> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.runanywhere.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # transcribe() > Convert audio to text with Whisper models ## Overview The Speech-to-Text (STT) API allows you to transcribe audio files or raw audio data to text using on-device Whisper models. All transcription happens locally on the device for privacy and offline capability. ## Basic Usage ```typescript theme={null} import { RunAnywhere } from '@runanywhere/core' // Transcribe raw audio samples (most common approach) const result = await RunAnywhere.transcribeBuffer(audioSamples, { language: 'en', }) console.log('Transcription:', result.text) ``` Or transcribe base64-encoded audio: ```typescript theme={null} // Transcribe base64-encoded float32 PCM audio const result = await RunAnywhere.transcribe(audioBase64, { language: 'en', }) console.log('Transcription:', result.text) ``` ## Setup Before transcribing, you need to download and load an STT model: ```typescript theme={null} import { RunAnywhere, ModelCategory } from '@runanywhere/core' import { ONNX, ModelArtifactType } from '@runanywhere/onnx' // 1. Initialize SDK and register ONNX backend await RunAnywhere.initialize({ environment: SDKEnvironment.Development }) ONNX.register() // 2. Add Whisper model await ONNX.addModel({ id: 'whisper-tiny-en', name: 'Whisper Tiny English', url: 'https://github.com/RunanywhereAI/sherpa-onnx/releases/download/runanywhere-models-v1/sherpa-onnx-whisper-tiny.en.tar.gz', modality: ModelCategory.SpeechRecognition, artifactType: ModelArtifactType.TarGzArchive, memoryRequirement: 75_000_000, }) // 3. Download model await RunAnywhere.downloadModel('whisper-tiny-en', (progress) => { console.log(`Download: ${(progress.progress * 100).toFixed(1)}%`) }) // 4. Load model const modelInfo = await RunAnywhere.getModelInfo('whisper-tiny-en') await RunAnywhere.loadSTTModel(modelInfo.localPath, 'whisper') ``` ## API Reference ### `transcribeFile` `transcribeFile()` is declared in the SDK but **not yet implemented**. Calling it will throw: `"transcribeFile not yet implemented with rac_* API"`. Use `transcribe()` or `transcribeBuffer()` instead. ```typescript theme={null} await RunAnywhere.transcribeFile( audioPath: string, options?: STTOptions ): Promise ``` ### `transcribe` Transcribe base64-encoded audio data. ```typescript theme={null} await RunAnywhere.transcribe( audioData: string, options?: STTOptions ): Promise ``` **Parameters:** | Parameter | Type | Description | | ----------- | ------------ | ------------------------------------- | | `audioData` | `string` | Base64-encoded float32 PCM audio data | | `options` | `STTOptions` | Optional transcription settings | ### `transcribeBuffer` Transcribe raw float32 audio samples directly. ```typescript theme={null} await RunAnywhere.transcribeBuffer( samples: Float32Array, options?: STTOptions ): Promise ``` **Parameters:** | Parameter | Type | Description | | --------- | -------------- | ------------------------------- | | `samples` | `Float32Array` | Float32 PCM audio samples | | `options` | `STTOptions` | Optional transcription settings | `transcribeBuffer` converts the Float32Array to base64 internally and calls the native `transcribe()` method. The sample rate defaults to 16000 Hz. ### STT Options ```typescript theme={null} interface STTOptions { /** Language code (e.g., 'en', 'es', 'fr') */ language?: string /** Enable punctuation in output */ punctuation?: boolean /** Enable speaker diarization */ diarization?: boolean /** Enable word-level timestamps */ wordTimestamps?: boolean /** Audio sample rate (default: 16000) */ sampleRate?: number } ``` ### STT Result ```typescript theme={null} interface STTResult { /** Main transcription text */ text: string /** Segments with timing information */ segments: STTSegment[] /** Detected language code */ language?: string /** Overall confidence (0.0 - 1.0) */ confidence: number /** Audio duration in seconds */ duration: number /** Alternative transcriptions */ alternatives: STTAlternative[] } interface STTSegment { /** Segment text */ text: string /** Start time in seconds */ startTime: number /** End time in seconds */ endTime: number /** Speaker ID (if diarization enabled) */ speakerId?: string /** Segment confidence */ confidence: number } ``` ## Examples ### Transcribe Base64 Audio ```typescript theme={null} // Simple transcription from base64 float32 PCM const result = await RunAnywhere.transcribe(audioBase64, { language: 'en', }) console.log(result.text) // With language hint const spanish = await RunAnywhere.transcribe(spanishAudioBase64, { language: 'es', }) console.log(spanish.text) ``` ### Transcribe Float32 Buffer ```typescript theme={null} // Transcribe from Float32Array samples const samples = new Float32Array(audioBuffer) const result = await RunAnywhere.transcribeBuffer(samples, { language: 'en', }) console.log(result.text) ``` ### React Native Recording + Transcription Using the SDK's built-in `RunAnywhere.Audio` API for recording: ```tsx VoiceRecorder.tsx theme={null} import React, { useState, useCallback } from 'react' import { View, Button, Text } from 'react-native' import { RunAnywhere } from '@runanywhere/core' import RNFS from 'react-native-fs' export function VoiceRecorder() { const [isRecording, setIsRecording] = useState(false) const [transcription, setTranscription] = useState('') const startRecording = useCallback(async () => { setIsRecording(true) setTranscription('') await RunAnywhere.Audio.requestPermission() await RunAnywhere.Audio.startRecording() }, []) const stopRecording = useCallback(async () => { setIsRecording(false) const recording = await RunAnywhere.Audio.stopRecording() // recording.uri - path to the recorded WAV file // recording.durationMs - duration in milliseconds // Read the file and transcribe try { const audioBase64 = await RNFS.readFile(recording.uri, 'base64') const result = await RunAnywhere.transcribe(audioBase64, { language: 'en', }) setTranscription(result.text) } catch (error) { setTranscription('Error: ' + (error as Error).message) } }, []) return (