140 lines
4 KiB
Markdown
140 lines
4 KiB
Markdown
# Meeting Record - Private Voice Recording & Transcription
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Local voice recording with live Whisper transcription. **All processing happens on your machine - no cloud APIs, no data leaves your computer.**
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## Why This Exists
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Most "AI voice recorders" (Plaud Note knockoffs, etc.) are just microphones that send your audio to cloud servers for processing. You're paying for hardware that:
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- Sends your private conversations to unknown servers
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- Requires monthly subscriptions after free tier
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- May store/analyze your data for training or other purposes
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- Stops working if the company shuts down
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**Meeting Record** does the same thing, but locally. Your audio never leaves your machine.
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## Features
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- **Continuous recording** - Full audio backup of entire meeting
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- **Live transcription** - See transcripts as you speak (10-second chunks)
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- **Final transcription** - High-quality full transcription when you stop
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- **100% local** - Uses whisper.cpp, no internet required
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- **No subscriptions** - Free forever, you own it
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## Installation
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```bash
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./install.sh
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```
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The installer will:
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1. Install system dependencies (ffmpeg, pulseaudio-utils, build tools)
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2. Clone and build whisper.cpp
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3. Download the Whisper model (base.en by default - fast & good)
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4. Install the `meeting-record` scripts to `~/bin/`
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### Custom Options
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```bash
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# Use different model (tiny, base, small, medium, large)
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WHISPER_MODEL=small.en ./install.sh
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# Custom install location
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WHISPER_CPP_DIR=/opt/whisper.cpp ./install.sh
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# Custom bin directory
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BIN_DIR=/usr/local/bin ./install.sh
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```
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## Usage
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```bash
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# Start recording (auto-named with timestamp)
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meeting-record
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# Named recording
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meeting-record "client-call-acme-corp"
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# 30-second test to verify setup
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meeting-record-test
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```
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Press **Ctrl+C** to stop recording. The script will:
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1. Stop audio capture
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2. Generate a high-quality final transcript
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3. Show you where all files are saved
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## Output Files
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After recording a meeting named "client-call", you'll find:
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```
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~/Recordings/meetings/client-call/
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├── full-audio.wav # Complete recording (your backup)
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├── live-transcript.txt # Real-time chunked transcription
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├── final-transcript.txt # High-quality full transcription
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├── chunks/
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│ ├── chunk-0000.wav
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│ ├── chunk-0001.wav
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│ └── ...
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└── transcripts/
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├── chunk-0000.txt
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├── chunk-0001.txt
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└── ...
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```
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## Requirements
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- Linux (Debian/Ubuntu/Fedora/Arch)
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- PulseAudio or PipeWire (for audio capture)
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- ~500MB disk space for whisper.cpp + model
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## Model Options
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| Model | Size | Speed | Quality | Best For |
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|-------|------|-------|---------|----------|
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| tiny.en | 75MB | Fastest | Basic | Quick notes |
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| base.en | 148MB | Fast | Good | **Recommended** |
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| small.en | 488MB | Medium | Better | Important meetings |
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| medium.en | 1.5GB | Slow | Great | Accuracy-critical |
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| large | 3GB | Slowest | Best | Maximum accuracy |
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Change model with: `WHISPER_MODEL=small.en ./install.sh`
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## Troubleshooting
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**"parecord not found"**
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```bash
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sudo apt install pulseaudio-utils # Debian/Ubuntu
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sudo dnf install pulseaudio-utils # Fedora
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```
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**"No audio being captured"**
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- Check your default audio source: `pactl list sources`
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- Make sure microphone is not muted
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**"whisper-cli not found"**
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- The installer should build this. If it failed, check cmake output
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- You can rebuild: `cd ~/opt/whisper.cpp/build && cmake --build .`
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**"meeting-record: command not found"**
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- Add ~/bin to PATH: `export PATH="$HOME/bin:$PATH"`
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- Add this to your `~/.bashrc` or `~/.zshrc`
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## Privacy Comparison
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| Feature | Cloud AI Recorders | Meeting Record |
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|---------|-------------------|----------------|
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| Audio processing | Remote servers | Local only |
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| Data storage | Their servers | Your disk |
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| Internet required | Yes | No |
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| Monthly fees | Usually | Never |
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| Works offline | No | Yes |
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| You control data | No | Yes |
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## License
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MIT - Do whatever you want with it.
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---
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*Part of the [Privacy Toolkit](../../README.md) - Tools for digital sovereignty.*
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