Transcribe a long Sony MSV file off the old voice recorder.
An MSV file is a compressed Sony voice format from older IC recorders, small enough that length is the only limit, but the upload is likely to refuse it: convert it to MP3 or WAV with Sony's own software, or with ffmpeg or VLC if they open it, and upload up to 10 hours per file. It transcribes at about 2 minutes per audio hour, the opening minutes are a free preview, and a 4.5-hour seminar fits the $4 pack of 300 minutes.
MSV, worked out
A pocket recorder held days of interviews. Sony's format kept them small, and kept them to itself.
Which recorders wrote MSV
Sony's earlier IC recorders, including Memory Stick models, saved voice in MSV, a compressed Sony format built for long recording times on little memory. Journalists, researchers, students and secretaries used them for interviews, lectures, minutes and dictation, and the files often survive on old PCs next to the software that came with the recorder.
Small files, long recordings
MSV was designed for hours on little memory, so an MSV hour takes far less space than the MP3 you will make from it, and the file size is never the obstacle. The converted copy is what you upload: a 64 kbps mono MP3 is about 29 MB an hour; 16-bit mono WAV at 22 kHz about 159 MB, so ten hours of WAV is about 1.6 GB.
Converting it
Sony's desktop software for these recorders, Digital Voice Editor or a later program depending on the model, can open MSV and save WAV or MP3. If you no longer have it, try ffmpeg or VLC; if they cannot read the file, the recorder can still play into a computer's line input while you record a WAV in real time. Then upload; over 500 MB continues on the upload page.
From tape-length to text
Each recording returns a brief with thesis and takeaways, chapters at each new question or topic, the names, places and dates spoken, the questions it answers, and a chat over the text. Interviewers and interviewees are identified and named in the summary, key quotes and chapters.
Why MSV recordings never got transcribed
The recorder's software ran on one computer, and that computer was replaced.
✗ A voice format with one key
MSV opens in Sony's own tools, and few others.
- Media players that do not know .msv
- Software that ran on an older Windows
- Dozens of files named by date only
- Interviews nobody had time to type
- Quotes half remembered
- Research notes that stop mid-project
✓ The interviews as text
Convert once, upload, and read every one.
- Up to 10 hours per file
- About 2 minutes per hour of audio
- A free preview of the opening minutes
- $18 for 3,000 minutes, a whole study
- Chapters at each question
- DOCX ready for quoting
Sample
A research interview recorded on an old Sony IC recorder.
An example written for this page, not from any real interview, study or person; the timestamps show where lines fall in a long recording converted from MSV.
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
Long Sony MSV files, the questions people bring.
Can I upload an MSV file directly?
It is likely to be refused, because MSV is a Sony-only format. Convert it to MP3 or WAV with Sony's software, or with ffmpeg or VLC if your version reads it, and upload the converted file.
I don't have Sony's software any more.
Sony has offered its recorder software as a download for owners; check Sony's support pages for your model. Otherwise, connect the recorder's headphone output to a computer's line input and record a WAV while it plays; that takes real time but always works.
How long does a long recording take?
About 2 minutes per hour of audio, so a 4.5-hour seminar is ready in about 9 minutes, and a full 10-hour file in around 20.
What does a box of interviews cost?
Thirty interviews averaging 50 minutes are 1,500 minutes, on the $18 pack of 3,000. Packs start at $4 for 300 minutes, and credits never expire.
Should I convert to MP3 or WAV?
MP3 at 64 kbps mono is plenty for speech and keeps ten hours under 300 MB. WAV is larger, about 1.6 GB for ten hours at 22 kHz mono, and still well under the 5 GB one file can be.
Languages, downloads, privacy?
99 languages, detected automatically. Downloads are TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT and JSON. Recordings are transcribed on our own servers and are never used for training.
Related
Other voice recorder formats
Upload the converted MSV recording. A free preview of the opening minutes to hear the result.
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