# Prerecorded

The REST API provides speech-to-text transcription for complete audio files. You upload an audio file and receive the full transcript in the response.

Use it when the audio already exists in full: recordings of finished meetings or calls, voice memos, or an audio archive. When in doubt, see [Choosing an Endpoint](/choosing-an-endpoint/).

## Audio Format

With the default `encoding=auto`, the server detects the audio format from the uploaded file; for raw audio, set `encoding` explicitly. See [Audio Formats](/speech-to-text/features/audio-formats/) for the supported formats.

## Language

The server auto-detects the language by default; use the `language` query parameter to pin one or constrain detection to a list. See [Languages](/speech-to-text/features/languages/). Set `include_language=true` to include the detected `language` in the response.

## Diarization

Pass `diarize=true` to label transcribed speech by speaker. The response is split into per-speaker `segments`. See [Diarization](/speech-to-text/features/diarization/).

## How It Works

1. **Authenticate** - Include an [authentication](/authentication/) header in your request.
2. **Configure** - Use [query parameters](/api/speech-to-text/prerecorded/#query-parameters) to set the audio encoding and which fields to include in the response.
3. **Upload audio** - Send the audio file as the request body with `Content-Type: application/octet-stream`.
4. **Receive transcript** - The server processes the entire file and returns the transcript as JSON.

See the [API reference](/api/speech-to-text/prerecorded/) for full details on fields and error codes, or [Getting Started](/) for a working curl example.