Transcribe

A simple media transcription CLI that converts audio and video files to text with diarization and speaker labels using AssemblyAI.

Features

• Transcribe both audio and video files
• Support for numerous media formats:
  • Audio: mp3, wav, m4a, flac, aac, ogg, wma, aiff, alac
  • Video: mp4, mov, avi, wmv, webm, mkv, mpg, mpeg, m4v, asf, dv, ogv, vp8
• Speaker diarization (identifying who said what)
• Easy-to-use command-line interface
• Batch processing for multiple files
• Optional email notifications when transcriptions complete

Installation

# Install from source
git clone https://github.com/alex-salazar/transcribe.git
cd transcribe
pip install -e .

After installation, verify the package is installed correctly:

pip list | grep transcribe

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• AssemblyAI API key (set as environment variable ASSEMBLY_API_KEY)

Usage

Single File Transcription

# Transcribe a single file
python -m transcribe file path/to/media_file.mp3

# With custom output path
python -m transcribe file path/to/media_file.mp3 --output path/to/output.md

# Enable verbose logging
python -m transcribe file path/to/media_file.mp3 --verbose

Batch Processing

# Process all new media files in a directory
python -m transcribe batch path/to/directory

# With email notifications
python -m transcribe batch path/to/directory --email

For email notifications, set the following environment variables:

• SMTP_SERVER - SMTP server address
• SMTP_PORT - SMTP port (default: 587)
• SMTP_USERNAME - SMTP username
• SMTP_PASSWORD - SMTP password
• EMAIL_FROM - Sender email address
• EMAIL_TO - Recipient email address

Help

# Show general help
python -m transcribe --help

# Show help for a specific command
python -m transcribe file --help
python -m transcribe batch --help

Automation with Cron

You can automate transcription of new media files using cron jobs:

# Create a copy of the example script and customize it
cp run_transcribe_example.sh run_transcribe.sh
chmod +x run_transcribe.sh

Edit run_transcribe.sh to:

1. Set the path to your media directory
2. Configure your Python environment
3. Set your API key and email settings if needed

Then set up a cron job:

# Open crontab editor
crontab -e

# Add a line to run the script every minute
* * * * * /path/to/your/run_transcribe.sh

# Save and exit (in vi: press Esc, type :wq, press Enter)

For less frequent runs, adjust the cron timing:

• */5 * * * * - every 5 minutes
• 0 * * * * - every hour
• 0 0 * * * - daily at midnight

Troubleshooting

Command Not Found

If you encounter an error like command not found: transcribe, use the module invocation pattern with Python:

python -m transcribe [command] [options]

API Key Issues

If you encounter authentication errors, verify your AssemblyAI API key is set correctly:

# Check if environment variable is set
echo $ASSEMBLY_API_KEY

# Set the API key if needed
export ASSEMBLY_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

Path Issues in Automation Script

If using the automation script, ensure all paths are correct and absolute. Verify paths with:

# Check media directory exists
ls -la /path/to/your/media/directory

# Check project directory exists
ls -la /path/to/transcribe/project

Contributing

Pull requests are welcome. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

License

MIT