Recording Custom Prompts

Provide a dial-in extensionA dialplan entry that matches a dialed number or pattern within a context and triggers a sequence of prioritized steps. where administrators or users can record custom greetings and IVR prompts by speaking into the phone. The recording is saved as a sound file and played back immediately for review.

Dialplan

[features]
exten => *99,1,NoOp(Record a custom prompt)
 same => n,Answer()
 same => n,Wait(1)
 same => n,Playback(beep)
 same => n,Record(custom-greeting%d:ulaw)
 same => n,Wait(1)
 same => n,Playback(${RECORDED_FILE})
 same => n,Hangup()

Record with a Specific Filename

[features]
; Record a greeting for a specific mailbox or context
exten => *98,1,NoOp(Record named prompt)
 same => n,Answer()
 same => n,Wait(1)
 same => n,Read(PROMPT_NAME,vm-enter-num-to-call,10)
 same => n,GotoIf($["${PROMPT_NAME}" = ""]?invalid)
 same => n,Playback(beep)
 same => n,Record(custom/${PROMPT_NAME}:wav,,5)
 same => n,Wait(1)
 same => n,Playback(custom/${PROMPT_NAME})
 same => n,Hangup()
 same => n(invalid),Playback(an-error-has-occurred)
 same => n,Hangup()

How it works

1. Record(filename:format,silence,maxduration,options): Records audio from the caller to a file. Recording stops when the caller presses #, hangs up, or when maxduration seconds elapse. A silence value (in seconds) causes recording to stop after that many seconds of silence.
2. %d auto-numbering: The %d in the filename is replaced by an auto-incrementing number, so repeated recordings don't overwrite each other: custom-greeting0.ulaw, custom-greeting1.ulaw, etc.
3. ${RECORDED_FILE}: After Record() completes, this channelA single call leg passing through Asterisk. Channels represent connections to endpoints and are what dialplan applications act on. variable contains the full path of the recorded file (without extension). Pass it directly to Playback() for immediate review.
4. Format: :ulaw records in 8kHz G.711 mu-law, native to North American telephony. Use :wav for wideband or :gsm for compressed storage. The format determines the file extension.
5. Wait(1) before Record: A short delay after Answer() prevents the first fraction of a second of audio from being clipped, and gives the caller time to prepare.

Tips

• Recorded files land in /var/lib/asterisk/sounds/ by default. Use a subdirectory like custom/ to keep them organized.
• Add a re-record loop: after playback, ask "Press 1 to accept, 2 to re-record" using Read() and GotoIf().
• For voicemailAsterisk's built-in voice messaging system (app_voicemail), configured in voicemail.conf with mailboxes per user. greetings, use VoiceMailMain() instead: it has a built-in greeting recording flow.
• Maximum recording length can be set with the third argument: Record(file:ulaw,,120) limits to 120 seconds.
• Use the k option (Record(file:ulaw,,,k)) to keep the recording if the caller hangs up during recording, rather than discarding it.
• Reference the recorded file in other contexts: Playback(custom-greeting0) (no extension, no path prefix if it's in the sounds directory).