What is Express Scribe and what are the alternatives?

Express Scribe is manual transcription software. It plays an audio file so that you can type the text, and it does not recognize speech or write the transcript for you. NCH Software says its transcription program uses hot keys or a foot pedal to control playback ¹. A typist can start with the keyboard alone and add a pedal later.

If you need a person to check every word, a player like this is still the right tool. If you only need a draft fast, an automatic transcriber is the better fit, and the rest of this page explains how to choose between the two.

What Express Scribe does, step by step

Express Scribe controls playback so your hands can stay on the keyboard. You play, pause, rewind and repeat a short passage without leaving the typing position. A foot pedal does the same job with the feet. Typists have used this pattern for a long time. A recent history of dictation machines describes how typists used playback machines with foot pedals to control speed and to reverse and repeat passages ². A commercial pedal such as the Philips model starts, pauses, rewinds and fast-forwards audio with a slight movement of the foot tip, which leaves both hands free ³.

The free version reads common audio formats, including wav, mp3, wma, aif and dct, and NCH says it does not expire ⁴. That makes it easy to test with your own recordings before you decide anything.

What Express Scribe does not do

Express Scribe does not turn speech into text. Its job starts after you already have the recording, and it ends when you have typed the words. Speaker labels, timestamps and captions are not part of the player. Those come from the transcript you type, or from an automatic service. For what the labels mean, see speaker diarization. For the sense in which transcripts should match the speech word for word, see verbatim transcription.

The alternatives, grouped by what they do

oTranscribe describes itself as a free web app for transcribing recorded interviews ⁵. It states that your audio file and transcript never leave your computer ⁷. Those are the project's own statements, so check them against your rules before you use the tool for private or regulated recordings. Because oTranscribe's home page does not mention a foot pedal, do not assume one works with it. Test it first.

For automatic options, read whether Word can transcribe audio and whether Dragon can transcribe audio files. Both produce a draft that you still correct.

It depends: manual playback or a machine draft

Choose manual playback when a person must check each word, the recording is short, or you are learning to type transcripts. Choose an automatic draft when the audio is clear, the volume is high, and you can accept a check of the errors afterwards. Most people end up using both: a machine draft, then a manual pass on the passages that matter.

A typist's workflow depends on what the pedal does for you. If your hands are already busy with the keyboard, a pedal saves the moves between keys and mouse. If you type with the keyboard only, the hot keys are enough.

What to do

1. Decide whether you need a pedal. Start with the keyboard hot keys, which need no extra hardware.
2. Download the free Express Scribe version and open ten minutes of your own audio. Check that your format is in the list above.
3. Try oTranscribe on the same ten minutes, and confirm that the playback keys work on your browser.
4. If you want a machine draft instead, run the ten-minute test on the automatic tools, then compare the time each route took.

For the foot pedal itself, see the transcription foot pedal entry. For the full set of tools and how to compare them, return to the transcription software guide and the transcription overview.