Transcribe long recordings from a Zoom H4n Pro pick the right file, then upload it.
A Zoom H4n Pro writes WAV or MP3 files to its SD card, and a 2-hour interview from it comes back as text in about 4 minutes. The first 20 minutes are free, and a $6 pack of 500 minutes covers the 120-minute interview with at least 380 to spare.
Four tracks, one transcript
The H4n Pro can record several files at once. Send the one that holds the speech.
Two files for one 4-channel take
In 4-channel mode the H4n Pro writes two stereo WAV files for the same moment: one from the built-in microphones and one from the inputs. If your guests wore lavaliers into the inputs, that file carries the clearest speech. Upload that one, or mix both into a single file first.
Why the files get large
A stereo WAV at 24-bit, 48 kHz is roughly 1 GB per hour, and a 4-channel take doubles what sits on the card. One file for a 2-hour interview is about 2 GB, right at the line that uploads before a pack; past it, the file starts once a pack is on the account, up to 5 GB.
Separate tracks need a mix
If each microphone was recorded to its own track, each file holds one person. Uploading only one gives you half the conversation. Mix the tracks to one stereo or mono file in any audio editor, then upload the mix so everyone is in one transcript.
What an interview becomes
The text comes back with a brief, chapters with timestamps, and the names, numbers and dates said. People in the interview are named in the summary, key quotes and chapters, which is where you look first when pulling quotes for an article or an edit.
Large recorder files elsewhere
Multitrack WAV is the right way to record, and the wrong shape for most upload boxes.
✗ Typical upload limits
The cleaner the recording, the larger the file, and the sooner a tool refuses it.
- A 25 MB cap on the OpenAI Whisper API
- Converting to MP3 first to fit
- Free tiers capped well under two hours
- Chunked uploads with broken timestamps
- Only one track transcribed
- Quotes found by listening again
✓ Uploaded as recorded
One WAV, or one mix, comes back as a full document.
- WAV accepted up to 5 GB
- Two hours back in about 4 minutes
- Interviewees named in the summary
- Every quote timestamped
- 20 minutes free on your first file
- SRT for the video edit
Sample
A two-person interview on lavaliers, as it comes back.
This sample is illustrative and was written for this page, not taken from a real interview. Roles stand in for names.
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 $6 (500 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
$6/500 min
8 hours of audio — $0.72 an hour. One-time — credits never expire.
- 500 minutes of audio
- All export formats
- Unlimited AI chat per transcript
- Executive summary & key quote
Best value
$12/2,000 min
33 hours of audio — $0.36 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 2,000 minutes of audio
- Priority queue
- All export formats
- Unlimited AI chat per transcript
Bulk pack
$24/5,000 min
83 hours of audio — $0.29 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 5,000 minutes of audio
- Priority queue
- API access for batch pipelines
- All export formats
FAQ
Zoom H4n Pro recordings, the common questions.
How long does a 2-hour H4n Pro file take?
About 4 minutes, at roughly 2 minutes per audio hour. A full 5-hour session takes about 10.
What does a 2-hour H4n interview cost?
The first 20 minutes come free on a first visit. The 120 minutes fit the $6 pack of 500 minutes with at least 380 remaining. A series of long interviews, say twenty of two hours each, is 2,400 minutes and belongs on the $24 pack of 5,000.
Which file do I upload from a 4-channel take?
The one that carries the speech most clearly, usually the inputs file when people wore microphones. If both matter, mix them into one file in an audio editor and upload the mix.
The WAV is over 2 GB. Is that allowed?
Yes, once a pack is on the account; before that, uploads up to 2 GB work. The limit is 5 GB or 10 hours per file. An MP3 export of a long take keeps it well under both.
Does the interview language matter?
No setting is needed. 99 languages are detected automatically, including Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese and Afrikaans. A conversation that switches is detected on its main language.
Which formats can I download, and is the audio private?
There are five: TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT and JSON. Recordings are transcribed on our own servers and are never used for training. You can delete a file and its transcript at any time.
Related
Other recorders and interviews
Send the take. Your first 20 minutes are free to read.
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