Choosing the Best Audio to Text Converter

Taking notes during meetings can be difficult. It’s hard to keep up with the speed people talk, and it’s even harder to take notes and listen to what people are saying at the same time.

You could go back through recordings ( if there is a recording ) but this will be time-consuming and an ineffective way to spend your time. The good news is that audio to text converter software is available that will do the job of keeping notes for you.

There’s a wide selection of audio file to text software available on the market and, as with other types of software, some are simply better at the job than others. This can make it tricky to know which one you should buy because you will need software that does the job well and offers the features you need.

Otter.ai offers an accurate and efficient solution for audio to text transcription.

Transcribe From a Variety of Formats

Since early 2020, there has been a surge in people taking part in remote meetings. Perhaps the most popular online meeting tools people use is Zoom, but other options like Google Meet and Microsoft Teams are also available. This rise in online meetings means many people will be looking for audio to text converter software to transcribe meetings, but there are numerous other reasons to use the software.

Otter can transcribe discussions from your web browser or your mobile phone. It can convert audio to text from telephone discussions, webinars and other online events, and even from musings you recorded while driving on your way to work. Perhaps you already have some audio files that you want to be transcribed? Otter can help you there as well.

Otter can also work with 30 different formats, including:

• AAC (which is listed in the Finder with the .m4p filename extension)
• MP3
• M4A (including Apple voice memos)
• WAV
• WMA

Real-Time Transcription

Otter provides transcription in real-time, meaning you don’t have to wait for the audio to be converted into text. Having Otter transcribing for you means you can pay full attention to what is happening in a meeting without having to keep notes, potentially missing what is said.

One obvious advantage of using a real-time audio to text converter is that the transcripts are available almost immediately should they be needed during the meeting itself. Another advantage is that Otter can record every word that’s spoken. If notes are kept manually, it is usually necessary to use abbreviations and miss some parts out to allow you to keep up.

Otter also integrates with zoom to offer live transcription and closed captioning. Closed captioning is essentially subtitles that make it easier for people to follow along. Live transcription created and displayed as the meeting is taking place, and participants can scroll back through the discussion if needed.

Once the meeting is over, the transcription is automatically saved to your Otter account and synced with the cloud.

Keeping Organized

If you’re often holding meetings or using an audio to text converter for other reasons, it can become difficult to keep everything organized. Keeping your transcriptions organized is not a problem with Otter, however. Otter makes it easy for you to create new folders so you can keep your transcriptions on your device in an easy to use manner, while you can also grant access to your conversation files with groups of people. Simply create a group and add other people to it to give them access to the conversations. You can also remove group members from folders if they no longer need access.

Highlighting

It can be easy to miss important parts of a discussion, especially in long meetings with numerous participants. The great news is that Otter makes it easy for you and other people to highlight important parts of the text. This will help ensure everybody is made aware of the key points without them having to go through the entire script.

Otter can also provide you with a brief analytical report, including a summary of the keywords used in the discussion. This helps you get a good idea of the overall theme of a meeting without having to go through the whole meeting yourself.

Otter Assistant

We can’t make it to every online meeting on time, and sometimes we may not be able to make it at all. If we do miss a meeting it could leave us having to wait for other attendees to send us through the minutes or transcript, but this is no longer a problem thanks to Otter assistant. Otter Assistant can automatically join any Zoom meeting to record, transcribe, and share meeting notes for you.

Otter assistant makes it easier for you to schedule your meetings and helps ensure a transcription is taken automatically. Not only that, but it also works even if you’re not available to attend.

Voice Recognition

Otter can learn to recognize your voice. It can analyze the characteristics of somebody’s voice and match those characteristics with a particular person. Once Otter has learned to recognize your voice, your name will automatically be tagged in transcripts as they are created, making it easier for yourself and other people to follow the transcript.

Apps

Otter’s functionality is enhanced even further thanks to the ability to integrate the software with certain other, 3rd party software. These include:

Zoom

Zoom is perhaps the most popular online meeting software there is, so it is great news that Otter’s audio to text converter can be fully integrated with Zoom. As mentioned, Otter assistant can help you schedule Zoom calls, auto transcribe, and even works if you are late or unable to attend a meeting. Your zoom recordings can also be synced to the cloud and saved to your Otter account, making for easier access for everybody who needs it.

Google Meet

Otter is available as a Google Chrome extension allowing the software to integrate seamlessly with Google Meets.

Dropbox

Dropbox is one of the easiest to use file-sharing software there is. Simply drag a file to your Dropbox folder and hey presto, it has been shared with everybody who has access to the folder. Dropbox can also be integrated with Otter, making it even easier for you to share your transcripts.

Google/Microsoft Calendar

Google and Microsoft calendars help to make making and organizing appointments easy. They can both be integrated with Otter, helping to ensure you don’t miss a meeting and that other people are kept up to date on the schedule.

Free Audio to Text Converter Available

If it’s a free audio to text converter you’re looking for, Otter could be just what you need. While the free version is understandably limited in terms of how many minutes you transcribe and the features you have access to, it’s still just what a lot of people will need.

Conclusion

Otter is widely considered to be the best audio to text converter available. The software makes it seamless to have audio files transcribed and offers a variety of other tools that help users maximize the potential of transcriptions, as well as tools that help with scheduling meetings and organizing files. Otter can also be used on a web browser and mobile phones, making it useful for a range of transcription needs.