How to Record Live Audio from Clients for Effective Virtual Voice Therapy Evaluations

Recording high-quality audio during telehealth voice therapy evaluations allows clinicians to perform detailed listening, track progress, and complete acoustic analysis using programs like Praat.

This guide walks through the exact setup demonstrated in the video below, showing how to capture your client’s voice audio directly from your computer during a live teletherapy session.

Watch the full step-by-step video guide: 🎥 https://youtu.be/30d1M8iaBgQ

Why Recording Client Audio Matters in Voice Therapy

In telepractice, your client’s voice is heard through your computer—not directly into a microphone. Without the right setup, this audio cannot be recorded for later analysis.

Using a virtual audio routing system allows you to:

• Record voice samples during evaluations

• Perform acoustic analysis for pitch, intensity, and resonance

• Save baseline and progress data

• Support evidence-based voice therapy treatment planning

Step 1: Install VB-Audio Virtual Cable

Download VB-Audio Virtual Cable here:👉 https://vb-audio.com/Cable/

VB-Audio Virtual Cable creates a virtual connection inside your computer that reroutes internal audio. This allows your computer to recognize system sound—such as your client’s voice—as a microphone input.

Important: Restart your computer after installation to ensure the cable appears in your audio settings.

Step 2: Configure Computer Audio Settings for Telehealth

This step is critical for successful voice recording.

Computer Settings:

• Set VB-Audio Virtual Cable as your input (microphone)

• Keep your speakers or headphones as your output

  
  

Telehealth Platform:

• Continue using your physical microphone so the client hears you normally

• Your client’s voice is routed internally through VB-Cable

At this stage, your computer treats your client’s voice as recordable audio input.

Step 3: Record Client Voice Samples Using Audacity

Download Audacity (free audio recording software):👉 https://www.audacityteam.org/

Inside Audacity:

1. Select VB-Audio Virtual Cable as the recording input

2. Use mono recording for voice samples (in some cases you may need to set it to 2 (Stereo) Recording Channel

3. Press record during sustained vowels, reading passages, or structured voice tasks

You should see waveforms appear when your client speaks—this confirms correct routing.

Saving Files:

• Export recordings as .WAV files or MP3 files

• Label files clearly (e.g., ClientInitials_Date_Task)

• Store securely for later analysis

  
  

Step 4: Analyze Voice Samples in Praat

Download Praat for acoustic voice analysis:👉 https://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/

Praat allows clinicians to:

• Measure fundamental frequency (F0)

• Analyze intensity and perturbation measures

• View spectrograms and resonance patterns

• Track objective voice changes over time

These measures are commonly used in voice therapy evaluations and progress monitoring.

Limitations of Telehealth Voice Recordings

While this setup is effective, clinicians should be aware of its limitations:

• Audio quality depends on the client’s microphone (phone, earbuds, laptop mic)

• Background noise and room acoustics can affect clarity

• Telehealth recordings are not equivalent to studio-grade clinical recordings

  
  

However, for evaluation and treatment purposes, this method is clinically sufficient and widely used in telepractice voice therapy.

Final Thoughts

This telehealth voice recording workflow allows speech-language pathologists to:

• Capture client voice samples during live sessions

• Perform meaningful acoustic analysis

• Support data-driven voice therapy decisions

  
  

For visual guidance and real-time settings, watch the full tutorial here:

If you’d like help applying this setup to your own voice evaluations or telehealth practice, feel free to reach out to cdspeechtherapynj@gmail.com .