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Tascam DR-05X · DR-07X · DR-40X · WAV, MP3

Transcribe a Tascam recording to text.

Take the WAV or MP3 off the SD card and drop it here. 24-bit and 32-bit float files are read as they are, and recordings the Tascam split into several files can each be uploaded in turn.

Free preview and summary Up to 10 hours or 5 GB per file 99+ languages TXT · DOCX · SRT · VTT · JSON

The file you have

What a Tascam DR recorder saves.

Format: WAV (16 or 24-bit; 32-bit float on newer models) or MP3, chosen in the REC SETTING menu.
Where it is: On the microSD card, in the MUSIC folder (some models: SOUND). Connect by USB in storage mode or put the card in a reader.
Automatic splitting: A recording that reaches the recorder's file-size limit continues in a new file. At 24-bit/48 kHz stereo that is roughly every two hours.
Typical size: About 1 GB an hour at 24-bit/48 kHz stereo WAV; about 85 MB an hour as 192 kbps MP3.

There is no link to paste for this one. Get the file onto your phone or computer first, then upload it in the box above.

How it works

Three steps, the first one is the only one that takes any thought.

Get the files off the card

USB storage mode or a card reader; copy the WAV or MP3 files to your computer.

Upload each part

Under 500 MB goes in the box here. Larger WAVs go through the main upload page, up to 5 GB a file.

Read them in order

Each part gets its own transcript with timestamps from its own start; file names keep them in sequence.

Good to know

What trips people up, and what to do about it.

Dual recording makes a second, quieter copy of every take as a safety. Upload only one of the pair; the normal-level file unless it clipped.
4-channel mode on the DR-40X writes two stereo files per take (built-in microphones and external inputs). Pick the one with the voices you want.
WAV files are big because they are uncompressed, not because they hold more speech. Any editor or converter that saves the same recording as MP3 makes it a tenth of the size with the same transcript; files up to 5 GB can also simply be uploaded as they are from the main page.
For long events, set the recorder to MP3 next time: one file, a tenth of the size, the same transcript.

Example. A half-day oral history session on a DR-40X at 24-bit/48 kHz is two files of about 2 GB each. Both upload from the main page; each transcript is ready about five minutes after its upload, with chapters that show where each topic begins. Checked 4 October 2026: 24-bit WAV and 32-bit float WAV files uploaded through this site came back as text.

What comes back

More than a wall of text.

The same four things for every Tascam recording, whatever its length.

A transcript with timestamps

Every line carries its time. Click a line to hear that second again, or search a name or phrase and jump to each place it was said.

A summary, chapters and key quotes

A brief with the takeaways, chapters with their start times, and the quotes worth keeping. Speakers are identified and named in the summary, key quotes and chapters.

Questions answered from the recording

Ask where a topic came up or what was decided, and get the answer with the time it was said, instead of scrolling the whole text.

Every export

TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT, JSON from the same transcript: a document to edit, caption files for video, plain text to paste, structured data for your own tools.

Pricing

Free preview. Packs from $4, and the minutes never expire.

A four-hour session is 240 minutes, so the $4 pack (500 minutes) covers it twice. Every recording gets a free preview and a summary you can read before paying; a pack opens the full transcript and every export. Packs are one-time purchases with no subscription and no seat fee.

$4500 minutesBuy $81,000 minutesBuy $122,000 minutesBuy $245,000 minutesBuy

Pick a pack to open secure checkout. Workspace is $19 a month for unlimited transcription (300-hour fair-use mark). Full pricing

What we measured, last 30 days

1,901 recordings, 830 audio hours, 64 languages detected. An hour of audio came back in 3.7 minutes for half of the recordings and within 19.7 minutes for nine in ten, measured from the moment the file landed to the finished transcript. Refreshed 2026-10-02; method on how we test.

FAQ

Tascam recorder (DR series) to text, answered.

How do I transcribe audio from a Tascam DR-05X?

Copy the WAV or MP3 from the recorder's microSD card (MUSIC folder) to your computer and drop it in the box on this page. Files over 500 MB upload from the main page.

My long recording is split into several files. Do I need to join them?

No. Upload each file. Every part gets its own transcript; keep the file names to keep the order.

Do 32-bit float WAV files work?

Yes. 16-bit, 24-bit and 32-bit float WAV files are read directly.

What does transcribing Tascam recordings cost?

The preview and the summary are free. A pack opens the full transcript: $4 for 500 minutes, $8 for 1,000 minutes, $12 for 2,000 minutes, $24 for 5,000 minutes. Packs are one-time, credits never expire, and Workspace is $19 a month if you transcribe every week.

How long can the recording be?

One file can run up to 10 hours or 5 GB. The box on this page takes files up to 500 MB; a larger file continues on the main upload page, which uploads it in parts. Most recordings come back in about two minutes per hour of audio.

Is the recording kept private?

Recordings are transcribed on our own servers and are never used for training. You can delete a recording and its transcript at any time.