How to Turn Lecture Audio into Clean Notes in 2025

Convert lecture audio or captions into tidy, clean notes inside ChatGPT in 2025. Upload audio, paste Zoom/YouTube captions, or record directly, then run the prompt below to get headings, key terms, practice questions, and a flashcards CSV—in about 10 minutes. See ChatGPT’s feature overview, file uploads, voice dictation, and record mode for capabilities and limits.

At a glance

• Input: Phone/laptop recording, YouTube auto-captions/downloadable subtitles, or Zoom automated captions/cloud transcripts.
• Process: Upload to ChatGPT → transcribe/clean → structure by H2/H3 → extract key terms.
• Output: One-page summary, 6 Q&A practice, and two-column CSV for flashcards.
• Where: ChatGPT (upload files • dictate • record).

Before you start

• Turn on accurate captions: YouTube • Zoom. Download subtitles if needed: YouTube “Download subtitles”.
• Slides? Export PPT to PDF for clearer sectioning.
• Name files clearly: Course_Week##_Topic.
• Know what’s stored: ChatGPT file retention & limits. Follow your syllabus policy.

The 10-minute workflow in ChatGPT

• 0–2 min: Open ChatGPT. Click + to upload audio or captions. Or start voice dictation/record mode.
• 2–4 min: Paste the prompt below to clean and structure the transcript.
• 4–6 min: Ask for a one-page study guide with key takeaways and definitions.
• 6–8 min: Ask for 6 practice Q&A and a two-column “term,definition” CSV.
• 8–10 min: Copy results to Google Docs → Save as PDF. Share with your group.

Copy-paste prompt for ChatGPT

Clean and convert this lecture into study-ready notes:

1) Fix casing, punctuation, and remove filler words. Keep speaker meaning.
2) Segment into H2/H3 with short summaries per section.
3) Extract a glossary (10–20 key terms: term — concise definition).
4) Produce a one-page study guide: TL;DR, 5–7 takeaways, 5 concept-map bullets.
5) Generate 6 practice Q&A (mix of recall and application) with answers.
6) Output a CSV (two columns: term,definition) for flashcards. Quote fields that contain commas.
7) Return: 
   - “Notes (H2/H3)”
   - “Glossary”
   - “One-page guide”
   - “Practice Q&A”
   - “Flashcards CSV” (in a code block)

Step-by-step: convert lecture audio to notes in ChatGPT

1) Capture — Record clearly or rely on platform captions. See Zoom caption controls and YouTube caption setup.

2) Upload — In ChatGPT, upload audio or subtitle files (.vtt/.srt). Or paste the transcript text.

3) Clean & structure — Run the prompt to remove filler, fix casing, and group ideas under H2/H3 with timestamps if present.

4) Extract key terms — Ask ChatGPT to compile a glossary of core terms with short, test-ready definitions.

5) One-page guide — Ask for a TL;DR, takeaways, and a compact concept map for pre-exam refreshers.

6) Practice & flashcards — Request 6 Q&A with answers and a two-column CSV. Import to Anki/Quizlet. If needed, see Anki CSV rules (UTF-8).

7) Export & share — Move final notes to Google Docs → Save as PDF. Keep original caption files for quick fixes later.

Template: capture checklist

• Mic close to speaker • quick 10-sec test clip
• Enable platform captions (Zoom • YouTube)
• Export slides to PDF
• Consistent filenames: course • week • topic

Troubleshooting

• Noisy audio: Prefer platform captions (Zoom cloud transcript • YouTube download subtitles).
• Messy headings: Include slide PDF to guide sectioning.
• Very long lectures: Process in 20–30 minute chunks, then merge in Docs.
• Flashcards import errors: Ensure CSV is UTF-8 and two columns (Anki CSV spec).

Responsible use

Use AI as a study aid. Follow your school’s policy. Review accuracy against instructor materials. Know ChatGPT’s file retention details before uploading class content.

FAQs

Next: Prefer a one-click flow? Try our Lecture → Notes or generate a Study Guide from cleaned text.