Test: faster-whisper int8 dropped up to 60 s of speech, float32 didn't

A developer of a podcast transcription tool found that faster-whisper 1.2.1 in int8 mode with 8 threads skipped entire passages — up to 60.5 seconds in a 61.5-second clip. Gaps appeared in 13 of 15 runs, while float32 produced 0 of 15 at 3.8 s per minute of audio versus 2.4 s for int8.

• int8 with 8 threads: gaps in 13 of 15 runs, longest 60.5 s
• float32 with 8 threads: 0 gaps in 15 runs, 3.8 s per minute of audio
• Capping to 4 threads cut gaps to 1 of 15 runs
• Author released the MIT-licensed faster-whisper-gap-check tool