Getting Started
Tells me More is a powerful AI-powered audio transcription app that runs completely offline on your Mac.
It uses OpenAI's Whisper model for speech recognition and Llama 3.2 for intelligent text correction and summarization.
💡 Note: This guide is for macOS. Windows and Linux versions are coming soon.
System Requirements
For Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3/M4):
- macOS 12 (Monterey) or later
- 8GB RAM minimum (16GB recommended for large files)
- 2.5GB free disk space
For Intel Macs:
- macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later
- Intel Core i5 or better
- 16GB RAM recommended
- 2.5GB free disk space
Installation
Step 1: Download
- Go to tellsmemore.com
- Click the "Download for Apple Silicon" button (or "Intel Mac" if applicable)
- Save the
.dmg file to your Downloads folder
Step 2: Install
- Double-click the downloaded
.dmg file
- Drag "Tells me More" to your Applications folder
- Eject the DMG by right-clicking and selecting "Eject"
Step 3: First Launch
- Open Finder → Applications
- Find "Tells me More"
- Right-click → Open (first time only, due to Gatekeeper)
- Click "Open" in the security dialog
⚠️ First Time Setup: On first launch, the app will download AI models (~2.5GB).
This may take 5-10 minutes depending on your internet speed. After this, everything runs offline.
Your First Transcription
Quick Start Guide
- Launch Tells me More
- Click "Select Audio File" or drag & drop an audio/video file
- Choose an audio profile (Podcast recommended for most uses)
- Click "Start Transcription"
- Wait for the process to complete (progress bar shows status)
- Review your transcription in the "Original" and "AI Enhanced" tabs
- Click "Export" to save in your preferred format
Key Features
AI Enhanced Transcription
The AI Enhanced feature is always enabled and runs automatically after transcription.
It uses Llama 3.2 1B to:
- Fix grammar and spelling errors
- Add proper punctuation
- Correct capitalization
- Remove filler words (um, uh, like)
- Improve overall readability
Automatic Summary
After transcription, the AI generates a concise summary (150-300 words) highlighting:
- Main topics discussed
- Key points and takeaways
- Important details
Multi-Language Support
Supports 99+ languages including:
- English, Spanish, French, German, Italian
- Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese), Japanese, Korean
- Arabic, Portuguese, Russian, Hindi
- And many more!
The AI automatically detects the language from your audio.
Audio Profiles
Choose the right profile for your content:
🎙️ Podcast
Best for: Podcasts, interviews, conversations
- Optimized for voice with minimal processing
- Recommended for most users
💼 Meeting
Best for: Business meetings, conference calls
- Enhanced for multiple speakers
- Handles overlapping speech better
🎵 Music/Background
Best for: Audio with background music or noise
- Aggressive noise reduction
- Use when there's background music
📖 Lecture
Best for: Educational content, presentations
- Optimized for clear, single-speaker audio
- Good for technical vocabulary
Export Options
Export your transcriptions in multiple formats:
Plain Text (.txt)
Simple, unformatted text - compatible with any text editor
Markdown (.md)
Formatted text with headers and structure - perfect for note-taking apps
HTML (.html)
Web-ready document with styling - great for websites or email
PDF (.pdf)
Professional document format - ideal for sharing and printing
Word Document (.docx)
Microsoft Word format - perfect for further editing and collaboration
Tips & Best Practices
For Better Accuracy
- Use high-quality audio (16-bit, 44.1kHz or higher)
- Record in a quiet environment
- Speak clearly and at a moderate pace
- Use an external microphone if possible
- Convert video files first if extracting audio
For Faster Processing
- Close other heavy applications
- Use the "Podcast" profile for fastest results
- Ensure your Mac is plugged in (better performance)
- Split very long files (2+ hours) into smaller chunks
Privacy Best Practices
- All processing is offline - your data never leaves your Mac
- Perfect for confidential meetings, medical records, legal audio
- No account or internet connection required after setup
- Transcriptions are saved only where you choose
Troubleshooting
App Won't Open
Solution:
- Right-click the app → Open (don't double-click)
- If that fails, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security
- Click "Open Anyway" next to the blocked app message
Models Not Downloading
Solution:
- Check your internet connection
- Ensure you have 2.5GB+ free disk space
- Try restarting the app
- Check if your firewall is blocking the download
Transcription is Inaccurate
Solution:
- Check audio quality - is there background noise?
- Try a different audio profile
- Ensure speakers are speaking clearly
- Check if the correct language is detected
- See our accuracy guide
App is Slow/Crashing
Solution:
- Close other applications to free up RAM
- Restart your Mac
- Check available disk space (need 2.5GB+)
- Update to the latest macOS version
- Reinstall the app
Export Fails
Solution:
- Check write permissions for the selected folder
- Try exporting to a different location (Desktop/Documents)
- Ensure you have disk space for the export
- Try a different export format
Still Need Help? Fill out our
survey with your question
or check our
FAQ for more solutions.
Additional Resources