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How to ask to record a call
Choose where you are, where the other person is and what kind of call it is. You get a short script to say at the start, the consent rule that applies in those places, and what to do if the answer is no. It works the same whatever you record with, and nothing you choose here leaves your browser.
The rule that applies
If the answer is no
Don't start the recording, and take notes by hand. If you use Recordist, click Not this one on the card that appears when the call starts, and nothing is written. If someone joins partway through, ask again.
Why the script is written this way
People agree more easily when they know three things: why you want the recording, where it will be kept, and that saying no is fine. The script covers all three in under fifteen seconds, which is short enough to say at the start of every call without it feeling like a ceremony.
Where the people on a call are in different places, the cautious approach is to follow the stricter rule. Courts in some all-party states have applied their rule to calls with people in one-party states.
About Recordist
Recordist takes notes from calls on your own Mac and shows a card asking whether to record every time a call starts, so the moment to ask is built into the routine. It never joins the call, and the audio stays on your computer. It doesn't ask anyone for consent on your behalf; you do, with words like the ones above.