Documentation

System requirements, installation, and troubleshooting.

System Requirements

OS macOS 12.3 or later (Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia)
Processor Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) recommended. Intel Macs supported but slower transcription.
RAM 4GB minimum, 8GB recommended
Disk Space 1GB for app and AI models. Additional space for recordings.

Installation

  1. Download Capsulo One
  2. Open the .dmg file
  3. Drag app to Applications folder
  4. Launch from Applications

First launch downloads AI transcription models (~600MB). Takes 2-3 minutes.

Permissions

macOS requires three permissions for recording.

Screen Recording

Cannot be requested automatically. Must be granted manually.

System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording

Enable Capsulo One in the list. Restart app after enabling.

Microphone

Requested automatically on first launch. Click Allow when prompted.

If denied by accident:

System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone → Enable Capsulo One

System Audio

Enabled during screen selection. Check "Share system audio" in the macOS screen picker dialog.

This checkbox appears in the native macOS screen sharing dialog when you click Record. Not a separate permission.

How to Use

Recording

  1. Open Capsulo One
  2. Select audio sources (checkboxes):
    • Record Desktop Audio (system sounds)
    • Record Microphone (your voice)
    • Record Screen (adds video)
  3. Click Start Recording
  4. Select screen or window in macOS dialog
  5. Check "Share system audio" if recording desktop audio
  6. Click Stop Recording when finished

During Recording

  • Audio level meters show input levels
  • Elapsed time counter shows recording duration
  • Mute either audio source independently
  • Disk space monitored continuously

After Recording

Transcription starts automatically. Processing time:

  • Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3): 2-4 minutes per 60-minute recording
  • Intel Macs: 5-10 minutes per 60-minute recording

Click "View Recordings" to access saved files and transcripts.

File Storage

Default Location

~/Downloads/Capsulo One/

Change Save Location

Click folder icon in app. Select new folder. Setting persists across recordings.

File Format

Each recording creates two files:

  • Echo_2025-01-06_14-30-12.mp4 - Video file (H.264)
  • Echo_2025-01-06_14-30-12.md - Transcript (Markdown with timestamps)

Troubleshooting

No system audio in recording

Checkbox not selected in screen picker.

Solution:

When macOS shows screen selection dialog, check "Share system audio" before clicking Share.

Screen recording permission denied

App cannot access screen.

Solution:

  1. Open System Settings
  2. Privacy & Security → Screen Recording
  3. Enable Capsulo One
  4. Restart app

Microphone not working

Permission denied or wrong input selected.

Solution:

  1. System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone
  2. Enable Capsulo One
  3. Restart app
  4. Check input device selection in System Settings → Sound → Input

Transcription failed

Processing error or insufficient disk space.

Solution:

  1. Check available disk space (need 2x recording size)
  2. Click "View Recordings"
  3. Find failed recording
  4. Click "Retry" to reprocess

macOS Sequoia (15.x) audio issues

System audio not captured on macOS 15.

Solution:

Built-in workaround active automatically. If audio still fails, restart Mac and ensure "Share system audio" is checked in screen picker.

Can't find recordings

Files not in expected location.

Solution:

  1. Click "View Recordings" in app
  2. Click folder icon to see current save location
  3. Check ~/Downloads/Capsulo One/ for default location

Features

Transcription

Runs automatically after recording. Uses Whisper AI locally. No internet required. Output: Markdown file with timestamps.

Audio Mixing

Records desktop audio and microphone simultaneously. Independent mute controls. Real-time level meters.

Themes

Four visual themes: Default, VCR, Walkman, Terminal. Same functionality, different aesthetic. Select from theme picker in app.

Recordings Viewer

Built-in viewer for playback. Shows video with synchronized transcript. Search, copy, and export text.

Privacy

100% local processing. No cloud uploads. No API keys. No telemetry. Recordings stay on your Mac.

Questions?

Issue not listed here. Contact support.

edgar@codedgar.com