FAQ & User Guide

SoundMindAI is a native macOS application that helps you capture, transcribe, and understand audio content. Whether you're recording meetings, lectures, interviews, or podcasts, SoundMindAI transforms spoken words into organized, searchable text with AI-powered insights.

Key capabilities:

• Record system audio and microphone simultaneously
• Import existing audio files
• Transcribe with Apple Speech (free) or premium AI services
• Generate summaries, key points, and action items using AI
• Organize recordings with tags, folders, and search
• Export in multiple formats

• macOS: macOS 13 (Ventura) or later
• Processor: Apple Silicon or Intel Mac
• Storage: 100 MB for the app, plus space for recordings
• Permissions: Screen Recording (for system audio) and Microphone access

On first launch, SoundMindAI will request the necessary permissions. If you need to enable them manually:

The free trial gives you full access to all features for 7 days. No credit card required.

• Trial starts when you click "Start Free Trial"
• All features are unlocked including BYOK AI services
• Trial is tied to your Mac (hardware-based), not your email
• After 7 days, purchase a license or continue with limited features

After trial expires: You can still record and use Apple Speech transcription. BYOK AI features require a license.

Starting a recording is simple:

SoundMindAI captures all system audio output. To record specific applications:

• Mute applications you don't want to record
• Use the application's own audio settings to control volume
• Consider using a virtual audio device for more control

Future versions may include per-application audio selection.

You can import audio files for transcription:

• Drag and drop audio files onto the SoundMindAI window
• Use File > Import Audio or the keyboard shortcut
• Select files from the file browser

Supported formats: M4A, MP3, WAV, CAF, AIFF, MP4, MOV

By default, recordings are stored in:

You can change the storage location in Settings > Storage. All recordings remain on your Mac - nothing is uploaded to the cloud.

SoundMindAI offers multiple transcription options:

Apple Speech requires no setup and works offline. BYOK services offer higher accuracy but require API keys.

After recording or importing audio:

1. Select the recording from your library
2. Click "Transcribe" or use the keyboard shortcut
3. Choose your transcription service (Apple Speech or BYOK)
4. Wait for transcription to complete

Transcripts appear in the detail view with timestamps for easy navigation.

Yes! You can edit transcripts to fix errors:

• Click on the transcript text to enter edit mode
• Make corrections directly in the text
• Changes are saved automatically
• Original timestamps are preserved

SoundMindAI uses AI to extract meaningful insights from your transcripts:

• Summary: Concise overview of the content
• Key Points: Important highlights and takeaways
• Action Items: Tasks and follow-ups identified from the conversation

Each item includes timestamps so you can jump to the relevant part of the recording.

SoundMindAI supports multiple AI providers for summarization:

• OpenAI - GPT-4o, GPT-4, GPT-3.5-turbo
• Anthropic - Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3 Opus
• Google - Gemini 1.5 Pro, Gemini 1.5 Flash
• HuggingFace - Various open-source models
• OpenRouter - Access multiple providers through one API

Each provider has different strengths - experiment to find what works best for your content.

Costs vary by provider and model. Typical costs for summarizing a 1-hour transcript:

• GPT-4o: ~$0.05-0.15
• GPT-3.5-turbo: ~$0.01-0.03
• Claude 3.5 Sonnet: ~$0.05-0.10
• Gemini 1.5 Flash: ~$0.01-0.02

Costs depend on transcript length. You pay directly to your chosen provider - SoundMindAI doesn't add any markup.

BYOK stands for "Bring Your Own Keys." Instead of us charging you for AI services, you get API keys directly from the service providers (like OpenAI or Anthropic) and enter them in SoundMindAI.

Here's how it works:

1. You create an account with an AI provider (e.g., OpenAI)
2. You add payment and get an API key from them
3. You enter that API key in SoundMindAI's settings
4. SoundMindAI uses your key to access the AI service
5. You pay the provider directly based on your usage

BYOK offers significant advantages for you:

• Lower cost: Pay wholesale rates directly to providers instead of marked-up prices
• Choice: Pick the AI provider and model that works best for you
• Privacy: Your data goes directly to the provider - we never see it
• Control: Set your own usage limits and budgets
• No subscription: Pay only for what you use, when you use it

Yes, your API keys are stored securely:

• Keys are stored in macOS Keychain, the same place your passwords are stored
• Keys are encrypted using macOS system-level encryption
• Keys never leave your Mac (except when making API calls to providers)
• We cannot access, view, or retrieve your keys

OpenAI provides both Whisper (transcription) and GPT (summarization):

Anthropic provides Claude for AI summarization:

Google provides Gemini for AI summarization:

AssemblyAI provides high-quality transcription:

OpenRouter lets you access multiple AI providers with one API key:

SoundMindAI provides several ways to organize your recordings:

• Tags: Add custom tags with colors to categorize recordings
• Folders: Create folders to group related recordings
• Search: Search by title, transcript content, or tags
• Sort: Sort by date, duration, or name
• Filter: Filter by tags, date range, or transcription status

To add tags:

1. Select a recording from your library
2. Click the Tags section in the detail view
3. Type a tag name and press Enter, or select from existing tags
4. Click the color dot to change tag color

You can also batch-tag multiple recordings by selecting them first.

Yes! Export options include:

• Audio: Export original audio file (M4A)
• Transcript: Export as plain text, markdown, or SRT subtitles
• Summary: Export summary, key points, and action items
• Combined: Export everything in one package

Use File > Export or right-click on a recording to access export options.

To delete recordings:

1. Select the recording(s) you want to delete
2. Press Delete or right-click and select "Delete"
3. Confirm deletion in the dialog

Select a recording and use the built-in player:

• Play/Pause: Space bar or play button
• Seek: Click anywhere on the timeline
• Skip: Arrow keys for 5-second jumps
• Speed: Adjust playback speed (0.5x to 2x)
• Volume: Use the volume slider

Yes! Click on any timestamped item to jump to that position:

• Click transcript segments to jump to that part
• Click key points to hear the relevant section
• Click action items to hear the context

Timestamps are clickable throughout the interface.

If system audio isn't being captured:

1. Check Screen Recording permission: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording. Ensure SoundMindAI is enabled.
2. Restart the app: Quit and relaunch SoundMindAI after granting permission.
3. Check audio source: Ensure "System Audio" is selected in recording settings.
4. Test with another app: Play audio from any app while recording to verify.

If transcription isn't working:

• Apple Speech: Ensure your Mac has an internet connection (required for some languages)
• BYOK services: Verify your API key is correct in Settings
• Check credits: Ensure you have available credits/balance with your AI provider
• File format: Ensure the audio file is in a supported format
• File size: Very long recordings may need to be split

If you're seeing API key errors:

• Invalid key: Double-check you copied the entire key with no extra spaces
• Expired key: Some providers expire unused keys. Generate a new one.
• No credits: Check your provider account for available balance
• Rate limited: Wait a moment and try again

You can test your API keys in Settings by clicking the "Test" button next to each key.

For support, please email us at:

rgrow@growtechinc.com

Please include:

• Description of the issue
• macOS version
• SoundMindAI version (from About menu)
• Steps to reproduce the problem
• Any error messages you see