Transcribe an audio file
Import a recording, follow its processing and find the finished transcript in Oudden.
Use audio import when you already have a recording of an interview, lecture or conversation. Oudden transcribes the file on your computer and saves the text in a separate note. You do not need to play the recording through your speakers or record it again with the microphone.
Check your file
Oudden accepts MP3, WAV, M4A, WebM, OGG, OGA, FLAC and AAC audio files, up to 2 GiB and 8 hours per file. Select one file at a time. Wait for the current import to finish before starting another.
Import accepts an audio file from your computer. Pasting a recording link, importing a video file and selecting a batch of files are not supported. The original audio file is not changed or deleted during transcription.
Add the recording
- Open Upload in the sidebar.
- Drag an audio file into the upload area, or click the area and choose a file in the system dialog.
- Check the file name and size shown in the card.
- Click Transcribe.
Choosing the file alone does not start transcription. Before starting, you can use the cross on its card or Cancel to clear the selection and choose another file.
After the import is accepted, Oudden creates a note named after the file, without its extension, and opens the transcript view. The note can appear before its text is ready.
Wait for the text
While Oudden shows the transcription status, it is preparing the audio and recognising speech locally. The text appears after processing finishes; it does not arrive live as it does during a meeting recording.
You can switch to another section of Oudden while the import continues. Use the import indicator in the top bar to return to its note. Processing time depends on the length of the recording and your computer.
Keep Oudden running until processing finishes. If you fully quit the app or it crashes, the unfinished import does not automatically resume on the next launch. Select the original file again to start a new import. There is no separate stop button for an import that has already started.
Choose the recording language
Before clicking Transcribe, open settings → Transcription → Transcription language. Choose the language spoken in the recording or Auto-detect.
This preference also applies to voice input and meeting transcription. It is separate from the interface language. Changing it does not rewrite an existing transcript; to try another language, import the original file again. See interface and transcription languages.
Use the result
Open the note named after your file. You can rename it and place it in a folder using the note controls. No folder is assigned automatically during import.
In the transcript view, use Copy or Export to take the text elsewhere. The available transcript formats are TXT, Markdown, SRT and JSON. The steps and the purpose of each format are in Work with a transcript.
To turn the transcript into an editable summary, choose a template and create a note after processing finishes. Follow Create a note from a transcript. Transcription, copying and transcript export are included in Free. AI note generation and chat have their own plan conditions.
If something goes wrong
- The file cannot be opened. Select it again. Check that it is still on your computer, fits the size limit and plays in an audio player. If it is in a cloud folder, make sure it has downloaded to the device.
- The format is unsupported. Check the file against the supported formats above. Renaming a file extension does not convert its contents.
- Another import is already running. Return to its note through the top bar and wait for it to finish before adding another file.
- The import was accepted, but the note did not open. Click Open note again or return through the import indicator. The opening error does not mean the import failed; you do not need to submit the same file again.
- The app cannot check the import status. Use the retry action beside the top-bar indicator. It refreshes the status, rather than starting transcription again. If the transcript itself cannot refresh, use the retry action in the note.
- Processing failed or produced no text. Listen to the original recording and check that speech is audible. Check its duration and the selected language, then try a new import. Microphone settings do not change an existing audio file.
If the problem persists, contact support with the app version, file format, approximate size and duration, and the message Oudden displayed. You do not need to send the recording or its contents in your first message.
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