WAV to text straight from the recorder, no converting first.
To turn a WAV into text, pick the file here, create your free account and upload the recording as it came off the recorder or lav mic. No MP3 needed first. We transcribe it with speakers separated and a timestamp on every line, and you download TXT, PDF or SRT. The trial lasts 3 days or 1 hour.
Free on the 3-day trial- Your WAV transcribed as is, no MP3 conversion
- Speakers separated, including two-lav interviews
- A timestamp on every line, to find the moment in your project
- Downloads in TXT, PDF and SRT
- Cancel anytime in the app, no fee
You create the account and upload this file in the next step. The trial lasts 3 days or 1 hour of media.
How to convert a WAV file to text
- 01
Pick the .wav
Drag in the file from your recorder, lav mic or audio editor export. We show its name, size and length.
- 02
Sign up and upload
Create your free account and upload the same WAV. If you only need part of it, set a start and end before processing: only that range counts toward your hours.
- 03
Review and download
The text is ready in minutes, with speakers and timestamps. Click a sentence to hear that spot, fix what you need and download TXT, PDF or SRT.
Do I need to convert WAV to MP3 before transcribing?
No. WAV is uncompressed audio, the most faithful copy of what the mic picked up, and it goes in as it is. Most people convert to MP3 only because of size: an hour of 24-bit WAV is close to 1 GB, and that takes a while to upload on a slow connection.
If your connection can handle it, upload the original WAV. If the upload is the problem, a 192 kbps MP3 is a fraction of the size and the voice stays clear enough to transcribe. What isn't worth it is re-recording the audio with your phone or running it through several converters, since every step adds noise or drops detail.
| One hour of audio | Approximate size |
|---|---|
| WAV 16-bit, 44.1 kHz, stereo | 635 MB |
| WAV 24-bit, 48 kHz, stereo | 1 GB |
| WAV 24-bit, 48 kHz, mono | 520 MB |
| WAV 32-bit float, 48 kHz, stereo | 1.4 GB |
| MP3 at 192 kbps | 86 MB |
Where the WAV files people transcribe come from
Almost always from someone recording sound separately and caring about quality. Portable recorders and lav mics with built-in recording save WAV by default. So do mixers and audio interfaces, and every audio editor can export it. In video production, the WAV is usually the separate sound that gets synced to the picture later.
That is why WAV files tend to arrive with clean voices and often several people: interviewer and guest, podcast co-hosts, a conference panel. The transcript separates the speakers and timestamps each line, so you can find the answer you need without listening to the whole recording again.
- A research or press interview captured on a handheld recorder
- A podcast episode recorded through an audio interface
- A sermon or talk taken straight from the mixing desk
- A testimonial recorded on a lav mic for a company video
- Audiobook narration exported from an audio editor
Split recordings and safety tracks: what to upload
The WAV format caps each file at 4 GB, so many recorders split a long take into several numbered parts. Upload each part: each one becomes its own transcript, with timestamps starting from zero. Keep the parts in the same folder so they are easy to find later.
Some recorders also save a safety track, the same voice recorded at a lower level in case the main one clips. Upload the main track unless it distorted. Bit depth and sample rate don't change the text. What changes it is the mic being close to the speaker, no music on top and no two people talking at once.
Is the WAV the sound for a video? Watch the timestamps
Timestamps in the transcript and the SRT follow the file you upload. If the recorder started rolling before the camera, the text marks 00:00:00 at the start of the WAV, not the start of the video, and the subtitles will run early against the picture.
You have two options. Upload the video with the recorder's sound already synced in your editor, and the subtitles come out on the picture's timing. Or upload the WAV and shift the SRT afterwards with the subtitle sync tool, which moves every line at once. If you only need the text, none of this matters: the TXT and PDF work as they are.
More than WAV to text. The recording becomes text, snippets and chapters.
See also
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a WAV file to text?
Pick the WAV on this page, create your free account and upload the file. We transcribe it word by word, with speakers separated and a timestamp on each line, and you download TXT, PDF or SRT. The language is detected for you.
Do I have to convert the WAV to MP3 first?
No. The WAV goes in as it is and is the best source for transcription. Converting to MP3 only helps if the file is too big for your connection: a 192 kbps MP3 is a fraction of the size and the voice stays clear.
Will a 2 or 3 hour WAV work?
Yes. There is no length limit per file; what counts is the hours on your trial or plan. If you only need part of it, set a start and end before processing and only that range is used.
My recorder split the take into several WAV files. Now what?
Upload each one. Every file becomes a transcript with timestamps starting from zero. Recorders split files because the WAV format caps each one at 4 GB, so this is normal on long recordings.
Does it separate the voices in an interview with two lav mics?
Yes. Each line shows the speaker and timestamp, on every plan, and you can filter the text to read one person only. Renaming speakers and identifying them by name are part of Studio and Agency.
How much does WAV to text cost?
Nothing on the trial: it lasts 3 days or 1 hour of media, whichever ends first, and it starts with a card on file. Cancel in the app before it ends and you pay nothing. After that, plans include 10, 20 or 35 hours a month, from R$ 59 (BRL).
Your WAV as text, straight off the recorder. With speakers and timestamps.
Upload the recording without converting it. We transcribe in 90+ languages, separate the speakers and you download TXT, PDF or SRT. Trial of 3 days or 1 hour of media.
See the result on your own recording before adding a card.