Dictation Modes

Murmur offers three ways to trigger a recording. All three go through the same transcription pipeline — the only difference is how you start and stop.

You can set the mode in Settings > Dictation. Dictation and voice notes can each use a different mode.

Push-to-talk

Hold your hotkey to record. Release it to stop and transcribe.

This is the most precise mode. Recording only happens while the key is physically held down, so there is no chance of accidentally leaving it running. It works well for short bursts of dictation — a sentence or a quick reply — where you want instant control.

The trade-off is that you need to hold the key for the full duration of your recording. For longer passages, this can be tiring.

Toggle

Press your hotkey once to start recording. Press it again to stop and transcribe.

Toggle mode is good for longer dictation sessions where holding a key is impractical. Press once, speak freely, press again when done.

The floating indicator in the notch area stays visible while recording so you always know whether Murmur is actively listening. Quick presses within 300 ms are debounced and count as one — so an extremely fast double-tap won't stop the recording; pause a beat and press again.

While recording, a single Escape pastes the raw transcription without AI refinement, and a quick double-Escape cancels — see Recording Indicator for the full gesture table.

Auto

Auto mode combines both behaviors based on how long you hold the key:

• Quick tap (released within about 600 ms) — works like toggle: starts recording, and you press again to stop.
• Hold (longer than about 600 ms) — works like push-to-talk: records while held, stops on release.

This is the default mode. It adapts to what you are doing without needing to switch settings. Short dictation naturally becomes push-to-talk; longer dictation naturally becomes toggle.

Choosing a mode

There is no universally "best" mode — it depends on your typing habits and how long your recordings tend to be.

• If you mostly dictate short phrases: push-to-talk gives you the most control.
• If you dictate long paragraphs: toggle is more comfortable.
• If you do a mix of both: auto handles it without any manual switching.

Per-context mode settings

You can set different modes for dictation and for voice notes independently. For example, you might prefer push-to-talk for general dictation (short, precise) but toggle for voice notes (longer, hands-free). Change each in its respective settings panel.