I thought this would be a simple matter, but the answer is eluding me. Found this forum site--if there's an answer out there, it should be found here!
I want to be able to send a sound file (stored on my hard drive) directly through the phone line to a remote voice mail system, to be used as an outgoing message. I have several different outgoing messages that need to be applied to the voice mail system depending on the situation, and I don't want to have to re-record the messages over the phone every time I have to change it. Having the outgoing messages already recorded and stored on my computer, ready to be sent when necessary, seems like the ideal solution, but I can't find the ideal answer. The voice mail system does not accept an uploaded sound file via email or FTP; I must CALL the system and speak a new outgoing message if I want to change it. I've tried placing my PC speakers very close to the telephone handset and playing the sound file into the telephone. The results are poor, at best. Have also tried this using my PC headset (earphones) in place of the speakers, but the results are also poor.
I've found a few possible solutions. The most promising is a device called Voice Path (or Voice Port, depending on the manufacturer), that retails at $109. This telephone handset interface device routes audio from any telephone into the PC sound card. It also plays back into the phone line, which is my goal. While it looks like the ideal solution, I was hoping for an answer that's a little less pricey. Does anyone have a suggestion? Or will I have to bite the bullet and invest in this expensive little box?
Hmmmm, another thought just crossed my mind. I have PhoneTools software, which allows me to use the modem for phone calls and faxes. While using this software to call the voice mail system, I tried playing the sound file on my computer. It did not record into the phone line as I had hoped. BUT, this makes me wonder if there's a different solution in somehow connecting the sound card directly to the modem?
TIA,
watershipwoo