Supported files & duration

We support almost all types of audio or video files with a tradeoff to be taken into account between the transfer time of specific formats that can generate big files and the time to convert the original format to the target one (WAV pcm 16KHz little-endian).

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Gladia API current limitations

• Audio length: The maximum length of audio that can be transcribed in a single request is currently 135 minutes. Attempts to transcribe longer audio files will result in an error. Direct YouTube links are limited to 120 minutes instead of 135 minutes.

• File size: Audio files must not exceed 500 MB in size. Larger files will not be accepted by the API.

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Splitting oversize audio files

For audio files that are near or exceed the limitations on length and size, it is recommended to split them into smaller chunks of ~60 minutes each. This approach not only adheres to the API constraints but also generally yields better transcription results.

Tools for Splitting Audio Files:

• FFMPEG : FFMPEG is a versatile command-line tool that can be used to manipulate audio and video files. It is a popular choice for splitting long audio files.
• ffmpeg-python : For Python users, ffmpeg-python is a wrapper around FFMPEG that provides a more Pythonic interface for interacting with FFMPEG.
• prism-media for Node.js : Node.js users can use prism-media for manipulating media files, including splitting audio files.
• fluent-ffmpeg for Node.js : Another option for Node.js users is fluent-ffmpeg, which offers a simpler and more fluent API for handling media files.

Following these best practices will help you avoid issues due to limitations and maximize the quality of the transcriptions you obtain from the Audio Transcription API.

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Supported audio formats

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Supported video formats