Tools

Audio to JSON API

Submit any audio file. Get back a transcript with timestamps, duration, and metadata as structured JSON.

Try it below:

FILEDrop a file or click to upload

Production-ready

Private by design

Security-first

Scalable

Production-ready

Private by design

Security-first

Scalable

Production-ready

Private by design

Security-first

Scalable

Turn audio files into structured JSON

Upload an audio file or submit a URL, get structured JSON back.

{
  "kind": "audio",
  "name": "",
  "url": null,
  "state": "completed",
  "createdAt": "2026-07-19T10:55:27.277Z",
  "extraction": {
    "common": {
      "mimeType": "audio/mpeg",
      "size": 406191,
      "infected": false,
      "caption": "A brief description of Fabric CLI, an audio marketing excerpt promoting a terminal-based AI assistant for note-taking, task management, and library searches. It highlights interactive/AI agent modes and web/library access.",
      "keywords": [
        "terminal",
        "software",
        "command line interface",
        "ai assistant",
        "automation",
        "cli",
        "productivity tool"
      ],
      "thumbnail": "https://cdn.exabase.io/workspace/fd9cc776-caa4-4c8e-a279-c71497d13eb1/processing/4663f7ba-9e35-4a0f-bfc0-71c0d7abbd1d/thumbnail.jpg?token=ZbReiyKepBoy6YhSseqyskGKuvpV-EIlEvVjUxEopeg&expires=1785052800",
      "chunkCount": 2
    },
    "media": {
      "duration": 23.170562,
      "codec": "mp3",
      "bitRate": 128000,
      "sampleRate": 44100,
      "channels": "mono",
      "transcript": {
        "url": "https://cdn.exabase.io/workspace/fd9cc776-caa4-4c8e-a279-c71497d13eb1/processing/4663f7ba-9e35-4a0f-bfc0-71c0d7abbd1d/transcript.vtt?token=jFjZ1w8DiULd7cvqj0rnljrwmalJD2nXo907EZx7Iqo&expires=1785052800"
      }
    }
  }
}

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What is Exabase's audio to JSON API?

Submit an audio file to the Exabase Extract API and get structured JSON back. The response includes a full transcript, duration, MIME type, file size, a CDN-hosted thumbnail, and the transcript text split into searchable chunks with start and end timestamps. MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, FLAC, and other major formats are supported.

The same POST /v2/extract endpoint accepts both file uploads and URLs pointing to hosted audio. Transcription and chunking happen on Exabase's infrastructure. No speech-to-text model to host, no FFmpeg, no GPU provisioning on your end.

What you get back

The response includes the audio duration, a full transcript, and the transcript split into chunks. Each chunk carries a timeStart and timeEnd in seconds, so you can map any piece of text back to the exact moment in the recording. You also get MIME type, file size, total chunk count, and a CDN-hosted thumbnail. The API reference has the complete response schema.

One multi-modal API

The same POST /v2/extract endpoint handles every content type Exabase supports. For audio, it transcribes and returns timestamped chunks. For video, it does the same with the addition of frame dimensions. For PDFs, it returns page count, author, title, and (for recognised document types like invoices, contracts, and resumes) structured field extraction. For images, it runs OCR. For web pages, it renders JavaScript and extracts the content.

The submission flow is identical across all types: one endpoint, one SDK method, one webhook configuration. You learn the pattern once and use it for everything. The Extract docs cover each content type in detail.

What you can build with it

The timestamped chunks are the same format used across the Exabase platform. Feed them into a RAG pipeline so your agent can cite the exact moment in a recording. Build searchable podcast archives where users find the right episode and the right segment. Process customer support calls and extract structured insights from the transcript. Index meeting recordings so your team can search spoken content by topic.

Store transcribed audio as Resources in a Base and the content becomes searchable through Deep Search at the chunk level. Workers can re-extract updated recordings on a schedule, keeping your audio index current without manual work.

Beyond transcription

The Extract API returns more than a transcript. You get structured metadata, a CDN-hosted thumbnail, and chunks you can index directly. Store the output as a Resource and it's searchable through Deep Search immediately. Extract key facts from the transcript into Memory so your agent retains what it heard between sessions. The Submitting Jobs guide at https://exabase.io/docs/developer-guide/extraction/submitting-jobs walks through the full flow.

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How do I use it?

  1. Get your API key

Free, no credit card:

Sign up at exabase.io and copy your API key from the dashboard.

  1. Submit an audio file

Using the SDK (Node.js):

import { Exabase } from "@exabase/sdk";
import { createReadStream } from "fs";

const api = new Exabase({
  apiKey: process.env.EXABASE_API_KEY,
});

const job = await api.extract.createFromFile({
  file: createReadStream("./meeting-recording.mp3"),
  name: "Team standup — July 2026",
});

console.log(job.id);    // extraction job id
console.log(job.state); // "pending"

  1. Get the result

Poll the job until state reaches completed, or skip polling entirely with webhooks.

const result = await api.extract.get({ jobId: job.id });

if (result.state === "completed") {
  console.log(result.extraction?.media?.duration);
  console.log(result.extraction?.media?.transcript);
  console.log(result.extraction?.common?.chunkCount);
  console.log(result.extraction?.common?.thumbnail);
}

One API call. No speech-to-text model, no FFmpeg, no GPU.

What you get back

Field

Type

Description

state

string

completed or failed

kind

string

audio

extraction.common.mimeType

string

Detected MIME type (e.g. audio/mpeg)

extraction.common.size

number

File size in bytes

extraction.common.thumbnail

string

CDN-hosted thumbnail URL

extraction.common.chunkCount

number

Number of transcript chunks

extraction.media.duration

string

Duration in seconds

extraction.media.transcript

string

Full transcript text

Transcript chunks are retrieved separately via GET /v2/extract/{jobId}/chunks.

Each chunk includes timeStart and timeEnd in seconds alongside the transcript text.

API quick reference

Endpoint

Method

Description

/v2/extract

POST

Submit extraction job

/v2/extract

GET

List extraction jobs

/v2/extract/{jobId}

GET

Poll for result

/v2/extract/{jobId}/chunks

GET

Fetch transcript chunks

/v2/extract-settings

PUT

Configure webhook

Auth: X-Api-Key header on all requests.

File retention: Stored files are retained for 1 day from job creation. Download or copy anything you need before they expire.

Need file extraction or full page content?

Exabase offers a full set of tools to extract content from any media, document or website.

All your data extraction needs in one place.

Learn about Exabase Extract →

Why Exabase

Timestamps on every chunk

Transcript text is split into chunks, each with a start and end time in seconds. Link directly to the moment in the recording. Build seek-to-source UIs without any post-processing.

Timestamps on every chunk

Transcript text is split into chunks, each with a start and end time in seconds. Link directly to the moment in the recording. Build seek-to-source UIs without any post-processing.

Text as searchable chunks

Extracted text is split into structured chunks with page numbers. Build search, feed chunks into RAG pipelines, or index them directly. Not a single giant text blob.

Text as searchable chunks

Extracted text is split into structured chunks with page numbers. Build search, feed chunks into RAG pipelines, or index them directly. Not a single giant text blob.

No model hosting

Transcription runs on Exabase's infrastructure. No Whisper deployment, no GPU provisioning, no model version management. Submit a file, get a transcript back.

No model hosting

Transcription runs on Exabase's infrastructure. No Whisper deployment, no GPU provisioning, no model version management. Submit a file, get a transcript back.

Async processing that scales

Submit hundreds of recordings and let the pipeline handle them. Poll for results or set up webhooks and process completions as they arrive. No timeouts, no request-length limits.

Async processing that scales

Submit hundreds of recordings and let the pipeline handle them. Poll for results or set up webhooks and process completions as they arrive. No timeouts, no request-length limits.

One API for everything

The same POST /v2/extract endpoint handles audio, video, PDFs, images, and web pages. The response structure adapts to the content type. Learn one API, extract from anything.

One API for everything

The same POST /v2/extract endpoint handles audio, video, PDFs, images, and web pages. The response structure adapts to the content type. Learn one API, extract from anything.

Webhooks with delivery logs

No need to poll. Configure a webhook URL and get notified on completion. Every delivery attempt is logged with status codes and response bodies. You can manually re-trigger a webhook if your server missed it.

Webhooks with delivery logs

No need to poll. Configure a webhook URL and get notified on completion. Every delivery attempt is logged with status codes and response bodies. You can manually re-trigger a webhook if your server missed it.

Reprocess without re-uploading

If a job fails, call the reprocess endpoint. The API retries using the original file without requiring a new upload.

Reprocess without re-uploading

If a job fails, call the reprocess endpoint. The API retries using the original file without requiring a new upload.

Same account for full platform access

Audio extraction is one endpoint. The same Exabase account gives you Memory, Deep Search, Resources, and Workers. Same API key, different endpoints.

Same account for full platform access

Audio extraction is one endpoint. The same Exabase account gives you Memory, Deep Search, Resources, and Workers. Same API key, different endpoints.

Not just extraction

Extracted content can feed directly into the rest of the Exabase platform. Store it as a searchable Resource, index it with Deep Search, keep it current with Workers. Extract is one part of a complete data layer for agents.

Not just extraction

Extracted content can feed directly into the rest of the Exabase platform. Store it as a searchable Resource, index it with Deep Search, keep it current with Workers. Extract is one part of a complete data layer for agents.

Comparisons

vs AssemblyAI

AssemblyAI is a full audio intelligence platform with features like sentiment analysis, topic detection, and entity recognition. If you need those, use AssemblyAI. If you need transcription with timestamps as part of a broader data layer (storage, search, memory, automation), Exabase handles the transcription and gives you the rest of the platform alongside it.

vs Deepgram

Deepgram is fast, accurate speech-to-text. It returns transcripts and stops there. Exabase returns transcripts as indexed chunks that feed directly into the rest of the platform: store them as Resources, search them with Deep Search, keep them current with Workers. Transcription is one part of a complete data layer for agents.

vs Deepgram

Deepgram is fast, accurate speech-to-text. It returns transcripts and stops there. Exabase returns transcripts as indexed chunks that feed directly into the rest of the platform: store them as Resources, search them with Deep Search, keep them current with Workers. Transcription is one part of a complete data layer for agents.

vs Whisper on your own server

Running OpenAI Whisper yourself means provisioning GPUs, managing model versions, building a job queue, handling file storage, and scaling infrastructure. Exabase is one API call. The transcription infrastructure is managed for you.

vs Whisper on your own server

Running OpenAI Whisper yourself means provisioning GPUs, managing model versions, building a job queue, handling file storage, and scaling infrastructure. Exabase is one API call. The transcription infrastructure is managed for you.

Works with other Exabase features

Memory

Self-managing advanced memory system.

Bases

Isolated per-tenant instances with version rollback.

Resources

Files, notes, links. Your portable context server.

Deep Search

Sub-document multi-modal hybrid search.

Extract

Structured data from PDFs, websites, images, and more.

Workers

Autonomous agents and self-enriching knowledge bases.

Memory

Self-managing advanced memory system.

Bases

Isolated per-tenant instances with version rollback.

Resources

Files, notes, links. Your portable context server.

Deep Search

Sub-document multi-modal hybrid search.

Extract

Structured data from PDFs, websites, images, and more.

Workers

Autonomous agents and self-enriching knowledge bases.

Ready for scale

Fast

Deliver speed to your users. Infrastructure that won't slow your agent down.

Secure

Encrypted in transit (SSL) and at rest (AES-256). CASA certified.

Reliable

99.9% uptime. Built on Exabase's consumer-grade scaled infrastructure.

Ready for scale

Fast

Deliver speed to your users. Infrastructure that won't slow your agent down.

Secure

Encrypted in transit (SSL) and at rest (AES-256). CASA certified.

Reliable

99.9% uptime. Built on Exabase's consumer-grade scaled infrastructure.

Ready for scale

Fast

Deliver speed to your users. Infrastructure that won't slow your agent down.

Secure

Encrypted in transit (SSL) and at rest (AES-256). CASA certified.

Reliable

99.9% uptime. Built on Exabase's consumer-grade scaled infrastructure.

Use cases

Podcast search and indexing

Transcribe episodes, store them as Resources, and make every episode searchable at the sentence level. Users find the right episode and the right moment, not just the right show.

Call centre analytics

Submit customer support calls, extract transcripts, and search across all calls for specific topics, complaints, or resolutions. Each chunk maps to a timestamp for review.

Call centre analytics

Submit customer support calls, extract transcripts, and search across all calls for specific topics, complaints, or resolutions. Each chunk maps to a timestamp for review.

Meeting recording search

Transcribe team meetings and index them in a Base. Search across all meetings by topic, decision, or action item. Deep Search returns the exact moment, not just the file.

Meeting recording search

Transcribe team meetings and index them in a Base. Search across all meetings by topic, decision, or action item. Deep Search returns the exact moment, not just the file.

RAG pipelines with audio sources

Extract transcript chunks from recordings and feed them into your retrieval-augmented generation pipeline. Each chunk includes timestamps for source attribution.

RAG pipelines with audio sources

Extract transcript chunks from recordings and feed them into your retrieval-augmented generation pipeline. Each chunk includes timestamps for source attribution.

Voice memo processing

Submit voice memos and get structured transcripts back. Store them as searchable Resources so your agent can reference what was said across sessions.

Media asset management

Transcribe and index a library of audio files. Display duration, transcript previews, and thumbnails in your UI without playing the file.

Media asset management

Transcribe and index a library of audio files. Display duration, transcript previews, and thumbnails in your UI without playing the file.

Accessibility and compliance

Generate transcripts for audio content to meet accessibility requirements. Structured output makes it straightforward to produce captions or text alternatives.

Accessibility and compliance

Generate transcripts for audio content to meet accessibility requirements. Structured output makes it straightforward to produce captions or text alternatives.

Content repurposing

Extract transcript text from interviews, lectures, or panel discussions. Use the structured chunks as source material for articles, summaries, or social posts.

Content repurposing

Extract transcript text from interviews, lectures, or panel discussions. Use the structured chunks as source material for articles, summaries, or social posts.

Language learning platforms

Transcribe audio lessons with timestamps. Students can search for specific words or phrases and jump to the exact moment in the recording.

FAQs

What is Exabase?

Exabase is infrastructure for AI agents. It gives your agents memory, versioned file storage, AI deep search, and context automation through a set of APIs. Store what your agent learns, search inside any content type, and keep knowledge bases current automatically. Built for production use. Give your agent precise context and cut your token spend by up to 81%.

Who uses Exabase?

Developers and teams building AI agents, copilots, and RAG applications. If your agent needs to remember things between sessions, store and retrieve files, search across documents and media, or stay up to date without manual maintenance, Exabase handles that infrastructure so you can focus on your product.

How fast is transcription?

Processing time depends on the file length and format. Most audio files complete in seconds to a few minutes. Processing is asynchronous, so your application is not blocked while transcription runs.

What audio formats are supported?

MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, FLAC, and other major audio formats. The API auto-detects the content type and processes accordingly.

Do I have to poll for results?

No. You can configure a webhook URL and Exabase will POST the full result to your server when processing completes. The webhooks guide covers setup.

What do transcript chunks look like?

Each chunk contains the transcript text, a sequence number, and timeStart / timeEnd values in seconds. You can map any piece of text back to the exact moment in the recording.

Can I submit a URL instead of uploading a file?

Yes. Pass a url field in the request body pointing to a publicly accessible audio file. Exabase fetches and processes it.

What happens if extraction fails?

The job state moves to failed. You can call the reprocess endpoint to retry without re-uploading the original file.

How long are files retained?

Stored files are retained for 1 day from job creation, then permanently deleted. Download or copy anything you need before the retention window expires.

Can I use the transcript with other Exabase features?

Yes. Store transcribed audio as a Resource in a Base and the content becomes searchable through Deep Search. Extract key facts into Memory so your agent retains what it heard. Workers can re-extract updated recordings on a schedule.

How is this different from the Audio Transcription tool?

The Audio Transcription page focuses on the transcript output specifically. Audio to JSON covers the full extraction response: metadata, duration, thumbnail, transcript, and chunks. Same underlying API, different emphasis.

Is there an SDK?

Yes. The @exabase/sdk package for Node.js/TypeScript handles file streaming, job polling, and chunk retrieval. Install with npm install @exabase/sdk. Or call the REST API directly from any language.

What other content types does Extract support?

PDFs, images (with OCR), video files (with transcription), web pages, and documents. The same POST /v2/extract endpoint handles all of them. See the PDF to JSON, Image to JSON, Video to JSON, and Website to JSON tool pages.

Other tools

Token cost calculator

Link preview API

PDF thumbnail generator

PDF to JSON

Website to JSON

Audio to JSON

Video to JSON

Image to JSON

Invoice to JSON

Contract to JSON

Resume to JSON

PDF to chunks

Image to text

Audio transcription

Video transcription

Token cost calculator

Link preview API

PDF thumbnail generator

PDF to JSON

Website to JSON

Audio to JSON

Video to JSON

Image to JSON

Invoice to JSON

Contract to JSON

Resume to JSON

PDF to chunks

Image to text

Audio transcription

Video transcription

Deciding?

Ask your favourite AI about Exabase:

Cut your token spend and give your agent precise context.

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Start for free

Read the docs

Cut your token spend and give your agent precise context.

Get started in minutes.

Start for free

Read the docs