> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.canvascope.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Record lectures

> Record audio while you take notes, get a transcript on your iPad, tap your notes to hear that moment, and replay how a page was written.

Lectra records a lecture while you write, so you can go back to what was said. After class, you can play the recording, read a transcript made on your iPad, tap a line you wrote to hear what was being said at that moment, and drag through the recording to watch the page fill back in. Recordings stay on your iPad, and an hour of audio takes about 15 MB.

## Before you begin

* **To record and play back**: Lectra on your iPad, and permission to use the microphone. Lectra asks the first time you start a recording.
* **To get transcripts**: an iPad that supports Apple Intelligence, with iPadOS 26 or later, and intelligence turned on in Lectra. To learn how to turn it on, see [Use Apple Intelligence in Lectra](/lectra/apple-intelligence#turn-on-intelligence).
* **To tap your notes or replay a page**: the **Recordings** panel open beside the page. This needs a wide view, for example most iPads held in landscape with Lectra full screen. On a narrower view, the panel opens as a sheet over the page, and these two features are off.

## Start a recording

You can start a recording from your library or from inside a document.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="From a document">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open the document">
        Open the document you want to take notes in.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Open the recorder">
        In the toolbar, tap the microphone button (**Recorder**). The **Record Lecture** panel opens.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Name the recording (optional)">
        Type a name in **Name this recording**. If you leave it blank, Lectra names it with the day and time, such as "Thursday 2:05 PM".
      </Step>

      <Step title="Start">
        Tap **Start Recording**. The first time, allow Lectra to use the microphone.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="From your library">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open the New menu">
        In your library, tap **New**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Choose Record Lecture">
        Tap **Record Lecture**. The **Record Lecture** panel opens.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Name and start">
        Optionally, type a name in **Name this recording**, and then tap **Start Recording**.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Attached to a document">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open the Recordings panel">
        In the document, tap **More actions** (the three dots), and then tap **Recordings**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Record for this document">
        Under **Record now**, tap **Record for this notebook**. The panel uses the word "notebook" for any document, including PDFs.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

A recording you start with **Record for this notebook** belongs to that document from the start. A recording you start from the recorder doesn't belong to a document yet. Lectra still finds it from any document you wrote in while it was running. To learn more, see [Find your recordings](#find-your-recordings).

## While you record

The recorder shows a timer, a sound level meter, and a status line. While the status line says "Saved as you record.", everything is being saved as you go.

* **Keep writing.** Close the recorder to get back to your page. A small **Recording** pill with the elapsed time floats above the app, on every screen. Tap **Open** on the pill to bring the recorder back.
* **Switch documents or apps.** Recording continues when you open another document, leave Lectra, or lock your iPad.
* **Interruptions.** If a phone call or another app takes the microphone, recording pauses on its own and resumes when the microphone is free. The status line says "Paused by something else on your device. Everything so far is saved, and recording resumes on its own."
* **Low storage.** If your iPad runs low on space, the status line says "Running low on space. Everything recorded so far is safe."

<Note>
  There is no pause button. To take a break, stop the recording and start a new one.
</Note>

## Stop a recording

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the recorder">
    Tap the **Recording** pill, or tap the microphone button in the toolbar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Stop">
    Tap **Stop**. The recording appears in your list of recordings.
  </Step>
</Steps>

If Lectra closes unexpectedly during a recording, it opens the recorder at the next launch and shows **Recording recovered** with how much audio was saved. Tap **Keep** to save it, or **Delete** to discard it.

## Find your recordings

You can see your recordings in two places.

### In the recorder

When nothing is recording, the recorder lists every recording on your iPad under **RECORDINGS**, with the total space they use. Each row shows the name and length, with a play button.

To delete a recording, tap the delete button on its row, and then tap **Delete**. A deleted recording can't be recovered.

### In a document

In a document, tap **More actions** > **Recordings**. On some screen sizes, a **Recordings** button (a waveform) also sits in the toolbar. The panel has three sections:

| Section | What it shows |
| - | - |
| **In this notebook** | Recordings that belong to this document. |
| **Recorded while you wrote this** | Recordings that don't belong to a document yet but were running while you wrote in this one. Tap **Link to this notebook** to attach one. |
| **Record now** | A button to start a recording attached to this document. While a recording is running, **Open Recorder** appears here instead. |

Tap a recording to expand it. To unlink or delete it, tap **More options** (the three dots) on the row, and then tap **Unlink from this notebook** or **Delete recording**.

## Play a recording

Tap the play button on a recording. While it plays:

* Drag the scrubber to move to another point. Playback continues from where you let go.
* Tap the speed button to cycle through **1×**, **1.25×**, **1.5×**, and **2×**.
* Tap the pause button to stop playback.

A phone call, Siri, or unplugging headphones pauses playback. You can't play a recording while another one is recording.

## Get a transcript

Lectra turns a recording into text on your iPad. Your recording is never uploaded.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the recording">
    In the document, open **More actions** > **Recordings**, and then tap the recording to expand it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap Transcribe">
    Tap **Transcribe**. The first time, allow Lectra to use speech recognition.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Download the speech model, if asked">
    Lectra may need Apple's speech model first. It asks **Set up on-device transcription** and explains that the download is a few hundred megabytes, one time only. Tap **Download**. You can keep listening while it downloads.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for the transcript">
    The row shows progress, such as "Transcribing — 3 of 12". When it's done, it says **Transcribed**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

After you transcribe once, Lectra transcribes new recordings on its own when they finish.

In the transcript, tap any word to play the recording from that word. The word being played is highlighted.

<Note>
  Lectra transcribes in your iPad's current language. If your iPad can't recognize speech in that language, the row says "This device can't turn speech into text in this language." You can't copy, search, or export a transcript yet.
</Note>

## Tap your notes to hear that moment

When you write during a recording, Lectra remembers when you wrote each stroke. Later, you can tap a stroke to hear what was being said as you wrote it.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Recordings panel beside the page">
    In the document, tap **More actions** > **Recordings**. The panel must sit beside the page, not over it. If it opens as a sheet, turn your iPad to landscape or make Lectra full screen.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap a stroke with your finger">
    Tap a line you wrote. Use your finger, not Apple Pencil. If you have drawing with your finger turned on, switch to the hand tool first.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Listen">
    The recording plays from the moment you wrote that stroke.
  </Step>
</Steps>

You can also press and hold a stroke, and then tap **Play From Here**.

If Lectra can't play from a stroke, it tells you why:

| Message | What it means |
| - | - |
| "This note was written before Lectra started timestamping ink. Pick a recording below to listen from the start." | You wrote this stroke before Lectra began keeping track of when ink is written. Play a recording from the panel instead. |
| "Nothing was being recorded when you wrote this." | No recording was running when you wrote the stroke. |
| "Nothing was being recorded when you wrote this. The closest recording…" | A recording started or ended within a few minutes. Tap **Play the nearest recording** to hear it. |
| "Recording was paused here — playing from when it resumed…" | The recording was interrupted when you wrote the stroke, so playback starts where it resumed. |

If a recording's timing drifted, Lectra says the position is approximate, and the length shows as "about".

## Replay how a page was written

You can drag through a recording and watch the page as it was at each moment, including ink you later erased.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Recordings panel beside the page">
    In the document, tap **More actions** > **Recordings**. The panel must sit beside the page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Play a recording from this document">
    Tap play on a recording in **In this notebook**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Drag the scrubber">
    While you drag, the page shows what it looked like at that point in the lecture. Lectra shows "Showing the page as it was. Ink erased before today won't come back."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Let go">
    The page returns to how it is now, and playback continues from where you let go.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Replay only shows the page. It never changes your document.

<Note>
  Replay can bring back erased ink only if you wrote it while a recording was running. Ink you erased before your iPad had a version of Lectra with replay doesn't come back.
</Note>

## Storage and limits

* An hour of recording takes about 15 MB once Lectra finishes compressing it.
* Recordings are kept only on this iPad.
* If your recordings together go over 5 GB, Lectra deletes the oldest ones to make room. It never deletes your five newest recordings, a recording that's running or playing, or a recording that Lectra recovered after closing unexpectedly.
* You can't rename, export, or share a recording.
* You can't record or play a recording while you're connected to your Mac with [Remote Desktop](/lectra/remote-desktop).

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="“Lectra needs access to the microphone to record.”">
    You turned off microphone access for Lectra. Tap **Open Settings** in the recorder, and then turn on **Microphone** for Lectra.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="“Something else is using the microphone right now.”">
    Another app, such as a video call, is using the microphone. Close it, and then tap **Start Recording** again.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="“There isn't enough free space to start a recording.”">
    Free up space on your iPad, and then try again.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="“Recording isn't available while you're connected to your Mac.”">
    End your Remote Desktop session, and then try again.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="There's no Transcribe button">
    If the row says "Lectra needs your go-ahead to use on-device intelligence before it can turn recordings into text.", turn on intelligence in **Settings** > **Intelligence**. That option exists only on iPads that support Apple Intelligence. To learn more, see [Use Apple Intelligence in Lectra](/lectra/apple-intelligence).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="“Lectra needs permission to recognise speech.”">
    In your iPad's **Settings** app, go to **Lectra**, and then turn on **Speech Recognition**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="“Lectra couldn't transcribe it yet.”">
    The speech model didn't finish downloading. Connect to Wi-Fi, and then tap **Transcribe** again. Your recording is saved either way.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Tapping my notes does nothing">
    Make sure the **Recordings** panel is open beside the page, not as a sheet over it. Tap with your finger, not Apple Pencil. If finger drawing is on, switch to the hand tool first.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Use Apple Intelligence in Lectra" icon="sparkles" href="/lectra/apple-intelligence">
    Turn on intelligence to get transcripts and ask about your documents.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Mark up a document" icon="pen" href="/lectra/annotate">
    Write, highlight, and erase on any page.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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