5. Updating Recordings

Once recordings have been collected into incidents, there are a number of ways to examine their properties. Examine detailed properties for any recording by right-clicking a recording and selecting Properties from the menu. The Properties dialog box will appear, allowing you to add information such as notes and to access the audit history of the recording.

Any notes modified in this dialog box are saved back to the recorder on which it originated. Similarly, changing the Protected status of a recording updates the recording’s status on the source recorder.

5.1. Call Properties Screen

The Call Properties screen lists the attributes of the selected call recording and includes the following tabs:

  • Properties – provides information about the call properties.

  • More – allows you to add information about the call.

  • History – Provides a history of the call.

5.1.1. Call Properties Screen: Properties Tab

The Properties tab provides detailed information about the recording’s location, time, and phone. You may add information about the recording in the Notes box. Check the Protected box in the Attributes section to prevent the recording from being deleted.

Call Properties Screen – Property Tab

Fig. 5.1 Call Properties Screen – Property Tab

5.1.2. Call Properties Screen: More Tab

The More tab includes the custom fields specific to your recorder that contain additional information about the recording. From this screen, you may edit any of the custom field information.

Call Properties Screen – More Tab

Fig. 5.2 Call Properties Screen – More Tab

5.1.3. Call Properties Screen – History Tab

The History tab provides an audit history of each time this recording has been accessed, including the related user information.

Call Properties Screen – History Tab

Fig. 5.3 Call Properties Screen – History Tab

5.2. Editing Call Notes in the Call Grid

If you make the Note column visible, you can edit call notes directly in the call grid by double clicking on the field associated with a call. If you want to edit the note for the next call, hit enter to finish this note and move to the next. Once you have a note entered in one or more calls in a given search or incident, you can also reuse previous notes by clicking on a call then opening an autocomplete menu that will list the notes from other calls in this view, as seen below.

Note Autocomplete Menu

Fig. 5.4 Note Autocomplete Menu

5.3. Annotating Calls

Annotation allows you to make notes in a recording at the precise time in the recording that is of interest. For example, you can mark where someone on the line starts yelling, or when a sound in the background caught your attention. Annotations are visible on the timeline as a little yellow pin marker, and if you hover your mouse over them, the text will pop up, in this case “A comment about this moment in time.”:

Text Annotation in the Timeline

Fig. 5.5 Text Annotation in the Timeline

Annotations are paired to the call, so the pin will be visible in any search, browse or incident that includes it. To add an annotation, right-click on the call and select Add Text Annotation. This will open the Annotation editor, with the Date set to the time of where you initially clicked.

Editing an Annotation

Fig. 5.6 Editing an Annotation

You can adjust the time alignment by configuring the date in this window; if you want the annotation to precisely align with the start or end of the call, you can use the left (start) and right (end) arrows around the date to set it to the start or the end.

When looking at the properties of a call record that has been annotated, a list of these annotations will appear at the bottom of the properties window.

Properties showing Annotations

Fig. 5.7 Properties showing Annotations

5.3.1. Audio Annotations

Annotations can also include audio, if you have a microphone attached to your computer and are using Firefox or Chrome. Internet Explorer does not yet support the necessary web technologies for this feature to work.

For privacy reasons, using a microphone with MediaWorks DX™ requires that you grant explicit permission to the web browser to use the microphone; this is handled by the browser. It also requires HTTPS.

Audio Annotation Microphone Permission Prompt in Firefox

Fig. 5.8 Audio Annotation Microphone Permission Prompt in Firefox

Audio Annotation Microphone HTTPS Prompt

Fig. 5.9 Audio Annotation Microphone HTTPS Prompt

Audio Annotations can include text like a regular Annotation, but by using a microphone you can provide commentary on any call, at any point in the call. Right click on the call in the timeline at the point you wish to annotate, grant permission to the microphone (once per session) and then click the button with the red dot in a circle to start recording.

Once you are recording, the timer on the side will count up to the maximum of 60 seconds of recording time. Click the same button again to stop recording. You can then playback the recording by pressing the play icon (triangle) in the audio widget that appeared after clicking stop.

You can delete the recording by pressing the red X circle button and you can save by clicking OK. Playback the call and you will hear the audio annotation, surrounded by a beep at start and end, at the point in the call you placed it.

Audio Annotations are played back by default but can be turned off in the Playback menu.

Audio Annotation Error: No Microphone

Fig. 5.10 Audio Annotation Error: No Microphone