Audio Annotation BASICS
Get introduced to speech and audio annotation. Transcription, speaker diarization, and sound event detection for voice AI.
Self-Paced · Always Open
Free
Optional certificate: S$9
Overview
Start your Audio Annotation journey.
Audio labeling is the only annotation modality where being a fluent speaker of a less-supported language is its own market. The work is listening, not looking: transcribing speech, marking who’s talking and when, tagging the cough or the dog bark or the door slam. Voice assistants, podcast moderation, transcription products, and music understanding all need this kind of data — and the native-speaker edge is real.
This Basics course covers the conventions: audio classification, transcription, speaker diarization, and sound event detection. Self-paced theory and knowledge checks; no fixed schedule.
Part of the Data Annotation Basics learning track. Optional verifiable certificate available for a small fee.
What You Get
What's included in your training
Structured Learning Modules
Learn at your own pace through structured modules on the DeeLab Academy learning platform.
Self-Paced Schedule
No fixed schedule. Start when you want, finish at your own pace.
Knowledge Checks
Worked examples and per-unit practice quizzes with instant feedback, plus a final knowledge assessment on the e-learning platform (80% to pass).
Optional Certificate
Optional verifiable certificate available for a small fee after you pass the final assessment.
Outline
What you'll learn
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Audio Classification
What audio classification is and how categories apply to a clip.
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Transcription
How accurate and consistent transcription captures speech.
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Speaker Diarization
What speaker diarization marks: who is speaking and when in a recording.
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Sound Event Detection
How non-speech events get identified and time-stamped (door slams, barks, sirens).
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Spotting Correct vs Incorrect Audio Annotations
How to recognise the difference between a clean annotation and a sloppy one.
Part of the Data Annotation Basics programme.
Self-Paced Course
Free
Optional certificate: S$9
- Full access to the learning environment
- Complete at your own pace
- Professional certification optional
How our free courses work
🌱 One free course at a time — finish this one before you start another.
✍️ When you complete it, a quick rating and honest review are required before your next free course unlocks — the only cost, and how we keep them free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about this course.
It's designed for absolute beginners. No AI knowledge or coding background required. Audio labelling uses different attention muscles than image work (listening rather than looking), so even people new to annotation entirely can start here without prerequisites.
No. The course covers the conventions of audio annotation in general, which apply across languages. Worth noting as honest context: being a fluent native speaker of a less-widely-supported language (any language outside the top 20 or so) is a meaningful market edge in production audio work. Native annotators are paid premium rates for low-resource languages because there aren't enough of them.
Self-paced theory lessons and an online knowledge assessment on the e-learning platform. The Basics tier is focused on understanding the conventions of audio annotation: classification, transcription, speaker diarization, and sound event detection. There is no hands-on work with annotation tools in this course; that comes in the paid Audio Labeling Essentials course.
The course is free, but the certificate is not — claiming it is optional and costs a small fee. It's verifiable proof that you've completed the self-paced course and passed the online knowledge assessment. Useful on a CV or LinkedIn profile as foundation evidence. It does not mean you've been trained to production transcription standards; the paid Audio Labeling Essentials course is the hands-on path toward hireability. Essentials-level courses make up the Certified Data Annotator (CDA) programme.
Two natural directions from here. To broaden your foundation, the Data Annotation Basics (DAB) programme has free courses on image, video, text, segmentation, and 3D point cloud, all at the same level as this one. To go deeper into audio annotation specifically, the paid Audio Labeling Essentials course is the next level up: online sessions with an industry trainer, access to the labeling tools used in production, ongoing support, and a graded final assessment. The Essentials-level courses make up the Certified Data Annotator (CDA) programme.
You have three months to complete the course, counted from the end date of your first course run. The deadline is fixed and doesn't reset if you move to a later run.
Yes — you're automatically enrolled in the run you choose, and you can move to another scheduled run of the same course up to twice from your dashboard. Your payment carries over and your completion deadline stays pinned to your first run's end date.
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