Got a FLAC recording that needs a text with timestamps? Send it to Potok in Telegram and download the transcript with a time before each passage. If you split a long concert or talk into tracks first, note where every track begins so the times can be added back. Read 1 stamped line aloud against the audio.
Turn a recording into text
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Go to @potok_now_bot in Telegram
Up to 2 GB per file · speaker labels and timestamps · six export formats · about 30 languages
Key facts
- Android lists FLAC (.flac) as a supported file type.
- FLAC compresses audio without losing information.
- A FLAC block is a count of interchannel samples from 16 to 65535 (block size 16-65535 samples).
- Potok accepts .flac files up to 2 GB and reads them without a conversion step.
About the FLAC format
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Kind | Lossless audio format |
| File extensions | .flac |
| What it holds | A stream of metadata blocks followed by audio frames |
How to get timestamps for FLAC files
- Open the bot and send the file. Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram and send the .flac file. Files up to 2 GB are accepted; for a long recording use the Upload button of the bot's mini app.
- Keep the format in mind. A FLAC block is a count of interchannel samples from 16 to 65535 (block size 16-65535 samples).
- Turn on time marks. Under the result open the other-format options and enable timestamps; before you quote a mark, jump to that place in the file and listen.
- Prepare this format. Send the FLAC as it is. It is lossless, so there is no need to convert it to MP3 to save size.
What time marks look like
[00:00] Speaker 1: Next up, a live recording from a small jazz club.
[00:12] Speaker 1: The saxophone solo starts about halfway through.
[00:31] Speaker 1: Stay with us for more music after the news.
[00:58] Speaker 1: The choir rehearses in the old church on Tuesday evenings.
Lines written by us to show the layout. They are not output from a real FLAC file.
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Output formats | TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT |
| Languages | Around 30 languages have good published results; a few more come with warnings |
| Translating | The transcript is not translated into another language |
| Typing by voice | The separate desktop app of Potok dictates into any program; it recognises Russian speech |
| Digest | Press the summary button under a finished transcript for a short digest |
Typical FLAC slips
| What goes wrong | Effect | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Counting FLAC block sizes to find a time | Block counts do not give readable positions in the text | Use the minutes and seconds in each transcript line |
| Splitting the FLAC by track without keeping offsets | Every part restarts at zero and notes lose their place | Name parts by order or send the whole FLAC |
| Sending a long FLAC concert as a single file | A giant transcript makes each stamp harder to find | Split the FLAC by song or topic first |
| Rounding every stamp to the full minute for tidiness | You lose the ability to find short remarks in the audio | Keep the seconds shown in the transcript |
Where to look next
Terms used here are explained in the glossary. Handy helpers live in tools; apps are on the download page.
Common questions
Can I send FLAC files straight to Potok?
Yes. .flac files up to 2 GB go to the bot as they are; there is no conversion step before recognition.
Can timestamps be combined with speaker labels?
Yes. Both can be switched on in the other-format options, and the result is shown again with the marks you chose.
Which apps and devices create FLAC files?
The flac command-line tool encodes audio to FLAC streams (flac encoder tool).
Sources
Every source below was checked by hand on the date given. Sites change, so open the source if the exact wording matters.
- RFC 9639: Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC), IETF · checked
- Supported media formats, Android Developers · checked
Check it on a file of your own
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram, attach the recording and wait: the transcript arrives as a message in the same chat.
Write to @potok_now_bot in Telegram