Choose a voice recorder for a research project
Don't risk losing months of fieldwork. CHELA is the secure, AI-powered voice recorder designed for academic rigour. after processing transcribe participant interviews, dictate your thesis ideas on the go, and semantically search your entire research audio library.
Turn Talk into TasksStop losing brilliant ideas.
A useful record keeps the details you want to return to: names, decisions, questions and next steps. Chela can process a voice note into organised information that you can review and search. State what matters in the recording, then check the resulting note before using it elsewhere.
Research & Study Logs
Synthesize origins of behavioral econ...
"The subject described a feeling of cognitive dissonance when asked about..."
Illustrative research note: compare this observation with the source interview.
Total Recall for Your Work Life.
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"What did the client say about the budget?"
Search for "client name" or "budget" three weeks later and find the exact audio clip.
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Turn rambling into reports.
Chela structures your unstructured thoughts into clear, readable notes and action items.
One recorder, four PhD workflows
Fieldwork & research interviews
With the necessary participant consent and institutional approval, an audio record can support an interview transcript. Review speaker attribution and quotations against the source. Check the required storage, deletion and export workflow before using any tool with research participants; no software feature automatically satisfies an ethics review.
Supervision meetings
The meeting where your supervisor casually redefines your methodology deserves a transcript. Capture it, get the action items, and search "what did she say about chapter three?" the night before your next meeting.
Literature thoughts & the shower-idea problem
The connection between two papers arrives on your walk home. Dictate it; CHELA files it with the entities it mentions, so when you write the literature review, six months of scattered thoughts are one semantic search away.
Conference notes & lectures
Record talks (with permission), keynotes, and your own post-session debriefs. The corridor conversation after the panel is usually the part worth keeping — and the part every other note system loses.
Transcribing dissertation interviews specifically? See our guide to transcribing dissertation interviews automatically, or the academic interview transcription workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it secure enough for IRB data storage requirements?
Review the current privacy policy and ask your institution to assess the actual data handling before recording research participants. This page does not claim end-to-end encryption, institutional approval, a BAA or a specialist research agreement.
Can I upload audio from my dedicated Sony or Zoom recorder?
Use the Chela mobile app to review the note, then share only the information you intend to pass on. Check the current sharing and export options on your installed version. This workflow does not assume a desktop dashboard, bulk file import or a direct connection to another app.
How accurate is the transcription for technical or academic jargon?
Our models are highly advanced and excel at capturing complex academic terminology, theories, and field-specific jargon better than standard consumer dictation tools.
Can I export the transcripts to my reference manager?
Chela supports exporting an individual note as PDF. Review the note first, and check the export options available in your installed version. This does not promise Markdown downloads, bulk exports or automatic synchronisation with Notion or Obsidian.
Work smarter, not harder.
Transform your voice into your most powerful productivity tool.
Download ChelaWhat to check before relying on it
Chela does not claim ethics-board approval, certified research transcription or direct NVivo/ATLAS.ti import. Use an approved research system if your protocol requires capabilities that are not documented here.
Choose how you want to use Chela
Free accounts include manual task creation and metric tracking. Voice notes require a paid plan. See the app for current subscription limits and regional prices.
Explore related workflows: all guides · app comparisons · reflection and routines