IEMOCAP
Don’t want to install IEMOCAP? Drop the file here.
The first 20 minutes of any recording are transcribed free: a recording up to 20 minutes transcribes in full, a longer one is previewed, and a pack from $6 (500 minutes) transcribes the rest and opens every export, and credits never expire.
12h dyadic emotional speech corpus — the gold-standard SER benchmark.
Best for speech emotion recognition (SER) with 5-class + dimensional labels (valence/arousal/dominance). Pricing: research-only.
What it is
IEMOCAP (Interactive Emotional Dyadic Motion Capture) is 12 hours of scripted + improvised emotional speech from 10 actors. The de-facto SER benchmark. Research-only license.
Watch out for: USC research license · request form · NON-COMMERCIAL · 10 actors in dyadic sessions · scripted + improvised. Cite: Busso et al., LREC 2008.
Install / use
Go to IEMOCAP sail.usc.eduWhat people actually do with IEMOCAP-style transcription
The tool is the means. These are the jobs — each one priced at published rates, each one wired up on its own page.
Features
| Speaker diarization | Yes |
| Word-level timestamps | No |
| Streaming / real-time | No |
| Languages supported | 1 |
| HIPAA eligible | No |
IEMOCAP vs Whipscribe
| Feature | IEMOCAP | Whipscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Open source | Transcription APIs |
| Pricing | research-only | $6–$24 one-time packs (credits never expire) · first 20 minutes free |
| Speaker identification | Yes | Named in the summary, key quotes and chapters |
| Word timestamps | No | Yes |
| Streaming | No | No |
| Languages | 1 | 99 |
| Platforms | Web | Web, API, MCP |
Alternatives to IEMOCAP
Frequently asked about IEMOCAP
Does IEMOCAP work on Mac, Windows and Linux?
IEMOCAP runs in the browser, so it works on any desktop OS with a modern browser, and on phones and tablets.
How do I install IEMOCAP?
Download the installer for your platform from https://sail.usc.edu/iemocap/ # registration form required. No terminal needed.
How many languages does IEMOCAP support?
IEMOCAP lists 1 languages.
Does IEMOCAP identify different speakers?
Yes — IEMOCAP has speaker diarization, so a two-person interview comes back with each speaker labelled.
Does IEMOCAP give word-level timestamps?
No — IEMOCAP produces segment or sentence timing only, so subtitle cues can land mid-word.
Can IEMOCAP transcribe live audio?
No — IEMOCAP works on finished files, not a live stream.
Is IEMOCAP HIPAA compliant?
IEMOCAP does not claim HIPAA compliance. For PHI, run it on infrastructure you control or choose a service that will sign a BAA.
What are the limitations of IEMOCAP?
USC research license · request form · NON-COMMERCIAL · 10 actors in dyadic sessions · scripted + improvised. Cite: Busso et al., LREC 2008.
Who is IEMOCAP best for?
Speech emotion recognition (SER) with 5-class + dimensional labels (valence/arousal/dominance).
Does IEMOCAP run offline?
IEMOCAP runs on your own machine — it is open source, so nothing leaves the computer unless you configure it to.
Is there a IEMOCAP desktop app?
No — IEMOCAP is browser-only. There is nothing to install and nothing runs on your machine.
Who makes IEMOCAP?
IEMOCAP is made by USC SAIL Lab.
What kind of tool is IEMOCAP?
In this directory IEMOCAP is filed under dataset as a open-source tool.
What are the alternatives to IEMOCAP?
There is a side-by-side page at /tools/iemocap-alternatives comparing IEMOCAP with the closest tools in the same category on price, platform and features.
Can I automate IEMOCAP-style transcription without running it myself?
Yes. If what you want is transcripts rather than the tool itself, Whipscribe does the same job as a hosted API: submit a file or URL, poll a job id, pull the result as txt, json, srt, vtt or docx. $0.012 a minute — about $0.72 an audio hour — bought as credits that never expire. The automation recipes on this site show it wired to Drive folders, Zoom recordings, S3 buckets and no-code platforms.
Whipscribe is a hosted transcription service. If you want transcripts without running infrastructure, paste a URL or drop a file in the form below — you'll have a transcript in seconds.
Transcribe your recordings
Running IEMOCAP yourself? Send the same file here and compare the transcript. Transcribe any language, any recording · Transcription services from $0.29 an hour · Transcribe from any meeting or recording platform · How to transcribe, step by step
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Have the recording already?
Skip the setup and send the file or the link: see transcribing a long MP3 or M4A, a podcast episode as text from its link and the SRT generator.
Rather have it done for you?
Free tools cost setup time. When you want a finished transcript instead: see how the best transcription services compare, cheap transcription services and the real cost per hour and our transcription service with prices and turnaround.