OneNote Audio Search & Audio Search Languages

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I am not sure if everyone knows about OneNote's Audio Search but this is the information from the OneNote Guide:

With the Audio Search feature enabled, you can search your audio and video recordings for words, just like you would search for typed text in your notes. For example:

  • Record phone conversations with customers, and later search for keyword of topics that you discussed
  • Record an interview and then search forspecific quotes
  • Record voice reminders on a Windows Mobile Smartphone or Pocket PC. After you synchronize them with OneNote, you can search through your reminders.

 
 

Important! Recordings must be made with a good quality microphone or phone that is close to the speaker's mouth. Audio recognition technology does not have perfect accuracy and is very sensitive to recording quality, ambient noise, and distance.

 
 

 
 

You can enable the Audio Search feature in
Tools > Options > Audio and Video.

The audio recognition process and indexing happens only when the computer is left idle and OneNote is running. It will take at least twice the length of a recording, so you'll have to let OneNote index for some time before you can begin searching.

 
 

When Audio Search is enabled, use the regular search box (above the page tabs) to type your search term and then click View List to see the audio results at the bottom of the results pane.

 
 

Why do I keep getting poor results (or no results at all)?

You may be searching for a sound that occurs in too many words. For example, if you search for "Asia," you may get "information", "conversation", "ratio", "hey Sean", and so on.

 
 

Here are some workarounds that might help you:

  • Longer words

Try to recall one of the longer words mentioned in the recording. You will get best results with words of three or more syllables.

Example: imagination; Microsoft

  • More words

If you can only think of short words, try to recall an exact phrase that may have been mentioned.

Example: Frank wrote;

  • Spell out the sound of unusual words

If you are looking for an acronym or an unusually spelled word, spell out how it is pronounced

Examples: em es en (for MSN); ex box (for XBox); area code four two five (for code 425)

 
 

 
 

Visit the Office Online Help topic or article most relevant to this OneNote feature. Our site is frequently updated based on user feedback, so keep checking back!

 
 

Olya might want to comment more on this as she is the owner of audio search but I also wanted to mention which languages are supported:

  1. English
  2. Japanese
  3. Chinese Traditional
  4. Chinese Simplified
  5. Korean
  6. German
  7. French
  8. Spanish
  9. Italian

Enjoy everyone! In B2 & B2TR I believe it was turned off by default and in the final version it should be turned on by default. Please try it out!