Sonocent | Ithaca College

Getting Started with Sonocent

Approved Requests for Sonocent will receive an email to activation and download instructions.

Any student with notetaking as an accommodation may request Sonocent Audio Notaker by emailing sasnotes@ithaca.edu.

Eligible students will receive an email with a license code and instructions on how to download the software (check your spam or junk folder if it is not in your inbox).
Installing and activating Sonocent Audio Notetaker indicates to SAS that you are ready to use the software.
An SAS staff member will then extend your license activation to the end of the semester.
Once your license has been extended, a second email is sent with an invitation to download the Sonocent companion app, Sonocent Link, for your phone or tablet.

New users, and existing users who update to the most current version of Sonocent, will have access to a guided tour that will open by default when you start the program. The tour and the training videos available through the Learn tab give detailed information about how to use Sonocent and how it can help you take great notes. The Learn tab provides access to two key resources:

The skills portal helps you master the basics of how to use Audio Notetaker (the desktop application) and the Sonocent Link mobile app. The skills portal includes interactive videos that you can watch at your own pace and in the order of your choosing.

Sonocent licenses are given on a semester-by-semester basis. When your license expires, all of the files you created and saved are still available and can be exported to various forms. You will, however, no longer be able to edit or create new files.

If you already have Sonocent installed on your computer and have had your license renewed and extended, there are only a few steps required to access the program.

When you first open Sonocent, check the checkbox to indicate that you have read and accepted the terms of the License Agreement and Privacy Policy and click the “Check Now” button.
If your license was extended, you will see the message “Your license was approved and extended until [license expiration date].”

Sonocent is now ready for you to use.

Additional Tips and Tricks

If you find yourself getting stuck, here are a few additional tips that might help.

The desktop version of Sonocent is called Audio Notetaker. The companion app is called Sonocent Link. Each version has different features and has different strengths and weaknesses.

If your instructor typically lectures using PowerPoint, Audio Notetaker might work best.
If, however, your instructor writes on the board or breaks the class into discussion or project groups, then the Link app might be more effective as you can take pictures with your device and add them to the project file.

Audio Notetaker can record audio from multiple sources

There are three options:

Microphone Only - Sonocent records all audio picked up by the computer microphone (either built-in or one that is plugged in using a USB or audio port) This setting is ideal for in-person classes, where all of the audio is coming from outside the computer.
Microphone and Speakers - Sonocent records all audio picked up by the computer microphone AND any audio that is being transmitted to the speakers. This setting is ideal when recording online lectures. Sonocent records any audio the computer is producing directly, instead of having to rely on the microphone to capture audio output.
Speakers Only - Sonocent only records the audio coming out of the computer. This might be helpful when listening to a podcast or video online where you are not participating in a conversation.

There are two ways to select/change the audio source

Choose the audio source when starting a new project. The Home tab in Sonocent allows users to start a blank project (the audio source is set to "Microphone Only"), a project that records from microphone and speakers, or a project that records from speakers only.
Once a project has been started, users can change the audio source by clicking the red down arrow below the "Record" button. This opens a menu that offers multiple options for audio recording.

Be sure to test this out before you try to use Sonocent during class.
If you have trouble with audio quality using the microphone built into your computer, try using an external microphone – one that plugs into your computer.
- If you are using a phone or tablet, an external microphone is not needed, since these devices typically have higher-quality microphones.
Check to see what source Sonocent is using to record audio. There are three options. These are discussed in the topic above.
If you still have trouble capturing clear audio, you can use the tools on your computer to calibrate your microphone, try a different microphone, or try sitting in a different location in class.
Sonocent also has built-in audio clean up tools to improve the sound quality of your recordings.

Sonocent allows you to move between the homepage and any open projects using tabs at the top of the screen, similar to a web browser.
You can click back to the home tab at any time.
If you have added or changed content within a project tab and have NOT saved your changes, an asterisk will appear on the project tab
When searching for a saved project (Open Project -> Search projects), Audio Notetaker opens the search in a file manager tab.

The content collection area of the project tab consists of several columns – images, text, and audio.
The active column has a bright blue header.
Switching from one column to another changes the options in the highlighting menu (on the right side of the screen) and also changes some of the keyboard shortcuts.
- For example, you can create a new section by pressing the “Enter” key if the audio column is active. If you are in the text column, pressing the “Enter” key will create a new line within the same section.
The Sonocent Skills Portal identifies how to use and navigate the columns.

Audio Notetaker allows you to capture images from your screen and add them automatically to a project. To take a screenshot during a lecture (or from a video)

Click the "Capture" button, located next to the "Record" button.
An overlay will appear on the screen. Navigate to the appropriate window and change the dimensions of the rectangle to match the image you wish to capture.
Click the image of the camera in the upper left corner.
The image will appear in the next available section in the active project.