Important: this is practical documentation guidance, not legal advice. Recording laws, evidence rules, and transcript requirements vary by country and court. Preserve the original recording, avoid editing the source file, and ask a qualified lawyer what your court expects.
Why local transcription matters for evidence
Recordings used for complaints, disputes, investigations, or court filings often contain sensitive material. A local transcription app keeps the audio on your own Mac instead of uploading it to a cloud service for processing.
SaidVault uses Whisper models locally. Once the model is downloaded, the recording, transcript, speaker labels, and export metadata remain on your machine. That does not make a transcript automatically admissible, but it does reduce unnecessary sharing and helps you keep a clean record of what was transcribed.
Step-by-step: create a court-ready transcript draft
Keep the original recording unchanged
Before transcribing, store the original audio or video file somewhere safe. If you need to trim or convert it, work on a copy. For evidence work, the original file matters as much as the transcript.
- Keep the original filename and creation date if possible.
- Make a working copy before editing or converting anything.
- Write down where the file came from and when you received it.
Drop the file into SaidVault
Open SaidVault and drag the recording into the drop zone. Supported formats include MP3, MP4, M4A, WAV, MOV, WEBM, OGG, and AVI. For video files, SaidVault can transcribe the audio and keep playback synced to the transcript.
Choose the model and language
For clear recordings, the Small model is usually a good starting point. For noisy phone calls, distant voices, or messy room audio, Medium often gives a better result. Use Auto-detect when you are not sure which language is spoken.
Review the transcript and assign speakers
Automatic transcription is never a substitute for review. Play the recording, correct unclear words, and add speaker labels where needed. In SaidVault, speaker names are assigned manually to transcript segments so the export can show who said what.
Export a PDF with evidence metadata
Use PDF export when you need a clean document. For legal documentation, enable timestamps, the header, reference date/time, file size, and SHA-256. Add a short description such as Phone call with landlord, 24 December 2025 or Interview recording, case reference X.
The PDF header can include duration, model, language, word count, reference date/time, original file size, and SHA-256. That makes the transcript easier to read later and easier to connect to the source file.
Keep the export, source file, and notes together
Save the PDF next to the original recording and any notes about who made the recording, who handled it, and what the file represents. If you share the transcript, share the original recording only according to your lawyer's instructions and the applicable rules.
What metadata should a legal transcript include?
There is no universal checklist, but for practical documentation the following fields are useful:
- Filename: the source file name used for transcription.
- Reference date and time: the date/time you want the transcript to refer to, editable before export.
- Duration: the length of the recording.
- File size: the source file size at the time of export.
- SHA-256: a hash of the source file, useful as a file fingerprint.
- Model and language: helpful when explaining how the transcript was produced.
- Speaker labels: names or neutral labels such as Speaker 1 and Speaker 2.
Which export format should you use?
PDF is usually the easiest format for review, printing, and sharing. TXT and Markdown are better when you need plain text for case notes. SRT and VTT are subtitle formats for audio/video timelines, not legal documents.
If the transcript may be challenged, do not rely only on the text. Keep the original audio or video and make sure the transcript can be checked against it.
FAQ
Is this a certified legal transcript?
No. SaidVault creates a transcript draft and evidence-friendly exports. Certification, admissibility, and expert review are separate legal questions.
Can I use this for harassment or dispute documentation?
Many people transcribe recordings to understand and document what happened. Before recording or sharing conversations, check local law and get legal advice if the matter is serious.
Does the audio leave my Mac?
No. SaidVault's transcription runs locally on your Mac using a downloaded Whisper model. The app does not upload your audio to a SaidVault cloud for transcription.
Need a private transcript with timestamps and SHA-256?
SaidVault is built for local transcription on Mac: files, URLs, voice notes, dictation, speaker labels, and evidence-friendly PDF export.