WAV to text: transcribe an uncompressed recording
Upload a WAV file and get the words as text, split by speaker, with timestamps, in 99 languages.
Converting WAV to text gives you the most accurate transcript of any common format, because WAV keeps the audio uncompressed. Upload the file to voxnoto and the text comes back in minutes, split by speaker.
How to convert a WAV to text in four steps
Open voxnoto and click Upload. Drag the WAV in from your computer.
Wait while the file uploads, WAV files are large, so give it a moment on a slow connection.
Read the transcript, rename the speakers, correct any word in place.
Export as TXT, or translate it first.
Why WAV transcribes well
WAV stores audio without compression, so nothing in the speech has been thrown away to save space. MP3 and similar formats discard detail that the ear barely notices but a transcription model does, quiet consonants, overlapping voices, speech under background noise.
In practice the difference shows up in hard recordings: several people talking, an accent the model finds unfamiliar, a room with echo. On a clean solo recording, MP3 and WAV give much the same result.
Where WAV files come from
Professional recorders. Field recorders and interview kit default to WAV because editors want the uncompressed original.
Studio and podcast sessions. Recording software saves WAV for editing, and exports a compressed version for publishing.
Windows and legacy systems. Call recording systems, dictation hardware and older archives often store WAV.
What you get back
The transcript. Every word, split by speaker, with timestamps against each turn.
A summary. For long sessions, the short version people actually read.
A translation. 99 languages in, translation out.
Export. TXT for text, SRT if the recording accompanies a video.
Working with large WAV files
- A one-hour WAV can run to several hundred megabytes. Upload on a stable connection rather than mobile data.
- Files up to 8 hours are fine; length matters more than size.
- Don't convert to MP3 to make the upload faster, you'd trade accuracy for a few minutes.
- Keep the WAV after transcribing. It's the master copy if you ever need to check a disputed line.
Questions and answers
How do I convert a WAV to text?
Upload the file to voxnoto. The transcript is ready in a few minutes.
Is WAV more accurate than MP3?
Usually yes on difficult audio, because nothing has been compressed away. On clean recordings the difference is small.
How big can my files be?
On Premium you can upload files up to 8 hours long and run several at once. The free plan gives you 10 minutes of transcription a day: longer files are transcribed up to that daily limit.
Is there a file size limit?
Length is the limit rather than size; upload a large file on a stable connection.
Which languages does it support?
Speech is recognized in 99 languages, and the spoken language is detected automatically, so there is nothing to set up. A finished transcript can be translated into 22 languages in one click.
Can I edit the transcript?
Yes, including speaker names.
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