or more Pico’s. Use this checkbox
to disable recording from the device, without having to
physically disconnect it.
Check the “Enable recording by this device” checkbox
Once the device is enabled, other options can be set.
3.2.2 Start / Stop
Start / Stop a recording
There are four possibilities:
Automatic: The software automatically starts recording
when it detects that the telephone is off-hook, based on
the audio level and on / off hook signals when available.
It is necessary to adjust all settings in this dialogue.
Semi-automatic: The software detects when the
telephone is off-hook or on-hook, but it does not start a
recording automatically. You can choose to start a
recording when the telephone is off-hook, by clicking the
Record button in the Pico application or press the Record
button on the Pico itself. Only adjust the Pre-recording
period in this dialogue

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Manual: You choose to start and stop a recording
manually. Recording can be started and stopped from
the Audio screen. Recording can also be started from the
Active dialog or by using the Record button on the Pico
itself. Only adjust the Pre-recording period in this
dialogue.
Automatic (on / off hook only) The software
automatically starts recording when it detects that the
telephone is off-hook, based on on-hook signals only,
not on audio level. This option is not possible when the
Pico is connected to the handset (digital telephone).
About Voice activated recording
Voice activated recording is used when recording from the
Handset. This option is used when recording from a digital
telephone.
The principle of voice activated recording is quite simple. The
Pico software constantly monitors the connected devices for
their audio level. When the telephone is not used the audio
level is close to zero. When a telephone conversation is started
the software will detect an elevated audio level on the Pico.
The Start/Stop level setting is used to determine the audio
level above which recording should be started. The recording
will be stopped again when the audio level drops below the
Start/Stop level.
However, the recording should not stop instantly. During
telephone calls it is possible that the audio level drops below
the Start/Stop level for a certain amount of time, for instance
when the caller is put on hold or when the caller mutes the
phone. Therefore, the recording needs to be stopped only
after the audio level has dropped below the Start/Stop level
for a certain amount of time. This amount of time is set by the
Stop time. The settings of the Start/Stop level and the Stop
time are crucial to the performance of reliable voice activated
recording.

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Note Voice activated recording is active simultaneously
with the On and Off Hook detection when connected to
the telephone line.
Automatic recording start/stop audio level
If the audio level is above the level specified here, a recording
will be started.
Stop recording after audio is below stop level for ...
seconds
Specify the number of seconds you want the Pico to go on
recording after the audio level is below the automatic
recording start/stop level.
Pre-recording period
When you manually start a recording it is possible to have the
software start the recording a little earlier then you actually
press the button by setting the ‘Pre recording period’ which
defines the amount of time.
3.2.3 Volume
Recording Volume
Here is where you set the recording volume. It is dependent
on the make of the telephone whether it should be high or
low.
Automatic Gain Control (AGC)
AGC amplifies all audio signals to one specific level.
Set the minimum level using the second (lower) slider.
The slider sets the Minimum level to boost, i.e. audio
(background noise) that stays below this level will remain
unaffected (not amplified) by the AGC. Audio that rises above
this level will be amplified to the Maximum level.

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Try to find a setting where both the local and remote voices
are amplified without the background noise being amplified.
If during playback the sound seems intermitted or contains
gaps the Minimum level is probably set too high. If there is a
lot of background noise during playback the Minimum level is
probably set too low.
Add microphone channel
By default this option is not enabled. This option is only
relevant when the device is connected to the telephone
handset. The Pico software, by default, only records the
headset speaker channel. Most telephone handset speakers
contain both the local and the remote voice signal. Enable this
option to add the local voice signal from the microphone to
the recording. Enable this option only when the recording does
not contain the local voice or when the audio level is too low.
3.2.4 Extra
Sound on speaker while recording
This is a Monitoring option.
When this option is enabled, the recorded sound is put on the
PC speakers automatically when a recording starts, and is
stopped automatically when the recording stops. This option
allows for supervisors in an other room to listen in on the
conversation that is taking place. As the sound is not real time
it is not advised to enable this option when the telephone and
the PC are in the same room. This option can also be activated
on the ‘Audio’ tab and the Actions menu.
Record left channel
Background information:
When recording from the telephone Handset, the Pico receives
two signals:
1) The signal of the microphone of the handset,
this contains your own voice.

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2) The signal of the speaker of the handset, this
contains the voice of the remote caller, and
often also your own voice.
The Pico software receives a stereo signal (left and right) from
the Pico device. Normally the left channel is the microphone
and the right channel is the speaker.
By default the Pico records only the right channel because this
normally contains both the local and the remote voice. If this
is not the case, change it by enabling the options:
Add microphone channel
Record left channel
3.3 Setup
3.3.1 Playback
To Playback any recording the Device and channel must be
selected from the list. Commonly the computer’s soundcard
will be used as device and the channel can either be WAVE or
PC Speakers. The play back Volume can be adjusted with the
slider. Make sure that when you use the PC speakers for
playback the PC volume is ‘on’ as well.
Check the checkbox ‘Disable automatic starting of
recording during playback’ when the Pico is used as
playback device. It prevents that the software records the
played back sound that is sent to the Pico.
3.3.2 Recording
A number of recording settings is common for all the
connected devices. These settings are displayed here. Settings
specific for a connected device, are displayed in Device
options.
Type
Type displays all Codecs available. One of the Codecs of your
PC is used to encode recordings. The Microsoft GSM Codec is
present on most PC's. It offers a good balance between

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recording quality and required storage space. Therefore, if
available, this Codec is selected as a standard.
Note: The Fraunhofer MPEG Codec (as available on
Windows XP) should not be used when recording from
multiple Pico devices, because this Codec supports only
one recording at the time. The Microsoft GSM Codec
does not have this limitation.
Frequency
Choose between a sampling frequency of 8 kHz (the default),
or 16 kHz. A higher sampling frequency gives a higher quality
recording, but uses more disk space.
Attributes
Attributes shows the various options of the selected Codec for
the selected frequency. If it is empty, recording in the selected
Codec at the selected frequency is not possible. Another Codec
or frequency should be selected.
Minimum Duration
Minimum Duration refers to the minimum duration of a
recording for it to be stored. A standard setting would be 5
seconds. Recordings shorter than the set Minimum duration
will not be stored.
Ask to store
When "Ask to store" is enabled, you will have an option to
cancel a recording when it is finished. The "Ask to store"-
dialog has a field to add Notes to the recording.
Call Recording for Skype Software
By default this option is disabled. When it is enabled, and it is
working, a button with the name "Uses Skype Software" is
displayed in the List tab of the main screen.