Recording Meetings

How to start, manage, and stop meeting recordings.

API key required. The AI summary that follows each recording uses your configured AI provider. Set one up in Settings > AI Setup.

Starting a Recording

There are three ways to start a recording. Before starting, review the recording settings under the gear icon at the top right of the Notes page if you need to change the microphone, transcription model, summary template, or any other option.

From the app

Open the Notes page in the Vowen app and click Start Taking Notes in the top right.

From the menu bar

Right-click the Vowen menu bar icon and select Start Notes.

Via shortcut

The default shortcut is Cmd+Shift+N (macOS) or Alt+N (Windows). The shortcut is off by default; enable or rebind it in Settings > Shortcuts.

What Gets Captured

When a recording is active, Vowen captures:

1. System audio: everything playing through your speakers or headphones, including other participants and any shared audio
2. Microphone: what you say during the meeting

Both streams are combined into a single recording for transcription. No bot joins the call and no banner is shown to other participants.

During the Recording

• A recording indicator appears in your menu bar (macOS) or tray (Windows) and inside the Vowen app
• You can continue using your computer normally
• Regular transcription (push-to-talk) still works alongside an active meeting recording
• Your system is prevented from sleeping for the duration of the recording

Real-time preview

Coming soon. Real-time preview will let you watch the transcript appear live during the meeting, powered by streaming-capable cloud models. We’re actively building it.

Pausing and Resuming

The Pro plan unlocks pause and resume controls, so you can stop an active recording temporarily and pick up where you left off. No audio is captured while paused.

• Pause: open the tray or menu bar menu and click Pause Meeting Notes, or use the pause control on the Notes page in the Vowen app
• Resume: open the tray or menu bar menu and click Resume Meeting Notes, or use the resume control on the Notes page

Stopping the Recording

• Click the stop control on the Notes page in the Vowen app
• Or open the tray or menu bar menu and click Stop Meeting Notes
• Or press the Start Notes shortcut again to toggle the recording off

After Recording Stops

1. Transcription

   The full recording is transcribed using your selected model. This may take a moment for longer meetings. You can regenerate the transcript later with a different model.

2. AI summary

   The transcript is sent to your configured AI provider, which generates a summary based on your selected template (overview, key points, action items, and decisions). The summary can also be regenerated later with a different model or template.

3. Storage

   The note is saved with its transcript, summary, and audio file. Find it in the Notes section of the Vowen app.

Working with Your Meeting Note

Open a meeting note from the Notes list to review, edit, and reprocess it.

• Switch between Summary and Transcript using the toggle at the top of the note to flip between the AI summary and the full transcript
• Map speaker names in the right sidebar if you recorded with diarization turned on. Speakers are labeled Speaker 1, Speaker 2, and so on by default; replace them with real names and click Save
• Regenerate Transcript with a different transcription model from the right sidebar. The saved audio file is re-transcribed by the model you pick, producing a fresh transcript
• Regenerate Summary with a different AI provider, model, or template from the right sidebar. The latest transcript is re-summarized with your chosen options, replacing the previous summary
• Chat with the note to ask AI questions about what was discussed: pull out action items, surface a decision, or summarize a section. See Chat with Transcriptions

Pro tip: If a summary feels cut short or off-target, try Regenerate Summary with a more capable model (for example, Anthropic Claude Sonnet or OpenAI GPT-5) before re-recording the meeting.

Audio File

The audio for every meeting note is saved locally to Documents/Vowen Recordings in your home folder, on both macOS and Windows. This file is the source of truth for the note: every transcript or summary regeneration starts from this audio.

The saved file lets you:

• Play back specific sections
• Regenerate the transcript with a different model
• Re-summarize with a different AI provider or template

You can delete the audio file at any time from your file manager. Once deleted, the note’s existing transcript and summary stay in place, but you can no longer regenerate either of them.

Tips

• Start recording before the meeting begins to capture greetings and context
• Use a cloud model with diarization support and turn on Identify Speakers for any meeting with more than one person
• Keep your microphone unmuted during the meeting so your voice is captured alongside the others
• Bluetooth headphones work fine: both system audio and your microphone come through the same device

Set up an AI provider

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