Liz - Real-time Speech Transcription TUI

Liz is a powerful Terminal User Interface (TUI) application for real-time speech-to-text transcription using the Whisper AI model. Built with Rust, it offers a seamless experience for capturing and transcribing audio with instant visual feedback.

Description

Liz combines the power of OpenAI's Whisper model with an intuitive terminal interface to provide:

Real-time audio transcription with visual progress indication
Clean, organized display of transcribed text
Easy-to-use controls for recording management
Instant clipboard access to transcribed content
Visual notifications for system status and actions

Installation

Prerequisites

Rust Development Environment

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source $HOME/.cargo/env

System Dependencies

For Linux:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install libasound2-dev pkg-config make gcc

# Fedora
sudo dnf install alsa-lib-devel pkg-config make gcc

For macOS:
```
brew install pkg-config make
```

Build Instructions

Clone the repository
```
git clone [repository-url]
cd liz
```

Download the Whisper model

chmod +x download-models.sh
make models/ggml-base.en.bin

Build the application
```
make build
```

Usage

Start the application
```
make run
```
Or run directly with a specific model:
```
./target/release/liz ./models/ggml-base.en.bin
```
Interface Controls:
- Space: Start/Stop audio recording and transcription
- c: Copy all transcribed text to clipboard
- q or Ctrl+C: Quit the application
Interface Elements:
- Top panel: Displays transcribed text with current segment highlighted
- Middle panel: Shows system notifications and status messages
- Bottom panel: Lists available controls

Features

Real-time Transcription: Instant speech-to-text conversion using Whisper AI
Live Progress Display: Visual indication of active recording and processing
Automatic Audio Capture: Seamless integration with system microphone
Copy-to-Clipboard: One-key access to transcribed content
Status Notifications: Clear feedback for system actions and events
Clear Text Organization: Timestamped text segments for easy reference

Technical Details

Audio Specifications
- Sample Rate: 16 kHz
- Format: 32-bit float mono / 16-bit stereo
- Buffer Size: 1024 samples
Dependencies
- cpal: Audio capture system
- whisper-rs: Rust bindings for Whisper
- ratatui: Terminal UI framework
- crossterm: Terminal control
- clipboard-rs: System clipboard integration
- Additional utilities: anyhow, time

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

Troubleshooting

No audio input detected: Ensure your microphone is properly connected and has system permissions
Build fails: Verify all system dependencies are installed and up-to-date
Model download fails: Check your internet connection and try downloading manually from the Whisper repository

NishantJoshi00/whisper-tui