5 tips for creating the best audio transcripts

Key Takeaways

• Google’s Recorder app can make accurate transcripts fast, even without an internet connection.
• You can use the app to edit unwanted audio out of your recordings and transcripts.
• The app also lets you search through transcripts to find the information you need quickly.

Google’s Pixel phones are best known for their powerful photography and editing features, but there’s another Pixel exclusive that’s just as good: audio recording. Every Pixel phone since the Pixel 4 was released in 2019 has included an app called Recorder that not only lets you record any sound you throw at it, but also is capable of transcribing it too.

These transcripts are ready fast, and fairly accurate right out of the gate. Even if you’re not interviewing people for a living, it’s great if you need a backup note taker for a meeting or class so that you know you’ve captured everything important. Recorder was one of the first places Google flexed its ability to offer on-device AI features, now a key skill of the entire Pixel 9 line, and transcriptions and summaries have popped up not only all across Android, but other operating systems too. To make sure you’re creating the best possible recordings and the cleanest possible transcripts to read through later, here are several tips to keep in mind as you start putting Google Recorder through its paces.

1 You should create some space between your Pixel and whoever is speaking

The best audio isn’t necessarily captured up-close

The Pixel and most modern flagship smartphones include at least two or three microphones. One at the top of the phone for dealing with voice commands, a microphone at the bottom for picking up your voice during a phone call, and a microphone on the camera bump for recording video. One or more of these microphones is engaged anytime you’re recording audio on your phone, and they’re designed to be sensitive enough to pick up your voice even if you’re not holding the phone close to your face.

The Pixel and most modern flagship smartphones include at least two or three microphones.

In fact, you’re better off not putting your Pixel running the Recorder app right next to whoever you’re recording. You can keep your phone 1ft or more away from your speakers and still capture a clean audio clip, as long as they’re talking at a normal speaking volume (around 60 decibels). If you’re recording someone from a distance in a lecture hall or off a video call on your laptop, you might want to move closer or adjust your volume accordingly, but as long as your Pixel is out and you yourself can hear whoever is speaking well, there’s a good chance your Pixel will capture what you need.

2 Edit your audio so you only save what you need

Trimming clips is fiddly, but doable if you’re patient

You’re able to edit any audio you record as soon as you stop recording, which means you can remove any unwanted sounds from the beginning or end of your clip without too much effort. Google uses a traditional mobile editing setup where you’re moving beginning and end points around your clip and either removing everything outside your selection or removing the selection itself. Besides manipulating the waveform of your clip, you can also edit it by trimming the text of the transcript itself.

Since these transcripts are most useful when they’re fully searchable, there’s no reason to hold on to pieces of audio, or transcript text that’s going to get in the way of you finding what you need. To start editing a clip:

1. Open the Recorder app.
2. Tap on the clip you want to edit.
3. Tap on the Edit button at the top of the screen (the scissor icon).
4. Drag the beginning and ending handles so they cover only the parts of the clip you want to keep.
5. Tap on the Trim button right below your clip’s waveform.
6. To remove a specific section of the clip, select it by adjusting the handles so they’re around it.
7. Then tap on the Remove button to remove it.

3 Label speakers so your transcript is easier to read

Recorder can automatically break up text

Whether you plan on sharing your transcript or not, breaking up text by speaker should make it much easier to read. If you’re using a Pixel 6 or newer, the Recorder app can automatically identify when a new speaker joins a conversation and label them accordingly, but it’s not entirely accurate, which is why Google also includes the ability to relabel speakers, add new speaker labels, and split up long paragraphs of text into separate speakers if Recorder gets confused.

You can enable automatic speaker labeling inside the settings menu in the Recorder app. You might even get prompted to enable them when you create your first recording on a supported Pixel phone. Once it’s on, the Recorder app will label new speakers by number, which you can then rename by doing the following:

1. From inside the Recorder app, tap on a recording.
2. Tap on the three dot menu in the top right corner.
3. Tap on “Edit speaker labels.”
4. Tap on the speaker whose name you want to change, and then tap on “Rename Speaker.”
5. Type in the new name, and then tap save.
6. Tap on Save in the top right corner to stop editing.

Using that same process, you can also add a new speaker by tapping on “Create new speaker” when you tap on the label you want to edit. For those times when the transcription runs together, your best option is to split paragraphs up into separate speakers. To do that:

1. Tap on the recording you want to edit.
2. Tap on the three dot menu in the top right corner.
3. Tap on “Edit speaker labels.”
4. Tap on the part of the paragraph you want to create a split, then tap on “Split from here.”

4 Don’t be afraid to have Recorder re-transcribe your recording

Sometimes the second time is the charm

Recorder transcribes your audio at the same time as you’re recording it using AI models the Pixel can run locally. It’s fast, but like I mentioned before, not 100% accurate. The Recorder app gives you the option of transcribing any audio recording again if you’re not happy with its first pass and want to see if it’ll improve without you having to edit it. To transcribe a clip again:

1. With the Recorder app open, tap on the audio you want to transcribe again.
2. Tap on the three dot menu in the top right corner.
3. Tap on “Transcribe again.”
4. Tap on the language you want it to be transcribed in.
5. Then tap on Transcribe to create a new transcription.

The process should take longer, but the finished product should be a bit more accurate than the original. From there, you can edit or relabel things however you want and share the clip and transcript.

Transcribing your audio a second time can send your clip to Google’s servers and may require an internet connection.

5 Search through transcripts for just the right quote

The advantage of Recorder is the index of transcripts it creates

The point of spending all of that time recording clean audio and cleaning up your transcripts is that it makes finding the information in the things you recorded easier. If there’s a specific quote you want to find, you can search for it. Anything spoken on a recording can become a keyword that pops up in a search. Google makes it remarkably easy to find the exact turn of phrase or insight you need, even if you only remember the basic topic.

To search through all of your recordings, you can just tap on the magnifying glass at the top of your screen and type in a word or phrase. Alternatively, you can also type in or tap on the location you made your recordings to sort through things that way. Recordings where your search term appeared will be listed and if you tap on them, the word or phrase will be highlighted in the transcript itself to make it easy to copy and paste somewhere else.

You don’t need paid transcription software for your next meeting

Recorder is a simple app that’s surprisingly helpful if you need to remember something. Most phones ship with some kind of voice recording feature, but few are as efficient at actually making your recordings useful as Google. With Apple making similar improvements to the iOS Voice Memos app, there could soon be real competition on the iPhone side of things, but in the meantime, the Recorder app is a legitimate reason to consider a Pixel phone. It’s just that good.

Sure, there is a growing list of wearables that can record and transcribe your calls, but you’re already bringing your phone along. Why not have it act as your note-taking backup, too? It’s just one of several Pixel-exclusive skills worth exploring, especially if you’re already considering a Pixel 9 or Pixel 9 Pro.