TL;DR
Save time on editing and repurposing your podcasts and videos! This Descript review covers the details behind this amazing audio transcriptions tool.
I’ve just found the most amazing video editing, podcast editing and transcription tool and I can’t wait to share it with you. It’s called Descript. And it lets you record, transcribe and mix your podcasts and videos like you’ve never dreamed possible.
If that sounds overly enthusiastic – it is. Descript is just that innovative as a podcasting tool for DIY podcasters.
A Short History of Descript
Descript was by Groupon founder and former CEO Andrew Mason. Like Groupon, Descript was born out of a failure. Mason and his team were working on long-form podcasts when they realized how painstaking the audio editing process was. There was the recording, transcribing and editing.
Each step of the process had its own tools. Not only that, the typical process was serial; first you record, then you transcribe and finally you edit.
What if you could do all of these things all at once? That’s Descript.
What Descript Does That No Other Tool Can Do
Descript appears to be the only tool on the market right now that’s embraced the job that podcasters want done; to create a complete video or audio podcast along with some show notes.
Descrip automagically streamlines the editing process by combining the audio, transcription and editing into a single workflow.
What makes Descript unique is its ability to edit audio and video from the transcript.
What You Can Do With Descript
- Create a podcast: You can connect Zoom to Descript, integrate the microphone and record your podcast inside Descript.
- Transcribe videos notes: Who says it has to be a podcast. With that same Zoom connection you can transcribe the notes from any meeting.
- Edit audio recordings directly from the transcription:
- Remove “ums” and filler words with one click: Because Descript synchronizes the transcript with the audio, the AI quickly finds filler words, highlights them and allows you to eliminate them from the transcript AND the audio or video with one click.
- Add music and sound effects: Import your music and sound effects and just insert them where you want them in the script.
- Overdub: Don’t like what you said or how you said it? Descript’s AI overdub feature lets you record a sample of your voice and fix any area of your podcast without having to re-record a voice-over.
Here’s How Descript Works
No amount of writing and describing can make up for actually using the tool.
To use Descript, you have to first download the app, which you can get for both Mac and PC.
When you open the app, your first stop should be the “Descript Tutorial”. Because you have to SEE the tool in action to appreciate its power.
Recording your podcast or meeting
Now you’re ready to start recording your podcast or meeting. To do this, all you need to do is select your microphone and log your speakers. The system will do the rest.
While you are conducting your interview, the system is transcribing (and recognizing each speaker!)
Once the interview and transcript are complete, you’ll get something that looks like this:
In the image above, you can see the transcript above and the audio below.
Normally, these elements would be on different screens in different apps and NOT synchronized. YOU would have to manually track the script with the audio, match up the time stamps and mess around with finding just the right place to cut.
With Descript, the editing happens IN THE TRANSCRIPT!
The transcript and the audio/video are synchronized. So what you change in the script is changed in the audio or video and vice versa.
This is a game-changer.
The system is so intuitive, that I only watched a tutorial or two and immediately started playing around with a file.
Overdub Eliminates Re-Recording Voice Overs
Talking about game changers, let me introduce you to the “overdub” feature. This is an artificial intelligence feature that will learn from a recording of your own voice and then let you add sentences to your audio by typing them into your transcript.
Collaborations and Integrations
Another feature that virtual teams will appreciate is the ability to collaborate inside of Descript.
Because Descript integrates with Google Drive, Dropbox and many popular platforms, you can easily share your projects and folders with anyone.
All you have to do is click on the “share” icon and invite your collaborators to participate.
Once the person gets access to your project, you can work together and that person can even add comments to your project.
Overall Value
Let’s talk about price. Not to sound like an infomercial, but how much would you pay for this kind of powerful tool?
Not as much as you think!
You can transcribe up to three hours of content for FREE. So that should be more than enough time to realize the value. Once you’ve hit that limit, you can upgrade to the $12/mo (annual) or $15/monthly. This plan gives you ten hours of content each month! That’s a lot of content. If you need more than that, you won’t break the bank at $24.
Now, you understand why I’m nuts about Descript. It’s a time-saver and a life-saver.
