Your first session

This walkthrough takes you from an empty workspace to a finished session with a transcript and summary. It takes a few minutes. If you haven't finished first-run setup yet, do that first: it downloads the speech and speaker models every session needs.

Before you start

• Microphone. Connect the microphone you want to use. In Settings → Voice → Recording you can pick it and click Start test under Test audio input to hear how it sounds.
• Microphone access. Allow TalkBar to use the microphone in your system privacy settings.
• Speech model. Transcription runs on this computer. If the model is missing when you start, TalkBar tells you to download it in Settings → Voice.
• AI. Summaries and titles need an AI model. You chose one during setup; to change it, click the TalkBar logo and choose Set up AI….

1. Set up the session

Click New session in the title bar or on Home. The New session window opens.

1. Template. Pick the kind of session, such as Meeting, 1:1 or Voice Note. The template decides the summary sections. More… shows all templates.
2. Audio. Choose what to record:
   • Microphone for your own voice, such as voice notes or an in-person meeting;
   • System audio for the other side of a call, played by your computer;
   • Mic + System for both sides of a call. This is the usual choice for online meetings.
3. Speakers. Roughly how many people will talk: Just you, You + 1, Small (2–4) or Large (5–8). This helps TalkBar tell voices apart. For large meetings TalkBar may ask you to download an extra speaker model.
4. Optional. Choose the AI model for the summary, add topics, file the session under a project or series, attach knowledge cards and documents, and adjust AI & privacy.
5. Click Start session.

If Start session doesn't work, check for a Recording in progress notice (another session is recording; stop it first), an audio import that is still running, or a missing audio device.

2. Record

• The Recording — let everyone know reminder appears. Telling everyone present that they are being recorded, and getting their consent where the law requires it, is your responsibility. Click Got it.
• The screen shows Getting audio ready…, then Waiting for someone to speak until the transcript starts. If it says No audio detected yet — check your microphone or audio source., check that the right microphone and audio source are selected.
• The live transcript appears by speaker. Click a speaker chip to rename the speaker, so the transcript and summary use real names.
• The timeline sums up the conversation as it goes. Use Ask AI to ask about what has been said so far.
• Pause and Stop are in the recording controls at the top.

See Recording a session for everything on this screen.

3. After you stop

• Very short sessions. If almost nothing was recorded, TalkBar asks Keep this short session? Choose Keep session or Move to Trash. If you don't choose within about 15 seconds, the session moves to Trash. Undo in the notification brings it back.
• Summary. For a normal session, TalkBar writes the final summary automatically and suggests a title.
• Continue or complete. The session is now ended but still open. Continue session records more into the same session. Complete session locks it and opens its details page. You can record a linked follow-up afterwards.

4. Review the result

Open the session from Sessions (or from the sidebar, where recent sessions are listed). The session details page shows:

• the summary, organized into the sections of the template. Edit any part, or regenerate it in another language, length or model;
• the transcript, action items, notes, documents and knowledge for the session;
• Ask AI, to ask questions about the session. Answers show the sources they are based on;
• Enhance transcript, which re-processes the recording on this computer with a more accurate model to improve the text and who said what;
• Share, to publish a read-only link or send the content by email or Telegram, and the session menu, to export it.

See Session details, Share links and Exports.

Or start from an existing recording

You can create a session from an audio or video file instead of recording live.

1. Click New session and choose Upload audio file.
2. Drop a file, or choose one. Supported formats are mp3, wav, m4a, mp4, aac, flac, ogg, opus, mkv and webm, up to 1 GB and 6 hours.
3. Pick the transcription and summary models, then click Start import.

A progress window shows each stage. If you keep it open, the session opens when it's done. Click Process in background to keep working; a notification says Audio import complete when it's done, and View session opens it. See Importing recordings.

If something goes wrong

Open Settings → Doctor and click Run all checks, or see Troubleshooting.

Related

• Starting a session
• Speakers
• Scheduling and preparing
• Templates and skills