Record a podcast interview on a Mac.

What echo99 is good for

You’re interviewing a guest over Zoom, Meet, or any call your Mac plays. echo99 records:

• Your microphone: mic.wav, labeled “Me”.
• Your guest: everything your Mac plays, saved separately as system.wav. With more than one guest, on-device speaker separation (diarization) labels them “Them-1”, “Them-2”, …

You get two separate WAV files plus a speaker-labeled transcript with timestamps, in any of the default model’s 25 languages. The transcript is saved as plain text and JSON next to the audio, and the Recordings window can export it as Markdown, so you can pull quotes from it. A local model can also write a summary to start your show notes from. There is no bot in the call and no cloud account.

How to record a podcast interview

1. Grant echo99 its two permissions (microphone and system audio recording) and download the on-device models. Getting started covers both step by step, with screenshots.
2. Make your podcast mic the Mac’s default input (System Settings → Sound → Input), which is what echo99 records, and choose the same mic in the call app.
3. Start the call, then click Record in the echo99 menu-bar panel.
4. Click Stop Recording when you’re done. Both WAV tracks and, after processing, the transcript are in a folder named by the start time in ~/Documents/echo99/ (change it in Config → Storage).

Do a short test with your guest first. While recording, the menu-bar panel warns you (“Mic looks silent” or “System audio looks silent”) if one side stays silent for about 90 seconds while the other has sound.

Where a dedicated podcast tool still wins

Both tracks are 24 kHz mono 16-bit WAV, and your mic is stored at 24 kHz even when your interface runs at 48 kHz. That is plenty for speech and transcripts, but it is not a 48 kHz studio master. echo99 also records the guest as one system track (the audio your Mac actually plays), not as an isolated, studio-quality “double-ender” the way Riverside, Zencastr, or a local multitrack setup captures each participant on their own device. If you need per-guest stems for heavy editing, broadcast-grade audio, or video, use a purpose-built podcast platform. echo99 is the better pick when you want a fast, private local recording and a solid transcript, or a reliable backup track running alongside your main rig.

Podcast tips

• Wear headphones. They keep your voice out of the guest track and the guest out of yours, which is the cleanest separation echo99 can give you.
• Use it as a backup track. Even if you master in another tool, a local echo99 recording covers you if a cloud recording drops.
• Audio only. echo99 records sound and produces transcripts; it does not capture video.

Tell people you are recording

echo99 never joins the call, so nothing like a recording banner in the call app tells the others you are recording. Many jurisdictions require the other side’s consent, and your organization or the host may have rules of its own. Say it out loud at the start, before the conversation gets going.

Because you plan to publish, ask your guest to agree on the recording itself, so the consent is part of the file.

Related guides: Transcribe interviews, Record a webinar, Speaker identification, Meeting summaries, Transcribe audio and video files