Use an approved reader for the proprietary source.
For court reporters & legal transcription teams
Stenograph SGMCA court recording transcription & audio conversion.
The file shouldn't hold up the record. Convert proprietary .sgmca recordings into working audio, then turn that audio into a searchable legal draft with SpeechText.AI. Keep source channels separate. Spend your time checking testimony, not chasing format errors.
- Legal-domain recognition
- Speaker-aware drafts
- Audio-linked review
Retain separate microphone tracks where recorded.
Generate a draft built around courtroom vocabulary.
Your authorized reviewer certifies the final record.
The format, explained
What is an SGMCA file, and why won't it open?
An .sgmca file is a proprietary Stenograph audio recording encountered in court-reporting and Case CATalyst workflows. It carries recorded sound, not a finished transcript or raw stenographic text. Case CATalyst is the computer-aided transcription environment; SGMCA belongs to the audio side of the job.
The sticking point is the wrapper. SGMCA recordings use Stenograph-specific headers around encoded audio, including Ogg Vorbis in supported variants. Standard media players and generic transcription uploaders expect a recognizable audio container. Faced with an unfamiliar header, they reject the file before speech recognition even starts.
So a recording plays on the reporting workstation but throws "unsupported format" everywhere else. That's not proof of damaged evidence. The missing piece is a compatible SGMCA file decoder that reads the wrapper and exports ordinary audio. Trying another upload form won't do that work.
Renaming is not conversion. Changing hearing.sgmca to hearing.ogg or hearing.wav changes the label, not the file structure.
hearing.sgmcaContainer anatomyProprietary Stenograph headerRequires a reader that understands the file variant.
Encoded audio payloadAudio codec data, such as Ogg Vorbis, inside the wrapper.
From proprietary file to usable draft
Convert first. Transcribe second.
To transcribe SGMCA files online, start with readable audio. Use Stenograph software or an authorized conversion utility to create a working copy, then upload that copy to SpeechText.AI for high-precision legal speech recognition.
Stenograph or an authorized utility
Open the recording in its originating Stenograph environment, or use an authorized reader that explicitly supports that SGMCA version. Follow the audio-export procedure documented for your product. Menu names and export options differ across versions, so start with the matching help guide.
Stenograph software & supportSpeechText.AI SGMCA player & converter
For matters approved for web-based file handling, open the online SGMCA player & converter. Play a supported recording, download a standard audio working copy, and use that copy for transcription. This is the alternative route when your workflow calls for a browser tool.
Open the SGMCA converter-
Keep the original. Identify the source.
Archive the received
.sgmcafile and accompanying Case CATalyst job files under your evidence procedure. Work on a duplicate. Record the Stenograph product, version, recording duration, and available channels; then confirm that the source plays in a compatible tool. -
Export actual audio, preferably PCM WAV.
Use the documented export command to convert SGMCA to audio a standard player can read. Choose PCM WAV where available to avoid another lossy encoding stage. Retain the source sample rate and separate microphone channels. If the tool only offers individual exports, create one working file per channel and retain a common time origin.
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Upload the working copy. Select Legal.
Check the beginning, middle, and end of the exported audio before uploading it to SpeechText.AI. Select the spoken language and Legal domain, then start transcription. The model generates a searchable draft with speaker labels, ready for audio-linked editing instead of a blank page.
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Review the testimony. Certify through your process.
Map speaker labels to the appearance sheet. Check names, citations, exhibit references, quiet answers, and interruptions against the recording. Export the reviewed text to Word, TXT, or PDF. An authorized reporter or other qualified person completes the required certification, not the AI engine.
Multi-channel legal audio
Three microphones. Don't turn them into one muddy track.
A witness answers while counsel objects. A chair scrapes beside an open microphone. Courtrooms aren't sound booths, and a mixed recording makes every interruption harder to untangle.
Keep the separate source channels through conversion. SpeechText.AI's legal recognition and speaker labeling give you a practical way to work through multi-party hearings, while channel-specific working copies let reviewers return to the clearest microphone for each disputed passage.
- Preserve the useful separation.
Export individual microphone tracks where recorded, rather than committing every voice and room noise to a single mix.
- Keep channel identity and speaker identity distinct.
A channel is a recorded signal. Diarization labels speaker changes. It does not recreate independent microphones from overlapping voices in mono.
- Review cross-talk against aligned audio.
Use a shared time origin to compare the judge, witness, and counsel tracks without losing the sequence of testimony.
Separate sources. Clearer review.Illustrated channel isolation from existing source tracks
Preview
SpeechText.AI legal transcription
Legal accuracy is more than getting the gist.
Human-level legal accuracy means every name, negation, and exhibit reference stands up to an audio check. A missing "not" changes testimony. SpeechText.AI's Legal domain gives specialist language the right context, while your reviewer makes the final call on the record.
Terminology that belongs in a hearing
Select legal-domain recognition for motions, objections, procedural language, and specialist phrases. Keep a case-specific spelling reference during review so party names, citations, and technical terms stay consistent across a long deposition.
Speaker changes you can work with
Start with AI speaker labels instead of an undifferentiated wall of text. Match those labels to the judge, witness, and counsel using the appearance sheet and audio. Resolve interruptions before applying your final Q&A conventions.
Faster drafting, focused review
Let recognition produce the first pass. Use audio-linked editing to check quiet answers, courtroom echo, and cross-talk, then export the reviewed document. The aim is less time typing from scratch, with more attention on the passages that matter.
Evidence, access & production records
Protect the source before you process the sound.
A conversion creates a derivative. It does not replace the received recording or establish a chain of custody on its own. Keep the original SGMCA file, its accompanying project materials, and the export record in your approved evidence system.
For sealed, privileged, or otherwise restricted audio, resolve upload authority before cloud processing. Check the applicable order, client agreement, data-handling terms, retention rules, and access requirements with the responsible team. Local conversion and permission to upload are two different decisions.
Need agency-specific answers on storage region, deletion, access controls, or contractual terms? Get those answers in writing before adding a new service to your production workflow.
Discuss your recording requirements- 01 The original recording
- Retain the source as received. Record its origin, intake date, filename, and a SHA-256 hash under your evidence procedure. Perform conversion on a working duplicate.
- 02 The conversion record
- Log the tool and version, export date, audio settings, channel map, and time offsets. Hash the exports separately; a converted WAV has different file bytes from its source.
- 03 The approved upload
- Check processing permission and account access. Use an appropriate matter identifier in filenames rather than adding unnecessary personal details.
- 04 The reviewed transcript
- Keep the reviewer, corrections, and final version traceable. Complete formatting and certification through the procedure required for the receiving court or agency.
Built around the people doing the work
One recording workflow. Different production roles.
Stenograph court recording transcription rarely belongs to one person from start to finish. Give every handoff a usable audio copy, a clear channel map, and a transcript ready for the next review.
Legal transcriptionists
Begin with a legal-domain draft, not a rejected file. Check testimony against the exported audio and spend editing time on substance rather than retyping every clear passage.
Court reporters
Use AI text as a working draft alongside your reporting tools. Keep Case CATalyst project files and audio links available, then apply the required transcript conventions and human sign-off.
Legal assistants
Turn approved hearing and deposition audio into searchable text for internal case preparation. Identify useful passages without mistaking an AI draft for the official certified record.
Court recording agencies
Standardize intake, conversion, channel naming, and reviewer handoffs across matters. Separate the original evidence archive from the working audio and transcription production queue.
When a file stops production
Still getting an error? Check the handoff.
A failed upload, a silent channel, and a drifting timestamp are different problems. Fix the specific failure instead of converting the same file over and over.
- "Unsupported format" after renaming the file
- The proprietary wrapper is still there. Reopen the source in a compatible Stenograph reader and perform a real audio export. Confirm that the resulting WAV plays in a standard player before sending it to transcription.
- The source plays, but the export is silent
- Check channel selection and duration. Compare the export against the source at the start, middle, and end. Look for a muted or unused microphone track, an empty selection, or an incomplete export. Use the documented settings for that recording version.
- Two voices appear under one speaker label
- Review the overlap, not just the label. Return to separate source tracks where available. For a mixed mono recording, compare the audio directly and correct the attribution by hand. Diarization is not a replacement for an independent microphone.
- Transcript times don't match the case recording
- Check the clock. Compare source and export start times, duration, pauses, and any removed sections. Keep a common time origin across channel exports. Record offsets and edits instead of assuming that a new file starts at the same point in the hearing.
- The SGMCA file won't open in the expected tool
- Verify the product, version, and complete file set. Check the handoff for missing project resources or an incomplete copy. Contact the recording custodian or Stenograph support with the exact error and software version. Do not experiment with header edits on the original evidence file.
Practical answers
SGMCA transcription FAQs
Opening a file is one problem. Producing a defensible record is another. These answers cover the conversion, audio, and review decisions between them.
Go to the SGMCA playerWhat is an SGMCA file?
An .sgmca file is a proprietary Stenograph audio recording encountered in court-reporting and Case CATalyst workflows. Its wrapper includes Stenograph-specific headers around encoded audio, including Ogg Vorbis in supported variants. It is not a finished transcript or a stenographic text file. A compatible reader must interpret the wrapper before the audio can be exported for general transcription.
How do I open or play an SGMCA file?
Start with the Stenograph software associated with the recording, or an authorized utility that explicitly supports its SGMCA version. Keep accompanying project files available. For an approved browser-based workflow, use the SpeechText.AI online SGMCA player and converter to play a supported recording and obtain a standard audio working copy.
Can I transcribe SGMCA files online without converting them?
Use conversion first in this workflow. A proprietary SGMCA wrapper is not the same as an accepted audio upload format. Export a playable WAV or another supported audio format, then upload that copy to SpeechText.AI, choose the recording language and Legal domain, and generate the transcript.
Will renaming SGMCA to OGG or using FFmpeg decode it?
Renaming changes the filename, not the header or audio structure. General-purpose tools such as VLC and FFmpeg do not interpret every Stenograph wrapper. Use a format-aware SGMCA reader for extraction, then use standard audio tools on the exported copy. Do not strip an assumed number of header bytes from an evidentiary original.
Does the SGMCA extension mean the recording is encrypted?
No. Proprietary packaging and encryption are different things. A format error alone does not establish that a recording is encrypted, corrupt, or inaccessible. Confirm the recording product, version, and access requirements with its custodian or Stenograph support instead of drawing conclusions from the extension.
Are SGMCA recordings always multi-channel?
Channel availability depends on the recording setup and file variant. Three audible speakers do not automatically mean three independent tracks. Inspect the source in a compatible tool. Where separate channels exist, export and label them individually. Speaker diarization labels changes in a transcript; it does not recreate separate microphone recordings from an overlapping mono mix.
Does a WAV export retain Case CATalyst audio synchronization?
A standard WAV export carries audio, not the complete Case CATalyst project. Keep the original job, related files, and timing information for the existing audio-linked workflow. Track export start times and any edits separately. Do not expect an AI transcript or a WAV file to recreate stenographic notes, project links, or CAT-specific formatting.
How accurate is SpeechText.AI for legal terminology?
The Legal domain provides specialist context for courtroom language rather than treating a hearing as a general conversation. Clear source audio and separate microphone tracks give recognition a stronger input. Check names, negations, citations, exhibit numbers, and overlapping testimony against the recording. Human-level legal accuracy is a review standard, not a reason to skip the reviewer.
Does AI transcription produce a certified court transcript?
SpeechText.AI produces an AI-generated draft for review. Certification is a separate act completed by an authorized reporter or other qualified person under the applicable court procedure. The end-to-end workflow on this page places reporter review and certification after AI transcription, before the certified transcript is released.
Can I upload sealed, privileged, or confidential recordings?
Upload only with the required authority for that matter. Review the applicable order, client agreement, and organizational policy before cloud processing. Confirm retention, deletion, storage region, access controls, and contractual requirements with the responsible team and SpeechText.AI support. Local conversion does not itself authorize a later upload.
Should I export WAV or MP3, and what transcript formats are available?
Prefer PCM WAV for a working copy because it avoids another lossy encoding stage. Keep the source sample rate where supported; a higher rate does not restore missing detail. Exporting compressed source audio to WAV does not undo its earlier compression. After review in SpeechText.AI, export the transcript to Word, TXT, or PDF and use a format accepted by your reporting workflow.
How long does transcription take, and what does it cost?
Processing time depends on recording length and current workload; audio quality also affects the review time your team needs. Treat conversion, AI processing, and reporter review as separate production stages. Check the current SpeechText.AI pricing for usage costs and plan allowances, then test a representative, authorized excerpt before processing a full docket.
Get the audio ready. Get the draft moving.
Your next step depends on the file in front of you.
Have a playable WAV working copy? Start transcription. Still holding an SGMCA file? Convert it first, keep the source channels, and bring the audio into SpeechText.AI.