Three Levels of Detail
When 12scribe generates Smart Notes from your transcription, the detalization level controls how much content the AI produces. Think of it as a density dial — turning it up means more parts, more themes, more content blocks, and more granular coverage of your recording. Turning it down means a tighter, more focused summary that hits only the main points.
There are three levels:
- Low — produces a concise overview. The AI identifies only the most prominent topics and key moments. You get fewer parts, fewer themes, and shorter content blocks. Best for quick review or when you already know the material well and just need a high-level reference.
- Medium — the default balanced setting. The AI covers all significant topics with reasonable depth. You get a complete structural analysis without overwhelming detail. Most users find this level works well for everyday use.
- High — produces comprehensive, deep-dive analysis. The AI captures nuances, secondary points, supporting examples, and subtle transitions. You get more content blocks of more types (tables, logic chains, emphasis blocks). Best for important lectures you need to study thoroughly or meetings where every detail matters.
The difference in output volume is significant. A 45-minute lecture might produce 3 parts with 6 themes at Low, 5 parts with 12 themes at Medium, or 7 parts with 20+ themes at High. The content within each theme also scales — Low gives you brief summaries, while High includes detailed explanations, quoted passages, and structured data.
When to Use Each Level
Choosing the right detalization level depends on your purpose for the recording and how much time you have for review:
Use Low when:
- You attended the lecture or meeting live and remember most of the content — you just need a quick reference to find specific moments
- The recording is informal (brainstorming, casual discussion) and you only care about the key takeaways
- You are processing many recordings in bulk and need fast overviews before deciding which ones to analyze in depth
- The recording is short (under 15 minutes) and does not contain dense, complex material
Use Medium when:
- You want a complete set of notes without spending time on overly granular detail
- The recording covers a single main topic with several subtopics — a typical lecture or structured meeting
- You plan to review and edit the Smart Notes, adding your own annotations on top of the AI output
Use High when:
- The lecture covers complex material with many interconnected concepts, and you need to study it thoroughly
- The meeting involved critical decisions with nuanced discussion, and you need a complete record
- You were not present for the recording and need the AI to capture everything so you can learn the material from the notes alone
- You want to generate quizzes later — more content blocks give the quiz generator more material to work with
Per-Project Setting
The detalization level is configured per project in Project Settings. This means different projects can use different levels — a casual weekly standup might use Low, while an important guest lecture uses High.
To change the setting, open your project, go to Project Settings, and select the desired detalization level. The setting applies to the next Smart Notes generation. If you have already generated notes and want to regenerate at a different level, you can do so — the new generation replaces the previous one.
You can also set a default detalization level for all new projects in the app's global settings. This saves you from configuring each project individually if you generally prefer one level. Individual projects can still override the default. For more on project-level configuration, see Smart Notes overview.
Compact vs Extended Display Modes
Separate from the detalization level that controls how much content is generated, 12scribe offers two display modes that control how you view the generated content: Compact and Extended.
Compact mode shows a collapsed view of your Smart Notes. Parts and themes are listed with their titles and timestamps, but content blocks are hidden until you tap to expand a theme. This mode is ideal for navigation — quickly scanning the structure of your notes and jumping to specific sections without visual clutter.
Extended mode shows everything expanded. All content blocks are visible under their parent themes, so you can scroll through the full analysis like reading a document. This mode works best for study sessions where you want to read through the material sequentially.
You can switch between Compact and Extended at any time — the toggle does not affect the underlying data, only how it is displayed. Many users work in Extended mode during their initial review (to see everything the AI generated) and then switch to Compact mode for daily reference (to use the notes as a navigation tool).
The interaction between detalization level and display mode gives you fine-grained control. Generate at High for maximum content, then view in Compact to keep the interface manageable. Or generate at Low for minimal content, then view in Extended to see the full output at a glance. Find the combination that matches your workflow by exploring the options described in the Lecture Analysis guide.