Recording Custom Prompts

Provide a dial-in extension 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 channel 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 voicemail 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).