Feedback: speech-to-text-pre-recorded-audio-set-the-start-and-end-of-the-transcript

Documentation Feedback

Original URL: https://assemblyai.com/docs/speech-to-text/pre-recorded-audio/set-the-start-and-end-of-the-transcript
Category: speech-to-text
Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:24:07 pm

Claude Sonnet 4 Feedback

Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:24:06 pm

Technical Documentation Analysis: Set the Start and End of the Transcript

Overall Assessment

This documentation covers a specific feature adequately but has several areas for improvement in clarity, completeness, and user experience. Here’s my detailed analysis:

🔴 Critical Issues

1. Missing Parameter Validation Information

Problem: No information about parameter constraints or validation rules. Impact: Users may encounter errors without understanding why. Solution: Add a dedicated section:

## Parameter Requirements
- `audio_start_from`: Integer in milliseconds (minimum: 0)
- `audio_end_at`: Integer in milliseconds (must be greater than `audio_start_from`)
- Maximum audio file duration limits may apply based on your plan

2. Incomplete Error Handling Examples

Problem: Code shows basic error handling but doesn’t address segment-specific errors. Impact: Users won’t know how to handle common edge cases. Solution: Add error scenarios:

## Common Error Cases
- Start time exceeds audio duration
- End time is before start time
- Segment too short for meaningful transcription (< 1 second)

🟡 Structure and Organization Issues

3. Missing Conceptual Introduction

Problem: Jumps straight to implementation without explaining the use case. Solution: Add introductory section:

## When to Use Audio Segmentation
This feature is useful when you need to:
- Transcribe specific sections of long recordings (e.g., meeting highlights)
- Process only relevant portions to reduce costs
- Focus on particular speakers or topics within a recording
- Create multiple transcripts from different segments of the same file

4. Lack of Visual Examples

Problem: No visual representation of how segmentation works. Solution: Add a diagram showing timeline with start/end markers.

🟠 Content Gaps

5. Missing Best Practices Section

Problem: No guidance on optimal usage patterns. Solution: Add:

## Best Practices
- Ensure segments are at least 1-2 seconds long for accurate transcription
- Consider adding 0.5-1 second padding around speech boundaries
- For multiple segments, consider batch processing for efficiency
- Test with short segments first to verify timing accuracy

6. No Performance/Cost Implications

Problem: Users don’t understand billing or performance impacts. Solution: Add note about how segmentation affects pricing and processing time.

📝 Code Examples Issues

7. Inconsistent Code Quality

Problems:

Some examples use better variable names than others
Missing error handling in some languages
Inconsistent commenting style

Solutions:

Standardize variable naming (audio_segment_start vs audio_start_from)
Add consistent error handling across all examples
Ensure all examples have equivalent functionality

8. Missing Real-World Examples

Problem: Only shows basic 5-15 second example. Solution: Add practical examples:

# Example: Extract first 2 minutes of a podcast
config = aai.TranscriptionConfig(
    audio_start_from=0,
    audio_end_at=120000  # 2 minutes in milliseconds
)

# Example: Skip intro and outro (extract middle content)
config = aai.TranscriptionConfig(
    audio_start_from=30000,   # Skip 30-second intro
    audio_end_at=3570000      # Stop 30 seconds before end
)

🔧 User Experience Improvements

9. Add Interactive Elements

Suggestions:

Time conversion helper (minutes:seconds to milliseconds)
Parameter validator
Audio duration calculator