In-Person Meeting Transcription

Last updated: February 13, 2026

TL;DR

Menutes records in-person meetings from your phone or laptop, identifies each speaker with AI, and generates structured meeting minutes automatically. No special hardware needed, no bot joining your call. Works in 50+ languages with 90-95% transcription accuracy. Free plan includes 5 hours per month.

Transcribe in-person meetings by recording audio from your phone or laptop. Menutes uses AI to identify each speaker, convert speech to text, and generate structured meeting minutes with decisions, action items, and next steps. No bot joins your call, no special equipment is needed. 5 hours free per month.

How does in-person meeting transcription work?

The process takes three steps. First, place your phone or laptop on the table and press record in the Menutes app. The device microphone captures the room audio, picking up all participants in the conversation.

Second, after the meeting ends, Menutes processes the audio with AI speech recognition. The system transcribes speech to text and uses speaker diarization to label who said what. Processing takes 2-5 minutes for a typical 30-minute meeting.

Third, the AI analyzes the transcript and produces structured meeting minutes. The output includes decisions made, action items assigned to specific people, and agreed next steps. You can share these minutes with your team immediately.

Why is in-person transcription harder than virtual?

Virtual meetings on Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet provide a clean digital audio feed where each participant has their own microphone. Speaker identification is straightforward because each audio stream is separate. In-person meetings are fundamentally different.

  • Single audio source: one microphone captures all voices, requiring AI to separate speakers from a mixed signal
  • Room acoustics: echoes, reverb, and ambient noise affect audio clarity
  • Overlapping speech: people talk over each other more often in person than on video calls
  • Variable distance: speakers sit at different distances from the microphone, causing volume differences

These challenges are why most meeting transcription tools only support virtual meetings. Menutes was built from the start to handle in-person audio with AI-powered noise reduction and speaker diarization optimized for room recordings.

How Menutes handles in-person meeting audio

Menutes uses a multi-model approach to speech recognition. Instead of relying on a single engine, it selects the best model for the audio conditions, whether that is a quiet boardroom or a busier office environment. This adaptive approach delivers 90-95% transcription accuracy in typical meeting settings.

Speaker diarization identifies individual voices from the mixed audio signal. The AI learns to distinguish speakers by their vocal characteristics: pitch, cadence, and tone. Each speaker is labeled in the transcript so you know exactly who said what.

Unlike tools that require a bot to join your video call, Menutes records locally on your device. There is no third-party participant in your meeting. The audio is processed after the meeting ends, and your structured minutes are ready within minutes.

Which in-person meetings benefit most?

Board meetings

Capture decisions and resolutions accurately. Board members get minutes within minutes of the meeting ending, not days later.

Client meetings

Record requirements, agreements, and commitments during face-to-face client sessions. Share a clear summary afterward.

Workshops and brainstorms

Capture every idea without interrupting the creative flow. Participants stay engaged instead of taking notes.

Team standups

Quick daily standups get a concise summary. Team members who missed the standup can catch up in 30 seconds.

How does Menutes compare to virtual-only transcription tools?

Most popular meeting transcription tools are designed exclusively for virtual meetings. Here is how they handle in-person scenarios.

FeatureMenutesVirtual-only tools
In-person recordingYes, from device micNo
Bot joins callNo bot neededYes (Otter, Fireflies)
Speaker diarizationYes, from mixed audioOnly per-stream labels
Structured minutesDecisions, actions, next stepsVaries (often raw transcript)
Languages50+English-focused (Fathom, Otter)
GDPR compliantYes, EU-hostedUS-based (most)
PriceFree / €10/mo$16-30/mo typically

Try Menutes free

5 hours of free transcription per month. No credit card required. Works for in-person and virtual meetings in 50+ languages.

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Frequently Asked Questions

No. Menutes works with the built-in microphone on your phone or laptop. Place your device on the table, open the app, and press record. For larger rooms with 8+ participants, a USB conference microphone can improve pickup, but it is not required.

Menutes uses AI speaker diarization to distinguish between multiple speakers in the same room. It handles meetings with 2-10 participants reliably. For best results, ensure participants speak one at a time and sit within 2-3 meters of the device.

Menutes applies noise reduction before processing audio. It works well in typical office environments and conference rooms. Very loud environments like open-plan offices with heavy background noise may reduce accuracy. For best results, use a quiet meeting room.

Yes. Open Menutes on your phone, place it on the meeting table, and tap record. The app captures audio through your phone's microphone and processes it with AI after the meeting ends. Most users find their phone works well for meetings of up to 6-8 people.

Transcription accuracy is typically 90-95% for clear audio in quiet rooms. Factors that affect accuracy include background noise, speaker distance from the microphone, overlapping speech, and accent variation. Menutes uses a multi-model approach that selects the best speech engine for each audio condition.

Recording laws vary by jurisdiction. In the EU, you generally need to inform all participants that the meeting is being recorded. Menutes recommends announcing the recording at the start of each meeting and obtaining verbal consent. The app itself does not handle consent collection, so this is your responsibility as the organizer.