Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.
Instead of recording a voice message in Discord, you can simply dictate the text into the input field. Discord works on Windows, macOS and in the browser, and on a computer the Potok desktop app (potok.now) does this: hold the hotkey, say the text, release, and it appears in the message field. The first 14 days of access are full and free, with no card.
A voice message in Discord is a quick way to speak your mind, but it is not always convenient to listen to or record in a noisy place. The alternative is to dictate the same text and send it as an ordinary text message.
How to dictate text in Discord instead of a voice message
Potok does this fastest: put the cursor in the message field, hold the hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default, and it can be changed in the settings), say the phrase and release the key. The text appears in the message field, ready to send. It places punctuation and capital letters itself, so you do not need to dictate “zapyataya” (comma) or “tochka” (period). If the Ctrl+Space combination is already taken in Discord, you can assign any other key in the same settings.
How it works in the Discord app and in the browser
On a computer, Discord has apps for Windows, macOS and Linux, as well as a browser version, and in each of them the message field is an ordinary text field. Potok voice input works on Windows, macOS and Linux and inserts text into any such field, not only in Discord. You do not need to turn on any special settings in Discord itself: the program simply types where the cursor is, whether it is a separate app or a browser tab. Voice input works in a similar way in Telegram. Discord's voice channels, microphone mute with Ctrl+Shift+M and deafen with Ctrl+Shift+D, control the call, not typing, and have nothing to do with dictating messages.
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Free
- Free: 2500 words per week; full access for the first 14 days, no card needed
- Pro
- Pro 690 ₽/mo, 499 ₽/mo when paid yearly
- Payment
- Russian bank cards, rubles
- Where speech is recognized
- cloud, servers in Russia; internet required
Potok is a cloud service: speech is recognized on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. Download: potok.now/download
Where Potok has no solution
On a phone Potok has no solution: it has no apps for Android and iPhone, so you cannot dictate text in mobile Discord through Potok. Potok is a cloud service, speech recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. It also has no voice commands for editing text: if a phrase is recognized inaccurately, you have to fix it by hand. Other ways to replace voice messages with text in different messengers are collected in the section on voice messages.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, if Discord is open in a browser on the computer: voice input inserts text into any active text field on the screen, including web versions of sites, and not only into separate apps.
Dictation pays off most for long texts written off the cuff: email drafts, notes, replies in messengers, lecture notes, and also when your hands are busy or tired (for example with RSI). For short precise edits (one-word commands, code), typing is often faster.
By a model estimate, the average dictation speed with Potok is about 900 characters per minute versus about 200 characters per minute with ordinary typing, so speech is noticeably faster than the keyboard.
Any microphone the system sees as a recording device will do. In Potok you choose it in the app settings or in the tray icon menu; system access to the microphone is required.
Voice input converts speech to text on the fly: the user speaks, and the program transcribes the sound with speech recognition technology (ASR) and inserts the resulting text into the active field, such as email, a messenger or a document. In Potok it works through a hotkey: hold it, speak, release, and the text is inserted.
Built-in system tools (Win+H in Windows, Dictation in macOS, Voice Typing in Google Docs, Gboard on Android), voice browser extensions, and specialized desktop and web services (Potok and similar) that work on top of any app via a hotkey.
Download Potok
Works with a single key in any program. 14 days of full access, then Free with 2500 words per week or Pro at 690 ₽/mo (499 ₽/mo paid yearly). Potok is a cloud service: speech is recognized on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokExisting recordings are transcribed by Potok's Telegram bot @potok_now_bot: send a file or a YouTube, VK Video or RuTube link and the text arrives in the chat. The Potok subscription removes the limit in the bot too.
Built-in dictation and Potok
| Tool | Where it works | Russian language | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows voice typing (Win+H) | Windows 10 and 11 | Windows 11 only | Microsoft cloud, does not work offline |
| macOS Dictation | macOS | yes | on the device or on Apple servers |
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | primary language | cloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline |
| Task | Characters | Typing (200 chars/min) | Voice (900 chars/min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| chat reply | 300 | 2 min | 0.5 min |
| 1500 | 8 min | 1.7 min | |
| post or meeting minutes | 4000 | 20 min | 4.4 min |
| article | 10000 | 50 min | 11.1 min |
Primary sources: discord.com · discord.com · support.discord.com