As a content creator, you’re probably constantly searching for the following new tool.
It’s just part of the job.
Your dedication to choosing the right creation software indicates your dedication to a particular format.
At the beginning of your journey, you probably used software licensed by your school or the basics all influencers recommend.
If you’re in the world of music or podcasts, then you’re probably familiar with Pro Tools.
If you work in video production, you know Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro by heart.
And you probably spent hundreds of hours overcoming the steep learning curve that these tools came with.
In today’s online landscape, everyone is practically an autodidact.
Learning a complicated content production tool is starting to feel unnecessary.
This is where Descript comes in.
This revolutionary plug-and-play recording and editing tool might fit the bill of what you’re looking for.
It can make your DIY content look like a pro did it.
Read on to find out how and whether or not it’s worth your time.
What is Descript?
Descript began as an audio editing program, primarily for podcast production.
If you’ve dabbled in podcasting, you’d know the time-intensive nature of the entire process.
With Descript, you can record, mix, edit, and transcribe within one workspace.
It can also be used as a start-to-finish video editing tool.
Descript can turn amateur video recordings into expert audio and video content.
It won’t be Emmy-worthy, but it’ll help you bring your ideas to life.
Descript doesn’t have a lot of menus or tool buttons, so there aren’t many options for customization.
I can say that this benefits those who tend to overprocess their media files.
Don’t get me wrong; you can still excessively process assets.
However, Descript’s automation guides you along the way minimizes your mistakes, and reverses them should you make any.
How Does Descript Work?
AI powers Descript.
Specifically, it uses speech recognition AI to transcribe video and audio files you upload.
It converts speech to text with a claimed accuracy of 95% using Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Automated Speech Recognition (ASR).
Descript also utilizes Lyrebird AI for voice cloning and synthetic voice creation.
Let’s say you’re processing a video file.
Descript associates its transcription with the video’s frames.
You’re free to modify the video by tweaking the corresponding text.
You can storyboard, write your scripts in Descript, and watch your ideas come to life in real-time!
An audio recording can be treated in the same way.
This way, you can do away with all the usual digital audio workstations.
With Descript, you’ll have descriptive audio tools that could make editing easier.
And given the importance of audio in videos, you won’t need to fret as much about recording in tranquil environments.
The Benefits of Using Descript
Descript is a suite of smaller tools that can make your life as a content creator easier.
Whether you work with video, audio, or both, there’s something that you can use to streamline your process.
Seamless Audio Recording
You can record straight into Descript just as quickly as you would into Audacity or Alitu.
All you need to have handy is a mic, your episode’s outline, and the app itself.
Create a new audio file or add a new recording by pressing the ‘+’ button or using the keyboard shortcut.
That’s it!
Just talk away to initiate the automatic recording and transcription process.
You can also add and assign more speakers to separate tracks.
Easy peasy!
Get Rid of Repeats and Pauses
A podcast with so much dead air is the worst thing ever.
Fortunately, Descript makes it simple to locate and condense such pauses.
The app automatically detects all lulls between words if you use the search feature and choose the “word gaps” option.
Most podcasts these days cut down most pauses to half a second to keep the flow well-paced and organic.
You could use this feature to streamline your episodes and even shorten them!
And if you’re a podcaster, you might say things repeatedly.
Back then, you would have to choose the best clip and manually delete all the repeating statements with a traditional audio editor.
Descript will allow you to examine the transcription quickly, find any instances of repetition, and remove them with a single click!
Automatic Transcriptions
Speaking of transcriptions, Descript can bang these out automatically!
Gone are the days when you’d have to hire a transcriptionist or use a separate transcription software for your content.
If you’ve been at this for a while, I don’t need to tell you that transcriptions are helpful for SEO and content repurposing.
It makes your content more accessible to a more diverse audience.
Descript’s capability to transcribe as you record is one of its most remarkable features since it eliminates the need to play back your audio and type it out yourself.
Even with imported audio, you can switch on transcription and watch Descript at work in real time.
The fact that you can simultaneously change the text makes it even more of a godsend.
You can edit audio or text transcripts like you update a Word document.
Descript will track down the audio fragment and isolate it so you can modify it with minimal effort.
Explore the incredible and slightly eerie world of Descript here. Or discover how this innovative tool can transform audio and video editing by watching the video below.
Creepy? Perhaps. Amazing? Absolutely!
Filler Word Removal
I’m sure you know that using a DAW’s manual tools to filter out filler words like “uh,” “um,” and “you know” is a huge time sink.
Fortunately, Descript’s batch search and filler word filter make it a breeze!
Descript works similarly to Grammarly in that it scans the contents of a document once your audio has been transcribed.
It automatically identifies and removes unnecessary sounds and words with a single click.
If you have your own word quirks that you’d like to minimize, you can also search for other words and phrases in the transcript.
This is a great way to “clean up” your recordings if you ramble or speak too casually.
Integration With Captivate
Its tight integration with Descript means you can bring your completed transcript and audio into Captivate.
Captivate allows the podcast transcript tag to be added to your RSS stream, making your transcript more widely available.
Without any additional effort on your part, Captivate will also automatically publish your transcripts to the show page of your Captivate podcast website.
This is good news if you’re already on Captivate.
Audiograms
When promoting your podcast episodes, audiograms and closed-captioned video clips are your most vital tools.
They’re easy to make, short, visually appealing, and can offer potential listeners a nice preview of your episode’s content.
Use your cursor to highlight the audio and text you want to include in your audiogram.
You can also take advantage of customization and animation options for your clips.
You can even link it to your Headliner, Twitter, or YouTube account for quick posting!
Video Editing
Uploading videos just as you recorded them is a thing of the past.
Even the most natural vloggers must make significant edits to keep their audiences engaged.
Fortunately, you can use Descript to transition from one scene to the next.
All you have to do is put a forward slash in the script where you want to add a clip.
Doing so will segment the screenplay and a new scene will be added.
Descript also has a chroma essential function for using green screens.
I can say that Descript is a well-rounded video editor. However, it won’t offer as much customization as something more robust like Premiere Pro.
Still, it’ll do for most situations, and you can edit videos much faster without the meticulously precise edits.
A Note:
If you’re used to a high level of customization, you can also export your Descript projects into other video editing programs (like Final Cut Pro and Premiere).
The XML file of your project will contain all the cuts, animations, and tweaks you made within Descript.
So, you can pick up where you left off in your other chosen application.
Descript is still great as a first pass of editing.
You can do your cleanups within Descript because it speeds up the macro edit and provides excellent AI capabilities like Studio Sound.
Video Effects
If you like speaking to the camera in your videos, you can spice things up and add visual interest with text overlays, screen shares, and effects.
You can accomplish all this with Descript!
Effects you apply directly to the transcription will seamlessly integrate into the video.
You can also use your existing transcript to precisely time words on the screen if you add subtitles.
Again, going the usual route and manually adding and timing subtitles can be a pain, so this should be a welcome tool in your arsenal.
It’s also a bonus to have access to a media library with millions of stock images, gifs, videos, and animations!
You can add these elements to your videos with the drag-and-drop editor and zoom in and out of areas of focus.
I kept hearing great things about Descript. I wanted to dig in and look more closely; you can watch it here or in the video below.
I imagine that OpenAI sees this new format of text-based video editing as the future.
Easy Collaboration
Descript makes it incredibly breezy to collaborate with a video editor or virtual assistant on your team.
This way, you can work together and accomplish editing tasks with others.
Team members can access your projects, comment, and share audio and video clips.
This is much less complicated than sending files back and forth outside the app.
And if you’re anything like me, you’ll enjoy being able to oversee the production of your content from behind the scenes.
Overdub Voice Cloning
This one’s trippy.
You can edit or add words to your original voice recording using Descript’s Overdub tool by simply typing them into your transcript.
Think about how convenient this is going to be!
Usually, saying incorrect words, phrases, and names means you’d have to go back and re-record that part of the episode.
Then, you’d have to splice it into the original to correct your mistakes painstakingly.
This is such a hassle, particularly in the middle of the sentence.
It takes a long time to tweak, and making it sound natural is tough.
It’ll take around 30 minutes to record yourself reading a script with the app to make your “clone voice.”
The longer you record, the more natural your voice will sound.
That’s why it’s essential to always use the same mic and record in the same place to make this “voice” as accurate as possible.
From that point on, you can enter the words or phrases into the transcript whenever you want to make some corrections.
Descript will add what you typed in your voice!
So, say you meant to say “espresso” but said “expresso” instead; that’s an easy fix to implement!
Don’t worry; Overdub will match the tone and cadence of the surrounding audio.
I can’t say it’s perfect, but most listeners won’t notice it.
A Note:
You might also be excited to know that Descript provides nine stock voices that expert voice actors recorded.
You can use these for any project that you’re working on.
This will be useful to add intros or interludes with different voices.
It would be best to type in what you want to record after choosing a voice you like.
Multitrack Editing
You’ve undoubtedly used multitrack editing if you conduct interviews for your podcast or have multiple speakers.
Almost all editing software includes it as a standard function.
However, Descript’s multitrack editor has unique tricks that simplify editing and fine-tuning a podcast.
If you’re using Zoom or another remote-capture program, it likely provides you with two audio recordings after you’re done.
Descript will recognize that you have a multitrack recording and prompt you to input the names of the speakers associated with each track.
Afterward, it will create a single transcript that combines both audio files.
From there, you can edit the transcript just like a single-track file.
While the primary Descript editor displays a combined timeline with both audio tracks, you can work on the ways individually in what Descript refers to as sequences.
So, if the person you’re talking to has barking dogs or crying babies in their background, you can easily clean that up!
Descript Community and Customer Service
You can connect with other Descript users on the dedicated Discord channel.
You can interact with like-minded folks, troubleshoot issues, make suggestions for improvements, and swap tips around content creation.
If you want to educate yourself more on Descript’s features, there is a help center with many valuable resources.
You can expect product changelogs, reference manuals, videos, and how-to guidelines.
Here, you can familiarize yourself with the functions of various tools and the definitions of related terms.
If there is a feature you would like to see added to the product, you can also submit a feature request to the Descript staff.
You can email or send a ticket to the Descript team in case of any issues.
Descript Pricing
It’s clear that you get many benefits if you sign up for Descript, so will it cost a pretty penny? Not at all.
I’d say that Descript is affordable for all its value.
Here’s their payment structure:
- A Free Version
- A Creator Version For $12
- A Pro Version for $24
- A Custom Version for Enterprises (You’ll have to contact them for custom rates.)
As of now, you can save 20% with annual billing, which sounds like an even better deal!
Descript User Reviews
If you quickly search online, you’ll find many Descript user reviews, and the feedback is very positive overall.
Both beginners and pros find this software to be user-friendly and efficient.
It’s not the most robust suite of tools out there, but it’ll get the job done.
Users rave about its transcription and subtitling features.
It’s perfect for those looking to produce audiobooks and correct their speech impediments.
And, of course, this review wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t touch on the negative feedback, too.
Some claim that the app crashes when they use Desript on their phones.
That’s why I suggest you work on a desktop, laptop, or some heavy hardware device to work unhindered.
There’s also been talk about the limitation of AI voices for longer sentences.
On occasion, the transcription process will run into lagging or freezing problems.
And there have been concerns raised about blank video portions during exporting.
Still, the ratings as a whole are excellent.
Quick responses from the Descript support team show they are committed to improving customer experience.
While you’re at it, there are some related posts you might want to bookmark and return to.
How To Create A Podcast Studio.
Beginners Guide To Making Money Online.
The Verdict: Is Descript the Right Fit for You?
Descript can work well for you to streamline your content creation process!
I can say that Descript can handle the job if you’re considering using it as your primary editing tool.
It’s perfect for novices (and even experts) who don’t want to overcomplicate things.
But what if you don’t want to give up your current software’s professional editing tools?
Well, you could consider combining the best aspects of both products!
You can always export your saved sessions to your preferred editing program to take advantage of a traditional DAW’s features.
In essence, you can use Descript for the first phase of your editing process.
This typically involves cleaning up your content and organizing the structures of your episodes.
And if your existing process works for you, don’t feel you need to change anything.
Just edit in the way that is most convenient and effective for you.
Descript FAQs
What sets Descript apart from other editing software?
It’s its user-friendly interface and short learning curve!
One-click enhancements, multitrack screens, camera recording, drag-and-drop options for adding information, and text-based editing are a few of the features that make the editing process more efficient.
Is Descript legit and safe?
Yes, Descript is a trustworthy service.
You can expect to get pretty accurate outputs with this software.
I still suggest you review transcripts before publishing because they’re not always 100% error-free.
As for security, you needn’t worry about anything you upload.
Descript is a dependable software platform that is secure to use.
The industry standard for secure internet transfers, HTTPS, encrypts the data you upload and download from Descript.
Is Descript better than Audacity?
I’m sure you’ve heard of Audacity, or maybe it’s the audio editing program you’re using now.
It’s free software that many creators have recommended for many years.
It’s okay, but it lacks that feature set that paid Descript plans have.
It doesn’t have automatic transcription, text-based file editing, and all the other excellent features listed above.
Is Descript the future of audio and video editing?
It certainly has the chops.
Its Overdub feature alone is a game changer.
You can’t use it right now to write complete sentences, but it’ll do for minor tweaks.
You can also work very quickly on your base edits on Descript.
This is something that documentarians and interviewers are currently raving about.
And who knows how much more efficient and accurate Overdub will become as AI improves?
Final Thoughts
I can recommend Descript to content creators who need a tool for editing audio and video files.
It’s handy software if you’re looking to start a podcast, video series, or online course.
I have to note, though, that Descript doesn’t make miracles.
It can’t hide that you’re using a subpar mic or camera. The output always depends on the input!
Again, it’s not the most robust tool out there.
It’s the trade-off for being so user-friendly.
Eventually, you’ll become aware of its limitations.
By then, hopefully, you’ll have found a competent team to handle the backend of your content production.
Have fun creating!
And if you’re looking for even more ideas, check out…
