Voice memo cleanup

People think out loud differently from how they write. A voice memo wanders, repeats, corrects itself mid-sentence, and drops the best idea in the middle of a tangent. The transcript keeps all of that, plus "um", "like", and speech-to-text mistakes. Cleanup removes the noise of speaking while keeping the substance of thinking: every idea, in the speaker's own words and voice.

The test of a good cleanup: the speaker reads it and says "yes, that is what I meant", and nothing they said is missing. It should sound like them on a clear day, not like an editor.

When to use it

• A voice memo or dictation transcript needs to become a usable note.
• Someone recorded ideas on a walk or in the car.
• A speech-to-text draft is full of fillers and misheard words.
• Thoughts were recorded in several memos that belong in one note.