Are you planning to have your audio documents transcribed? In case you have analog recordings, it would be advisable to convert them to digital format before you bring them to an audio transcription company. Here are the reasons why.
Cost
If you inquire about the rates in audio transcribing, you will recognize a vast difference between analog transcriptions vs. digital transcriptions. The former requires higher fees. Analog recording is outdated technology, and it would require a special set of equipment to transcribe one.
The cost of digital transcription is much lower compared to analogs simply because the process is less complex. It does not require expensive equipment, such as videotapes and cassette tapes. Companies only need to use a USB foot pedal to transcribe. Aside from that, no other additional major hardware is required.
Time
If you want your audio files to be transcribed immediately, then you should definitely convert your analog recordings into digital files. The process of transcribing an analog recording is very time-consuming. You need to ship the cassette tape or videotape to the company, which will take a few days, and another to ship back. This is not the case when it comes to digital files. You can simply transfer them online and have the transcribed files within 24-48 hours. In fact, you can have them earlier if you have chosen a transcription service with emergency pricing.
Audio quality
Audio quality is another reason why you should convert your analog recordings into digital format. As time passes, the magnetic tape of cassettes and videos degrade. Moreover, if your fingerprints, smoke, bits of food, or any type of airborne pollutants get onto the tape, its quality will be affected.
You must also be very careful in storing your cassette tapes and videotapes. You must never place them near sunlight, or moisture or put them over other electronic devices aside from VCR or cassette player. These elements can degrade audio quality. Therefore, if you want to ensure that your audio files will maintain their quality, you must have them converted as soon as possible.
The only risk that you have to worry about in digital files is file corruption. This happens when you save an audio file in your memory card, flash drive, or external disk, and the medium becomes corroded or infected by a virus. However, this can be resolved easily. You can always create a backup for your audio files and save them to another hard disk drive or to cloud-based software like Carbonite and Dropbox. As long as you have a backup, you don’t have to worry about file corruption. You can simply retrieve them in case the file is corrupted.
There are two types of audio transcription services available, digital and analog. However, if you want to save money and time, it is better to have your analog recordings converted to digital format before you have them transcribed. Digital transcriptions are much cheaper than analog transcriptions because of the reasons stated above.
This guest article was written by Colleen McKnight.
Photo credit: The feature image has been done by Nikkytok.
