#Recording Issues

Troubleshoot common problems with recording microphone and system audio.

#Microphone Not Detected

Clearminutes can't find your microphone.

#Check OS Permissions

macOS:

1. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone
2. Ensure Clearminutes is listed and toggled On
3. If not listed, restart Clearminutes (permissions are requested on first use)

Windows:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone
2. Toggle Microphone access to On
3. Toggle Allow apps to access your microphone to On
4. Scroll down and ensure Clearminutes is allowed

#Try a Different Device

1. Go to Settings → Recording → Microphone Device
2. Select a different microphone from the list
3. Try recording a test segment

If different microphone works, your default microphone may have a driver issue.

#Restart Clearminutes

1. Quit Clearminutes (Cmd+Q / Ctrl+Q)
2. Wait 5 seconds
3. Reopen Clearminutes
4. Permissions may re-request (allow them)

#Update Audio Drivers

Windows:

1. Go to Device Manager (right-click Start button)
2. Expand Sound, video and game controllers
3. Right-click your audio device
4. Click Update driver
5. Choose Search automatically for updated driver
6. Restart computer

macOS:

• Audio drivers are built-in; no update needed

#Check in System Settings

macOS:

1. Go to System Settings → Sound
2. Verify microphone is selected (not set to internal speakers)

Windows:

1. Go to Settings → Sound → Input devices
2. Click your microphone
3. Click Test and speak
4. You should see the input level meter moving
5. For audio drivers, right-click Start → Device Manager → Sound, video and game controllers, then update audio device drivers

#No System Audio Captured

Microphone works, but system audio (browser, Spotify, etc.) not recording.

#macOS — Screen Recording Permission

System audio requires screen recording permission:

1. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording
2. Ensure Clearminutes is listed and toggled On
3. If not listed, restart Clearminutes
4. You'll see "Clearminutes wants to record your screen" — click Allow

Important: On macOS, Clearminutes uses a Core Audio tap (not screen recording itself). The permission is required for technical reasons.

#Windows — System Audio Device

System audio capture uses your audio drivers. To verify it's enabled:

1. Go to Settings → Recording → System Audio Device
2. Ensure a system audio output device is selected (not "None")
3. If not available, check:
   • Audio drivers are up to date
   • No other app is using exclusive audio mode

If still missing:

1. Open Sound settings (Windows Settings → Sound)
2. Scroll to Advanced → Volume mixer
3. Check available audio devices
4. Update audio drivers via Device Manager if needed

#Reboot and Try Again

Sometimes audio system needs a restart:

1. Restart your computer
2. Open Clearminutes
3. Check both microphone and system audio appear

#Audio Levels Too Low

Recording is capturing sound, but it's too quiet to transcribe well.

#Increase Microphone Gain

1. Go to Settings → Recording → Microphone Gain
2. Increase slider to 70-80%
3. Record test segment
4. Check volume in playback

[SCREENSHOT: Microphone gain slider with audio meter]

#Check Hardware Volume

1. Verify your microphone's physical volume knob is at max (if it has one)
2. Check system volume is not muted:
   • macOS: Click speaker icon in menu bar
   • Windows: Check speaker icon in system tray

#Improve Microphone Placement

1. Move microphone closer to your mouth (3-6 inches)
2. Reduce background noise
3. Use external USB microphone if internal mic is too quiet

#Whisper May Still Understand Low Audio

Even if playback is quiet, Whisper can often transcribe it well. Test:

1. Record a test segment with quiet audio
2. Generate transcript
3. If transcription is accurate, no action needed

#Audio Levels Too High / Distortion

Recording has crackling, clipping, or distortion.

#Decrease Microphone Gain

1. Go to Settings → Recording → Microphone Gain
2. Decrease slider to 40-60%
3. Record test segment
4. Check for clipping in waveform

#Move Microphone Away

1. Move microphone 12+ inches from your mouth
2. Avoid pointing directly at mouth
3. Angle slightly off-axis if possible

#Reduce Ambient Noise

Loud background noise can cause clipping:

1. Close windows and doors
2. Turn off fans or AC
3. Use noise suppression: Settings → Recording → Noise Suppression

#Lower System Volume

If system audio is too loud:

1. Go to Settings → Recording → System Audio Level
2. Reduce slider (default is 100%)
3. Record test and check balance

#Recording Stops Unexpectedly

Recording was working, then stopped without pressing Stop.

#Check Disk Space

Recording requires disk space. If drive is full, recording stops:

1. Go to Settings → Storage
2. Check "Available space"
3. If low, delete old meetings or free up space
4. Try recording again

How much space do you need?

• 1 hour of high-quality audio = ~350 MB
• 8 hours of meetings per day = ~2.8 GB per week

#Check System Stability

If system crashed or froze:

1. Check system memory isn't full (close other apps)
2. Ensure adequate cooling (computer not overheating)
3. Try recording shorter meetings (15 min instead of 2 hours)

#Check Logs for Errors

1. Go to Settings → Advanced → View Logs
2. Look for error messages
3. Screenshot and email to https://support.clearminutes.app with context

#Can't Start Recording

The record button is disabled or pressing it doesn't start recording.

#Another App Is Using the Microphone

Some apps lock exclusive access to the microphone:

macOS:

1. Quit other apps that use audio (Zoom, Teams, OBS, Discord)
2. Wait 5 seconds
3. Try recording again

Windows:

1. Check system tray for other audio apps
2. Quit or pause apps using microphone
3. Ensure no browser tabs have active audio permission

#Microphone Is Disabled in Settings

1. Go to Settings → Recording → Microphone Device
2. Ensure a microphone is selected (not "None" or "Disabled")
3. If no devices appear, see Microphone Not Detected section above

#App Needs Restart

If you recently changed permissions:

1. Quit Clearminutes (Cmd+Q / Ctrl+Q)
2. Restart Clearminutes
3. Try recording again

#Recording Delay or Lag

There's a noticeable delay between speaking and Whisper transcribing words.

#This Is Normal

1-5 seconds of latency is expected as Clearminutes:

1. Captures audio
2. Processes through VAD
3. Sends to Whisper
4. Returns transcript

This is not a bug.

#Reduce Whisper Model Size

Larger models (large-v3) have more latency. To reduce:

1. Go to Settings → Transcription → Model
2. Choose smaller model (small or base)
3. Record new meeting

Smaller models transcribe faster (lower latency) but with slightly lower accuracy.

#Audio Quality Issues in Transcript

Recording works, but transcript has garbled words, missing audio, or strange text.

#Check Audio Quality During Recording

1. Play back the recording: Open meeting, click segment, press Play
2. Listen for:
   • Distortion (crackling, popping)
   • Extreme quietness
   • Audio cuts (parts completely missing)

If audio playback is clear, transcript issue is with Whisper model accuracy, not recording.

#Improve Source Audio

1. Use a better microphone (USB external microphone)
2. Reduce background noise
3. Speak clearly and at normal pace
4. Avoid overlapping speech

#Try a Larger Whisper Model

1. Go to Settings → Transcription → Model
2. Choose larger model (medium or large-v3)
3. Regenerate transcript for previous meeting

Larger models are more accurate, especially with imperfect audio.

#Bluetooth Audio Issues

Recording with a Bluetooth microphone or headset doesn't work well.

#Use Wired Microphone Instead

Bluetooth introduces latency and occasional disconnections. Use USB microphone for reliable recording.

#If You Must Use Bluetooth

1. Connect Bluetooth device to computer
2. Go to Settings → Recording → Microphone Device
3. Select your Bluetooth device
4. Test with short recording first
5. If unreliable, switch to wired

Bluetooth reliability varies by device and driver quality.

#Related

• Audio Setup — Microphone and system audio device selection
• Recording Quality — Gain, noise suppression, VAD settings
• Transcription Problems — Issues with Whisper transcript accuracy