Feedback: speech-to-text-universal-streaming-multichannel-streams

Documentation Feedback

Original URL: https://www.assemblyai.com/docs/speech-to-text/universal-streaming/multichannel-streams
Category: speech-to-text
Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:22:47 pm

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Claude Sonnet 4 Feedback

Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:22:46 pm

Documentation Analysis & Improvement Recommendations

Critical Missing Information

1. Prerequisites & Setup

   • Missing: API key registration process and where to obtain it
   • Missing: Audio format requirements (supported codecs, bit depths, sample rates)
   • Missing: File size limitations and streaming duration limits
   • Add: Clear section on supported audio formats before the code example

2. Configuration Details

   • Missing: Explanation of why sample_rate is set to 8000 and when to change it
   • Missing: Complete list of available API parameters beyond sample_rate and format_turns
   • Missing: WebSocket connection limits and rate limiting information

Structural Improvements

Current structure is code-heavy. Recommend reorganizing as:

1. Overview & Use Cases
2. Prerequisites & Setup
3. Key Concepts
4. Basic Implementation
5. Complete Code Example
6. Configuration Reference
7. Troubleshooting
8. Next Steps

Clarity Issues & Solutions

1. Unclear Explanations

   • Issue: “format_turns”: “true” is not explained
   • Fix: Add explanation that this enables turn-based formatting for conversation flow

2. Complex Code Without Context

   • Issue: 400-frame buffer size appears arbitrary
   • Fix: Explain that 400 frames = 50ms chunks for 8kHz audio, and how to calculate for other sample rates

3. Missing Error Handling Context

   • Issue: No explanation of common failure scenarios
   • Fix: Add section on typical errors and solutions

Enhanced Examples Needed

1. Add Simple Example First

# Minimal example for quick start
import websocket
import json

def simple_multichannel_setup():
    # Basic setup for 2-channel audio
    pass

2. Add Different Scenarios
   • 3+ channel audio handling
   • Real-time microphone input
   • Different audio formats (MP3, FLAC, etc.)

User Pain Points & Solutions

1. Pain Point: Users don’t know if their audio file is compatible Solution: Add audio validation function:

def validate_audio_file(file_path):
    """Check if audio file is compatible with multichannel streaming"""
    # Validation logic here
    pass

2. Pain Point: No guidance on performance optimization Solution: Add performance considerations section

3. Pain Point: Difficult to debug connection issues Solution: Add comprehensive error handling examples

Specific Actionable Changes

1. Add Overview Section (before existing content)

## Overview
Multichannel streaming allows you to transcribe audio with multiple speakers on separate channels simultaneously. This is ideal for:
- Phone call recordings (2 channels)
- Interview recordings with separated tracks
- Multi-speaker conferences with channel separation

**Key Benefits:**
- Maintains speaker separation throughout transcription
- Provides real-time results for each channel
- Supports any number of audio channels

2. Add Prerequisites Section

## Prerequisites
- AssemblyAI API key ([get one here](link))
- Audio file with 2+ channels
- Python 3.7+ with required packages

### Supported Audio Formats
- WAV (recommended)
- Sample rates: 8000Hz, 16000Hz, 22050Hz, 44100Hz, 48000Hz
- Bit depth: 16-bit or 24-bit
- Channels: 2 or more

3. Improve Code Comments

Replace generic comments with explanatory ones:

# Current: "# 50ms chunks"
# Better: "# 50ms chunks (400 frames at 8kHz) - optimal for real-time processing"

4. Add Configuration Reference

## Configuration Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Description | Default |
|-----------|------|-------------|---------|
| `sample_rate` | integer | Audio sample rate in Hz | 16000 |
| `format_turns` | boolean | Enable conversation turn formatting | false |
| `speaker_labels` | boolean | Enable speaker labeling | false |

5. Add Troubleshooting Section

## Common Issues

### WebSocket Connection Fails
- **Cause**: Invalid API key or network issues
- **Solution**: Verify API key and check network connectivity

### Audio Not Processing
- **Cause**: Unsupported audio format or sample rate mismatch
- **Solution**: Convert to supported format or adjust sample_rate parameter

6. Add Next Steps

## Next Steps
- [Real-time Speech Recognition](link)
- [Speaker Diarization](link)
- [Conversation Intelligence](link)

Priority Implementation Order

1. Add overview and prerequisites (high impact, low effort)
2. Improve code comments and add simple example (medium impact, medium effort)
3. Add configuration reference and troubleshooting (high impact, medium effort)
4. Restructure with additional examples (high impact, high effort)

These changes would transform the documentation from a code dump into a comprehensive guide that helps users understand, implement, and troubleshoot multichannel streaming effectively.

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