Is there an AI lecture note taker that actually works for fa...

Posts: 8

sleep_deprived_coder

Topic starter

Jan 16, 2026 11:31 am

(@sleep_deprived_coder)

Active Member

Joined: 6 months ago

Okay, I have a professor who speaks at 2x speed and refuses to share his slides. I try to type everything, but I end up with pages of nonsense that I can't even read later.

I'm looking for the best ai lecture note taker that can either listen in real-time or process a recording. I tried the built-in voice memo on my phone, but transcribing it manually takes hours. I need something that doesn't just give me a wall of text (transcript), but actually organizes it into bullet points, definitions, and key dates.

Does anyone have a workflow that works? I'm willing to pay if it's cheap, but free is obviously better. Help me save my wrist pls. 😭

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Posts: 33

retro_nintendo_kid

Jan 16, 2026 1:17 pm

(@retro_nintendo_kid)

Eminent Member

Joined: 6 months ago

I used to try typing verbatim and it was the worst mistake ever. You focus so much on typing that you stop listening. Honestly, Otter.ai is the most popular one for recording. It highlights words as they are spoken. But the free version has a limit on minutes per month, so if you have long lectures, you run out of credits pretty fast.

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Posts: 38

wifi_gone_brain_gone

Jan 16, 2026 2:18 pm

(@wifi_gone_brain_gone)

Eminent Member

Joined: 6 months ago

The problem with Otter (and most audio AIs) is that they give you a TRANSCRIPT. A transcript is not notes. It's just a wall of text including every "um", "uh", and random joke the professor made. You still have to spend an hour cleaning it up. I need an ai note taker that deletes the fluff automatically.

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Posts: 38

wifi_gone_brain_gone

Jan 16, 2026 4:34 pm

(@wifi_gone_brain_gone)

Eminent Member

Joined: 6 months ago

THIS. My workflow now is a two-step process:

Record the audio (I just use my phone's voice recorder or Google Pixel recorder which is free).

Copy the raw messy text.

Paste it into https://edubrain.ai/ and ask it to "Summarize this lecture into structured notes with headings".

Edubrain is way better at formatting than the audio apps themselves. It turns 5 pages of rambling into 1 page of clean bullet points.

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Posts: 29

kirby_main_2007

Jan 16, 2026 9:16 pm

(@kirby_main_2007)

Eminent Member

Joined: 6 months ago

Wait, does that work for technical subjects? My engineering prof uses words that most AIs don't understand. I'm scared the ai lecture note taker will turn "thermodynamics" into "thermo die mics" or something lol.

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Is there an AI lecture note taker that actually works for fast-talking professors? (RIP my wrist) ✍️