Your First Recording

This guide walks through the core workflow: record audio, review the transcript, generate a formatted note, and export.

1. Open the recorder

You can start a new recording from several places:

• Home → Start recording
• Sidebar → Recordings → New recording
• Mobile bottom nav → Record

This opens the recording editor at /recordings/new.

2. Choose dictation mode

On the Recorder tab, select Dictation for solo speech with live transcription, or Meeting for multi-speaker audio. See Meeting mode for interview and conference calls.

For your first note, Dictation is the simplest option.

3. Record

1. Allow microphone access when prompted.
2. Click Start and speak at a natural pace.
3. Watch the live transcript appear as you speak (online only).
4. Click Pause when finished — this saves your progress and starts transcription processing.

4. Wait for the transcript

After pausing, Ardela uploads audio and runs transcription. The status indicator shows progress. When ready, open the Transcript tab to review and edit the text.

If you're offline, the recording is saved locally and marked Awaiting Transcription until you're back online.

5. Generate a note

1. Open the Recorder tab (or stay on transcript-ready view).
2. Choose Note or Document output.
3. Select a template.
4. Click Generate or press Ctrl+G (Windows) / Cmd+G (Mac).

Generated content opens in a new tab you can edit like any document.

6. Refine and export

• Edit the transcript or generated note directly
• Select text and use the bubble menu for quick AI formatting
• Open Clara in split view for larger rewrites — learn more
• Export via the actions menu: PDF, Word, email, or copy

7. Organize

Before marking complete:

• Assign a client and matter from the header
• Add to a group if your firm uses shared visibility
• Click Mark complete when the recording is finished

Next steps

• Recordings list — find past work
• Upload audio — import existing files
• Keyboard shortcuts — save and generate faster