Transcribe Audio to Text on Mac: Free & Easy Methods

Need to convert your audio files into text on your Mac? Look no further! MacOS Sequoia offers a seamless way to transcribe audio recordings directly into text without needing extra software. This article provides a comprehensive guide on leveraging your Mac's built-in tools for efficient and accurate audio transcription. It's perfect for anyone looking to create written records of lectures, meetings, or personal notes quickly and easily.

Transcription vs. Dictation: Understanding the Difference

Many Mac users are familiar with dictation, a feature that allows you to speak directly into your microphone and have your words converted into text in real-time. This is different than transcription, which takes pre-recorded audio and converts it into a written format. Transcription offers the flexibility of working with existing audio files, while dictation requires you to generate the audio and text simultaneously. MacOS Sequoia now provides seamless Transcription capabilities, making it easier than ever to create written versions of your audio content.

Transcription involves converting an already recorded audio file into text. This is particularly useful when you have existing audio that you need in written form.

Requirements for Using MacOS Sequoia Transcription

Before diving into the process, it's essential to ensure you meet the necessary requirements for using the transcription features in MacOS Sequoia. These requirements include:

• Apple Silicon: Your Mac needs to be powered by Apple Silicon. This technology is what enables the on-device audio processing required for the MacOS Sequoia transcription feature.
• MacOS Sequoia: Ensure you are running MacOS Sequoia or a later version to access the transcription tools.
• Language Setting: Make sure your Mac's primary language is set to English (specifically English as used in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, or US).

While more languages and regions might be supported in future updates, at Present the features are limited to these specific regions and systems. For now, you can check your requirements on your mac by following these steps:

1. Click the Apple menu.
2. Select "About This Mac."
3. Check that your software is MacOS Sequoia.
4. Click the system settings icon on the dock, select the 'General' tab and click 'Language & Region' to verify your region setting.

Using the Voice Memos App for Transcription

One of the most straightforward methods for transcribing audio is using the Voice Memos app, a default MacOS application. The primary function of Voice Memos is to Record audio directly from your Mac or iOS device. However, it also integrates transcription functionality, allowing you to convert your recordings into text.

Here's how to record and transcribe using Voice Memos:

1. Launch the Voice Memos app. You can find it in your Applications folder or by using Spotlight search.
2. Record Your Audio. Click the red record button and start speaking into your Mac's microphone. Voice Memos is also available for iOS and iPadOS and Synced through iCloud. You can make recordings on your iPhone, and then go back and transcribe on your Mac.
3. Stop Recording. Press the record button again to stop the Recording.
4. Access the Transcription. Select the recording you just made from the list on the left panel. The right pane displays the waveform, double click the name to rename the file, then click the transcript button with text in brackets to review your generated transcript.

The transcription will automatically generate below the audio. Note that there may be some errors, so you'll likely want to proofread and edit the output. This makes a quick overview of the captured memo easy to review. From here, you can copy and paste, as well as edit the text.

Importing Audio Files into Voice Memos

You can import the files directly into voice memos to transcribe, making it a single app and workflow you can use for both existing audio recordings and new recordings.

Follow these steps to import files into voice memos:

1. Verify that your target audio is encoded as an M4A file. M4A is a MPEG-4 audio file format used to store audio content. To check this, right click the target file and check its 'Kind' listing.
2. Open the MacOS Voice Memos app and drag your target audio file into the left-HAND pane of the app.
3. The file will then appear, select it and your transcription should be displayed automatically in the right-hand pane.

However, be aware that Voice Memos supports a limited number of audio formats like M4A. You may need to convert incompatible formats before importing.

How to change audio file format with QuickTime player

QuickTime player provides encoding options such as audio encoding, so you can change a audio file into what you want it to be. Before the import into the voice memo apps

:

1. Find the target audio, right click the file and select "Open with"
2. click on the QuickTime player app to open with.
3. In the QuickTime player app, click "file"on the top left of the window and select the "export as" drop down.
4. Select the target audio type in the dropdown, you can choose encode it as a High Quality audio, iTunes Plus audio, Podcast audio or other options you like.

Copying and Pasting Text

Once your audio is transcribed, you can easily copy and paste the text into other documents or applications. This is particularly useful for creating notes, reports, or articles.

Just select the transcribed text, use the Command + C shortcut to copy, and paste it into your desired destination using Command + V. Double-clicking on a single word will select the WORD, or holding down the Shift key will allow the user to select a range of text. Control + A will select the complete transcribed document.

Navigating the Transcription Timeline

Voice Memos links audio directly to the transcribed text, making it simple to both review and correct any errors.

Clicking a given word in the text will cause the audio to begin playing from that location in the recording. This makes edits and reviews easy to perform. You can also quickly scrub forward and backward in the audio to easily locate points to reference using the text readout.

Leveraging Apple Intelligence for Enhanced Productivity

If you have Apple Intelligence enabled on your Mac, you can use advanced features like Summarize and Key Points to condense the transcribed text. To use this feature, select the text, right click the text, select the 'Writing Tools' drop down, and then click the Summary tab. This can save significant time when dealing with long recordings and large chunks of text. Apple Intelligence helps you quickly identify the most important parts of the transcription, which helps focus your attention where it matters most.

You don't need to pay anything to use Voice Memos or QuickTime.

Since both Voice Memos and QuickTime come installed on your Mac, you already have access to free audio and Video Recording and encoding. There's no additional cost involved in utilizing them. This makes it a cost-effective solution for basic transcription needs. Many transcription programs online require a monthly subscription or per-use charge, but with a bit of manual work, MacOS Sequoia has all the features necessary without needing to pay for additional services.