Voice to Text for GarageBand
Typing interrupts your creative flow. Whether you're naming tracks to keep your session organized, drafting lyrics while a melody is fresh in your mind, writing project notes for collaborators, or documenting session ideas before they slip away, keyboard entry pulls your attention from the music. Blurt lets you speak directly into GarageBand. Hold a button, say what you want to type, release. Text appears instantly at your cursor. Your hands stay on your instrument or MIDI controller, your mind stays on the music.
The Typing Problem
Track naming becomes a bottleneck in busy sessions
You've laid down eight guitar tracks exploring different ideas. Track 1, Track 2, Track 3. You know which one has the crunchy overdrive riff and which has the clean arpeggios, but will you remember tomorrow? Proper naming means stopping to type 'Verse guitar clean with chorus pedal' for each track. By the time you've typed out descriptive names for all eight, the creative momentum from your recording session has evaporated.
Lyrics disappear while you're trying to type them
The perfect line just came to you while playing that chord progression. 'Something about the way the morning light...' You reach for the keyboard to capture it. By the time you've opened a text field, the rest of the line has dissolved. You type the fragment you remember, but the rhythm and the words that followed are gone. The keyboard is too slow to catch lyrics as they arrive.
Project notes get skipped because documentation feels like work
This project needs to be shared with a vocalist next week. They need context. The verse is in drop D, the bridge modulates to the relative minor, you're imagining a falsetto on the chorus. You could explain it in a 30-second voice message, but typing it all into project notes feels like writing an essay. So you send the file with minimal explanation and hope they call with questions.
Session ideas vanish between the take and the notes
During playback you realize the song needs a key change before the final chorus. Or the drum pattern should be half-time in the second verse. Or there's a weird resonance at 2:15 that needs EQ work. These observations are clear while you're listening, but by the time you've paused playback and opened a notes field, you're trying to remember: was it a key change or a tempo change? The gap between hearing and typing erases the details.
Marker and region labels stay generic because naming is tedious
Your arrangement has an intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, and outro. Labeling each region properly means eight typing interruptions. Your arrangement regions end up labeled 'Section 1' through 'Section 8' because descriptive names like 'Verse 2 - add harmonies here' would take longer to type than the sections took to arrange.
How It Works
Blurt works anywhere you can type in GarageBand. Track names, project notes, region labels, Smart Controls annotations, and any text field in the interface. If there's a cursor, Blurt works.
Click into any text field
Track name, project notes, region label, or any inspector field. Anywhere you'd normally type in GarageBand.
Hold your hotkey and speak
Press your chosen shortcut and say what you want to type. Blurt handles punctuation automatically.
Release and continue creating
Text appears instantly. No delay, no extra steps. Your hands return to making music immediately.
Real Scenarios
Naming tracks during rapid recording sessions
You're in the zone, laying down multiple takes and variations. Click on the track name, hold your hotkey, say 'Lead guitar verse melody take three with delay.' Next track. 'Rhythm guitar palm muted eighth notes.' Your session stays organized without breaking your creative momentum. Tomorrow you'll know exactly what each track contains.
Capturing lyrics as they arrive
A melody is playing and words start forming. Open a notes field, hold your hotkey, speak: 'She walks through the garden where the roses used to grow, searching for the memories that only flowers know.' The line is captured at the speed of thought. The rhythm, the syllables, the feeling - all preserved before they could fade. Songwriting at the speed you actually think.
Project notes for collaborators
Your producer needs context before mixing. Open the project notes, hold your hotkey, speak: 'Drums are programmed but need to feel more human, add some swing. Bass should sit under the guitars, not compete. Vocal will be tracked next week, leave headroom in the verse. Reference track is Fleetwood Mac Dreams for the overall vibe.' Complete creative direction in one breath.
Session documentation for future reference
You've been experimenting for two hours and found something magical. Before closing the project, hold your hotkey: 'The sound in track seven is the Stratocaster through the Fender amp sim with the drive at forty percent and a touch of room reverb. This is the sound for the whole album.' Future you will thank present you for the documentation.
Arrangement region labels that actually describe the music
Your song is taking shape. Click on each arrangement region, hold your hotkey, speak: 'Intro, ambient guitar swell four bars.' Next region. 'Verse one, drums and bass enter, keep it sparse.' Next. 'Chorus, full band, big and bright.' Your arrangement markers become a roadmap of the song's emotional journey.
Quick notes during playback review
You're listening back to yesterday's work. Something catches your ear. Without stopping playback, add a marker, hold your hotkey: 'Bass note at two thirty-seven clashes with the guitar, try moving to the fifth.' The observation is captured while you're still hearing it. Your review session yields actionable notes instead of forgotten impressions.
Lyrics brainstorming in the notes panel
The chord progression is looping while you search for words. Hold your hotkey, speak whatever comes: 'Falling through the cracks of everything we built, or maybe sinking, drowning in the weight of what we felt.' Release. Another idea. Hold again: 'Could be about leaving home, or leaving a relationship, explore both angles.' Brainstorming without the friction of typing.
Why GarageBand musicians choose Blurt over built-in dictation for creative workflow
| Blurt | macOS Dictation | |
|---|---|---|
| Activation | Single customizable hotkey | Double-tap Fn or click microphone |
| Response time | Text appears in under 500ms | 2-3 second delay, sometimes fails silently |
| Music terminology | Handles 'arpeggio', 'crescendo', 'MIDI', 'BPM' correctly | Struggles with musical and production terms |
| Workflow integration | Works without disrupting GarageBand focus | System UI appears, breaks concentration |
| Reliability | Consistent transcription quality | Inconsistent, requires retries |
Frequently Asked Questions
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