diff --git a/daemon/call_interfaces.c b/daemon/call_interfaces.c
index 5483a93ce..7582575e4 100644
--- a/daemon/call_interfaces.c
+++ b/daemon/call_interfaces.c
@@ -2624,7 +2624,7 @@ static void start_recording_fn(bencode_item_t *input, call_t *call) {
 	str output_dest;
 	bencode_dictionary_get_str(input, "output-destination", &output_dest);
 	CALL_SET(call, RECORDING_ON);
-	recording_start(call, NULL, &output_dest);
+	recording_start(call, &output_dest);
 }
 const char *call_start_recording_ng(bencode_item_t *input, bencode_item_t *output) {
 	return call_recording_common_ng(input, output, start_recording_fn);
@@ -2840,7 +2840,7 @@ const char *call_start_forwarding_ng(bencode_item_t *input, bencode_item_t *outp
 	else
 		update_metadata_call(call, &flags);
 
-	recording_start(call, NULL, NULL);
+	recording_start(call, NULL);
 	return NULL;
 }
 
diff --git a/daemon/recording.c b/daemon/recording.c
index f0edad5a5..cc7a04800 100644
--- a/daemon/recording.c
+++ b/daemon/recording.c
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ struct rec_pcap_format {
 
 
 static int check_main_spool_dir(const char *spoolpath);
-static char *recording_setup_file(struct recording *recording);
-static char *meta_setup_file(struct recording *recording);
+static char *recording_setup_file(struct recording *recording, const str *);
+static char *meta_setup_file(struct recording *recording, const str *);
 static int append_meta_chunk(struct recording *recording, const char *buf, unsigned int buflen,
 		const char *label_fmt, ...)
 	__attribute__((format(printf,4,5)));
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ static void recording_update_flags(call_t *call, bool streams) {
 }
 
 // lock must be held
-void recording_start(call_t *call, const char *prefix, const str *output_dest) {
+void recording_start(call_t *call, const str *output_dest) {
 	if (call->recording) {
 		// already active
 		update_output_dest(call, output_dest);
@@ -332,16 +332,14 @@ void recording_start(call_t *call, const char *prefix, const str *output_dest) {
 	ilog(LOG_NOTICE, "Turning on call recording.");
 
 	call->recording = g_slice_alloc0(sizeof(struct recording));
-	struct recording *recording = call->recording;
-	recording->escaped_callid = g_uri_escape_string(call->callid.s, NULL, 0);
-	if (!prefix) {
+	g_autoptr(char) escaped_callid = g_uri_escape_string(call->callid.s, NULL, 0);
+	if (!call->recording_meta_prefix.len) {
 		const int rand_bytes = 8;
 		char rand_str[rand_bytes * 2 + 1];
 		rand_hex_str(rand_str, rand_bytes);
-		recording->meta_prefix = g_strdup_printf("%s-%s", recording->escaped_callid, rand_str);
+		g_autoptr(char) meta_prefix = g_strdup_printf("%s-%s", escaped_callid, rand_str);
+		call_str_cpy(call, &call->recording_meta_prefix, &STR_INIT(meta_prefix));
 	}
-	else
-		recording->meta_prefix = g_strdup(prefix);
 
 	_rm(init_struct, call);
 
@@ -424,7 +422,7 @@ void detect_setup_recording(call_t *call, const sdp_ng_flags *flags) {
 
 	if (!str_cmp(recordcall, "yes") || !str_cmp(recordcall, "on") || flags->record_call) {
 		CALL_SET(call, RECORDING_ON);
-		recording_start(call, NULL, &flags->output_dest);
+		recording_start(call, &flags->output_dest);
 	}
 	else if (!str_cmp(recordcall, "no") || !str_cmp(recordcall, "off")) {
 		CALL_CLEAR(call, RECORDING_ON);
@@ -444,10 +442,10 @@ static void rec_pcap_init(call_t *call) {
 	// Wireshark starts at packet index 1, so we start there, too
 	recording->pcap.packet_num = 1;
 	mutex_init(&recording->pcap.recording_lock);
-	meta_setup_file(recording);
+	meta_setup_file(recording, &call->recording_meta_prefix);
 
 	// set up pcap file
-	char *pcap_path = recording_setup_file(recording);
+	char *pcap_path = recording_setup_file(recording, &call->recording_meta_prefix);
 	if (pcap_path != NULL && recording->pcap.recording_pdumper != NULL
 	    && recording->pcap.meta_fp) {
 		// Write the location of the PCAP file to the metadata file
@@ -463,13 +461,13 @@ static char *file_path_str(const char *id, const char *prefix, const char *suffi
  * Create a call metadata file in a temporary location.
  * Attaches the filepath and the file pointer to the call struct.
  */
-static char *meta_setup_file(struct recording *recording) {
+static char *meta_setup_file(struct recording *recording, const str *meta_prefix) {
 	if (spooldir == NULL) {
 		// No spool directory was created, so we cannot have metadata files.
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
-	char *meta_filepath = file_path_str(recording->meta_prefix, "/tmp/rtpengine-meta-", ".tmp");
+	char *meta_filepath = file_path_str(meta_prefix->s, "/tmp/rtpengine-meta-", ".tmp");
 	recording->pcap.meta_filepath = meta_filepath;
 	FILE *mfp = fopen(meta_filepath, "w");
 	// coverity[check_return : FALSE]
@@ -605,7 +603,7 @@ static void rec_pcap_meta_discard_file(call_t *call) {
  * Generate a random PCAP filepath to write recorded RTP stream.
  * Returns path to created file.
  */
-static char *recording_setup_file(struct recording *recording) {
+static char *recording_setup_file(struct recording *recording, const str *meta_prefix) {
 	char *recording_path = NULL;
 
 	if (!spooldir)
@@ -613,7 +611,7 @@ static char *recording_setup_file(struct recording *recording) {
 	if (recording->pcap.recording_pd || recording->pcap.recording_pdumper)
 		return NULL;
 
-	recording_path = file_path_str(recording->meta_prefix, "/pcaps/", ".pcap");
+	recording_path = file_path_str(meta_prefix->s, "/pcaps/", ".pcap");
 	recording->pcap.recording_path = recording_path;
 
 	recording->pcap.recording_pd = pcap_open_dead(rec_pcap_format->linktype, 65535);
@@ -733,9 +731,6 @@ void recording_finish(call_t *call, bool discard) {
 
 	_rm(finish, call, discard);
 
-	g_clear_pointer(&recording->meta_prefix, g_free);
-	g_clear_pointer(&recording->escaped_callid, free);
-
 	g_slice_free1(sizeof(*(recording)), recording);
 	call->recording = NULL;
 }
@@ -811,18 +806,18 @@ static void proc_init(call_t *call) {
 		ilog(LOG_WARN, "Call recording through /proc interface requested, but kernel table not open");
 		return;
 	}
-	recording->proc.call_idx = kernel_add_call(recording->meta_prefix);
+	recording->proc.call_idx = kernel_add_call(call->recording_meta_prefix.s);
 	if (recording->proc.call_idx == UNINIT_IDX) {
 		ilog(LOG_ERR, "Failed to add call to kernel recording interface: %s", strerror(errno));
 		return;
 	}
 	ilog(LOG_DEBUG, "kernel call idx is %u", recording->proc.call_idx);
 
-	recording->proc.meta_filepath = file_path_str(recording->meta_prefix, "/", ".meta");
+	recording->proc.meta_filepath = file_path_str(call->recording_meta_prefix.s, "/", ".meta");
 	unlink(recording->proc.meta_filepath); // start fresh XXX good idea?
 
 	append_meta_chunk_str(recording, &call->callid, "CALL-ID");
-	append_meta_chunk_s(recording, recording->meta_prefix, "PARENT");
+	append_meta_chunk_s(recording, call->recording_meta_prefix.s, "PARENT");
 	if (call->metadata.len)
 		recording_meta_chunk(recording, "METADATA", &call->metadata);
 }
diff --git a/daemon/redis.c b/daemon/redis.c
index d5c7ed4b0..356faf5f6 100644
--- a/daemon/redis.c
+++ b/daemon/redis.c
@@ -1947,7 +1947,7 @@ static void json_restore_call(struct redis *r, const str *callid, bool foreign)
 	struct redis_hash call;
 	struct redis_list tags, sfds, streams, medias, maps;
 	call_t *c = NULL;
-	str s, id, meta;
+	str s, id;
 	time_t last_signal;
 
 	const char *err = 0;
@@ -2075,10 +2075,11 @@ static void json_restore_call(struct redis *r, const str *callid, bool foreign)
 
 	// presence of this key determines whether we were recording at all
 	if (!redis_hash_get_str(&s, &call, "recording_meta_prefix")) {
+		call_str_cpy(c, &c->recording_meta_prefix, &s);
 		// coverity[check_return : FALSE]
-		redis_hash_get_str(&meta, &call, "recording_metadata");
-		call_str_cpy(c, &c->metadata, &meta);
-		recording_start(c, s.s, NULL);
+		redis_hash_get_str(&s, &call, "recording_metadata");
+		call_str_cpy(c, &c->metadata, &s);
+		recording_start(c, NULL);
 	}
 
 	// force-clear foreign flag (could have been set through call_flags), then
@@ -2337,7 +2338,6 @@ static void json_update_dtls_fingerprint(JsonBuilder *builder, const char *pref,
 char* redis_encode_json(call_t *c) {
 
 	JsonBuilder *builder = json_builder_new ();
-	struct recording *rec = 0;
 
 	char tmp[2048];
 
@@ -2366,8 +2366,8 @@ char* redis_encode_json(call_t *c) {
 			JSON_SET_SIMPLE("block_dtmf","%i", c->block_dtmf);
 			JSON_SET_SIMPLE("call_flags", "%" PRIu64, atomic64_get_na(&c->call_flags));
 
-			if ((rec = c->recording))
-				JSON_SET_SIMPLE_CSTR("recording_meta_prefix", rec->meta_prefix);
+			if (c->recording_meta_prefix.len)
+				JSON_SET_SIMPLE_STR("recording_meta_prefix", &c->recording_meta_prefix);
 		}
 
 		json_builder_end_object(builder);
diff --git a/include/call.h b/include/call.h
index 54be4205e..acecdaa47 100644
--- a/include/call.h
+++ b/include/call.h
@@ -705,6 +705,7 @@ struct call {
 
 	struct recording 	*recording;
 	str			metadata;
+	str			recording_meta_prefix;
 
 	struct call_iterator_entry iterator[NUM_CALL_ITERATORS];
 	int			cpu_affinity;
diff --git a/include/recording.h b/include/recording.h
index c8a9b4084..1e623f2f9 100644
--- a/include/recording.h
+++ b/include/recording.h
@@ -49,9 +49,6 @@ struct recording {
 		struct recording_pcap pcap;
 		struct recording_proc proc;
 	};
-
-	char		*escaped_callid; // call-id with dangerous characters escaped
-	char		*meta_prefix; // escaped call-id plus random suffix
 };
 
 struct recording_stream {
@@ -116,7 +113,7 @@ void detect_setup_recording(call_t *call, const sdp_ng_flags *flags);
 void update_metadata_call(call_t *call, const sdp_ng_flags *flags);
 void update_metadata_monologue(struct call_monologue *ml, const sdp_ng_flags *flags);
 
-void recording_start(call_t *call, const char *prefix, const str *output_dest);
+void recording_start(call_t *call, const str *output_dest);
 void recording_pause(call_t *call);
 void recording_stop(call_t *call);
 void recording_discard(call_t *call);