Audio input and microphone

Confidant records from whatever microphone you've selected. Here's how to pick the right one and how to capture audio from a video call.

Picking your input device

1. Open Settings → Recording → Audio Input
2. Click the device dropdown
3. Pick the device you want — built-in mic, USB headset, virtual device, etc.

If you leave it on System default, Confidant follows whatever your OS has set as the default input. If you regularly switch headsets, picking a specific device explicitly avoids surprises.

The first time you actually start a recording (not when you select the device), macOS will prompt for microphone permission. Approve it.

Hardware that works well

In rough order of how well they transcribe:

1. Wired USB or analog headset — close to your mouth, isolated from room noise
2. External USB condenser mic (Yeti, Shure MV7) on a desk arm — great if you sit still
3. Built-in laptop mic — usable but picks up keyboard noise and room reverb
4. AirPods / wireless earbuds — works, but the mic is much worse than wired

Background noise of any kind shows up in the transcript. A quiet room with a wired mic produces dramatically better notes than a coffee shop with AirPods.

Capturing audio from a video call (telehealth)

If your sessions are over Zoom, Doxy, or another telehealth tool, you can capture both your voice and your client's voice using a virtual audio device.

The most common setup on macOS is BlackHole:

1. Install BlackHole 2ch (free, open source)
2. In macOS, create a Multi-Output Device (Audio MIDI Setup → + → Create Multi-Output Device) that includes both your headphones and BlackHole. Set it as the system output so you can still hear your client.
3. In Zoom/your telehealth app, set the speaker to the Multi-Output Device — this routes your client's audio to BlackHole and to your headphones simultaneously
4. Create an Aggregate Device combining BlackHole and your physical mic, so Confidant gets both your voice and your client's
5. In Settings → Recording → Audio Input, pick the Aggregate Device

Settings → Recording → Audio Input has a built-in BlackHole walkthrough — click the BlackHole link in that section for a step-by-step guide.

On Windows, VB-Audio Virtual Cable is the equivalent. The same principle applies: route your call audio to a virtual device, then aggregate that with your mic and point Confidant at the result.

Verifying it's working

Start a session. The session panel shows a live audio level meter. If you talk and the meter doesn't move, the wrong device is selected (or the mic is muted at the OS level).

Stop and restart the session after switching devices — Confidant locks in the device choice when recording starts.