diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d87f107de..d66c1d913 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -66,41 +66,49 @@ Before that, run `./debian/flavors/no_ngcp` in order to remove any NGCP dependen
 This will produce a number of `.deb` files, which can then be installed using the
 `dpkg -i` command.
 
-The generated files are (with version 2.3.0 being built on an amd64 system):
+The generated files are (with version 6.2.0.0 being built on an amd64 system):
 
-* `ngcp-rtpengine_2.3.0_all.deb`
+* `ngcp-rtpengine_6.2.0.0+0~mr6.2.0.0_all.deb`
 
 	This is a meta-package, which doesn't contain or install anything on its own, but rather
 	only depends on the other packages to be installed. Not strictly necessary to be installed.
 
-* `ngcp-rtpengine-daemon_2.3.0_amd64.deb`
+* `ngcp-rtpengine-daemon_6.2.0.0+0~mr6.2.0.0_amd64.deb`
 
 	This installed the userspace daemon, which is the main workhorse of rtpengine. This is
 	the minimum requirement for anything to work.
 
-* `ngcp-rtpengine-dbg_2.3.0_amd64.deb`
-
-	Debugging symbols for the daemon. Optional.
-
-* `ngcp-rtpengine-iptables_2.3.0_amd64.deb`
+* `ngcp-rtpengine-iptables_6.2.0.0+0~mr6.2.0.0_amd64.deb`
 
 	Installs the plugin for `iptables` and `ip6tables`. Necessary for in-kernel operation.
 
-* `ngcp-rtpengine-kernel-dkms_2.3.0_all.deb`
+* `ngcp-rtpengine-kernel-dkms_6.2.0.0+0~mr6.2.0.0_all.deb`
 
 	Kernel module, DKMS version of the package. Recommended for in-kernel operation. The kernel
 	module will be compiled against the currently running kernel using DKMS.
 
-* `ngcp-rtpengine-kernel-source_2.3.0_all.deb`
+* `ngcp-rtpengine-kernel-source_6.2.0.0+0~mr6.2.0.0_all.deb`
 
 	If DKMS is unavailable or not desired, then this package will install the sources for the kernel
 	module for manual compilation. Required for in-kernel operation, but only if the DKMS package
 	can't be used.
 
+* `ngcp-rtpengine-recording-daemon_6.2.0.0+0~mr6.2.0.0_amd64.deb`
+
+	Optional separate userspace daemon used for call recording features.
+
+* `-dbg...` or `-dbgsym...` packages
+
+	Debugging symbols for the various components. Optional.
+
 For transcoding purposes, Debian provides an additional package `libavcodec-extra` to replace
 the regular `libavcodec` package. It is recommended to install this extra package to offer support
 for additional codecs.
 
+To support the G.729 codec for transcoding purposes, the external library *bcg729* is required. To
+include this in a Debian build environment, a Debian-packaged version is required, which is available
+from [GitHub](https://github.com/ossobv/bcg729-deb).
+
 Manual Compilation
 ------------------
 
@@ -120,7 +128,8 @@ There's 3 parts to *rtpengine*, which can be found in the respective subdirector
 	- *XMLRPC-C* version 1.16.08 or higher
 	- *hiredis* library
 	- *libiptc* library for iptables management (optional)
-	- *ffmpeg* codec libraries for transcoding (options) such as *libavcodec*, *libavfilter*, *libavresample*
+	- *ffmpeg* codec libraries for transcoding (optional) such as *libavcodec*, *libavfilter*, *libavresample*
+	- *bcg729* for full G.729 transcoding support (optional)
 
 	The `Makefile` contains a few Debian-specific flags, which may have to removed for compilation to
 	be successful. This will not affect operation in any way.
diff --git a/daemon/Makefile b/daemon/Makefile
index c084730bd..c1e82ef7d 100644
--- a/daemon/Makefile
+++ b/daemon/Makefile
@@ -4,33 +4,40 @@ with_iptables_option ?= yes
 with_transcoding ?= yes
 
 # look for bcg729
-# system
+# system pkg-config
+ifeq ($(shell pkg-config --exists libbcg729 && echo yes),yes)
+have_bcg729 := yes
+bcg729_inc := $(shell pkg-config --cflags libbcg729)
+bcg729_lib := $(shell pkg-config --libs libbcg729)
+else
+# system generic
 ifneq (,$(wildcard /usr/include/bcg729/decoder.h))
 have_bcg729 := yes
 else
 # /usr/src
 ifneq (,$(wildcard /usr/src/bcg729/include/bcg729/decoder.h))
 have_bcg729 := yes
-bcg729_inc := /usr/src/bcg729/include/
-bcg729_lib := /usr/src/bcg729/src/
+bcg729_inc := -I/usr/src/bcg729/include/
+bcg729_lib := -L/usr/src/bcg729/src/ -lbcg729
 else
 # rfuchs dev
 ifneq (,$(wildcard $(HOME)/src/bcg729/include/bcg729/decoder.h))
 have_bcg729 := yes
-bcg729_inc := $(HOME)/src/bcg729/include/
-bcg729_lib := $(HOME)/src/bcg729/src/
+bcg729_inc := -I$(HOME)/src/bcg729/include/
+bcg729_lib := -L$(HOME)/src/bcg729/src/ -lbcg729
 else
 # home directory
 ifneq (,$(wildcard $(HOME)/bcg729/include/bcg729/decoder.h))
 have_bcg729 := yes
-bcg729_inc := $(HOME)/bcg729/include/
-bcg729_lib := $(HOME)/bcg729/src/
+bcg729_inc := -I$(HOME)/bcg729/include/
+bcg729_lib := -L$(HOME)/bcg729/src/ -lbcg729
 else
 # included toplevel
 ifneq (,$(wildcard ../bcg729/include/bcg729/decoder.h))
 have_bcg729 := yes
-bcg729_inc := ../bcg729/include/
-bcg729_lib := ../bcg729/src/
+bcg729_inc := -I../bcg729/include/
+bcg729_lib := -L../bcg729/src/ -lbcg729
+endif
 endif
 endif
 endif
@@ -39,37 +46,35 @@ endif
 
 CFLAGS=		-g -Wall -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing
 CFLAGS+=	-std=c99
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags glib-2.0`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags gthread-2.0`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags zlib`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags openssl`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags libevent_pthreads`
-CFLAGS+=	`pcre-config --cflags`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config xmlrpc_client --cflags 2> /dev/null || xmlrpc-c-config client --cflags`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config xmlrpc --cflags 2> /dev/null`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config xmlrpc_util --cflags 2> /dev/null`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags json-glib-1.0`
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags glib-2.0)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags gthread-2.0)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags zlib)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags openssl)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags libevent_pthreads)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pcre-config --cflags)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config xmlrpc_client --cflags 2> /dev/null || xmlrpc-c-config client --cflags)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config xmlrpc --cflags 2> /dev/null)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config xmlrpc_util --cflags 2> /dev/null)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags json-glib-1.0)
 ifeq ($(with_iptables_option),yes)
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags libiptc`
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags libiptc)
 CFLAGS+=	-DWITH_IPTABLES_OPTION
 endif
 CFLAGS+=	-I. -I../kernel-module/ -I../lib/
 CFLAGS+=	-D_GNU_SOURCE
 ifeq ($(with_transcoding),yes)
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags libavcodec`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags libavformat`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags libavutil`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags libavresample`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags libavfilter`
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags libavcodec)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags libavformat)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags libavutil)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags libavresample)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags libavfilter)
 CFLAGS+=	-DWITH_TRANSCODING
 else
 CFLAGS+=	-DWITHOUT_CODECLIB
 endif
 ifeq ($(have_bcg729),yes)
 CFLAGS+=	-DHAVE_BCG729
-ifneq ($(bcg729_inc),)
-CFLAGS+=	-I$(bcg729_inc)
-endif
+CFLAGS+=	$(bcg729_inc)
 endif
 
 CFLAGS+=	-DRE_PLUGIN_DIR="\"/usr/lib/rtpengine\""
@@ -80,35 +85,32 @@ CFLAGS+=	-DRE_PLUGIN_DIR="\"/usr/lib/rtpengine\""
 #CFLAGS+=	-DSTRICT_SDES_KEY_LIFETIME
 
 LDFLAGS=	-lm
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs glib-2.0`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs gthread-2.0`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs zlib`
-LDFLAGS+=       `pkg-config --libs libpcre`
-LDFLAGS+=       `pkg-config --libs libcrypto`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs openssl`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs libevent_pthreads`
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs glib-2.0)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs gthread-2.0)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs zlib)
+LDFLAGS+=       $(shell pkg-config --libs libpcre)
+LDFLAGS+=       $(shell pkg-config --libs libcrypto)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs openssl)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs libevent_pthreads)
 LDFLAGS+=	-lpcap
-LDFLAGS+=	`pcre-config --libs`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config xmlrpc_client --libs 2> /dev/null || xmlrpc-c-config client --libs`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config xmlrpc --libs 2> /dev/null`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config xmlrpc_util --libs 2> /dev/null`
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pcre-config --libs)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config xmlrpc_client --libs 2> /dev/null || xmlrpc-c-config client --libs)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config xmlrpc --libs 2> /dev/null)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config xmlrpc_util --libs 2> /dev/null)
 LDFLAGS+=	-lhiredis
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs json-glib-1.0`
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs json-glib-1.0)
 ifeq ($(with_iptables_option),yes)
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs libiptc`
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs libiptc)
 endif
 ifeq ($(with_transcoding),yes)
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs libavcodec`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs libavformat`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs libavutil`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs libavresample`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs libavfilter`
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs libavcodec)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs libavformat)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs libavutil)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs libavresample)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs libavfilter)
 endif
 ifeq ($(have_bcg729),yes)
-ifneq ($(bcg729_lib),)
-LDFLAGS+=	-L$(bcg729_lib)
-endif
-LDFLAGS+=	-lbcg729
+LDFLAGS+=	$(bcg729_lib)
 endif
 
 include ../lib/lib.Makefile
diff --git a/lib/lib.Makefile b/lib/lib.Makefile
index d2867fb4b..2c2752ed2 100644
--- a/lib/lib.Makefile
+++ b/lib/lib.Makefile
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ ifneq ($(DBG),yes)
   DPKG_BLDFLGS=	$(shell which dpkg-buildflags 2>/dev/null)
   ifneq ($(DPKG_BLDFLGS),)
     # support http://wiki.debian.org/Hardening for >=wheezy
-    CFLAGS+=	`dpkg-buildflags --get CFLAGS`
-    CPPFLAGS+=	`dpkg-buildflags --get CPPFLAGS`
-    LDFLAGS+=	`dpkg-buildflags --get LDFLAGS`
+    CFLAGS+=	$(shell dpkg-buildflags --get CFLAGS)
+    CPPFLAGS+=	$(shell dpkg-buildflags --get CPPFLAGS)
+    LDFLAGS+=	$(shell dpkg-buildflags --get LDFLAGS)
   endif
 endif
diff --git a/recording-daemon/Makefile b/recording-daemon/Makefile
index a68aed0e8..ce6c1790b 100644
--- a/recording-daemon/Makefile
+++ b/recording-daemon/Makefile
@@ -3,26 +3,26 @@ TARGET=		rtpengine-recording
 CFLAGS=		-g -Wall -pthread -I. -I../lib/
 CFLAGS+=	-std=c99
 CFLAGS+=	-D_GNU_SOURCE -D_POSIX_SOURCE -D_POSIX_C_SOURCE
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags glib-2.0`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags gthread-2.0`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags libavcodec`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags libavformat`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags libavutil`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags libavresample`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags libavfilter`
-CFLAGS+=	`mysql_config --cflags`
-CFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --cflags openssl`
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags glib-2.0)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags gthread-2.0)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags libavcodec)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags libavformat)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags libavutil)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags libavresample)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags libavfilter)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell mysql_config --cflags)
+CFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --cflags openssl)
 
 LDFLAGS=	-lm
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs glib-2.0`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs gthread-2.0`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs libavcodec`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs libavformat`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs libavutil`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs libavresample`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs libavfilter`
-LDFLAGS+=	`mysql_config --libs`
-LDFLAGS+=	`pkg-config --libs openssl`
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs glib-2.0)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs gthread-2.0)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs libavcodec)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs libavformat)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs libavutil)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs libavresample)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs libavfilter)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell mysql_config --libs)
+LDFLAGS+=	$(shell pkg-config --libs openssl)
 
 include ../lib/lib.Makefile