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Which Whisper model should I pick?

Recordist transcribes with whisper.cpp on your machine. The model you choose trades disk, memory and speed against accuracy. The default is right for most people.

The short answer

From version 1.0.10, the most accurate model, Large v3 Turbo, is part of Pro and your trial. On Free, new recordings use Small (multilingual, 99 languages) once it is on your machine, and your own choice is kept for when Pro is back. An install on Free made before 10 November keeps the model it has until 31 December.

  • Most Macs: keep the default, Large v3 Turbo (quantised, about 574 MB to download). The best accuracy for its speed, 99 languages, and fast enough to keep up with a live call.
  • Speed above all, English only: Base (English) or Tiny (English) are the fastest, for calls with clear audio.

Sizes

Model Download Languages Use it when
Tiny (English) 75 MB English Quick drafts, or you only need search
Base (English) 142 MB English English calls with clear audio, when speed matters most
Small (English) 466 MB English Older Macs where the live transcript matters more than perfection
Small (multilingual) 466 MB 99 languages The same, for meetings in other languages
Medium (English, quantised) 539 MB English Heavy accents or noisy English audio; slower than the default
Large v3 Turbo (quantised), the default 574 MB 99 languages Most Macs
Large v3 Turbo (full) 1.6 GB 99 languages Macs with 16 GB of memory or more; slightly better than quantised

Languages

Language is detected automatically. If a meeting mixes languages or detection guesses wrong, pin the language under Settings → Transcription → Language. The models marked English transcribe only English.

Changing model

Settings → Transcription lists the models. Download one and select it; a model you are not using can be deleted with the bin icon next to it. Changing the model does not re-transcribe old meetings; choose Transcribe again… from a meeting’s … menu if you want to.

More detail is in the transcription models guide.

Recordist

Recordist for Mac is downloading.

Thank you for trying Recordist. Three steps and it is ready before your next call. Open it now, so it is set up in time.

  1. 1Open the download and drag Recordist to Applications, then open it from there.
  2. 2Allow the microphone and system audio when your Mac asks, so both sides of the call are heard. Calendar is optional: it names your meetings and who is in them.
  3. 3Close the window when you like. Recordist waits in the menu bar and, when your next call starts, asks: Record this meeting? Nothing is recorded until you say yes.

The first time it opens, Recordist downloads its speech model: 142 MB in English, 466 MB for other languages. That usually takes a minute or two, and you can record once it finishes. The notes engine, 1 to 3 GB, follows in the background.

While it downloads, see a finished call in your browser

Every install includes 7 days of Pro, so your first calls are written up in full.

No call today? Import a recording you already have: in Recordist, Meetings, then Import audio. One of 10 minutes or more starts your 7 days of Pro, and the notes follow the transcript.

While it downloads, get your Free key. More AI notes each month, with no end date. Optional: your download has already started.

Two emails: a link to confirm, then a copy of your key. Nothing else unless you ask. We never sell or share your address, and Resend, our email service, sends them for us. Privacy

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