My client sent me an audio that I could not use with my transcription software. Did I panic? Not too much. I just went to my favorite software developers to see if they had something I could use to convert his audio into a usable format. Same with video–sometimes I don’t need the video content, just the audio, so I have software I can use to extract the audio as an mp3 and just load that file into my transcription software. All of these options have been free.

A lot of software creators offer free trials–try before you buy. Some have limited functionality; others offer the full program. Usually the free version suits my needs, but occasionally I need an upgrade to do more advanced things, so I’m happy to pay $20 or $30 for a lifetime license of the particular program. I had a client who would send me his video files on DVD. I needed to extract the videos quickly and efficiently, so I paid around $30 for some software, mostly because the project I was working on would pay for it with just one file and I’d still make a hefty profit. Now I have the program in case I need it in the future.

The bottom line is: Don’t pay for software if there is something free out there that will do the job. I always search for free programs first, or at least free trials. Sometimes I only need to use a program once and if the free trial will do it for me, there’s no need to pay for it. I’ve found a lot of free software at http://www.download.com. They also offer reviews and a star rating, which is very helpful. I also look at the number of times the program has been downloaded because if it’s worked successfully for a number of people, it may work for me as well. They’ve also got a forum and you can sign up for a free account so you can track your favorites.