# Getting Started with Speech to Text

With Deepgram’s STT API, you can transcribe both pre-recorded files and real-time streams, choose models optimized for different domains, and integrate transcription directly into your apps for use cases like conversational AI, live captions, and agent assist.

Before you start, consider your use case. Deepgram STT offers three main paths:

**Streaming audio**

::::card-grid
:::card{title="Real-time, turn-based transcription for voice agents"}
Benefits: Model-integrated end-of-turn detection, configurable turn-taking dynamics

Examples: Contact center agents, customer support bots, real-time assistants.

[Get started](/guides/streaming-audio-flux-quickstart)
:::

:::card{title="Realtime transcription for meetings and events"}
Benefits: Transcripts in real time, larger language availability, can get diarized transcripts

Examples: Captions, live event transcription, monitoring audio feeds.

[Get started](/guides/streaming-audio-live-streaming-audio)
:::
::::

**Pre-recorded audio**

::::card-grid
:::card{title="Pre-recorded file transcription"}
**Benefits:** Simple implementation, broader language availability,  cost efficient

**Examples:** Transcribing interviews, podcasts, meetings, support calls.

[Get started](/guides/pre-recorded-audio-pre-recorded-audio)
:::
::::

## Related pages

- [Amazon SageMaker](./amazon-sagemaker-index.md)
- [Aura](./aura-index.md)
- [Changelog](../changelog.md)
- [Custom Vocabulary](./custom-vocabulary-index.md)
- [Deepgram's Docs](../index.md)
- [Deployment](./deployment-index.md)
- [Docker/Podman](./docker-podman-index.md)
- [Features](./features-index.md)
- [Flux TTS](./flux-tts-index.md)
- [Formatting](./formatting-index.md)

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