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WAV to text

Uncompressed recordings from field recorders and mics — transcribed in seconds.

Drop a WAV file .wav

First 2 minutes free, any lengthLanguage detected automaticallyUp to 100 MB

Longer than 2 minutes?You get the first 2 minutes here. Kalpa transcribes the rest — free to start on iPhone Get the app ›

How do you convert a WAV file to text?

To convert a WAV file to text, drop the .wav above. WAV is the uncompressed format field recorders, USB mics and audio editors save, so files are large but the audio is clear. Kalpa returns text with timestamps. The first 2 minutes of any WAV are free here; the rest is in Kalpa.

Short ones here, long ones in Kalpa

First 2 min · free herestudio-take-03.wav1:02English · detected

0:00: Testing, one two. Okay, levels look fine.
0:09: Welcome back to the show. Today: learning a language as an adult.
0:26: My guest spent two years learning Japanese from scratch.
0:44: Let us start with the very first week.

Keep it, search it, ask about it laterSave to Kalpa ›

How to transcribe a WAV file

Find the WAV
From your recorder, mic or editor.
Drop it above
Mono or stereo.
Get the text
Timestamps included.
Long recordings
The first 2 minutes are here; the rest is in Kalpa.

Faster in the app

Raw recordings from your recorder, ready to read

Interviews, sessions and raw takes from a field recorder or DAW are hard to scan by ear. Turn the WAV into text so you can find the quote or moment before you edit.

Download on the App Store

Good to know

WAV files are big — trim silence or export as M4A to stay under 100 MB and upload faster.
Many field recorders and audio editors save WAV by default.
Best accuracy comes from close mics.

Who transcribes WAV files

Journalists

Interviews from a field recorder.

Researchers

Recorded sessions and focus groups.

Podcasters

Raw tracks before editing.

When the free tool is enough — and when you need Kalpa

	Free web tool	Kalpa app
Length	First 2 minutes of any recording	The whole recording, no limit
Summary, quotes and topics	—	Yes
Search everything you saved	—	Ask in chat, jump to the moment
Your own recordings	Upload a file	Record on iPhone or Apple Watch, transcribed on device
Languages	25, detected automatically	25, detected automatically

Questions and answers

Why are WAV files so big?

WAV files are uncompressed, so they take up much more space than MP3 or M4A of the same length.

How large can a WAV file be?

The WAV to text tool accepts files up to 100 MB, so a long WAV may need trimming or exporting as M4A first.

Does a stereo WAV transcribe differently from mono?

Mono and stereo WAV files both work, and the tool transcribes the speech either way.

Can I transcribe a long WAV interview?

Kalpa transcribes the first 2 minutes of any WAV for free here; the rest of the interview is in the Kalpa app, which is free to start.

Does it label who is speaking in a WAV interview?

The WAV to text tool does not label speakers; it returns the text with timestamps.

Audio to text MP3 to text M4A to text Interview transcription Podcast to text Lecture to text

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Everything you hear and say, remembered

Kalpa keeps what you watch, say and think in one place you can talk to. Free to start on iPhone and Apple Watch.