Recording

The Recording tab in Settings controls which microphone Echo uses, your recording keyboard shortcuts, microphone sensitivity, and media behavior. Open Echo, go to Settings in the sidebar, then click the Recording tab.

Echo Shortcuts

These are your primary recording hotkeys.

Setting Up a Hotkey

1. Click the Hotkey 1 dropdown menu.
2. Choose from the available options:
   • Right Option -- press the right Option key
   • Left Option -- press the left Option key
   • Left Control -- press the left Control key
   • Right Control -- press the right Control key
   • Fn -- press the Fn key
   • Right Command -- press the right Command key
   • Right Shift -- press the right Shift key
   • Custom -- record any key combination you prefer
3. If you chose Custom, click the shortcut recorder field and press your desired key combination.

Adding a Second Hotkey

You can set up a second hotkey for the same recording action. This is useful if you want different keys for different situations (for example, one for your external keyboard and one for your laptop keyboard).

1. Click Add another hotkey below Hotkey 1.
2. Choose a key or combination from the Hotkey 2 dropdown.
3. To remove the second hotkey, click the red - button next to it.

How Hotkeys Work

Echo hotkeys support two recording modes:

• Quick tap -- Tap the hotkey briefly to start hands-free recording. Tap it again to stop recording and transcribe.
• Push-to-talk -- Press and hold the hotkey to record. Release it to stop recording and transcribe.

Echo automatically determines which mode to use based on how long you hold the key. A brief press (under about 1.7 seconds) activates hands-free mode; holding longer activates push-to-talk.

Other App Shortcuts

Additional shortcuts are found in the Other App Shortcuts section.

Paste Original

Set a shortcut for Paste Original to quickly paste your most recent transcription (before any AI transformation). Click the shortcut recorder field and press your desired key combination.

Paste Transformed

Set a shortcut for Paste Transformed to paste the AI-enhanced version of your last transcription. If no transformation was applied, it falls back to the original transcript.

Retry

Set a shortcut for Retry to re-transcribe your last recorded audio using your current model and settings. The result is copied to your clipboard.

Cancel

By default, you cancel a recording by double-tapping Escape. To use a different key combination:

1. Toggle on Custom Cancel Shortcut.
2. Click the Cancel Shortcut recorder field and press your preferred keys.

Mouse Activation

You can toggle recording with your middle mouse button:

1. Toggle on Enable Mouse Activation.
2. Adjust the Activation Delay (in milliseconds) to control how long the button must be held before recording starts. The default is 200ms, which prevents accidental triggers from scrolling.

Choosing Your Audio Input

Echo offers three input modes for selecting which microphone to use.

System Default

Uses whatever microphone your Mac is currently set to in System Settings. This is the simplest option -- Echo always follows your system preference.

Custom Device

Lets you pick a specific microphone from a list of all available audio devices. This overrides your Mac's system-wide default.

1. Select the Custom Device card.
2. Under Available Devices, click the microphone you want to use.
3. The selected device shows a checkmark, and the active device displays an Active badge.
4. Click Refresh if a recently connected device does not appear.

Prioritized

Sets up a ranked list of preferred microphones. Echo automatically uses the highest-priority device that is currently connected. If none of your prioritized devices are available, it falls back to the system default.

1. Select the Prioritized card.
2. Under Available Devices, click the + button next to each microphone you want to prioritize.
3. The device moves to the Prioritized Devices list.
4. Use the up and down arrows to reorder your priority list.
5. To remove a device from the priority list, click the - button.

This mode is ideal if you switch between setups -- for example, a USB microphone at your desk and your MacBook's built-in mic when mobile.

Microphone Sensitivity

Adjust how sensitive Echo is to detecting your voice. Find this under Audio Management > Sensitivity.

• Low -- Requires louder speech to begin capturing. Useful in noisy environments.
• High -- Picks up quieter sounds more easily. Better for quiet rooms.

The default is a balanced middle setting. If Echo seems to miss the start of your sentences, try increasing sensitivity. If it picks up too much background noise, lower it.

Sound Feedback

Toggle Sound feedback under Audio Management > Sound to enable or disable the audio cues that play when you start and stop recording.

Universal Paste Compatibility

Enable this toggle under Audio Management > Paste if you notice pasting issues with your keyboard layout or in certain applications.

Turn this on if:

• You use a non-standard keyboard layout (AZERTY, Dvorak, Colemak, etc.)
• Pasted text appears incorrectly in specific applications
• You see literal "pasted text" instead of your transcription in some apps

This uses an alternative pasting method that works across more keyboard layouts and apps, though it may be slightly slower.

Tips

• Single modifier keys (like Right Option or Right Command) make the best recording hotkeys because they require only one keypress and do not conflict with most application shortcuts.
• Echo automatically detects when you connect or disconnect audio devices. In Prioritized mode, it will seamlessly switch to the next available device in your list.
• If you use a Bluetooth headset, put it in the priority list so Echo automatically uses it when it connects and falls back to your built-in mic when it disconnects.
• The Retry shortcut is especially useful when you switch transcription models and want to re-process your last recording with the new model.

Related

• General -- Launch at login, updates, and appearance
• Transcription -- Model selection and output formatting
• Intelligence -- AI Enhancement and transformation shortcuts