Live Transcription
Kolab can transcribe your sessions and generate a downloadable Word document with speaker attribution. This is useful for meeting notes, accessibility, and sharing with people who couldn't attend.
Note: Transcription is available to hosts and facilitators only. Participants are automatically notified when transcription is active.
How It Works
- A facilitator starts transcription from the more options menu (three dots) in the bottom control bar
- Kolab dispatches a transcription agent that listens to the session audio
- All participants see a notification that the space is being transcribed
- When the facilitator stops transcription, the audio is processed and a
.docxtranscript is generated - The transcript becomes available for download in the Transcripts panel
Important: Transcription only works in global audio mode. It's not available in spatial audio or zoned audio, and it automatically pauses during breakout rooms.
Starting Transcription
- Click the three-dot menu (⋯) in the bottom control bar
- Click Transcripts
- Click Start Transcription
All participants in the space will see a notification: "This space is now being transcribed."
Only one transcription session can be active per space at a time.
Stopping Transcription
- Click the three-dot menu (⋯) in the bottom control bar
- Click Transcripts
- Click Stop Transcription
After stopping, the transcript enters a Processing state. The audio is analyzed, speakers are identified, and a formatted document is generated. This can take a few minutes depending on session length.
Downloading Transcripts
Once processing is complete:
- Click the three-dot menu (⋯) in the bottom control bar
- Click Transcripts
- Find your transcript in the list (labeled by number and completion time)
- Click the Download button
The transcript downloads as a .docx Word document containing:
- Session title and date
- Session duration
- List of speakers
- Full transcript with speaker names in bold
- Audio mode change markers (e.g., when breakout rooms were active)
Note: If a transcript shows a processing spinner, check back in a few minutes. If it shows an error, the transcription may have failed due to audio issues.
Transcript History
The Transcripts panel keeps a history of all transcription sessions for the space. Each entry shows:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Completed | Ready to download |
| Processing | Still being generated — check back shortly |
| Error | Something went wrong (error details shown) |
Audio Mode Restrictions
Transcription behavior changes based on your audio mode:
| Audio Mode | Transcription |
|---|---|
| Global | Fully supported |
| Spatial | Not available |
| Zoned | Not available |
| Breakout rooms | Automatically paused — resumes when you return to global audio |
If you switch from global to another audio mode during a transcription session, the transcript will include markers showing when those mode changes happened and their duration.
Who Can Use Transcription
| Role | Can start/stop | Can download | Gets notified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Facilitator | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Participant | No | No | Yes |
Participants cannot start, stop, or download transcripts. They are notified when transcription begins.
Transcription Quality
What Affects Accuracy
| Factor | Impact | How to improve |
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | High | Use a good microphone, quiet space |
| Background noise | High | Enable noise cancellation |
| Multiple speakers | Medium | Avoid talking over each other |
| Speaking speed | Medium | Moderate pace helps |
| Accents | Medium | Speak clearly |
Tips for Better Transcripts
Before your session:
- Ensure participants have decent microphones
- Run System Check to verify audio quality
- Enable noise cancellation
During your session:
- Encourage one person to speak at a time
- Ask speakers to unmute before speaking
- Keep a moderate pace for important points
Privacy & Notifications
What's Captured
- All unmuted audio in global audio mode
- Speaker identification (automatic)
What's Not Captured
- Muted audio
- Audio during breakout rooms, spatial, or zoned modes
- Chat messages
- Canvas content
Participant Notice
When transcription starts, all participants see a notification automatically. You don't need to manually announce it, but it's good practice to mention it at the start of your session:
"This session is being transcribed. The transcript will be available as a document after we wrap up."
Troubleshooting
"I can't find the Transcripts option"
- Only hosts and facilitators see the Transcripts option in the three-dot menu
- Check that you have host or facilitator permissions for the space
"Transcription won't start"
- Make sure you're in global audio mode — transcription doesn't work in spatial or zoned audio
- Check if another transcription session is already active (only one at a time)
"Transcript is stuck on Processing"
- Processing can take several minutes for longer sessions
- If it's been more than 10 minutes, there may have been an error — check for an error status
"Transcript shows an error"
- This usually means the audio couldn't be processed — check that participants were unmuted and audio was working during the session
- Try running another transcription session with better audio conditions
"Speaker names are wrong"
- Speaker identification is automatic and may occasionally misattribute speech
- Having one person speak at a time significantly improves accuracy
- The downloaded document may need minor manual corrections
Related Guides
- Setting Up Audio & Video - Audio quality basics
- Visual Effects & Audio Quality - Noise cancellation
- System Check - Verify your setup