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record commands

Audio recording commands for capturing and transcribing voice input.

voicepad record start {#start}

Start recording audio from the configured input device.

Synopsis

voicepad record start [OPTIONS]

Description

Begins audio recording from your microphone. Press Ctrl+C to stop recording. By default, the recording is automatically transcribed after stopping unless --no-transcribe is used.

When VAD chunking is enabled (--vad), transcription happens in real-time as chunks are detected, and the markdown file updates live while recording continues.

Options

--prefix TEXT, -p TEXT

Custom filename prefix (overrides recording_prefix in config).

Default: Value from config file (typically recording)

Example:

voicepad record start --prefix team_meeting
# Creates: team_meeting_20260218_033000.wav

--duration FLOAT, -d FLOAT

Record for a fixed number of seconds, then stop automatically.

Default: None (record until Ctrl+C)

Example:

voicepad record start --duration 300
# Records for exactly 5 minutes

--transcribe / --no-transcribe

Enable or disable automatic transcription after recording.

Default: --transcribe (enabled)

Example:

# Record without transcribing
voicepad record start --no-transcribe

# Explicitly enable (redundant, but allowed)
voicepad record start --transcribe

VAD Mode

When --vad is enabled, transcription always happens during recording. The --transcribe flag only affects post-recording transcription.

--vad / --no-vad

Enable or disable VAD-based chunking for smart audio splitting.

Default: --no-vad (disabled)

Example:

# Enable VAD chunking
voicepad record start --vad

# Explicitly disable (redundant)
voicepad record start --no-vad

See: VAD Chunking Guide

--min-chunk-duration FLOAT

Minimum duration (seconds) before allowing chunk splits (VAD mode only).

Default: 60.0 seconds

Range: 10.0 - 600.0 seconds

Example:

# Larger chunks for lectures
voicepad record start --vad --min-chunk-duration 120

# Smaller chunks for Q&A
voicepad record start --vad --min-chunk-duration 30

See: VAD Settings Reference

--vad-threshold FLOAT

Speech detection sensitivity threshold (VAD mode only).

Default: 0.5

Range: 0.0 - 1.0

Example:

# More sensitive (quiet environments)
voicepad record start --vad --vad-threshold 0.4

# Less sensitive (noisy environments)
voicepad record start --vad --vad-threshold 0.6

See: VAD Settings Reference

Examples

Basic Recording

voicepad record start
# Press Ctrl+C when done

Output:

  • data/recordings/recording_20260218_033000.wav
  • data/markdown/recording_20260218_033000.md

Meeting with VAD

voicepad record start \
  --prefix standup_meeting \
  --vad \
  --min-chunk-duration 60

Output (live updates):

  • data/recordings/standup_meeting_20260218_093000.wav
  • data/markdown/standup_meeting_20260218_093000.md (updates in real-time)

Fixed Duration, Audio Only

voicepad record start \
  --duration 180 \
  --no-transcribe \
  --prefix voice_memo

Output:

  • data/recordings/voice_memo_20260218_103000.wav (only)

Sensitive VAD for Quiet Room

voicepad record start \
  --vad \
  --vad-threshold 0.4 \
  --min-chunk-duration 45

Output Files

Audio file:

  • Format: WAV (16-bit PCM, 16kHz mono)
  • Location: {recordings_path}/{prefix}_{timestamp}.wav
  • Created: When recording stops (VAD mode) or immediately (non-VAD mode)

Transcription file:

  • Format: Markdown with metadata
  • Location: {markdown_path}/{prefix}_{timestamp}.md
  • Created: After recording (non-VAD) or during recording (VAD mode)

Stopping Recording

Press Ctrl+C to stop recording:

^C
[INFO] Stopping recording...
[INFO] Waiting for chunk worker to complete...
[INFO] Saving 5 accumulated chunks...
[INFO] Recording saved to: data/recordings/recording_20260218_033000.wav

Exit Codes

  • 0 - Recording completed successfully
  • 1 - Recording failed (device error, permission denied, etc.)
  • 130 - Interrupted by user (Ctrl+C - this is normal)

voicepad record info {#info}

Display the current recording configuration.

Synopsis

voicepad record info

Description

Shows the active recording settings from your configuration file, including:

  • Input device
  • Output directories
  • Filename prefix
  • Number of existing recordings

Output Example

Current Recording Configuration
============================================================
Input device index: 2 (Microphone - High Definition Audio)
Recordings directory: data/recordings
Markdown directory: data/markdown
Filename prefix: recording
============================================================
[OK] Recordings directory exists
   12 recording(s) found

Tip: Use 'voicepad config input' to view and configure audio devices

Exit Codes

  • 0 - Always succeeds

Common Workflows

Standard Meeting Recording

# 1. Check setup
voicepad record info
voicepad config system

# 2. Start recording with VAD
voicepad record start --prefix team_meeting --vad

# 3. Let it run, watch markdown file update

# 4. Press Ctrl+C when done

Quick Voice Memo

voicepad record start --prefix memo --duration 60 --no-transcribe

Optimize for Accuracy

# Use larger chunks, adjust sensitivity
voicepad record start \
  --vad \
  --min-chunk-duration 90 \
  --vad-threshold 0.5 \
  --prefix lecture

See Also