SonicScribe

A powerful CLI tool and Python module for transcribing and translating audio/video files using OpenAI's Whisper and GPT models.

Features

• Extract audio from various video and audio formats
• Transcribe audio using OpenAI's Whisper API
• Translate transcriptions to English or other languages
• Generate transcript and subtitle files (SRT)
• Support for bilingual subtitles
• Smart handling of large files by automatic chunking
• Interactive language selection with auto-detection support
• Modular design for use as a Python library
• Progress indicators and detailed logging

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Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• OpenAI API key

Install SonicScribe

Install SonicScribe directly from PyPI:

pip install sonicscribe

Setup OpenAI API Key

SonicScribe requires an OpenAI API key to function. You can set the API key as an environment variable to avoid hardcoding it or using a .env file.

1. Set the API Key as an Environment Variable:

   • On Windows

   setx OPENAI_API_KEY "YourKeyGoesHere" /M

   • On macOS/Linux:

   export OPENAI_API_KEY=YourKeyGoesHere

2. Verify the Environment Variable: Run the following command to ensure the API key is set correctly

   • On Windows

   echo %OPENAI_API_KEY%

   • On macOS/Linux:

   echo $OPENAI_API_KEY

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Usage

Main Transcription and Translation

The main script provides full functionality for processing audio/video files:

sonicscribe --input "path/to/your/video.mp4" --translate --output-dir "output/folder"

Options

• --input: Path to input audio/video file (required)
• --translate: Enable translation to English (optional)
• --language: Specify the language of the input file (e.g., en, fr, es). If not provided, auto-detection will be used.
• --output-dir: Directory to save output files (default: output/transcripts)
• --whisper-model: Model to use for transcription (default: whisper-1)
• --gpt-model: Model to use for translation (default: gpt-4o-mini)
• --chunk-size: Size of chunks in MB for large files (default: 20)
• --verbose or -v: Enable verbose logging
• --bilingual: Create bilingual subtitles with both original and translated text

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Interactive Language Selection

When processing files, SonicScribe provides an interactive language selection feature:

• You can select a language from a predefined list using arrow keys.
• You can manually input a language code by typing /.
• If no language is selected, SonicScribe will auto-detect the language using GPT, with a warning about potential additional API costs.

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Standalone SRT Translation

If you already have an SRT file and just want to translate it:

translate_srt --input "path/to/your/subtitles.srt" --bilingual

Options

• --input: Path to input SRT file (required)
• --output: Path to output SRT file (default: input_english.srt)
• --model: GPT model to use for translation (default: gpt-4o-mini)
• --bilingual: Create bilingual SRT with original and translated text
• --language: Specify the language of the input subtitles. If not provided, auto-detection will be used.

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Examples

Basic Transcription

sonicscribe --input "lecture.mp4"

This will:

• Extract audio from lecture.mp4
• Transcribe the audio using Whisper API
• Save a transcript and SRT file to the default output directory

Transcription with Translation

sonicscribe --input "foreign_movie.mp4" --translate --gpt-model "gpt-4o"

This will:

• Extract audio from foreign_movie.mp4
• Transcribe the audio using Whisper API
• Translate the transcription to English using GPT-4o
• Save all output files to the default directory

Bilingual Subtitles

sonicscribe --input "interview.mp3" --translate --bilingual

This will:

• Extract audio from interview.mp3
• Transcribe the audio using Whisper API
• Translate the transcription to English
• Create a bilingual SRT file with both original and translated text

Translating Existing Subtitles

translate-srt --input "movie.srt" --bilingual --model "gpt-4o-mini"

This will:

• Read the existing SRT file
• Translate the subtitles to English using GPT-4o-mini
• Create a bilingual SRT with both original and translated text

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Output Files

SonicScribe generates several types of output files:

• {filename}_transcribed.txt: Plain text transcript
• {filename}.srt: SRT subtitle file with timestamps
• {filename}_bilingual.srt: Optional bilingual SRT file (when using --bilingual)
• {filename}_english.srt: Translated SRT file (when using translate_srt.py)

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Handling Large Files

SonicScribe automatically handles large audio files:

• Files smaller than 25MB are processed directly through the Whisper API.
• Larger files are split into chunks, processed separately, and then recombined.
• The --chunk-size parameter controls the size of these chunks (default: 20MB).

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Troubleshooting

API Key Issues

If you encounter "API key not found" errors:

• Ensure your .env file exists in the project root directory.
• Verify that your API key is correct and active.
• Try setting the API key directly in your environment.

File Format Problems

If SonicScribe fails to process your file:

• Verify the file exists and is not corrupted.
• Check that the format is supported (mp4, mkv, mov, mp3, wav, etc.).
• Try converting the file to a more standard format like MP4 or WAV.

Memory Issues with Large Files

If you encounter memory errors with very large files:

• Try reducing the --chunk-size parameter.
• Ensure your system has sufficient free memory.
• Consider pre-splitting very large files manually.

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Limitations

• OpenAI API rate limits may affect processing speed.
• Transcription quality depends on audio clarity.
• Translation quality varies by language and content complexity.
• Processing very large files (multiple hours) can take significant time.

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Logging

SonicScribe logs all operations to the logs directory. If you encounter issues, check the log files for detailed information. Use the --verbose flag for more detailed logging.

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions, please create an issue on the GitHub repository.