With the Transkriber, we slow down the audio immediately while we process the original wave file without the need to create an intermediate slowed down file. This means you can even change the speed while you are playing back. (You don't even have to save the original wave file but you may decide to do that so you can do the transcription in more than one session.)

This "realtime" slow down for feature is usually only available on dedicated hardware devices like the TR-1000 or TR-400.

Other programs that can slow down audio usually do so by creating another wave file for you at the slowed down speed. You may have to wait for several minutes or even much longer before you can hear the slowed down music. Some progams take 30 minutes up to many hours to create a slowed down section for even a small amount of recorded music.

In addition, if you want to hear the music at half speed, other programs must create a file 2 times as big as the original wave file with the music slowed down at that speed. Similarly, if you also want to hear some sections at 1/3 speed, then it must create another wave file 3 times the size of the original at 1/3 speed.

This is very inconvenient as during the process of transcribing, one will usually want to hear the music at different speeds .

You will also notice that those programs usually will not go slower than 1/4 speed. That is because to slow to speed 1/n, a sound file of size n times your original wave file must be created. At 44khz, 16 bit, stereo, it takes 10 megabytes of disk space per minute of audio. So a 2 minute solo would take 20 megabytes at full speed, 40 megabytes and 1/2 speed, 80 megabytes at 1/4 speed, etc.

In summary with other programs you need to :

• wait while the program slows your music down before you can hear it slowed down.
• repeat the above process for each speed you want to listen to the music at
• save wave files that get bigger and bigger as the speed gets slower.