Convert FLAC to MP3 and keep the FLAC as your master copy.
To convert FLAC to MP3, run ffmpeg -i session.flac -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 64k -ac 1 session.mp3, or open the file in Audacity and export it as MP3 from the File menu (the exact wording depends on the version). For a transcript the FLAC can usually go up as it is: one file up to 10 hours or 5 GB, about 2 minutes per audio hour, so 7 hours comes back in about 14 minutes.
Three ways through
FLAC is lossless, which is good for an archive and heavy for an upload. Pick the lightest path that still gets the words.
The ffmpeg line
ffmpeg -i session.flac -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 64k -ac 1 session.mp3 writes a mono speech MP3 at about 29 MB an hour. Keep the stereo and raise the rate to 128k only when the recording carries music someone will listen to. Tags such as title and artist usually carry across on their own.
A folder at once
On macOS or Linux, for f in *.flac; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 64k -ac 1 "${f%.flac}.mp3"; done converts every file in the folder and keeps the names. Windows users can do the same in PowerShell with a short loop, or use a batch converter they already trust.
Audacity, if you trim anyway
Open the FLAC, cut the dead air before the first word, then export as MP3. Recent versions write MP3 without an extra download; older ones asked for the LAME encoder first. Choose a constant 64 kbps for speech so the file stays predictable.
Or skip the conversion
The FLAC can go straight up. Files over 500 MB continue on the upload page; up to 5 GB nothing waits for a pack. Converting only shrinks the file, never the running time, so the minutes counted stay the same.
Where FLAC conversions go wrong
Lossless files tempt people into big settings. Speech needs far less.
✗ Treating speech like a record
A seven-hour FLAC becomes a 320 kbps MP3, gets split to fit, and the original is deleted.
- 320 kbps stereo for one talking voice
- Deleting the FLAC after converting
- Splitting a file that was already small enough
- Resampling twice in two different tools
- Converting before checking the upload
- A 24-bit master pushed past 5 GB
✓ Keep the master, send a light copy
The FLAC stays in the archive; the transcript is made from whichever version uploads fastest.
- Upload the FLAC if it is under 2 GB
- 64 kbps mono MP3 if it is larger
- One file for the whole session
- Names kept by the folder loop
- About 14 minutes for 7 hours
- 420 minutes on the $18 pack of 3,000 minutes
Sample
A digitised oral-history tape, transferred to FLAC, five hours into the set.
Illustrative lines written for this page; no real interviewee is quoted. The timestamps are the FLAC's own, and the MP3 would carry the same ones.
Export
One transcript. Five clean formats.
Every pack exports all five — no format is held back for a higher tier.
Plain text
De-ummed paragraphs. Ready to paste.
SRT captions
Timed to the speech. Every video editor reads this.
WebVTT
HTML5 player + YouTube uploads.
Show notes
Formatted with chapters and pull-quotes.
Machine-readable
Timestamped text for your own tools.
Pricing
Honest pricing, no surprises.
A pack from $4 (300 minutes) opens the full transcript. After that, no subscription and no auto-renew — every tier is a one-time minute pack, and credits never expire. Buy once, use the minutes whenever you need them.
Casual pack
$4/300 min
5 hours of audio — $0.80 an hour. One-time — credits never expire.
- 300 minutes of audio
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
- Executive summary & key quote
Best value
$18/3,000 min
50 hours of audio — $0.36 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 3,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
Bulk pack
$32/6,000 min
100 hours of audio — $0.32 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 6,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- API access for batch pipelines
- All export formats
FAQ
FLAC to MP3, answered.
Should I convert FLAC to MP3 before transcribing?
Only if the FLAC is large. A speech FLAC at 16-bit, 44.1 kHz stereo often lands between 250 and 400 MB an hour, so a 7-hour file can sit right around the 2 GB line. Under that, upload it as it is; over it, convert or buy a pack first.
What about high-resolution FLAC?
A 24-bit, 96 kHz stereo FLAC often passes 1 GB an hour, so a five-hour master can be over the 5 GB limit. Convert that one: the same five hours as a 64 kbps MP3 are about 144 MB.
Will a 64 kbps MP3 lose words?
For speech, 64 kbps mono keeps the voices clear. The detail FLAC preserves is mostly in music and room tone. Keep the FLAC for the archive and send the light copy for the transcript if the upload size matters.
How long does it take?
About 2 minutes per audio hour once uploaded: seven hours in about 14 minutes. A transfer longer than 10 hours goes up as two files.
How much does an archive cost?
One 7-hour file is 420 minutes and fits the $18 pack of 3,000 minutes. A 30-hour batch of transfers, 1,800 minutes, fits the $18 pack of 3,000 minutes. On a first visit, the opening minutes are a free preview; credits bought later do not expire.
What do I get back, and where does the audio go?
A brief with thesis and takeaways, timestamped chapters, the names, numbers and dates mentioned, and a chat over the text; speakers are named in the summary, key quotes and chapters. Save it as TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT or JSON. The audio is processed on our own servers and never used to train models. Do this only with recordings that are yours or that you may use.
Related
Related pages
Upload the FLAC. Keep the master; send the light copy only if you must.
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