Descript February 2024 Update: New AI Voices, Upgraded Quick Recorder, and the Launch of Descript Labs

See what Descript released in February 2024, including new AI stock speakers, an improved Quick Recorder, and the launch of Descript Labs.

Descript's February 2024 release added new AI stock voices, a faster Quick Recorder, and Descript Labs for experimental features. The focus was speeding up recording and widening the AI voice options. It is a clear example of Descript adding AI tools across recording, editing, and voice.

Leap year. As we prepare to set our clocks ahead by one day, impending panic closes in. Even with the time change, February remains the shortest month, and has us feeling harried, rushed, unsettled. We barely had time to write this.

AI Stock Speakers: more, better, easier-to-use

We began an overhaul of our Stock Speaker library in December; since then we’ve been adding voices and tweaking the interface, with new tagging to help you pick the right speaker. There are now 21 stock voices in there, ranging from casual, older, masculine Robert to corporate, adult, feminine Monica. Neither of them sound very fun TBH, but when you need them, they’ll be there.

Learn more at our Help Center.

Quick Recorder gets an upgrade

We’ve cranked up the speed and reliability on our Quick Recorder. Now you can choose to record and share, which will get you a published share page almost immediately after you stop recording; or choose record-and-edit to be immediately taken into a new Descript project. In either case, your recordings will upload to the cloud as you’re recording, so you get where you need to go the moment you’re done, basically.

Here's how it works.

Descript Labs: à la carte beta testing

Want to try using some new Descript features when they’re in beta, but not all of them? Now you can, with our opt-in Descript Labs. Starting with a newly redesigned timeline, you’ll be able to choose which upcoming features you want to try out with a toggle in the settings menu. It’s a great way to get a preview of Descript changes that will impact your workflow, and to help shape the final product by reporting back to our team. We’ve included a little feedback form so you can easily tell us how it goes—the good, the bad, the highly nuanced.

Editor updates, AI Actions, and a little more

You may have noticed that the pace of change in the main editor has slowed. With new features like Labs, we hope to be more thoughtful with changes that may alter your workflow, and more aggressive with changes that make it easier. For example, we’ve been simplifying menus and submenus, and beefing up our AI Summarize tool to handle content of any length. We’re focused on changes that take the stress out of peeking at the changelog every few weeks.

Even in a leap year, we don’t expect you to have the time to read about every little thing we did in February. But if the extra day’s left you with nothing better to do, hit up the changelog to find out what happened to your disappearing wordless media dots (it was a bug) and see screenshots of all the small changes. And if after that you’re still yearning to learn, come check out our blog, where we’ve got super-astute advice on using AI to analyze images and charts, plus a breakdown of how ChatGPT works, and what it means for creators.

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