How To Transcribe ON24 Recordings Automatically

Your ON24 webinars contain hours of valuable insights, product demos, and customer conversations but if that content stays locked in video files, you’re leaving useful material difficult to search and repurpose. Automated transcription transforms recordings into searchable, accessible, and reusable text without the time required for manual transcription. Sonix, for example, reports up to 99% accuracy on clear recordings and says it can transcribe a one-hour audio or video file in about 5-6 minutes.

Key Takeaways

ON24 recordings can be transcribed automatically by downloading a webinar recording or Single File Archive and uploading it to an AI transcription platform no technical expertise required
Sonix can process a one-hour recording in about 5-6 minutes and reports up to 99% transcription accuracy on clear audio
Automated transcription can substantially reduce the time and cost associated with manual transcription
Custom dictionaries can improve recognition of technical terminology, product names, and industry jargon
Transcripts support content repurposing, accessibility, search, and knowledge-management workflows
Security features such as SOC 2 Type II certification, encryption, and access controls can help protect sensitive webinar content
Automated workflows reduce the manual effort required to turn webinar recordings into reusable content
Sonix supports transcription in 54+ languages and translation into 55+ languages

Why Automatic Transcription for ON24 Recordings is a Game-Changer

Remember when transcribing a single hour-long webinar meant dedicating most of an afternoon to it or waiting for a human transcription service? Automated transcription can make that workflow significantly faster.

The efficiency gains include:

Time savings: Manual transcription of one hour of clear recorded speech can take four hours or more, while AI transcription can produce a first draft in minutes
Cost reduction: Automated transcription generally requires far less labor than manual transcription
Instant searchability: Search the transcript for a word or phrase and navigate to the relevant part of the recording
Accessibility: Generate transcripts and captions that can help make webinar content accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing
Content multiplication: Use one webinar as source material for blog posts, social clips, email content, and training materials

Teams running frequent ON24 webinars can struggle to repurpose their content when every recording requires extensive manual review. Automated transcription reduces that bottleneck by turning the spoken content into searchable text that teams can review and reuse more efficiently.

Understanding Transcription Software for Webinar Content

AI-powered transcription software uses automatic speech recognition to convert spoken words into text. Modern platforms can go beyond basic speech-to-text by identifying speakers, adding timestamps, and creating editable transcripts. These capabilities are particularly useful for webinar content involving multiple participants, presentations, and Q&A sessions.

Key capabilities to look for in transcription software include:

Speaker identification: Detects different speakers and assigns labels that can be renamed during review
Word-level timestamps: Lets you click transcript text to navigate to the corresponding point in the recording
Confidence indicators: Help identify transcription results that may need additional review
Custom vocabulary: Lets you add company names, product terms, and industry jargon to improve recognition
Multiple export formats: Provides options such as Word documents, PDFs, SRT or VTT subtitle files, and plain text

Cloud-based transcription also eliminates the need to install desktop transcription software and allows teams to access their files through a browser.

Selecting the Best Transcription Software for ON24

Not all transcription services provide the same capabilities for webinar content. ON24 recordings can include multiple speakers, technical discussions, and Q&A sessions, so it is useful to evaluate platforms based on the features that matter for those workflows.

Evaluate transcription platforms against these criteria:

Accuracy: Accuracy varies with audio quality, microphone setup, accents, background noise, overlapping speech, and specialized terminology. Sonix reports up to 99% accuracy on clear recordings. Higher initial accuracy generally means fewer corrections during review.
Speed: Sonix says it can transcribe a one-hour audio or video file in about 5-6 minutes. Actual processing time can vary depending on the file and service conditions.
Language Support: Global organizations may need transcription and translation in multiple languages. Sonix currently supports 54+ languages for transcription and translation into 55+ languages.
Security: Webinar content may include proprietary information, customer data, or strategic discussions. Look for encryption, independently audited security controls, authentication options, and appropriate compliance documentation for your organization.
Integration Options: Connections to services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and Zoom can reduce manual file transfers. APIs, webhooks, and automation platforms can support more advanced workflows.

Step-by-Step: How to Transcribe Your ON24 Recordings

The exact ON24 interface can vary by account and webinar type, but the overall workflow is straightforward. Here’s how to transcribe your video content from ON24.

Step 1: Download Your ON24 Recording

After ON24 finishes processing the webinar archive, locate the recording through the applicable archive or Media Manager workflow.

ON24 supports Single File Archives, which create downloadable video copies of webinars. Completed live webinars can also appear as video content in Media Manager. From Media Manager, downloadable content can be accessed through the item’s menu.

Where available, an MP4 version is convenient for transcription because it can be uploaded directly to Sonix.

Step 2: Upload to Your Transcription Platform

Upload the ON24 recording to your transcription platform. With Sonix, you can upload from your computer or import content from supported sources such as Dropbox or Google Drive.

Select the language spoken in the recording and start transcription.

Step 3: Wait for Processing

Sonix says a one-hour audio or video recording typically takes about 5-6 minutes to transcribe. Processing time may vary depending on the file and current service conditions.

When processing is complete, the transcript becomes available in your Sonix workspace for review.

Step 4: Review and Edit

The transcript opens alongside synchronized audio or video playback. Click transcript text to navigate directly to the corresponding moment in the recording.

Review proper names, technical terminology, speaker labels, and sections with difficult audio before publishing or distributing the transcript.

Step 5: Export and Use

Download your finished transcript in the format you need:

DOCX for documentation and editing
PDF for archival and sharing
SRT/VTT for video captions and subtitles
Plain text for content repurposing

Common issues and solutions:

Uploading from another service: Use supported Dropbox or Google Drive import options where appropriate
Speaker labels need adjustment: Rename detected speakers during transcript review; Sonix can also remember recurring speakers in supported workflows
Technical terminology errors: Add recurring company names, product terminology, and specialized phrases to the Custom Dictionary

Leveraging AI for Accurate and Fast Transcription

AI transcription has developed well beyond basic speech-to-text. Current transcription platforms can combine speaker diarization, synchronized timestamps, searchable transcripts, and vocabulary customization to make recorded conversations easier to review.

Useful capabilities include:

Speaker diarization to separate different voices
Word-level timestamps for synchronized playback and navigation
Custom dictionaries for recurring terminology
Confidence data that can help prioritize review
Searchable transcripts for quickly locating words and phrases

For webinar content specifically, these tools can make presentations and Q&A sessions much easier to navigate. Sonix is also designed to preserve conversational context during speaker changes, interruptions, and overlapping speech, although recording quality still has an important effect on transcription accuracy.

Custom vocabulary is particularly useful for specialized content. Adding company names, product names, acronyms, and industry terminology can improve recognition of terms that general speech-recognition models may otherwise misinterpret.

Enhancing ON24 Transcripts with Editing and Collaboration Tools

Raw transcripts often require some review before publication. Collaboration features can turn that review process into a coordinated team workflow.

In-Browser Editing

Browser-based editors synchronize playback with transcript text so reviewers can make corrections while listening to the original recording.

Key editing and review features include:

Find and replace for recurring corrections
Speaker label management for consistent naming
Notes and comments on relevant passages
Keyboard-based editing and navigation tools
Version history for tracking changes

Team Collaboration

Multi-user workspaces help distributed teams share and review transcripts:

Team folders organize projects by webinar series, client, or department
Paragraph-level notes and comments allow reviewers to flag issues
Granular permission controls manage access at account, folder, or file level
Sharing controls let teams provide view or edit access as appropriate

Sonix currently uses a focused editing model rather than unrestricted simultaneous typing: one person edits the transcript at a time while other collaborators can view, search, listen, and leave notes.

For organizations running regular ON24 webinars, these workflows can reduce dependence on a single person to review and distribute transcript content.

Beyond Transcription: Translating and Subtitling ON24 Content

Global organizations often need webinar content in multiple languages. Automated translation can extend the reach of an ON24 recording after the original transcript has been reviewed.

Sonix translation capabilities include:

Transcript translation into 55+ languages
Multi-language subtitle generation
Caption export in formats including SRT and VTT
Subtitle timing and styling controls
Side-by-side review of original and translated transcripts

Automated subtitles can serve several purposes:

Accessibility for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing
Silent viewing when viewers cannot or do not want to play audio
Content reuse across websites, social platforms, and video libraries
Multilingual distribution through translated subtitle files

The workflow is straightforward: transcribe the original recording, review the transcript, translate it when required, and export each version in the appropriate transcript or subtitle format.

Optimizing ON24 Content: Search, Analysis, and Repurposing

Transcripts unlock value beyond simple documentation. AI analysis tools can help teams find and organize information that would otherwise require manual review.

Automatic Content Analysis

Sonix currently supports analysis capabilities including:

AI-generated summaries of transcript content
Automatic chapters with timestamps
Thematic analysis for recurring themes and patterns
Topic detection and tagging
Entity detection for people, organizations, places, dates, and other named items
Sentiment analysis
Custom AI prompts for extracting specific information
Folder-level analysis across multiple files

AI-generated analysis should still be reviewed when the output will be used for important marketing, research, legal, or business decisions.

Practical Applications

Marketing teams can use transcripts and AI summaries as source material for blog outlines, social copy, quotations, and potential video clips.
Sales enablement teams can build searchable libraries of demos and customer discussions. Instead of watching every recording from beginning to end, users can search for specific words or topics and navigate to relevant timestamps.
Research teams can analyze expert interviews and focus groups using summaries, themes, entities, and custom prompts while retaining access to the underlying transcript.
Training departments can create searchable reference libraries from recorded webinars, making it easier for employees to locate relevant sections without replaying an entire session.

As a transcript library grows, library-wide search becomes increasingly useful because users can locate words and phrases across recordings without manually reviewing each file.

Ensuring Security and Compliance for Your ON24 Transcripts

Webinar content can include sensitive information, so security features should be evaluated against your organization’s requirements.

Data Protection Standards

Sonix currently documents security capabilities including:

Encryption in transit using TLS 1.3
Encryption at rest using AES-256
SOC 2 Type II certification
GDPR compliance, with DPA and SCC documentation available
Granular access controls for files and folders
SSO/SAML support for Enterprise accounts
Two-factor authentication
Audit logs and data-retention controls in supported business workflows

Industry-Specific Requirements

Different organizations may need additional controls depending on the type of information being transcribed.

Healthcare: Medical Sonix provides HIPAA-compliant transcription workflows and Business Associate Agreements
Legal: Security controls such as encryption, access permissions, timestamps, and audit logs can support sensitive legal workflows
Financial services: Audit logs, retention controls, encryption, and access restrictions may be important depending on internal requirements
Education: Organizations should evaluate the platform’s security controls against their own legal and institutional requirements

For regulated or highly sensitive material, confirm required agreements, certifications, retention settings, and security documentation with the provider before uploading content.

Why Sonix Makes ON24 Transcription Simple and Powerful

For teams that need to transcribe ON24 recordings, Sonix combines automated transcription, editing, collaboration, translation, search, analysis, and export tools in one browser-based platform.

Key Sonix capabilities include:

Fast, accurate transcription: Supports 54+ transcription languages, reports up to 99% accuracy on clear recordings, and can process an hour of audio or video in about 5-6 minutes.
Synchronized editing: The browser-based editor syncs transcript text with the recording, while speaker identification and word-level timestamps make multi-participant webinars easier to review.
Custom Dictionary: Helps improve recognition of recurring product names, technical terms, acronyms, and specialized vocabulary.
Team collaboration: Supports team folders, paragraph-level notes, permission controls, and version history for shared webinar workflows.
Integrations and automation: Connects with services including Dropbox, Google Drive, and Zoom, with APIs and webhooks available for additional automation.
Security controls: Includes SOC 2 Type II certification, TLS 1.3 encryption in transit, AES-256 encryption at rest, authentication tools, access controls, and audit capabilities.
Transparent pricing: Sonix pricing lets organizations review current self-service plan details before choosing a plan.

Whether you’re transcribing occasional webinars or managing a larger recording library, Sonix can turn ON24 audio and video into searchable, editable, and reusable text without the labor required for manual transcription.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I transcribe ON24 recordings for free?

Sonix currently provides 30 free minutes of transcription with no credit card required, which allows you to test the transcription and editing workflow before choosing a paid option. For ongoing webinar transcription, check the current Sonix pricing page for available plans and usage allowances.

How accurate is AI transcription for webinars?

Accuracy depends on audio quality, microphone quality, accents, background noise, overlapping speech, and specialized terminology. Sonix reports up to 99% transcription accuracy on clear recordings. Custom Dictionary entries can help improve recognition of recurring company names, product terminology, acronyms, and specialized vocabulary, but important transcripts should still be reviewed before publication.

What file formats are supported for ON24 transcription?

Sonix accepts a wide range of common audio and video formats, including MP4, MOV, MP3, WAV, and M4A. ON24 supports downloadable Single File Archives, including MP4, which can be uploaded directly to a transcription platform. Sonix also supports importing files from services such as Dropbox and Google Drive.

How long does it take to transcribe an ON24 webinar?

Sonix says it can transcribe a one-hour audio or video recording in approximately 5-6 minutes. By comparison, University of Oxford research guidance notes that manually transcribing one hour of clear recorded speech commonly requires at least four hours. Additional review time will depend on recording quality, terminology, speaker count, and the accuracy required for the final transcript.

Can I translate my ON24 webinar transcripts into other languages?

Yes. Sonix currently supports automated translation into 55+ languages. After reviewing the original transcript, you can create translated versions and export multilingual subtitle files such as SRT or VTT. Because automated translation quality varies with the language pair and source material, important or public-facing translations should be reviewed before publication.

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