Where OGG comes from

OGG is a container format from Xiph.org, designed as a patent-unencumbered alternative to commercial codecs. OGG Vorbis: the original spec, lossy compression at quality competitive with MP3, common in open-source recording tools (Audacity's default export option for years), Wikimedia audio, some game audio assets. OGG Opus: a more recent codec optimised for both music and voice, used by Discord for voice and by some Telegram exports — covered separately on the Opus to Markdown page. The transcription pipeline handles both flavours from a .ogg extension.

Linux and open-source workflows

If you're on Linux and you record audio with the default tools — sox, ffmpeg with Vorbis output, GNOME Sound Recorder, KDE Krecord — the file you end up with is almost always OGG. Forcing a transcode to MP3 just to upload to a transcription service is a step that costs quality (re-encoding lossy is always slightly lossier than the original) and time. Direct OGG support means the recording goes straight from your Linux box to Markdown.

Common voice-message use cases

Discord voice messages and some older Telegram voice clips export as OGG. If a colleague drops you an OGG voice message and you want to skim it instead of listen, transcription gives you a 30-second read instead of a 2-minute listen. Markdown output with timestamps lets you jump back to the audio if you need to verify a quote or re-listen to tone.