Processing Pipeline
What PreachKit does behind the scenes after you upload — audio extraction, transcription, and content generation — and how long each stage takes.
After you click Upload and generate, PreachKit runs your recording through a sequence of automated steps. You do not need to do anything — the whole process runs in the background while you go about your day. Here is what is happening and how long to expect each stage to take.
What You'll Learn
- The stages your sermon goes through after upload
- What each stage does in plain terms
- Typical timing for a 45-minute sermon
- What to do if processing gets stuck or fails
The Processing Stages
Stage 1 — Audio extraction (video recordings only)
If you uploaded a video file (MP4, MOV, or WebM), PreachKit first separates the audio track from the video. This produces a clean audio file that can be sent to transcription.
This step is skipped entirely if you uploaded an audio file directly.
Typical time: under 1 minute for most sermons.
Stage 2 — Transcription
The audio is sent to a speech-to-text service that converts the spoken word into a written transcript. PreachKit uses a model tuned for natural speech, and the transcription engine is primed with a list of biblical terms — book names, theological vocabulary — to improve accuracy with the kind of language preachers use.
If you attached notes or slides, their text is read alongside the transcript to further improve recognition of names, scripture passages, and key terms specific to your message.
The sermon page shows Transcribing with a progress indicator while this is happening.
Transcription in progress — typically 1–3 minutes for a 45-minute sermon Typical time: 1–3 minutes for a 30–60 minute sermon.
If you checked Let me review the transcript before generating, processing pauses here. You can read the transcript, make corrections, and then kick off generation manually.
Stage 3 — Content generation
Once the transcript is ready, PreachKit generates all the content types you selected. Each output type is produced in parallel where possible, so selecting more types does not add proportionally more time.
The sermon page shows Generating with a progress indicator.
Content is being written — most output types are ready within 2–3 minutes Typical time: 2–4 minutes, regardless of how many output types you selected.
After generation, the sermon is automatically tagged with topics and themes in the background — this happens silently and does not affect when you can access your content.
Stage 4 — Ready
When all output types are complete, the sermon status changes to Ready and the page displays all your generated content. If you provided an email address, you will also receive a notification.
All done — your content is ready to use
For video sermons, PreachKit also compresses the video and extracts a highlight clip in the background after transcription. These do not block your content from becoming available — they are bonus processing that happens separately.
Typical Total Time
| Sermon length | Expected total time |
|---|---|
| Under 20 min | 2–4 minutes |
| 20–45 min | 4–7 minutes |
| 45–90 min | 6–10 minutes |
| Over 90 min | 10–15+ minutes |
These are estimates. Times vary based on server load and how many output types you selected.
Common Questions
Can I navigate away from the sermon page while it processes? Yes. Processing continues in the background. Come back any time — or check your dashboard, where in-progress sermons appear in the Needs Attention section.
What does it mean if my sermon shows "Failed"? Something went wrong during one of the pipeline stages. Click the sermon to see the error message. Most failures can be resolved by retrying — use the Retry button on the sermon page. If the same sermon keeps failing, check that the recording file plays correctly on your device before uploading.
Why is my sermon stuck on "Transcribing" for a long time? Occasionally transcription takes longer than expected, especially for very long recordings or during high-traffic periods. If the sermon has been in Transcribing for more than 30 minutes, contact support.
Will my raw recording be available to download? Your original recording is stored securely and associated with your sermon. Download access depends on your plan and role settings.
What's Next?
Now you understand the full pipeline. Head back to uploading a sermon to start your first one, or learn about attaching notes and slides to get better results.