Booth Conversation Capture
Set up your booth microphone and the LeadFuel desktop app to capture and transcribe every conversation with local AI.
Before You Start
- A Mac (macOS 13.0+)
- The LeadFuel desktop app installed (download from lead-fuel.com/download)
- A USB or wireless microphone (see our Recommended Microphone Setups section on the Support page)
- Your LeadFuel API key (found in Dashboard → Settings → Integrations)
Install the LeadFuel Desktop App
Download the LeadFuel desktop app from the Download page (lead-fuel.com/download).
- 1Download the DMG file (Apple Silicon or Intel)
- 2Open the DMG and drag LeadFuel to your Applications folder
- 3Open from Applications (you may need to approve in System Settings → Privacy & Security)
- 4Grant microphone access when prompted
The app will download the AI transcription model on first launch (~500MB). This only happens once and may take a few minutes depending on your connection.
Install and run the app at least once before the event to download the AI model and verify everything works. You don't want to be downloading 500MB on trade show Wi-Fi.
Connect to Your LeadFuel Account
Open the app and go to the Settings tab:
- 1API URL: Enter
https://lead-fuel.com - 2API Key: Enter your API key from Dashboard → Settings → Integrations → API Keys
- 3Click Test Connection to verify the connection works
If the test succeeds, you'll see a green checkmark. If it fails, double-check the API URL (no trailing slash) and make sure your API key is correct and active.
The API key authenticates the desktop app with your LeadFuel account. Each key is tied to a specific tenant and user.
Connect and Select Your Microphone
Plug in your microphone (USB or wireless receiver) and go to the Settings tab in the app.
The app will show a list of available audio input devices. Select your microphone from the dropdown. If you're using a wireless system like the Hollyland Lark M2S or Lark Max 2, select the USB receiver — it will appear as a single audio device regardless of how many transmitters are connected.
Testing your audio:
For wireless clip-on mics, clip the transmitter at chest level about 6–8 inches from the speaker's mouth.
Always test your audio setup before the event starts. Spend 2 minutes having a normal conversation and verify the levels look good in the app's dB meter.
Create or Select an Event
On the main screen, you'll see an event selector. Choose your event from the dropdown, or create a new one directly in the app.
The event name should match what you created in the web dashboard. If you type a name that doesn't exist, the app will create it — and it will appear in your web dashboard when the transcripts sync.
All conversation transcripts captured during a session will be associated with this event. When badge scans happen on the web side, the system matches them to conversations from the same event.
Start a Session
Click the Start button to begin capturing. The app will:
- 1Create a new session (named with the current date and time)
- 2Begin capturing audio from your selected microphone
- 3Transcribe the audio in real-time using AI running locally on your Mac
- 4Display the live transcript as text on screen
The transcription happens entirely on your device — no audio data is sent to the internet. The AI model uses your Mac's GPU for acceleration, so transcription is near real-time on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) Macs.
Important: Keep the app running and your laptop open (not in sleep mode) throughout the day. If the laptop sleeps, the capture session will pause.
Start a session at the beginning of each day and let it run continuously. You don't need to start and stop for each conversation — the AI handles speaker identification and conversation boundaries.
Monitor During the Event
While the session is active, you'll see:
- Live audio levels — the dB meter shows real-time input volume
- Live transcript — text appears as the AI processes the audio
- Session duration — how long the current session has been active
- Connection status — whether the app can reach the cloud (not required for capture, only for sync)
Check the app periodically to make sure: - Audio levels are still good (microphone hasn't been disconnected or muted) - The transcript is updating (the AI is processing correctly) - The laptop is plugged in (GPU transcription uses battery)
You can continue scanning badges on your phone while the desktop app captures conversations — they're completely independent.
Syncing Transcripts to the Cloud
Transcripts sync to your LeadFuel cloud dashboard automatically when your laptop has an internet connection. This happens in real-time if you're connected, or when you reconnect after being offline.
The sync sends only text transcripts — no audio data ever leaves your device.
To verify sync status: 1. Check the connection indicator in the app (green = connected, yellow = syncing, red = offline) 2. Open your web dashboard → Events → [Your Event] → Capture Sessions 3. You should see the session listed with transcript chunks
If you were offline during the event, the transcripts will queue up and sync in bulk when you reconnect. This can take a few minutes for a full day of conversations.
End the Session
At the end of the day (or when you're done capturing), click Stop to end the session.
The session is saved locally and will continue syncing if there are any remaining transcript chunks that haven't been uploaded.
You can start a new session the next day — each session is tracked separately with its own timestamps, making it easy to identify which conversations happened on which day.
After the event, you can safely close the app. All data is preserved locally and in the cloud (once synced).