Session recording: MP3 to take home.

1 · Enable

1. Settings → "Audio & Hardware" → enable "Session recording (MP3)"
2. Bitrate: 128, 192, or 256 kbps. Recommended: 192 kbps (around 86 MB per hour; at 128 kbps around 58 MB, at 256 kbps around 115 MB)
3. Storage: defaults to Documents\Hypnotika Sessions. Customizable via the "Choose" button. If your Documents folder lives in OneDrive (Windows then redirects it there), Hypnotika saves your recordings to OneDrive out of the box as well. The "Folder" row shows which folder is set. If you don't want your recordings in the cloud, use "Choose" to pick a folder outside OneDrive.

Right next to the recording settings you'll find two buttons: "Open folder" opens the recordings folder in your file explorer — the fastest way to the finished MP3. "Open history" jumps to the History page with the logged sessions.

Recording starts automatically as soon as the session starts — on the first phase change or when you start a nature sound (even with no music at all). It stops only on Soft Stop: if you fade out a nature sound by clicking its tile, the recording keeps running — e.g. for spoken passages without a soundscape.

2 · What's recorded

• Music bus (all tracks) — at the level of the "Music" slider in the cockpit (it affects speakers and recording alike), with ducking applied
• Mic bus (your voice) — at the level of the "Mic" slider in the cockpit; controlled by mute toggle
• Trigger bus (all anchor sounds you fire) — at the level of the "Anchors" slider in the cockpit
• Nature bus (nature-sounds layer) — at the level set by the Nature slider in the cockpit; runs through continuously, even while you speak (nature sounds are never ducked)

Your headphone or Windows volume doesn't change the recording, and neither does the "Monitor volume". Not recorded: system sounds, other apps. Hypnotika uses internal audio routing, no OS loopback.

3 · Naming

Format: YYYY-MM-DD_Session_HH-MM-SS.mp3

4 · Auto-save every 60 sec

While recording, Hypnotika writes to disk every 60 seconds (overwrites the file), the first time 10 seconds after the start. On app crash, power loss, or hard close: in the worst case around 60 sec of audio is lost — the rest is safe.

On clean Soft Stop: encoder is "flushed" (= last frame closes properly). On force-close, last ~30 ms frame might be slightly unclean but file plays fine.

5 · GDPR note

Recording contains the client's voice — special category personal data. What to consider:

• Get written consent before the session
• Encrypt files (e.g. VeraCrypt container) on shared devices
• Don't share or upload to cloud without consent
• Delete or anonymize after retention period (10 years for medical practitioners in Germany)

Hypnotika itself sends NO recordings to us or third parties. The app only goes online for your license (activation, a check about once a week) and for updates. Your recordings are stored in the folder shown in the "Folder" row — if that folder is in OneDrive, OneDrive uploads them to the cloud (see section 1).

6 · MP3 to take home

One of the USPs: hand the session MP3 to the client (USB stick, email attachment, secure cloud link). Clients listen 2-5 times in the first two weeks — significantly amplifies trance learning.

Recommendation: don't ship the raw file (around 86 MB for 60 min at 192 kbps). Re-encode to 128 kbps in Audacity (around 58 MB) and normalize loudness.

7 · Recovery on app crash

If the app crashes during a running recording and you still need the file:

1. The recording folder contains the file with the latest auto-save state (in the worst case around 60 sec before the crash)
2. Open the file in Audacity — it plays back, the last frame may be slightly unclean
3. Optional: in Audacity "Effects → Repair" applied to the end

Related: Audio setup · Mic & ducking · Nature sounds