How to Use Shmeetings

Getting Started on Mac

1. Open the downloaded .dmg file and drag Shmeetings to your Applications folder.
2. Launch Shmeetings and begin the installation.
3. The app will automatically download the Llama 3.2 model for local AI summaries.
4. Shmeetings will automatically open and will not require additional setup.

The first time you open Shmeetings, it may take a few seconds to start up. Then begin by clicking 'Install'.

Once Llama is downloaded, Shmeetings will automatically open.

Getting Started on Windows

1. Run the downloaded Shmeetings installer (.exe).
2. Follow the installation prompts.
3. The app will automatically download the Llama 3.2 model for local AI summaries.
4. Shmeetings will automatically open and will not require additional setup.

Microphone Access

When you first open up Shmeetings, you will be asked to allow Shmeetings to access your microphone.

System Audio Recording

On Mac, to use your system audio for transcription, you need to give permission to record the computer's screen and audio.

Shmeetings only records audio, but this permission is bundled under 'Screen & System Audio Recording.'

• In Shmeetings Audio Settings, when you enable System Audio or Meeting Mode, you will get a popup.
• Click 'Open System Settings', then toggle Shmeetings on.
• You will be asked to 'Quit & Reopen' Shmeetings.

Start and Stop Recording

You can start and stop recording by clicking the 'Start Recording' button.

• Shmeetings uses OpenAI's Whisper technology to transcribe anything it hears into text.
• The transcription will be saved to a .txt file in your /Documents/Shmeetings folder.
• No audio recording is saved to your computer.

Generate Summary

After you stop recording, you can then click 'Generate Summary' to create an AI summary of the meeting.

• Shmeetings uses Meta's Llama AI 3.2 model to generate a custom summary of the meeting.
• You can customize the summary by editing the prompt and context files in the expanded Settings area.
• You can re-generate the summary at any time there is a completed transcription.
• The summary will be saved to a .txt file in your /Documents/Shmeetings folder.

Shmeetings can give you some suggested questions to ask in your meeting, based on the conversation.

1. Enable "Generate meeting questions" in Settings by expanding the Settings area.
2. Select 10, 15, or 30 seconds for each round of questions.
3. There is now a clickable 'Questions' tab next to Summary.
4. Once a meeting starts, questions will appear here.

Auto Start/Stop listens for audio activity and automatically begins recording when it detects conversation. It stops when the room goes quiet.

After you customize your microphone sensitivity and delay time, you can set it and forget it.

1. Enable "Auto start/stop recording" in Settings by expanding the Settings area.
2. Select 'Sensitivity Settings' to bring up the Audio Sensitivity window.
3. Drag the sliders to adjust the sound and silence detection threshold and start/stop delay.

Adjustment Tips

To set your start sensitivity, start speaking at a normal volume and drag the Sound Detection slider until the threshold is just below the current audio level.

To set your stop sensitivity, remain quiet and drag the Silence Detection slider until the threshold is just above the current audio level.

You may need to adjust your microphone input level in your system settings.

Configure Your Email Server

Customize Your AI Summary

In the Settings area, write a custom prompt to get AI meeting summaries tailored to your specific needs and work style.

Be as specific as you want, since Shmeetings uses only local AI processing on your computer.

Tips for Good Prompts:

• Include your role and company context
• Specify the format you want
• Name team members for better organization
• Ask for specific sections (action items, decisions, etc.)

Use Other Whisper Models for Transcription

You can download and use other Whisper models if you want higher accuracy or multilingual support.

• Shmeetings comes loaded with the Whisper Base English model.
• You can select from other Whisper models and Shmeetings will automatically download them for you.
• Select the Whisper Model dropdown in Advanced Settings to see all the options.

Use Any GGUF LLM Model for AI Summaries

Shmeetings defaults to the Llama 3.2 model for AI summaries and generated questions, but you can use any GGUF model.

• Download a GGUF model from Huggingface and move it to the default Models folder.
• You can change the folder where you store your LLM models.
• Press the checkmark to update the list of available LLM models, then use the dropdown to select your model.
• Shmeetings ensures the model's context window doesn't overload your system memory, but please note every GGUF model works differently and the results are unpredictable.

Recommended Specifications

If you need to uninstall Shmeetings, follow these simple steps:

1. While Shmeetings is open, go to Help > Uninstall Shmeetings.
2. Select Uninstall Shmeetings.

If you have questions not covered in this guide, we're here to help!