Reference
System requirements
What Kairos needs from your machine, your audio chain, and your network.
macOS
- OS: macOS 12 (Monterey) or later
- CPU: Apple Silicon (M1 or later) or Intel
- RAM: 8 GB minimum, 16 GB recommended
- Disk: 2 GB free
Apple Silicon is preferred. On-machine transcription runs noticeably faster on M-series chips than on Intel.
Windows
- OS: Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows 11
- CPU: 64-bit x86 with at least 4 cores
- RAM: 8 GB minimum, 16 GB recommended
- Disk: 2 GB free
Audio
- Input: any microphone, USB audio interface, or audio routed in from your soundboard.
- Sample rate: 16 kHz or higher (most modern devices).
If you have a choice, a clean feed from the soundboard outperforms a room mic by a wide margin, fewer false positives, better transcription accuracy.
Network
- For NDI broadcast: a wired connection on the same network as your switcher. Gigabit Ethernet is recommended for any production beyond 1080p30.
- For cloud transcription: a stable upstream of at least 1 Mbps.
- For local-only operation: no network required.
A note on Wi-Fi
NDI can run over Wi-Fi but isn't designed for it. For a live service, plug Kairos into a wired switch with your video gear. Wi-Fi-only NDI chains drop frames under congestion.