Feedback: guides-batch_transcription

Documentation Feedback

Original URL: https://www.assemblyai.com/docs/guides/batch_transcription
Category: guides
Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:43:13 pm

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Claude Sonnet 4 Feedback

Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:43:12 pm

Documentation Analysis & Improvement Recommendations

Overall Assessment

This documentation provides a functional guide but has several clarity, completeness, and user experience issues that should be addressed.

Critical Issues to Fix

1. Missing Information

Prerequisites & Setup:

• No mention of Python version requirements
• Missing folder structure setup instructions
• No guidance on supported audio file formats
• API rate limits and concurrent request limitations not mentioned

Error Handling:

• Incomplete error handling (only covers “error” status, not network failures, file access issues, etc.)
• No guidance on troubleshooting common issues

Resource Management:

• No discussion of API costs for batch processing
• Missing information about processing time expectations

2. Code Issues

Redundant Transcriber Creation:

# Current (inefficient):
def transcribe_audio(audio_file):
    transcriber = aai.Transcriber()  # Creates new instance every time

# Better approach:
def transcribe_audio(audio_file, transcriber):
    # Reuse existing transcriber instance

Missing Safety Checks:

• No validation that folders exist
• No file extension filtering
• No handling of empty directories

3. Structural Improvements Needed

Reorganize sections:

1. Prerequisites
2. Setup & Installation
3. Basic Example
4. Step-by-Step Breakdown
5. Advanced Configuration
6. Error Handling & Troubleshooting
7. Best Practices

Specific Actionable Improvements

1. Add Prerequisites Section

## Prerequisites

- Python 3.7 or higher
- AssemblyAI API key ([get one here](link))
- Audio files in supported formats (MP3, WAV, FLAC, etc.)
- Basic familiarity with Python threading

2. Improve Setup Instructions

## Setup

1. Create your project directory structure:

your-project/ ├── audio/ # Place your audio files here ├── transcripts/ # Transcription results will be saved here └── main.py # Your script

2. Install the SDK:
```bash
pip install -U assemblyai

### 3. **Enhanced Code Example**
```python
import assemblyai as aai
import threading
import os
from pathlib import Path

# Configuration
aai.settings.api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"
BATCH_FOLDER = "audio"
RESULTS_FOLDER = "transcripts"
SUPPORTED_FORMATS = {'.mp3', '.wav', '.flac', '.m4a', '.mp4'}
MAX_THREADS = 5  # Respect API rate limits

def setup_directories():
    """Create necessary directories if they don't exist."""
    Path(RESULTS_FOLDER).mkdir(exist_ok=True)
    if not Path(BATCH_FOLDER).exists():
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"Audio folder '{BATCH_FOLDER}' not found")

def get_audio_files():
    """Get list of supported audio files."""
    audio_files = []
    for filename in os.listdir(BATCH_FOLDER):
        if Path(filename).suffix.lower() in SUPPORTED_FORMATS:
            audio_files.append(filename)
    return audio_files

def transcribe_audio(audio_file, transcriber):
    """Transcribe a single audio file with comprehensive error handling."""
    try:
        print(f"Starting transcription of {audio_file}")
        file_path = os.path.join(BATCH_FOLDER, audio_file)
        transcript = transcriber.transcribe(file_path)

        if transcript.status == "completed":
            output_file = f"{RESULTS_FOLDER}/{Path(audio_file).stem}.txt"
            with open(output_file, "w", encoding='utf-8') as f:
                f.write(transcript.text)
            print(f"✓ Completed: {audio_file}")

        elif transcript.status == "error":
            print(f"✗ Transcription error for {audio_file}: {transcript.error}")
        else:
            print(f"⚠ Unexpected status for {audio_file}: {transcript.status}")

    except Exception as e:
        print(f"✗ Failed to process {audio_file}: {str(e)}")

def main():
    """Main function to orchestrate batch transcription."""
    setup_directories()
    transcriber = aai.Transcriber()
    audio_files = get_audio_files()

    if not audio_files:
        print(f"No supported audio files found in '{BATCH_FOLDER}'")
        return

    print(f"Found {len(audio_files)} audio files to transcribe")

    # Process files in batches to respect rate limits
    threads = []
    for audio_file in audio_files:
        thread = threading.Thread(
            target=transcribe_audio,
            args=(audio_file, transcriber)
        )
        threads.append(thread)
        thread.start()

        # Limit concurrent threads
        if len(threads) >= MAX_THREADS:
            for t in threads:
                t.join()
            threads = []

    # Wait for remaining threads
    for thread in threads:
        thread.join()

    print("🎉 All transcriptions completed!")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

4. Add Troubleshooting Section

## Troubleshooting

### Common Issues

**"No audio files found"**
- Ensure your audio files are in supported formats (MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, MP4)
- Check that files are in the correct directory

**Rate limit errors**
- Reduce `MAX_THREADS` value
- Add delays between requests if needed

**Large file processing**
- Files over 5GB may require special handling
- Consider breaking large files into smaller chunks

5. Add Best Practices Section

## Best Practices

- **File Organization**: Use clear naming conventions for audio files
- **Rate Limiting**: Don't exceed recommended concurrent requests
- **Error Logging**: Implement proper logging for production use
- **Cost Management**: Monitor your API usage for large batches
- **File Validation**: Always validate audio files before processing

6. Fix Minor Issues

• Fix typos: “acheive” → “achieve” (appears twice)
• Add consistent code formatting
• Improve variable naming consistency
• Add proper encoding for file operations

7. Add Real-World Examples

Include a practical example with sample file structure and expected output:

## Example Output

Given this file structure:

audio/ ├── meeting_recording.mp3 ├── interview.wav └── presentation.m4a

You'll get:

transcripts/ ├── meeting_recording.txt ├── interview.txt └── presentation.txt

These improvements will significantly enhance user experience by providing clearer guidance, better error handling, and more robust code examples.

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