Mastering Meeting Transcription: Best Practices for Clear Audio
Learn how to capture crystal-clear meeting audio that results in highly accurate transcriptions. From microphone placement to room acoustics, we cover everything you need to know.
Why Audio Quality Matters
The accuracy of any transcription depends heavily on the quality of the source audio. Even the most advanced AI models struggle with muffled voices, echo, or background noise. The good news? With a few simple adjustments, you can dramatically improve your results.
Choose the Right Microphone
Not all microphones are created equal. For meeting transcription, consider:
USB Condenser Microphones work great for individual speakers in quiet environments. They capture rich, detailed audio and connect directly to your computer.
Conference Speakerphones like the Jabra Speak series are designed for group settings. They use multiple microphones to capture voices from around a table.
Lapel Microphones are perfect for interviews or presentations where one person is speaking primarily. They stay close to the sound source, reducing ambient noise pickup.
Room Acoustics 101
Hard surfaces reflect sound, creating echo that confuses transcription software. Here's how to minimize it:
- Add soft furnishings like carpets, curtains, or acoustic panels
- Close windows and doors to reduce outside noise
- Avoid rooms with high ceilings if possible
- Position speakers away from walls
Recording Best Practices
- Test before the real thing - Run a quick test recording and listen back
- Maintain consistent distance - Keep the same distance from the microphone throughout
- Minimize crosstalk - Encourage participants to speak one at a time
- Avoid rustling papers - The sound is louder than you think
- Mute when not speaking - In virtual meetings, muting reduces background noise
Leveraging AI Features
Modern transcription tools like Sanekot AI offer features that help even with imperfect audio:
Speaker Diarization automatically identifies who said what, even in group conversations. Enable this for meetings with multiple participants.
Language Detection ensures the AI uses the correct vocabulary and pronunciation rules for your content.
Timestamps let you quickly navigate to specific moments and verify accuracy against the original recording.
After the Recording
Even with great audio, you'll want to review the transcription:
- Skim for obvious errors and fix them
- Add proper nouns and technical terms the AI might have missed
- Use the confidence highlighting to focus your review on uncertain words
With these practices, you'll get transcriptions that require minimal editing—saving you hours of work.