Audio Recorder & Player
Record depositions, client calls, and meetings directly in SafeAppeals. Transcribe with local AI—no API costs, fully offline after first use.
Audio Recording
Record directly in the app with start, stop, and pause controls
Inline Playback
Play recordings with seek bar, time display, and volume control
AI Transcription
Local Whisper transcription—no cloud, no API costs
Opening the Audio Recorder
Access the Audio Recorder in three ways:
- Keyboard: Press
Ctrl+Shift+R - Command Palette:
F1→ "Open Audio Recorder" - Activity Bar: Click the microphone icon in the left sidebar
Recording Audio
Starting a Recording
- Click the large Start Recording button
- A pulsing red indicator shows recording is active
- The timer displays elapsed time (MM:SS)
Recording Controls
Begin capturing audio from your microphone
Temporarily pause and resume recording
End recording and save to your workspace
Recording Tips
Playing Recordings
Each recording card has integrated playback controls. No need to open a separate audio player.
Playback Controls
| Control | Description |
|---|---|
| Play / Pause | Start or pause audio playback |
| Seek Bar | Click anywhere to jump to that position in the audio |
| Time Display | Shows current time / total duration |
| Volume | Adjust playback volume with slider |
Tip: Audio loads lazily on first play to save memory. Blob URLs are automatically cleaned up when you close the panel.
Transcribing Audio
SafeAppeals uses Whisper distil-large-v3.5 for local transcription. No API costs, fully offline after the model downloads.
Starting Transcription
- Find the recording in your list
- Click the Transcribe button (speech bubble icon)
- Wait for processing (status shows "Transcribing...")
First-Time Setup
On your first transcription, the Whisper model (~1.5GB) downloads automatically:
Whisper Model Details
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Model | distil-whisper-large-v3.5-ONNX |
| Size | ~1.5GB (downloaded once) |
| Accuracy | ~7% Word Error Rate |
| Speed | ~1.5x faster than Whisper-Large-v3 |
| Cost | $0 — Fully local, no API calls |
Importing Audio Files
Already have audio recordings? Import them to transcribe and manage alongside your new recordings.
Drag and Drop
- Open the Audio Recorder panel
- Drag audio files from your file explorer
- Drop them onto the recorder panel
- Files are imported and appear in your list
File Picker
- Click the Import Audio button
- Select one or more audio files
- Click Open to import
Supported Formats
Exporting Transcripts
Export transcripts in multiple formats for different use cases.
| Format | Best For |
|---|---|
| Word (.docx) | Professional documents, legal filings, editing |
| Plain Text (.txt) | Simple text, copy/paste, no formatting |
| Subtitles (.srt) | Video editing, timestamped captions |
| JSON (.json) | Integration, structured data with metadata |
Recording Status
Each recording shows its current status:
Per-Workspace Storage
Recordings are stored per workspace, keeping your case files organized and isolated:
📁 Your Case Folder/
├── 📄 Documents
├── 📄 Evidence
└── ...
📁 ~/.safe-appeals-navigator/databases/workspaces/{workspaceId}/
├── 📄 audio_recordings.db ← Recording metadata
└── 📁 recordings/ ← Audio files
├── recording_001.wav
├── recording_002.wav
└── ...- Separate for each case — Opening a different folder shows different recordings
- Private — No cross-case access
- Portable — Recordings stay with their case
AI Integration
The AI assistant can help manage your recordings. Try these prompts:
"Transcribe my latest recording"
→ Start transcription on the most recent audio
"Summarize the key points from the deposition recording"
→ Get AI summary after transcription
"Export the client call transcript as a Word document"
→ Generate DOCX export
"What did the doctor say about the injury in the medical recording?"
→ Query transcript content
Important: Always verify transcripts. AI transcription may contain errors, especially with technical terms, names, or accented speech.
Privacy & Offline
All audio processing happens locally on your machine:
No Cloud Uploads
Audio files never leave your computer. Recording and playback are completely local.
Offline Transcription
Whisper runs locally—no API calls, no transcription costs. Works without internet after model download.
Use Cases
Depositions
- Record the deposition directly in SafeAppeals
- Transcribe for searchable text
- Export SRT for video sync if recorded on video
- Export DOCX for official transcript
Client Calls
- Record phone or video calls (check local consent laws)
- Transcribe to capture key details
- Link to case timeline events
Meetings & Interviews
- Record witness interviews
- Capture meeting notes automatically
- Search transcripts later with AI chat
Troubleshooting
No audio captured
- →Check microphone permissions in system settings
- →Verify the correct microphone is selected
- →Ensure no other app is using the microphone
Transcription failed
- →Check if the recording has audio content
- →Verify sufficient disk space for model cache (~2GB)
- →Restart the app and try again
Slow transcription
- →First transcription loads the model (slower)
- →Subsequent transcriptions are faster
- →Longer recordings take proportionally longer
Import failed
- →Verify the file format is supported (WAV, MP3, M4A, OGG, WEBM, FLAC)
- →Check if the file is corrupted
- →Try converting to WAV format first
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open Audio Recorder | Ctrl+Shift+R |