by Jonathan Low

Rather than using 2 digital voice recorders, I would use 2 MP3 players with a built in digital recording function that have a small LED screen. This is because I'm actually not familiar with operating a digital voice recorder but I'm sure certain types can be used as well.

Effect: Two MP3 Players are passed to two volunteers A and B, and are then marked by them for identification. The spectators are given a fixed line to speak. Volunteer A makes his recording first. After it is done, the recording is played to confirm that it was recorded properly. Volunteer B then makes his recording and once again, the recording is played to confirm the recording. The magician then patters and makes a magical gesture.When both players are played one at a time, the recordings are found to have switched over.

Method:

The two Mp3 players are given to each volunteer with the labels clearly stuck on it. They will then mark the labels for identification purposes.

The spectators will be positioned about one and a half arm length apart with myself, the magician, standing right in between them.

Introduce the two volunteers and ask them a personal question about their favourite TV show, food, or what they do, craziest thing they've every done, etc. Then inform everyone that the two volunteers are each going to make a recording on the MP3 players. The lines they will record should be something short like "I am (name) and the craziest thing I've done ever was to (blah blah)." It's up to the magician how he would want to present the whole thing and the lines to use. A strong presentation will make the entire trick very entertaining.

Now that the volunteers are mentally prepared of what to say, you start off by letting Volunteer A do the recording first. To do that, you have to borrow Volunteer B's player and show A how the mp3 player works, what buttons to press, which menus to go to in order to make the recording. Unbeknownst to the volunteers and audience, when he makes his recording, you will be using B's player to record too.

Once he finishes his recording, you return B's player and take A's. Replay the recording in A to show everyone that the recording has been done properly. Once it is done, delete the recording and then demonstrate to B how to use his player to make a recording. Once again, record with A's player what B is saying.

Return A his player and replay B's recording before deleting it. Return the recording back to B.

Finally, all that is left is to make the magical gesture and get each of them to replay the recording inside the player to show that the recordings have switched places.

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The idea behind the trick is that because every single technological gadget is different in some ways, thus, the volunteers will have to be taught how to operate it and in that demonstration, the recording is captured. The convincer, where the recording is replayed, is really a ruse so that the recordings can be deleted.

If you could have volunteers who are not in touch with technological gadgets (usually girls), all the better.

The idea can also be applied to work for identical handphones that have recording functions.