Chapter 8: Your Recording Library

After a few weeks of using SeaMeet, you'll likely have dozens—even hundreds—of recordings. Meeting notes, brainstorming sessions, important calls, random ideas, and who knows what else. Without proper organization, finding that specific recording from three weeks ago when your boss explained the new procedure can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.

This chapter will teach you how to organize, manage, and navigate your growing collection of recordings. You'll learn how SeaMeet automatically organizes your files, how to find what you're looking for, and how to keep your recording library clean and useful.

The Recording Library: Your Digital Filing Cabinet

Think of SeaMeet's recording library as a digital filing cabinet specifically designed for your audio and video recordings. Just as a physical filing cabinet has folders, labels, and organization systems, SeaMeet's library has tools to help you categorize, find, and manage your recordings.

What the library does:

Shows all your recordings in one place
Displays important information about each recording
Lets you play, rename, delete, and organize recordings
Helps you find specific recordings quickly
Keeps track of where files are stored

Where it is: The recording library is the sidebar on the left side of the SeaMeet window—the panel that shows your list of recordings.

Understanding the Recording List

When you look at the recording list, you'll see a collection of recording cards—individual entries representing each of your recordings.

The Anatomy of a Recording Card

Each recording card shows essential information at a glance:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🔴                                       │
│ Team Meeting - Q3 Planning              │  ← Recording Name/Label
│ 47:32 • Today, 2:30 PM                  │  ← Duration and Timestamp
│ Zoom • Audio + Video                    │  ← Source and Type
│                                          │
│ [▶ Play] [✏️ Rename] [🗑️ Delete] [⋯]    │  ← Action Buttons
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘

Let's break down each element:

The Icon (Left Side)

Audio-only recordings: 🎤 or 🔴 Video recordings: 🎥 or 📹 Flashback recordings: ⏪ (may include this indicator)

What the icon tells you:

🎤 Microphone icon: Audio-only recording (voice memo, phone call)
🔴 Red circle: Audio recording from microphone source
🎥 Video camera: Video recording (screen, window, or region)
🔊 Speaker: System audio recording (computer sounds)
🎤+🔊 Combined: Recording with both microphone and system audio

Quick identification: At a glance, you can tell if something is audio-only or video by the icon.

The Recording Name/Label

What it is: The name of the recording Where it comes from: Automatically generated based on source and timestamp Can you change it? Yes! You can rename recordings to anything you want.

Default naming pattern:

[Source]_[AppName]_[Timestamp]

Examples of default names:

Microphone_seameet_20260102143045.webm
Zoom_seameet_20260102150022.webm
SystemAudio_Chrome_seameet_20260102154510.webm
Both_Teams_seameet_20260102160033.webm

Why the default names are... not great: The default names are designed to be unique and informative to the computer, but they're not very human-friendly. Microphone_seameet_20260102143045.webm doesn't tell you it was your brainstorming session about the new website design.

The solution: Rename your recordings with descriptive names!

Good renamed examples:

Q3 Budget Review - Team Meeting
Client Call - Acme Corp Website
Podcast Episode 47 - Interview with Dr. Smith
Idea - New Product Feature Brainstorm
Lecture - Intro to Machine Learning

The Duration

Format: Hours:Minutes:Seconds (H:MM:SS or M:SS)

Examples:

5:32 = 5 minutes, 32 seconds
47:32 = 47 minutes, 32 seconds
1:23:45 = 1 hour, 23 minutes, 45 seconds

Why it matters:

Helps you gauge how long the recording is
Useful for finding specific meetings ("It was about an hour long")
Helps manage storage (longer = larger file)

Quick reference:

Under 5 min   → Quick note, idea, reminder
5-15 min      → Short conversation, stand-up meeting
15-30 min     → Standard meeting, call
30-60 min     → Longer meeting, presentation
Over 60 min   → Extended session, webinar, class

The Timestamp

Format: Date and time when recording started

Examples:

Today, 2:30 PM (if recorded today)
Yesterday, 10:15 AM (if recorded yesterday)
Jan 15, 9:00 AM (if recorded earlier)

Precision:

Recent recordings: Show relative time (Today, Yesterday)
Older recordings: Show date

Why it matters:

Find recordings from specific dates
Chronological organization
Reference point ("The meeting from last Tuesday")

The Source Label

What it shows: Where the recording came from

Examples:

Microphone - Recorded from your microphone only
Zoom - Detected as a Zoom meeting
Chrome - Recorded in Google Chrome browser
Teams - Microsoft Teams meeting
System Audio - Computer sounds only
Both - Zoom - Combined microphone + system audio from Zoom

Why it's useful:

Knows which app or source generated the recording
Helps categorize by meeting platform
Useful for filtering ("Show me all Zoom recordings")

The Type Indicator

Shows: What kind of recording it is

Examples:

Audio only - Just sound, no video
Audio + Video - Has both sound and screen recording
Video only - Just screen, no audio
Flashback - Captured with Flashback feature

Why it matters:

Helps you know what to expect when playing
Audio-only loads faster
Video files are larger
Flashback recordings might have special content

Recording Card Views: Compact vs. Expanded

SeaMeet offers two ways to view your recording cards: Compact and Expanded.

Compact View (Default)

Appearance:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🎤 Q3 Budget Review - Team Meeting      │
│ 47:32 • Today, 2:30 PM • Zoom           │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘

Characteristics:

Minimal information
Shows only essential details
Takes up less space
Good for browsing many recordings
Action buttons appear on hover or click

When to use:

You have many recordings
You want to scan through quickly
You're looking for a specific date or duration

Expanded View

Appearance:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                          │
│  🎤 Q3 Budget Review - Team Meeting     │
│                                          │
│  Duration: 47:32                         │
│  Recorded: Today, 2:30 PM               │
│  Source: Zoom                            │
│  Type: Audio + Video                     │
│  File: Q3_Budget_Review.webm             │
│  Size: 145 MB                            │
│                                          │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │  [Waveform preview]              │   │
│  │                                  │   │
│  └──────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                          │
│  [▶ Play] [✏️ Rename] [📂 Show File]     │
│  [🗑️ Delete] [📤 Share] [⋯ More]        │
│                                          │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘

Characteristics:

Shows all available information
Includes waveform preview (if audio)
Shows all action buttons
Takes up more space per recording
Good for examining specific recordings

When to use:

You want to see all details
You're preparing to play or edit
You need to see the waveform
You want quick access to all actions

How to Switch Between Views

Method 1: Per Recording

Click on a recording card
Look for an expand/collapse button or arrow
Click to toggle between compact and expanded

Method 2: Global View Toggle

Look for a view toggle in the sidebar header
Usually appears as icons (☰ list view, ▦ grid view, etc.)
Click to change the default view for all recordings

Method 3: Double-Click

Double-click a recording to open expanded view
Double-click again or press Escape to collapse

Organizing Your Recordings

Now that you understand what you're looking at, let's learn how to organize your collection.

Renaming Recordings

Why rename?

Default names are hard to remember
Descriptive names help you find recordings later
Good for professional organization
Makes sharing easier (people understand what it is)

How to rename:

Method 1: Quick Rename

Find the recording you want to rename
Look for a rename button (✏️ pencil icon) or right-click menu
Click "Rename"
Type the new name
Press Enter or click "Save"

Method 2: Expanded View

Expand the recording card
Click the name field
Edit the name
Save changes

Method 3: Right-Click Menu

Right-click (or Control-click on Mac) the recording
Select "Rename" from the menu
Enter new name
Confirm

Good naming conventions:

For meetings:

[Type] - [Topic/Client] - [Date]
Team Meeting - Q3 Planning - Jan 15
Client Call - Acme Corp - Jan 16
1-on-1 - Sarah - Jan 17

For content:

[Type] - [Episode/Subject] - [Guest/Topic]
Podcast Ep47 - Interview with Dr. Smith
Tutorial - Photoshop Layers
Lecture - Intro to ML Week 3

For ideas/notes:

[Category] - [Brief Description]
Idea - New Homepage Design
Notes - Competitor Analysis
Reminder - Call Insurance Company

Tips for good names:

✓ Be descriptive but concise
✓ Include dates for time-sensitive content
✓ Use consistent formatting
✓ Include key people or topics
✗ Avoid special characters (/ \ : * ? " < > |)
✗ Don't make names too long (hard to read)

Deleting Recordings

Warning: Deleting a recording is permanent. The file is removed from your computer.

Before you delete:

Make sure you don't need it
Consider archiving important recordings instead
Remember: SeaMeet doesn't have a "trash" or "recycle bin"

How to delete:

Method 1: Delete Button

Find the recording
Click the delete button (🗑️ trash icon)
Confirm the deletion
Recording is permanently removed

Method 2: Right-Click Menu

Right-click the recording
Select "Delete"
Confirm

Method 3: Keyboard Shortcut

Select the recording
Press Delete key
Confirm

What happens when you delete:

Recording removed from SeaMeet's library
File deleted from your storage folder
Cannot be recovered (unless you have backups)
Space is freed up

⚠️ Important: Deleting in SeaMeet deletes the actual file. There's no undo!

Revealing Files in Your File System

Sometimes you need to work with the recording file directly—maybe to:

Copy it to another location
Upload it to cloud storage
Share it via email
Edit it in another program

How to find the file:

Method 1: "Show in Folder"

Right-click the recording
Select "Show in Folder" or "Reveal in Finder"
Your file explorer opens showing the file

Method 2: Expanded View

Expand the recording card
Look for "Show File" or folder icon
Click to open file location

What happens:

File explorer/finder opens
The recording file is highlighted
You can copy, move, or open the file
Changes in the file system reflect in SeaMeet (if you rename externally)

Sorting Your Recordings

By default, recordings are sorted by date (newest first). But you can change this.

Available sort options:

By Date (Default):

Newest recordings at the top
Oldest at the bottom
Best for: Finding recent recordings

By Name:

Alphabetical order (A to Z or Z to A)
Best for: Finding specific named recordings

By Duration:

Shortest to longest or vice versa
Best for: Finding quick notes or long meetings

By Size:

Smallest to largest files
Best for: Managing storage space

By Source:

Grouped by app (all Zoom together, all Teams together)
Best for: Finding recordings from specific platforms

How to change sort order:

Look for a "Sort" dropdown in the sidebar header
Click and select your preferred sort method
Click again to toggle ascending/descending

Filtering and Searching

When you have many recordings, use filters and search to find what you need.

The Search Box:

Located at the top of the sidebar, the search box lets you find recordings by:

Name
Source
Date (if you type a date)

How to search:

Click in the search box
Type what you're looking for
Results filter in real-time as you type
Click a result to select it

Search examples:

Search "Zoom" → Shows all Zoom recordings
Search "budget" → Shows recordings with "budget" in the name
Search "January" → Shows January recordings
Search "45" → Shows recordings around 45 minutes long

Filters:

Filters let you show only certain types of recordings.

Common filters:

By Type:

Show only Audio recordings
Show only Video recordings
Show only Flashback recordings

By Source:

Show only Zoom recordings
Show only Teams recordings
Show only Microphone recordings

By Date:

Today
Yesterday
This week
This month
Custom date range

By Duration:

Short (under 5 minutes)
Medium (5-30 minutes)
Long (over 30 minutes)

How to apply filters:

Look for a "Filter" button or dropdown
Select your filter criteria
The list updates to show only matching recordings
Clear filters to see everything again

Combining filters: You can often combine multiple filters:

"Show me Zoom recordings from this week"
"Show me audio recordings under 10 minutes"

Understanding File Locations and Storage

While SeaMeet shows you recordings in its library, the actual files are stored on your computer's file system.

Default Storage Location

Windows:

C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Documents\SeaMeet Recordings\

Mac:

/Users/[YourUsername]/Documents/SeaMeet Recordings/

Folder structure: SeaMeet may organize files in subfolders by date:

SeaMeet Recordings/
├── 2026-01-15/
│   ├── Meeting_1.webm
│   └── Call_2.webm
├── 2026-01-16/
│   └── Recording_3.webm
└── 2026-01-17/
    ├── Teams_Meeting.webm
    └── Voice_Note.webm

Or it may store all files flat:

SeaMeet Recordings/
├── Meeting_1_20260115.webm
├── Call_2_20260115.webm
├── Recording_3_20260116.webm
├── Teams_Meeting_20260117.webm
└── Voice_Note_20260117.webm

(Depends on your settings)

Finding Specific Recordings in File System

Method 1: Through SeaMeet

Find the recording in SeaMeet
Right-click → "Show in Folder"
File explorer opens to the exact location

Method 2: Browse Manually

Open Documents folder
Navigate to "SeaMeet Recordings"
Browse folders or search

Method 3: System Search

Windows: Use File Explorer search
Mac: Use Spotlight (Cmd+Space)
Search by filename or date

Changing the Storage Location

You can change where SeaMeet saves recordings.

How to change:

Go to Settings ⚙️
Navigate to "Storage" or "General"
Find "Save Location" or "Storage Directory"
Click "Browse" or "Change"
Select new folder
Apply changes

What happens to existing recordings:

They stay in the old location
New recordings go to the new location
SeaMeet will still show all recordings (from both locations)
You can manually move old recordings if desired

Good reasons to change location:

Running out of space on current drive
Want to use external drive
Prefer different organization
Using cloud-synced folder (Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.)

Storage Space Management

Video and audio files take up space. Here's how to manage it.

Typical file sizes:

Recording Type	Duration	Approximate Size
Audio only	30 minutes	~30-60 MB
Audio only	1 hour	~60-120 MB
Video (720p)	30 minutes	~1 GB
Video (720p)	1 hour	~2 GB
Video (1080p)	30 minutes	~1.8 GB
Video (1080p)	1 hour	~3.6 GB

Storage planning:

If you record 5 hours of meetings per week:

Audio only: ~300-600 MB per week
Video (720p): ~10 GB per week
Video (1080p): ~18 GB per week

Monthly estimates (20 hours):

Audio: ~1.2-2.4 GB
720p Video: ~40 GB
1080p Video: ~72 GB

Managing space:

1. Regular cleanup:

Delete recordings you no longer need
Keep only important ones
Do this weekly or monthly

2. Archive old recordings:

Move old recordings to external drive
Upload to cloud storage
Keep recent ones locally for quick access

3. Use audio-only when possible:

For meetings where video isn't needed
Saves 90%+ of storage space
Audio is often sufficient

4. Lower quality settings:

Use 720p instead of 1080p
Saves ~40% space
Often quality is still adequate

5. External storage:

Use external SSD or hard drive
Move completed projects there
Keep current work on main drive

Best Practices for Recording Library Management

Weekly Review (5-10 minutes)

Every week, spend a few minutes:

Review new recordings
- Look at what was recorded this week
- Rename any that have default names
- Delete obvious junk (test recordings, accidental triggers)
Check storage space
- Make sure you're not running out
- Delete if needed
Organize important recordings
- Rename key meetings
- Note any that need follow-up

Monthly Archive (15-30 minutes)

Every month:

Identify recordings to keep
- Important meetings
- Reference material
- Content you created
Archive old recordings
- Move recordings older than 1 month to external storage
- Or upload to cloud
- Keep last 2-4 weeks locally
Update naming if needed
- Fix any poorly named recordings
- Add dates if missing
Backup important files
- Copy critical recordings to multiple locations
- Don't rely on one copy

Naming Convention Templates

For consistent organization, use these templates:

Work Meetings:

[Meeting Type] - [Topic/Project] - [Date]
Team Standup - Website Redesign - Jan 15
Client Call - Acme Corp Contract - Jan 16
1-on-1 - Performance Review - Jan 17
All-Hands - Q4 Results - Jan 18

Client Calls:

Client - [Company] - [Topic] - [Date]
Client - Acme Corp - Website Proposal - Jan 15
Client - TechStart - Budget Discussion - Jan 16
Client - GlobalMedia - Project Kickoff - Jan 17

Educational Content:

[Type] - [Course/Subject] - [Week/Topic]
Lecture - Intro to ML - Week 3
Tutorial - Photoshop - Layers
Webinar - SEO Best Practices

Personal/Voice Memos:

[Category] - [Brief Description] - [Date]
Idea - New App Feature - Jan 15
Reminder - Call Dentist - Jan 16
Notes - Book Research - Jan 17

The "Inbox Zero" Approach for Recordings

Just like email, your recording library works best when you process recordings promptly:

The workflow:

Record (automatic or manual)
Review (within 24-48 hours)
Rename (give it a descriptive name)
Decide:
- Keep (important, rename properly)
- Process (extract notes, then delete)
- Delete (not needed)
Archive (weekly or monthly)

Benefits:

Always know what you have
Can find anything quickly
Storage stays manageable
Important things don't get lost

Common Recording Library Issues

"I can't find a recording I know I made"

Possible causes:

Wrong sort order
- Check if you're sorting by something other than date
- Switch to "By Date" view
Filter is active
- Check if you have filters applied
- Clear all filters
Search not working
- Try searching with different keywords
- Check spelling
Deleted accidentally
- Check Recycle Bin/Trash
- Look in file system directly
Saved to wrong location
- Check Settings for save location
- May be in different folder

Solutions:

Use system search (Windows: File Explorer, Mac: Spotlight)
Search by date range
Check external drives if you moved files
Check cloud storage if you use auto-sync

"My recording library is empty but I made recordings"

Possible causes:

Wrong save location
- Settings changed to different folder
- Recordings are there, but library looking elsewhere
Files moved/deleted externally
- You or a program moved the files
- SeaMeet can't find them
Refresh needed
- Library view needs to be refreshed
- Close and reopen SeaMeet

Solutions:

Check Settings → Storage for correct location
Use "Refresh" or "Scan for Recordings" if available
Manually browse to the folder and check
Restart SeaMeet

"Recordings are taking up too much space"

Solutions:

Immediate:

Delete recordings you don't need
Sort by size, delete largest unnecessary ones
Empty Recycle Bin

Long-term:

Switch to audio-only for meetings
Lower video quality settings
Use external storage
Implement regular cleanup schedule

Calculate your usage:

Check total size of SeaMeet Recordings folder
Estimate weekly/monthly accumulation
Plan storage accordingly

"I renamed a file in File Explorer and now SeaMeet can't find it"

The issue: SeaMeet keeps a database of recordings. If you rename outside SeaMeet, it may lose track.

Solutions:

Method 1: Refresh the library

In SeaMeet, look for "Refresh" or "Rescan"
This updates the library to match the file system

Method 2: Re-import

Use SeaMeet's Import feature
Import the renamed file
Delete the broken entry if it exists

Method 3: Rename back

Rename the file back to original in File Explorer
Then rename properly in SeaMeet

Best practice: Always rename recordings inside SeaMeet rather than in File Explorer. This keeps the library database synchronized.

Advanced Organization: Using Folders and Categories

While SeaMeet organizes by date by default, you can create your own organizational structure.

Method 1: External Folder Organization

Create folders in your file system:

SeaMeet Recordings/
├── Work/
│   ├── Client Calls/
│   ├── Team Meetings/
│   └── Conferences/
├── Personal/
│   ├── Ideas/
│   └── Notes/
└── Archive/
    ├── 2025/
    └── 2024/

Process:

Create folders in File Explorer/Finder
After recording, move files to appropriate folders
SeaMeet will still find them (usually)
Or use SeaMeet's "Import" to bring organized files back in

Method 2: Naming Convention "Folders"

Use naming to create virtual categories:

WORK - Client - Acme Corp - Jan 15
WORK - Meeting - Team Standup - Jan 16
WORK - Call - Vendor Discussion - Jan 17
PERSONAL - Idea - App Feature - Jan 15
PERSONAL - Notes - Book Research - Jan 16

Benefits:

Search "WORK" to find all work recordings
Search "PERSONAL" for personal ones
No need to move files
Works with SeaMeet's search

Method 3: Date-Based Archiving

Monthly process:

At end of month, create folder: 2026-01
Move all January recordings there
SeaMeet can still access them
Keeps main folder clean

Or SeaMeet may do this automatically based on your settings.

Quick Reference: Recording Library Actions

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│         RECORDING LIBRARY QUICK REFERENCE                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                             │
│  VIEW OPTIONS:                                             │
│  • Compact View: Minimal info, browse many quickly         │
│  • Expanded View: Full details, waveform, all actions      │
│                                                             │
│  ORGANIZE:                                                 │
│  • Rename: Give descriptive names (not default ones)       │
│  • Sort: By date, name, duration, size, source             │
│  • Filter: By type, source, date range, duration           │
│  • Search: Find by name, source, or date                   │
│                                                             │
│  MANAGE:                                                   │
│  • Play: Listen/watch the recording                        │
│  • Show File: Open file location in File Explorer          │
│  • Delete: Remove permanently (no undo!)                   │
│  • Share: Send to others (if available)                    │
│                                                             │
│  STORAGE:                                                  │
│  • Default: Documents/SeaMeet Recordings/                  │
│  • Change: Settings → Storage → Change Location            │
│  • Manage: Delete old, archive to external, use audio-only │
│                                                             │
│  BEST PRACTICES:                                           │
│  • Rename immediately after recording                      │
│  • Delete test/junk recordings weekly                      │
│  • Archive old recordings monthly                          │
│  • Use consistent naming convention                        │
│  • Process inbox weekly (review, rename, delete)           │
│                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Summary: Your Recording Library Workflow

The ideal workflow:

Record (using any method - manual, Flashback, Auto-Detection)
Rename (immediately or within 24 hours)
Review (listen to key parts, extract notes if needed)
Decide (keep, process, or delete)
Archive (monthly cleanup)

Remember:

A well-organized library saves hours of searching later
Spending 5 minutes now saves 30 minutes later
Delete liberally - you can always record again
Keep what's valuable, discard the rest

Last updated: 2026-02-01 Part of the SeaMeet User Manual Previous: Chapter 7 - Auto-Detection Next: Chapter 9 - Playback Features