Keep your meeting audio in Whynote
Whynote records your microphone and the call audio on your Mac, then keeps the conversation with a transcript and your notes. Use it when you want to check a detail after the meeting or prepare a follow-up without writing down every sentence.
This workflow captures audio rather than a video of the meeting. Once the transcript is checked, the meeting minutes template helps you collect decisions and actions. The recording stays available if a passage needs another listen.
What a meeting note should help you do
A useful meeting note makes the conversation easier to act on. It should preserve enough context to explain a decision, show which questions remain open and distinguish a suggestion from a commitment. A transcript provides the words; your reviewed note provides the meaning. Whynote can help collect those materials without requiring you to write every sentence while someone is speaking.
The workflow is straightforward: start a meeting recording, capture the audio, stop the recording and process it into text. Then read the transcript, add your own context and, with Pro, request a summary or use an AI workflow. Treat those generated results as a draft. The app does not turn an uncertain discussion into an agreed plan, and this workflow should not be confused with a promise of live captions during a call.
Install Whynote and check both audio sources
The current Mac download is for Apple silicon and requires macOS 14 or later. Download the app from the official link, open the disk image and move Whynote to Applications. Open the installed app before your first important call so you have time to complete setup and check the settings.
Meeting recording can involve two sources: your microphone captures your voice, while system audio captures sound from the call playing on your Mac. Giving permission for one source does not automatically enable the other. In Whynote, open Settings → Permissions and check Microphone and System Audio. On older supported macOS versions, the second label can appear as Screen & System Audio.
The permission controls open the relevant macOS settings. Reopen Whynote after changing access if macOS asks you to. Calendar access helps show upcoming meetings, but it does not replace the audio permissions.
Before the call, make a short test that includes your voice and audio playing from the meeting app. Listen to the saved audio rather than relying only on a moving recording indicator. Check the selected input in Settings → Audio, especially after connecting a USB microphone or switching to Bluetooth headphones. Tell participants that you intend to record and follow the recording rules that apply to your meeting.
Turn the recording into a trustworthy follow-up
- Give the note a useful title. Include the meeting topic and date so you can recognize it later. Add the agenda or a few questions before recording.
- Start recording and confirm the source. Keep an eye on the app recording state. If the microphone is still initializing, wait for the ready state before speaking.
- Stop, then transcribe. Your chosen provider determines whether speech recognition runs on the Mac or uses the cloud. Allow processing to finish before editing the result.
- Review the words that matter. Check names, monetary amounts, dates and statements about ownership. Speaker identification can help navigate a discussion, but a label is not proof of someone's identity.
- Write the follow-up. With Pro, use the summary as a starting point. Confirm each decision and action with the source conversation, then share only the necessary text.
You can also keep your own observations separate from the transcript. A note such as “We need a second estimate” is useful context, but it should not appear as if another participant said it. Review is the step that makes a meeting record dependable.
A filled follow-up example
This example shows how to keep confirmed work separate from unresolved questions. Replace the sample details with what your meeting actually established.
- Decisions
- Use the shorter onboarding flow for the next internal test.
- Actions
- Design lead: prepare the revised screens by Friday. Project lead: confirm the test group before the next review.
- Open questions
- Who will own the welcome email? No owner or deadline was agreed.
Use the meeting summary guide to choose a recap style and check the actions. For a document with owner and deadline fields, take the meeting minutes template.
How to record system audio and your microphone on Mac
System-audio capture keeps the conversation playing on your Mac, while the microphone supplies your own voice. Check both in Whynote Settings → Permissions. Play the intended conversation and make a short test that also includes your voice.
Listen to the saved result to confirm that both sources are present. Close unrelated sound sources before recording if they appear in the test. After changing headphones, recheck the input in Whynote and the device selected in the calling app.
The Teams recording guide covers device checks and an existing-file workflow for that service. The audio workflow here produces material for transcription and notes. The screen clip recorder is a separate feature and does not capture system audio.
Choose local transcription or cloud processing
Open Settings → Transcription → Note Transcription Provider. Local (On-Device) uses downloaded speech recognition models; Cloud needs a connection; Ask Each Time lets you choose for each recording. The dictation provider is a separate setting, so changing it alone does not change how meeting notes are transcribed.
| Task | Local setup | Cloud setup |
|---|---|---|
| Speech to text | Runs on the Mac after the local model is ready | Audio is sent for server processing; internet required |
| Speaker identification | Requires the separate diarization model and enabled setting | Depends on the selected cloud workflow |
| LLM text enhancement | Optional server step; switch off for offline text processing | Online processing when enabled |
| AI summaries and chat | Require an online AI workflow and Pro access | Require a connection and Pro access |
For offline transcription, prepare Local Model (FluidAudio) while connected, choose Local and switch off LLM Text Enhancement for notes. Selecting a local recognizer does not make account services, AI features or synchronization local. Read the offline transcription guide and the privacy policy before choosing a workflow for sensitive material.
When audio or text is missing
| Symptom | Check | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Only your voice appears | System Audio access and audible call playback | Enable the relevant audio permission, reopen if prompted and test both sources. |
| Your voice is missing | Microphone access and the selected input | Choose the intended microphone in Settings → Audio and make a short recording. |
| Recording waits for the microphone | Device connection and recording state | Wait for initialization; use the offered retry or cancel control if it remains waiting. |
| Transcription fails | Cloud connection/account or Local model/language | Check the selected provider, fix that requirement and retry with the original audio. |
A transcript cannot recover a voice that was never captured. Resolve the recording source before trying another recognizer; use a test with both your voice and call playback to confirm the correction.
Keep the original audio until you have confirmed a successful transcript. If a task fails, use the retry or recovery controls offered by your installed version after fixing its recording or processing requirement.
When speech overlaps, names are unfamiliar or the sound is distant, review the relevant passage manually. Try shorter speaker turns and a clearer microphone placement in the next meeting. Choosing an online provider may offer a different language workflow, but no provider removes the need to check important details.
Free recording workflows and Pro AI tools
You can download Whynote and begin with Free. The Free plan has a monthly transcription allowance and a limited window for opening older notes. Check Settings → Subscription for your current allowance, reset information and available upgrade. The same allowance applies when you use local recognition.
Pro adds AI summaries, chat and workflows, enhanced dictation and access to older notes, with the transcription allowance shown for your plan. The purchase screen displays the current regional price, billing period and renewal terms before you subscribe. Start with a representative meeting, check the resulting audio and transcript, and decide which extra tools you need.
Common questions
Does Whynote create live meeting captions?
The workflow described here records audio and transcribes it after recording. After the meeting, open the saved recording to transcribe and review it.
Can I make meeting notes without internet?
Local speech recognition works after the models are downloaded and ready. Turn off note LLM enhancement for offline text processing. Cloud AI and sync need a connection.
Do I need microphone and system audio access?
To capture your own voice and the call audio from your Mac, check both permissions. A microphone-only recording may miss the remote side.
Settings labels can vary between app versions. Before an important recording, check your installed version, selected provider and the result of a short test.
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Bring your next recording into Whynote
Get Whynote for Mac to record a conversation or open a saved audio file. Choose the iPhone app for voice notes and recordings you keep on your phone.