Descript Review 2026: UK Guide to "Underlord" & AI Editing

The "Underlord" Era: Key AI Features

The rebranding to "Underlord" isn't just marketing fluff; it signals a move towards generative workflows. Here is what works (and what doesn't) for the UK market.

1. AI Transcription & Regional Accents

The "edit text to edit video" workflow remains Descript's killer feature. But how does it handle the UK's linguistic map?

• The Good: Accuracy on Received Pronunciation (Standard BBC English) is near-perfect (95%+).
• The Reality: Heavy regional dialects—specifically broad Glaswegian, Geordie, or West Country accents—still require "grooming." You will need to budget time for a human to clean up the transcript before the edit begins.
• Tip: Ensure your project language is set to "English (UK)" immediately to avoid American spellings (e.g., "color") appearing in your captions.

2. Studio Sound: Regenerative Audio

Unlike traditional noise reduction which cuts frequencies, Studio Sound uses AI to "resynthesize" the voice. It hallucinates a clean, studio-quality version of your audio.

• Use Case: Perfect for recording in glass-walled meeting rooms in Shoreditch or home offices with traffic noise.
• The Risk: It can be aggressive. We've found that leaving it at the default 100% intensity can make speakers sound robotic. Dialling it down to 70-80% retains more natural human cadence.

3. Eye Contact Correction

This feature redraws the subject's eyes to look at the camera lens, correcting the "reading off a screen" look. In 2026, it now handles blinking and natural eye movements far better than early deepfake tech.

• Limitation: It still struggles with spectacles, especially those with strong prescriptions or heavy anti-reflective coatings. Always test a clip before committing to a full recording.

4. Overdub & "Regenerate"

The old "Overdub" feature has evolved. The new "Regenerate" function doesn't just clone your voice; it analyses the tone and room ambience of the surrounding words to blend edits seamlessly.

• The ROI: This is a massive money-saver for UK agencies. If a speaker says "15 million" instead of "50 million," you can fix the audio in seconds without rehiring the voice artist for a pickup session.

The Operational Reality: Stability Concerns

We cannot gloss over the user sentiment in professional circles throughout late 2024 and 2025. Descript often feels like it is in a perpetual "Beta" state.

• The Crash Risk: Users frequently report instability on projects longer than 60 minutes.
• Hardware Hungry: Despite being a "cloud" tool, the desktop app relies heavily on your local machine. Ideally, your creative team needs Apple Silicon (M3/M4) or dedicated NVIDIA graphics to run this smoothly.
• Updates: The aggressive update schedule often introduces new bugs (regressions). It is wise to disable auto-updates during critical project deliveries.

The Commercial Reality for UK Business

Adopting US-centric SaaS tools introduces friction for British companies. Here is what your Finance Director needs to know.

1. USD Billing & FX Fees

Descript bills exclusively in US Dollars.

• Currency Risk: Your monthly cost will fluctuate with the GBP/USD exchange rate.
• Hidden Fees: Most UK corporate cards levy a "Non-Sterling Transaction Fee" of around 2.75% - 2.99%.

2. The VAT Reverse Charge

Descript does not charge UK VAT at the point of sale. However, this is not a tax-free purchase.

• The Mechanism: Under HMRC rules, you must account for the VAT via the "Reverse Charge" mechanism. You essentially charge yourself the 20% VAT and then reclaim it on the same return (if you are VAT registered).
• The Admin Cost: This requires your accounts team to manually flag invoices to ensure they aren't miscategorised.

3. Data Sovereignty & UK GDPR

Descript stores data primarily on Google Cloud and AWS servers in the United States.

• Compliance: For UK GDPR compliance, this relies on the "Data Privacy Framework" (the UK-US data bridge).
• Sensitivity: If you are in a highly regulated sector (legal, medical, finance), your DPO should review the data transfer agreements.

Pricing & The "AI Credit" Economy

Pricing has shifted to a hybrid model of "Seats" and "Credits."

• Creator: ~$24/user/month (USD). Good for individuals.
• Business: ~$50/user/month (USD). The standard for teams. Includes more remote recording hours and AI features.
• The Trap: Heavy use of "Underlord" features (Translate, Eye Contact, Studio Sound) consumes "AI Credits."

Verdict & Recommendation

Descript is highly recommended for operational efficiency in Marketing, L&D, and Internal Communications. It democratises video, allowing a single comms manager to produce content that previously required an agency.

However, for professional broadcast workflows, we advise a "hybrid" approach. Use Descript for the "paper edit" and then export to Adobe Premiere Pro for the final polish.