Descript is an online service with several tools to help you edit audio and video files painlessly. There is a free version that is limited, but if you need more transcription time or a larger vocabulary for your voice clone, there are three different paid tiers.
Overview Video
If you would prefer to watch an intro video created by Descript, you can view it here:
Key Features
- Use Descript to capture your screen and record your microphone or computer audio.
- Transcribe your audio or video at the press of a button.
- Record remotely
- For podcasting: edit audio, remove silence, add crossfaces and effects.
- Edit video, add titles, shapes, lines, arrows, and images.
- Remove uh, um, and other filler words instantly.
- Overdub: create a digital clone of your own voice to generate and edit audio tracks.
Overdub
The feature that really made me stand up and take notice of Descript is Overdub. It allows you to create a clone of your voice (free version limited to 1000 words). You can then create an audio track of your voice by just typing the words! It can also be used to make changes to an existing audio recording and blend the tone on each side to make it sound natural. You can also create voices in different tones and performance styles in order to apply Overdub in a variety of situations.
While this technology has been around for some time, consumer tools have left a lot to be desired. Overdub marks a giant step forward in quality, with its AI doing the heavy lifting.
To hear samples of Overdub voices, check out this page: https://www.descript.com/overdub. Even better – if you’d like to take it for a live test drive, there is a widget at the bottom of the page that invites you to choose a voice profile and type in any text you want. Click the “speak it” button to hear your text “read” by the AI voice profile. Just below the widget, there is an option to test it against other popular text-to-speech services.
Conclusion
Descript is a free, easy-to-use tool that is full of features and can help you create and edit audio and video tracks easily. Have you used Descript or Overdub? Do you have another AI tool you find indispensable? Let us know in the comments.