MP3 to text: transcribe an MP3 file with timestamps

How to convert MP3 to text in four steps

Converting an MP3 to text takes four steps in the browser, and the file keeps its format from start to finish.

1. Drop the file. Drag the .mp3 onto the upload area at the top of the page, or click the area and pick it. The file goes up as it is.
2. Start the transcription. A guest’s first upload is transcribed right away at no charge, whole up to 10 minutes and for the first 10 minutes beyond that. Once signed in, you see the price of the full length and press Transcribe.
3. Check the text against the audio. The MP3 plays from your own device beside the transcript, and a click on a timestamp moves the player to that line.
4. Export the transcript. Download TXT or Markdown to read and edit, SRT or VTT to load as subtitles.

Short material needs no account at all: a ten-minute call or a dictation comes back whole. The numbers section below prices every other length.

Where MP3 files come from

MP3 is still the default of most voice recorders and downloads, so the file in your folder is usually one of these.

• Dictaphones and digital voice recorders: many save MP3 at a low bitrate to stretch their memory.
• Call-recording apps: they export a conversation as an MP3 you can move to a computer.
• Audacity and other editors: “Export as MP3” turns a cleaned-up interview into a file ready for upload.
• Lecture and webinar downloads: hosts often offer an audio-only copy.
• Podcast episodes you produced: an episode exported from the editor can be turned into text without any other tool; the page on podcast transcription covers episodes in detail.

Phones tend to save M4A rather than this format, and the guide to transcribing an M4A file covers that case. A video that you want as text does not need its sound extracted into MP3 first: upload the clip itself.

Bitrate and file size: what an MP3 means for the text

A 320 kbps track transcribes no better than the same recording at 128 kbps, because every upload is resampled to 16 kHz, mono, before recognition starts.

Bitrate matters for something else: how long a recording fits under the size limits. A minute of MP3 weighs kbps × 7 500 bytes, so the table below turns a bitrate into minutes.

After sign-in the file can reach 500 MB or 4 hours, and at 128 kbps the 4-hour limit comes first. Leave the track as it is: saving a 64 kbps recording again at a higher rate makes it bigger and adds no words. What does change the result is the sound itself, and the audio-to-text overview lists what helps and what hurts.

Noise is the usual reason a track reads badly: a hum from a laptop fan, a cafe in the background or a speaker who drifts away from the microphone. A quick listen to the worst minute tells you whether to expect gaps before you pay for the full length.

From MP3 transcript to notes, subtitles or a translation

A finished MP3 transcript downloads as TXT, Markdown, SRT or VTT, and the AI tools on top of it come with the transcription at no extra charge.

TXT and Markdown suit reading and editing, with a timestamp on every line if you want one. SRT and VTT give you a subtitle file with start and end times for each phrase. AI actions run on the same text only when you choose one: a summary of the recording, detailed notes, an article, a translation into another language, or a question you type yourself.

Free first recording and minutes, in numbers

Each audio minute uses one minute of balance, rounded up, and a first upload of up to 10 minutes is free.

• A 7-minute dictation comes back complete as a first upload, without an account.
• A 25-minute lecture uses 25 minutes, more than the 10-minute sign-up gift, so a pack covers the rest.
• A one-hour recording uses 60 minutes, which is the 1-hour pack at $2.99; the price per minute falls to $0.033 in the largest pack.

The price appears before the start, and the balance is charged only after a successful transcription. The full table of what is free and what uses minutes lists every pack.

Limits of MP3 transcription

An MP3 transcript has no speaker labels, reads only the first audio track and does not accept a link in place of the recording.

• No speaker labels: the text is one stream of time-stamped lines, whoever talks.
• Only the first audio track is used.
• No links: download the track first, then upload it here.
• A session split over several parts gives one transcript per part; the stamps restart at 0:00 in each, so add the earlier lengths when you join them.
• No microphone recording on the page; record elsewhere and upload the finished file.
• Anything over 500 MB or 4 hours is turned away; split it first.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert MP3 to text for free?

Upload it. A guest’s opening upload costs nothing, whole up to 10 minutes. Longer tracks draw on your balance afterwards, and signing up adds 10 gift minutes.

Do I have to convert MP3 to WAV before transcribing?

No. It is uploaded as it is, and the server prepares the sound for recognition itself.

What is the largest MP3 I can transcribe?

Up to 100 MB for a guest; after sign-in, 500 MB or 4 hours, whichever limit arrives first.

Is my MP3 file stored on your server?

No. The original is deleted as soon as the sound has been extracted from it, or after about an hour if the transcription never starts; only the text stays, in your browser or in your account. The privacy policy describes how files are handled.

Can I transcribe the lyrics of a song from an MP3?

Sung words are written out as text, but singing over instruments comes out rougher than speech, so expect gaps and check the result against the track.

Does it label who is speaking?

No. Every line carries a timestamp, not a speaker name.