WAV Transcription

Convert WAV to text, free

Upload a WAV file and get a clean transcript with timestamps in seconds. WAV files typically come from field recorders, studio sessions, professional interview kits. Free to start, no account required.

MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC, OGG, MP4 · up to 20 MB as a guest

Transcribing your audio…

What an WAV file actually is

WAV stores audio without compression, exactly as the microphone captured it. It is the format professional recorders default to, and the one archives prefer, because nothing has been discarded and nothing can degrade on re-saving.

What it means for your transcript

WAV gives the model the cleanest possible input, but the accuracy gain over a decent MP3 is small. What you really get is size: an uncompressed file is roughly ten times larger, which is why WAV recordings hit upload limits first.

The usual problem with WAV

Upload limits. A 20-minute WAV can exceed 200 MB, which is why converting to a high-bitrate MP3 before uploading is usually the practical move.

Getting better results

  • If your WAV is too big, export a 128 kbps MP3 rather than trimming the recording — you lose nothing that matters for transcription.
  • Keep the original WAV for archiving; use a compressed copy for transcription.

What you get back

Every job returns both versions. Take whichever fits the job.

Clean transcript for reading and editing
Thanks everyone for joining. Let's start with last month's numbers. I'll share my screen so you can follow along. The headline is that renewals came in ahead of forecast for the third quarter running.
Timestamped for subtitles and citation
[00:00 → 00:04] Thanks everyone for joining.
[00:04 → 00:09] Let's start with last month's numbers.
[00:09 → 00:14] I'll share my screen so you can follow along.

An illustration of the two output formats. Not the result of any particular recording.

Questions about WAV transcription

Marginally, and usually not enough to notice. The difference shows up only on already-difficult audio.
WAV stores audio uncompressed. Ten minutes of stereo CD-quality audio is around 100 MB.
If the file exceeds the size limit, yes. A 128 kbps MP3 keeps the accuracy and cuts the size by about 90 percent.

Other formats we transcribe

Working in a specific language? See our language-by-language transcription guides →

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