Abstract: A communication system includes a digital network and an audio network such as a telephone system. An audio network server communicates with client work stations in the digital network and with the telephones in the telephone system. The audio network server stores, and plays back, digital representations of voice objects from, and to, a telephone handset. An instruction set accessible from the digital network controls operation of the audio network server and thus the telephone system to record and play back audio information stored on the audio server. The communication system may also include a caching capability to temporarily store compound documents or component objects in a media presentation server.