Transcribe Audio to Text Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide

Method 1. Transcribe Voice to Text on Mac Using Dictation

Let's cover the basics before learning to transcribe audio to text live using Dictation. Did you know that the Dictation feature lets you quickly turn live speech into text on Mac computers? Mac users can access an in-built voice recognition software that can dictate text. This internal dictation function may be the most convenient way to transcribe audio on a Mac.

Here's a step-by-step guide to transcribing audio on Mac using Dictation.

Step 1: Open System Preferences or click the Apple icon.

Step 2: Tap the Keyboard button.

Step 3: Hit the Dictation feature and select the On option.

Step 4: Enable the Dictation feature and select a shortcut.

Step 5: Open a document, use your selected shortcut, and hit the Record button to start text transcription.

Pros

• Using the dictation feature is very simple and does not require external tools.
• Built-in feature

Cons

• Using the dictation feature is good to start, but it needs to be 100% accurate.
• It may not be the best method for users looking to transcribe a lot of content without extensive editing.

Method 2. Transcribe Audio to Text on Mac Using Descript

Descript is an audio and video editor that scans transcripts, highlights hundreds of filler words like um and ah, and removes them with a single click. Advanced AI cuts out a lot of busy work and adds new capabilities not seen elsewhere, thereby saving editors a lot of time. Descript's audio-to-text capabilities transcribe audio to text on Mac with up to 95% accuracy to create captions, transcripts, subtitles, and text files.

How to Transcribe Audio to Text Mac Via Descript

Step 1: Upload your audio file to be transcribed. A transcript will be automatically generated and synced to your audio.

Step 2: After your transcription is done, edit it. By default, your editing timeline will be synced to your new transcript. You can rearrange or delete the text to edit your audio, allowing you to remove filler words in one click.

Step 3: Export in your desired format. Once your transcript is polished, head to Publish > Export and choose an export option.

Pros

• Descript has an intuitive interface
• Supports many advanced features available, like Overdub and Studio Sound

Cons

• It does not have a mobile app for editing podcasts or videos on the go
• It has a steep learning curve

Method 3. Transcribe Voice to Text on Mac Using Otter.ai

Otter.ai is an AI-powered automatic transcription service. This software allows users to record and turn audio into text on a Mac with speaker detection. Otter.ai uses AI natural language processing technology to transcribe human speech into text, thus eliminating manual note-taking.

How to Transcribe Audio to Text Mac Via Otter.ai with AI Technology

Step 1: Download and install an output-to-multi-output device on your computer, such as utility software like Soundflower, iShowU Audio Capture, or Loopback. Then, go to the Sound option in the System Preferences section and set the installed utility software to include Internal Speakers and Headphones so both the destination application and you can hear the audio.

Step 2: Next, set the Input to the installed utility software so the destination application can only hear the routed audio from the source application and not pick up any sound from the default microphone.

Step 3: Open the source application, i.e., the real-time video feed from which the audio will be routed to the destination application, the same way your human transcribers currently access the real-time video feed on their computers.

Step 4: Open a suitable web browser on the same computer and log into Otter.ai, the destination app to which the audio is routed from the source app. Click the Start recording button, edit the title accordingly, and share the conversation as needed.

Pros

• Otter.ai supports the transcription of both live meetings and recorded files.
• A free trial plan for this software is available

Cons

• Users experience poor transcription accuracy for complex audio tests
• Sometimes, Otter.ai is not good at identifying the end of a sentence

Method 4. Convert Audio to Text on Mac Using Notta

Notta is the most accurate method out of all the methods in this article to convert audio to text Mac. You can transcribe audio to text on their MacBook using Notta on a web browser. It works on Natural Language Processing algorithms (NLP) to correctly identify the words you're speaking. After your transcription, you can translate it into 41 different languages.

How to Transcribe Audio to Text Mac Via Notta (Online)

Step 1: Log into your Notta dashboard first, then choose the transcription language.

Step 2: Click the Record an Audio option on the toolbar to the right.

Step 3: Start playing audio or speaking and watch as it transcribes in real time.

Pros

• Transcribe live YouTube videos quickly
• Notta is an app for Apple and Android smartphone devices and supports transcription in 104 languages.

Cons

• The Notta software is free but has limited capabilities
• The free version allows you to transcribe 120 minutes' worth of files per month

The Bottom Line

Transcribing audio to text produces captions and transcripts for diverse users. This article provides an in-depth overview of four methods to transcribe audio to text Mac. After going through the four best methods discussed above, you can choose the best transcription method that suits your needs.