Audio to Text — 4 Transcript Styles for Any Use Case
Upload any audio file. Musely transcribes with Seed-ASR 2.0 at 97.3% accuracy across 51 languages, delivering clean, verbatim, formatted, or speaker-labeled output in minutes.
Musely Audio to Text is an AI transcription tool that converts audio recordings into formatted text with 4 distinct style options. Powered by Seed-ASR 2.0 at 97.3% word accuracy across 51 languages, it processes files up to 120 minutes using a sequential strategy with 2-second chunk overlaps. Choose from 4 presets — Clean Transcript, Verbatim Transcript, Formatted with Paragraphs, and Speaker-Labeled Transcript — with 3 paragraph break options (None, Topic-based, or Time-based), free speaker identification, and free [MM:SS] timestamps. Export as TXT, DOCX, or Markdown with optional translation to 15+ languages.
Under the Hood
🤖ASR Engine
Transcript Output
Convert Audio to Text in 3 Steps
Upload Your Audio File
Drag and drop your audio or video file into Musely. Supports MP3, MP4, WAV, M4A, OGG, WebM, MOV, and other major formats up to 120 minutes long. Set the audio language for best accuracy across 51 supported languages, or leave on auto-detect for English and Mandarin Chinese.
Choose Transcript Preset and Format Options
Select a Musely preset: Clean Transcript removes filler words for general use, Verbatim Transcript keeps every word for legal and research use, Formatted with Paragraphs groups content by topic with bold subheadings, or Speaker-Labeled Transcript formats as a script with Speaker 1: and Speaker 2: labels. Set paragraph breaks (None, Topic-based, or Time-based every 2-3 minutes), toggle Speaker Labels, toggle [MM:SS] Timestamps, and optionally set an output language for translation.
Copy or Download Your Transcript
Musely processes your audio in 30 seconds to 5 minutes depending on file length. Copy to clipboard with one click, or download as TXT for any text editor, DOCX for Microsoft Word and Google Docs, or Markdown for Notion and Obsidian. All formatting including paragraph breaks, speaker labels, and timestamps is preserved.
Who Uses Musely Audio to Text
Quote sources accurately from interview recordings
I record 5-7 source interviews per week. The Verbatim Transcript preset preserves every hesitation and self-correction so I can quote sources precisely without reframing. Free timestamps let me cite exact moments. Cut my draft prep time from 3 hours to about 45 minutes per article.
Convert client calls to readable CRM notes
I run 8-10 sales calls a week. The Clean Transcript preset removes my umms and gives me readable notes for our CRM in under 3 minutes per call. Speaker labels are free in Musely so I always know who said what. Cut my CRM update time by about 80%.
Transcribe lecture recordings for study notes
I record 5 hours of lectures a week. The Formatted with Paragraphs preset groups content by topic with bold subheadings I can scan for exam prep. Free credits cover my full week without subscription. Beats Otter.ai's English-only restriction since I have a Spanish-language econ professor.
Generate show notes and SEO transcripts from episodes
I publish a weekly 60-minute interview podcast and need full show notes for SEO. The Speaker-Labeled Transcript preset formats my conversations with HOST: and GUEST: in script form ready for our website. Markdown export goes straight into our Ghost CMS.
Produce verbatim transcripts of depositions
Court filings require strict verbatim. The Verbatim Transcript preset captures every uh, um, false start and marks [pause] and [inaudible] sections. The exact wording standard our court reporting needs. Replaced a $40 per hour transcription contractor.
Transcribe multilingual team calls into English
Our team holds calls in French, German, and Mandarin. Musely transcribes in the source language and outputs English text in one step. Bilingual mode shows both languages in parallel for review. Replaced two separate translation tools and saves about $300 monthly.
Musely vs. Other Audio to Text Tools
| Feature | Musely | Otter.ai | HappyScribe | Notta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transcript Style Options | ✓ 4 presets (Clean / Verbatim / Formatted / Speaker) | ✗ 1 fixed style | ✗ 1 fixed style | ✗ 1 fixed style |
| Languages Supported | ✓ 51 languages | ✗ English only | ⚠ About 60 (variable accuracy) | ⚠ 58 (lower accuracy non-EU) |
| Free Transcription | ✓ Free credits / no signup / 300 min/month with account | ⚠ Pay per minute | ✗ no free tier | ⚠ 3 min per file |
| Free Timestamps | ✓ Yes / free toggle | ⚠ Paid feature | ✓ Yes | ⚠ Paid feature |
| Speaker Identification | ✓ Free toggle | ⚠ Paid Pro plan | ⚠ Paid plan | ⚠ Paid plan |
| Output Language Translation | ✓ Yes / 15+ languages | ✗ Not available | ⚠ Yes (extra cost) | ⚠ Yes (paid) |
| Max File Length | ✓ 120 minutes | ⚠ About 40 min free | ✓ No limit (paid) | ⚠ 3 min free / 90 min paid |
What Professionals Say
4.8/5 based on 5,102 reviews
“I record 5-7 source interviews per week as an investigative journalist. Musely's Verbatim Transcript preset preserves every hesitation and self-correction so I can quote sources precisely. Free timestamps let me cite exact moments. Cut my draft prep time from 3 hours to about 45 minutes per article.”
“Our court filings require strict verbatim transcripts. Musely's Verbatim preset captures every filler and self-correction and marks [pause] and [inaudible] sections. Replaced a $40 per hour contractor and saved about $9,000 last year. The exact wording standard our court reporting needs.”
“I record 5 hours of grad school lectures weekly. The Formatted with Paragraphs preset groups content by topic with bold subheadings I scan for exam prep. Free credits cover my full week. Beats Otter's English-only restriction since I have a Spanish-language econ professor.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Musely audio to text achieves 97.3% accuracy across 51 languages using Seed-ASR 2.0. It includes 4 transcript presets (Clean Transcript, Verbatim Transcript, Formatted with Paragraphs, Speaker-Labeled Transcript), free speaker labels, free timestamps, and supports files up to 120 minutes with free credits and no signup required.
Otter.ai supports English only and requires an account for any access. Musely supports 51 languages, works without signup for free credits, offers 4 transcript presets (versus Otter's single fixed style), and includes free speaker identification and timestamps that are paid features in Otter Pro. Musely also includes output language translation for international workflows.
Yes. Musely supports 51 languages including Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Vietnamese, and many others. Auto-detect works well for English and Mandarin Chinese. For other languages, selecting the audio language explicitly improves accuracy by 5-8 percentage points compared to auto-detect.
Clean Transcript in Musely removes filler words (uh, um, you know), false starts, and obvious repetitions for a readable result. Verbatim Transcript keeps every word exactly as spoken including all disfluencies and marks non-speech sounds as [laughter], [pause], or [inaudible]. Verbatim is required for legal, academic, and research use where exact wording matters.
Musely processes audio and video files up to 120 minutes (2 hours). Long files use a sequential strategy with 2-second chunk overlaps to prevent gaps at segment boundaries. A typical 60-minute interview processes in about 3 minutes. For longer files, use Musely's meeting transcription tools that support up to 8 hours.
Yes. Musely includes both speaker labels and [MM:SS] timestamps as free toggles. Speaker labels automatically identify each participant as Speaker 1 / Speaker 2 (or actual names if mentioned). Timestamps appear at paragraph or speaker turn boundaries. Both are paid features in Otter.ai Pro and Notta.
Musely achieves 97.3% word accuracy on clear speech using Seed-ASR 2.0. Accuracy ranges from 95-99% on real-world recordings depending on audio quality, accent strength, and background noise. Setting the correct audio language improves accuracy for non-English content. Seed-ASR 2.0 was purpose-built for multilingual speech with strong dialect support.