---
title: "Dictate a draft"
description: "Turn speech into editable text with an explicitly chosen transcription engine."
locale: "en"
canonical: "https://orylo.io/en/docs/voice"
product_status: "in-development"
last_reviewed: "2026-10-12"
---

# Dictate a draft

Turn speech into editable text with an explicitly chosen transcription engine.

<a id="microphone"></a>

## System microphone

Orylo uses the macOS system default microphone for dictation and Narration. To change the input, open System Settings → Sound → Input. Orylo does not provide a separate microphone selector.

<a id="engine"></a>

## Choose the engine and language

Speech language is independent of the interface language. There is no automatic fallback between engines: if the selected engine fails, resolve the error or explicitly choose another.

| Engine | Behavior |
| --- | --- |
| Apple Speech | Uses supported speech languages reported by your Mac. Optional live transcription can revise early text while you speak. |
| Whisper Local | Uses the multilingual model you explicitly download and choose. Transcribes after recording stops and supports automatic language detection. |

<a id="record"></a>

## Record and review

1. **Start recording** — Click the microphone button in the Composer you are using. macOS requests microphone permission when needed.
2. **Stop or cancel** — Stop to transcribe, or cancel to discard the recording. While voice input is active, Escape cancels it before closing the window.
3. **Edit the draft** — Review names, numbers, and punctuation in the editable text before sending. Transcription is not automatic submission.

<a id="boundaries"></a>

## Keep the target clear

Notch Composer and the conversation window have independent recording states. Switching away from a conversation cancels its active recording or transcription instead of writing into another draft.

Whisper preserves the spoken language rather than translating it. A language choice does not guarantee a particular Chinese writing system.

## Continue exploring

- [Narrate what you see](https://orylo.io/en/docs/narration)
- [Permissions & control](https://orylo.io/en/docs/permissions)
- [Compose a request](https://orylo.io/en/docs/instant-chat)