Guides › Recording

How to edit a voice memo on your phone or computer

Phone recordings are quick: a lesson idea, a podcast intro, an answer for a client, a short talk. They're also rough, with background hum, long pauses while you think and an “um” every few seconds. Here is how to get the memo off your phone, clean it up and turn it into text, without installing an app.

Clean up a voice memo in your browser: try Respeak free →

Step 1: Get the recording off your phone

• iPhone (Voice Memos): open the memo, tap the ⋯ button, then Share → Save to Files. It's saved as an M4A file you can choose from the browser.
• Android: most recorder apps save MP3, M4A or WAV files. Use Share, or find the file in your Files app, often in a Recordings folder.
• Or stay on the phone: open Respeak in the phone's browser and choose the file there.

Step 2: Remove background noise

Upload the memo, then click Enhance voice at the top right. It removes hiss, fan and air-conditioner noise and electrical hum, and keeps the tone of your voice. A 10-minute recording takes a minute or two. Not happy with it? Click Undo. It's free, for up to 120 minutes of recordings a day. Music is removed too, and room echo can't be.

Step 3: Cut ums and long pauses

Transcribe the memo, then open Remove fillers. Ums, repeats and pauses over a second are marked. Delete them all at once or one by one, click any other word to delete it, and listen before you click Apply cuts. This is free too.

Try it on your memo: noise removal and cutting are free →

Step 4 (optional): Fix a sentence you got wrong

Said a wrong date or name? Click the sentence, type the right words and generate it in the voice from that memo, or use Record this line to say it again yourself. Each sentence gets 3 free generations; replacing costs 1 credit, and you get 10 free credits when you sign up. It works only with your own voice.

Step 5: Export the audio and the text

Export the memo as WAV or MP3, with the option to bring it to −16 LUFS, a common loudness for spoken audio. Export the transcript as TXT, or as SRT subtitles if the memo goes with a video.

Tips for better phone recordings

• Hold the phone a hand's width from your mouth, a little to the side, so breaths don't hit the mic.
• Record in a small room with soft furnishings. Avoid kitchens, bathrooms and empty rooms: echo can't be removed afterwards.
• Turn on Do Not Disturb so calls and notifications don't interrupt the recording.
• Leave a second of silence before you start talking and after you finish. It makes the start and end easy to trim.

FAQ

Do I need to install an app?

No. Respeak runs in the browser, on a phone or a computer.

Which files can I upload?

MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG and more, and videos such as MP4 and MOV. iPhone voice memos are M4A files.

How long can a memo be?

Up to 10 minutes on the free trial, and 30 minutes after buying any credit pack.

Is it free?

Removing noise, cutting fillers and pauses, transcription (up to 60 minutes a day) and exporting are free. Only replacing a sentence with a generated one costs a credit.