Timecode Eraser

Timecode Eraser removes timecode references (such as [HH:MM:SS], (HH:MM:SS.mmm), and SMPTE-style HH:MM:SS:FF / HH:MM:SS;FF) from oral history transcripts, including any brackets or parentheses enclosing those timecodes.

All processing occurs locally in your web browser—no files are uploaded or stored.

Help / About

Source Files

Accepted formats: .txt, .doc, .docx (UTF-8 recommended).

No files loaded. Ready.

Configuration & Preview

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Regex Configuration (optional)

Transcript (Original)

Transcript (Without Timecode)

Load files, confirm the original preview, then click Process All Files to see results here.

Help / About

Overview

Timecode Eraser removes embedded timecode references from oral history transcripts so the text can be read, analyzed, and deposited without timing marks.

Targets include:

Bracketed/parenthesized: [HH:MM:SS], (HH:MM:SS.mmm), [1:23]
SMPTE: HH:MM:SS:FF and HH:MM:SS;FF
Standalone and line‑initial codes (optionally stripping a following dash)

Enclosing brackets/parentheses are removed along with the timecode.

Workflow

1) Load

Click Load Transcript Files and select one or more .txt, .docx, or legacy .doc files.
Use the left-hand file list to select a file and preview the Transcript (Original).
Confirm extraction looks correct (especially for .docx).

2) Process

Click Process All Files to generate Transcript (Without Timecode) for every loaded file.
In the Original preview, click any highlighted timecode to jump to the corresponding paragraph in the cleaned preview (highlight persists until another is clicked).

3) Export

Export All as .txt or .docx, or create ZIP bundles for each format.
Exported filenames are suffixed with _no_tc.

Preferred Formats & Tips

.docx (preferred for Word): parsed with Mammoth; JSZip fallback extracts text from word/document.xml.
.txt: use UTF‑8 encoding when possible.
.doc (legacy): treated as plain text; content may include binary artifacts—consider converting to .docx first.
Use a blank line between paragraphs for best paragraph mapping between the two previews.

Regex Configuration (Optional)

Open the configuration panel to adapt the patterns/toggles to house styles:

Core pattern: HH:MM or HH:MM:SS, optional milliseconds (HH:MM:SS.mmm).
SMPTE pattern: HH:MM:SS:FF or HH:MM:SS;FF.
Toggles: remove bracketed/parenthesized, line‑initial (and optional dash), standalone core, standalone SMPTE.

After changes, click Apply & Re‑process to re-run processing.

Troubleshooting

Original shows “PK … [Content_Types].xml”: a .docx was read as plain text. Re‑save as .docx and reload.
No cleaned preview: click Process All Files after loading.
Unusual timecode style: adjust patterns in Regex Configuration and re‑process.
Paragraph mapping seems off: ensure blank lines separate paragraphs in the source.
Large files: very large .docx can take longer to parse in‑browser.

Attribution & Privacy

Timecode Eraser was created by Douglas A. Boyd. This tool is provided for non-commercial and archival purposes and is used at your own risk. No warranty is expressed or implied; results should be reviewed for accuracy before publication or deposit.