Voice-to-Text Transcription Tool

A lightweight, system-tray based application that provides real-time voice-to-text transcription using OpenAI's Whisper API. Simply hold F4, speak, and release to have your speech transcribed directly to your cursor position.

Features

• 🎙️ Real-time voice recording with automatic silence detection
• 🔄 Instant transcription using OpenAI's Whisper API
• 🌐 Support for multiple languages (English and Portuguese)
• 🖥️ System tray integration for easy access
• ⌨️ Hotkey support (F4) for quick recording
• 📝 Direct text insertion at cursor position
• 🎯 Minimal CPU usage when idle

Requirements

• Python 3.7 or higher
• Linux with GTK3 support
• ALSA/PulseAudio for audio capture
• OpenAI API key

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/voice-to-text.git
   cd voice-to-text

2. Create a .env file with your OpenAI API key:

   echo "OPENAI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here" > .env

3. Run the installation script:

   sudo ./install.sh

The installation script will:

• Install required system dependencies
• Set up a Python virtual environment
• Install Python package dependencies
• Configure audio settings
• Create a desktop entry for easy access

Usage

1. Start the application:

   ./run.sh

   Or launch it from your applications menu.

2. Look for the green icon in your system tray.

3. To transcribe:

   • Hold F4
   • Speak clearly
   • Release F4
   • The transcribed text will appear at your cursor position

4. Additional features:

   • Right-click the tray icon for options
   • Switch between languages from the tray menu
   • Click "About" for version information
   • Use "Exit" to close the application

Configuration

The application can be configured by modifying src/voice_to_text/config.py:

• Audio settings (sample rate, channels, chunk size)
• Recording thresholds and durations
• Language preferences
• UI customization

Architecture

The application is structured into several key components:

src/voice_to_text/
├── audio/
│   ├── recorder.py    # Audio capture and processing
│   └── transcriber.py # Whisper API integration
├── ui/
│   ├── tray_icon.py   # System tray interface
│   ├── text_output.py # Text insertion handling
│   └── keyboard_handler.py # Hotkey management
└── config.py          # Application configuration

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. No audio input detected

   • Check your microphone permissions
   • Verify ALSA/PulseAudio configuration
   • Run alsamixer to check input levels

2. Transcription not appearing

   • Ensure your OpenAI API key is valid
   • Check internet connectivity
   • Verify cursor is in a text-editable area

3. System tray icon not showing

   • Ensure GTK3 is properly installed
   • Check if your desktop environment supports system trays

Logs

Application logs are stored in voice_to_text.log. Enable debug logging by modifying the logging level in run.py.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• OpenAI Whisper for the transcription API
• PyAudio for audio handling
• pystray for system tray integration

Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions, please:

1. Check the Troubleshooting section
2. Look through existing Issues
3. Create a new issue if needed

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Made with ❤️ by Rodrigo Werneck @rodrigowf ou rodrigowf.github.io in partnership with CursorIDE powered by Claude-3.5-sonnet