Recorder Troubleshooting
The recorder communicates through notifications from the system tray and, for anything that needs your attention right away, a message window. This page covers the messages you are most likely to see and what to do about them.
”No Audio Input” when starting a recording
Section titled “”No Audio Input” when starting a recording”The recorder could not find a microphone. Narration is required, so recording cannot start without one. Connect a microphone (or headset), make sure Windows recognizes it, and try again.
My recording was discarded as too short
Section titled “My recording was discarded as too short”Recordings must be at least 45 seconds long. Anything shorter is discarded because it does not contain enough to build a process from. Start a new recording and capture the full task.
”Narration Needed”
Section titled “”Narration Needed””The recorder has not heard you for 30 seconds. Your recording is still running - this is only a reminder to keep talking.
Describe what you are doing as you do it. Long silent stretches leave gaps in the finished process, because nothing explains what happened on screen. The reminder appears again after each further 30 seconds of silence, and stops as soon as you start speaking again.
If you need a quiet moment that should not be recorded at all, pause the recording with Ctrl+Shift+P instead. You are not reminded while paused, and paused time does not count toward your recording.
”Microphone Too Quiet”
Section titled “”Microphone Too Quiet””The recorder can hear you, but for the last 30 seconds your narration has stayed too quiet to be processed. Your recording is still running - this is a reminder to speak up.
Speak louder, move closer to the microphone, or raise your microphone’s input volume in Windows sound settings. The reminder repeats every 30 seconds until your narration is loud enough, and stops as soon as it is.
Do not ignore it. Narration this quiet is treated as unusable, so a recording that ends this way may not produce a process even though it ran to the end. If it keeps appearing after you have raised your voice, stop the recording and start again, using the level meter in the Start Recording window to check your microphone before you begin - the dark line on that meter marks exactly the level this reminder is asking for.
”Recording Stopped - No Narration”
Section titled “”Recording Stopped - No Narration””The recorder heard no audible narration at all during the first 30 seconds of the recording, so the recording was stopped and discarded. This check applies only at the very start: once the recorder has heard you, going quiet later never stops your recording - you get a Narration Needed reminder instead.
Before your next attempt:
- Check that your microphone is connected, unmuted, and selected as the input device.
- In the Start Recording window, watch the level meter while you speak. Your level should consistently reach past the dark vertical line.
- Speak clearly and loudly enough to be easily heard, and keep narrating throughout the recording. Quiet narration cannot be processed.
”Recording Saved - Audio Stopped”
Section titled “”Recording Saved - Audio Stopped””Your microphone stopped working partway through, so the recording was ended early. The portion captured before the failure was saved and uploads automatically. Before your next recording, check that your microphone is connected, unmuted, and not in use by another application.
”Upload Failed”
Section titled “”Upload Failed””The recording could not be uploaded, usually because of a network problem. Nothing is lost: the recording is kept safely on your computer and is retried automatically the next time the recorder starts. To retry right away, right-click the tray icon and choose Retry Recording Upload.
In rare cases a stored recording is missing the details needed to upload it. The recorder removes it and tells you with a “Recording Removed” notification; record the process again.
”Recording Stopped Unexpectedly”
Section titled “”Recording Stopped Unexpectedly””Something interrupted the recording before you stopped it. The message tells you what happened to it: either it was saved and uploads automatically, or it was too short or had no usable narration and was discarded. If it was discarded, start a new recording.
The recording stopped on its own
Section titled “The recording stopped on its own”Recordings are limited to 30 minutes. A notification warns you about two minutes before the limit, and at 30 minutes the recording stops automatically. Everything captured up to that point is saved and uploaded. Record longer content in multiple parts.
My authorization code is not accepted
Section titled “My authorization code is not accepted”- Codes contain only letters and numbers, with no spaces. Check for typing mistakes.
- The email address must belong to a valid ProcessPlan user account. Confirm you entered the same address your ProcessPlan account uses.
- If the code still is not accepted, contact your ProcessPlan administrator for a current code.
”ProcessPlan Recorder is already running”
Section titled “”ProcessPlan Recorder is already running””The recorder is already open in your system tray. Only one copy runs at a time. Look for the ProcessPlan logo near the clock (you may need to click the arrow that shows hidden tray icons) and right-click it to use the recorder.
Still stuck?
Section titled “Still stuck?”Right-click the tray icon and choose Instructions and Guidelines to open this documentation, or contact support.