Convert MP3 to text

Turn an MP3 into text in your browser: Whisper transcribes it on your own computer, with timestamps, as text or subtitles. Free, no upload, 100 languages.

AudioRinse · transcriberOn-device · 0 B uploaded

Drop a recording here

MP3 · WAV · M4A · MP4 · MOV · WEBM — up to 3 hours. Nothing is uploaded.

The model downloads once and stays in this browser, so later transcripts start at once and work with Wi-Fi off. Your recording is never uploaded. Free: Fast transcripts without speaker labels, as text, SRT or VTT, no limit. Pro: Accurate, speaker labels, Word, NVivo and MAXQDA files.

How it works

  1. Drop the MP3 onto the box above. Fast is free; Accurate makes fewer mistakes (Pro).
  2. Whisper transcribes it on your computer. The first time, the model downloads once.
  3. Read along: click a line to hear that part of the MP3, and fix any word in place.
  4. Download the transcript as text, or as SRT or VTT subtitles.

From MP3 to text, on your computer

Podcasts, lectures, sermons, recorded calls and audiobooks often come as MP3. Drop one here and Whisper, OpenAI's open speech model, transcribes it inside your browser: the file isn't uploaded, and the transcript is saved only on your device.

Each line is timestamped, so you can find a quote by searching the text and jump to it in the audio with a click.

Tips

  • Any bitrate works; very low-bitrate MP3s (under 64 kbps) lose some consonants and make more mistakes.
  • A podcast with several hosts? The interview transcriber labels the speakers.
  • Music under the voice? Take it out first with the music remover, which works on audio files too.

Questions

Is my recording uploaded anywhere?

No. OpenAI's open Whisper model runs inside your browser, on your own computer. The recording and the transcript never leave it; the only download is the model, the first time. The data-flow statement lists every request the page makes.

Is it free?

Yes, with the Fast model: transcripts as text, SRT or VTT, with no limit and no account. Pro ($7.99 a month or $39.99 a year) adds the Accurate model, speaker labels, Word files and videos with burned-in subtitles. The same Pro covers every AudioRinse tool.

Can I transcribe a podcast episode?

Yes, from its MP3 file. Download the episode from the podcast's site or app, then drop it here. A one-hour episode takes about half an hour with Fast on a recent laptop.

How accurate is it?

Accurate (Whisper large-v3-turbo) got 8.3% of words wrong on three recorded hour-long interviews with professional reference transcripts, on a par with desktop Whisper tools on the same files. Fast (Whisper small) makes more mistakes, mostly on names, accents and noisy recordings. Clear speech close to the microphone helps both.

How long does it take?

Fast runs on your processor at about twice real time: a 30-minute recording takes about 15 minutes on a recent laptop. Accurate runs on the graphics chip through WebGPU, about as long as the recording on a 2020 laptop's built-in graphics and faster on newer ones. The first time also downloads the model.

Which languages does it understand?

Whisper transcribes around 100 languages, most accurately English and the major European languages. Pick the language in the menu, or let it detect it from the first 30 seconds.

How long can the recording be?

Up to 3 hours, audio or video. On a computer with little memory the page takes less, and says so.

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