Recording Ideas
How to capture ideas on web and iOS
Press ⌘I (or tap the record button on iOS) to start recording from anywhere in the app. On the web, Songkeeper uses your browser's microphone; on iOS, it uses the device's built-in mic. The recorder captures audio along with a live waveform so you can see what you're recording in real time.
When you stop recording, you'll be prompted to give the idea a title. The title defaults to a timestamp if you skip it, but naming your ideas makes them easier to find later.
iOS Offline Recording
On iOS, ideas can be recorded even when you're offline. The app captures the audio locally and queues it for upload when you reconnect. Pending uploads are indicated with an upload icon on the idea row. Once uploaded, the idea syncs across all your devices.
The iOS app captures richer provenance data including the device model and app version, since it has access to device information that browsers don't expose.
Provenance Data
Every idea automatically captures provenance metadata — a record of when, where, and how the idea was recorded. This data is stored alongside the audio file and includes:
- Capture timestamp — The exact date and time the recording was made
- Platform — Whether it was recorded on iOS, web, or another client
- Device model — The specific device used (e.g. iPhone 15 Pro)
- App version — Which version of the Songkeeper app captured the recording
- User agent — Browser or client information for web recordings
- File hash — A SHA-256 fingerprint of the audio file, useful for proving the recording existed at a specific point in time
You can view an idea's provenance data from the context menu or the "⋯" dropdown menu on the idea card.
Keyboard Shortcuts
On the web, the ideas page supports keyboard navigation for power users:
- ⌘I — Start recording a new idea (works from anywhere in the app)
- ↑ / ↓ — Navigate between ideas in the list
- Space — Play or pause the focused idea