Speech Setup
Configure how Operator listens and speaks
When Speech mode is enabled in Settings, a Speech setup button appears below the toggle. It opens the Speech Setup dialog, where you tune how voice input and output behave.
Open it from Settings → Speech tab → Speech setup.
Mode
Choose how voice input and output are processed. The mode you pick affects which turn-detection options are available.
| Mode | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Dictation | Transcribes your speech into the input field. You review the text and send it manually. | Composing long messages, mail replies, careful editing |
| Voice → Text | Voice input is transcribed and processed by the full text engine. The reply is shown as text, not spoken. | Hands-free input when you still want to read the answer |
| Voice → Text → Voice | Voice is transcribed, processed deeply by the text engine, then read aloud. Slower but uses the full reasoning power of the text model. | Complex tasks where you also want spoken answers |
| Voice ⇄ Voice | Direct speech-to-speech. Fast, picks up tone, supports interruptions. | Natural dialogue and quick lookups |
When to send / when the AI responds
Controls when your turn ends. The label changes with the mode — in Dictation it's "When should the text be sent?"; in the other modes it's "When should the AI respond?".
| Option | Behavior | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Manual (press a button) | You decide when to send. | Not available in Voice ⇄ Voice |
| After a short pause — 0.5 s | Sends quickly after you stop talking. | |
| After a pause — 0.8 s | The default. Comfortable balance. | |
| After a longer pause — 1.1 s | More tolerant of mid-sentence thinking. | |
| After a long pause — 1.4 s | Most tolerant. | |
| Automatically (semantic) | The system detects when you've finished a thought. | Only in Voice ⇄ Voice |
If you switch modes and your current choice isn't supported, it falls back to 0.8 s.
Default language
Sets the language for speech recognition. Pick Auto to detect it automatically, or lock it to a specific language for better accuracy when you always speak the same one. Over 40 languages are supported.
Voice
Choose the assistant's spoken voice — Male or Female. Used by Voice → Text → Voice and Voice ⇄ Voice.
Speed
Adjust how fast the assistant speaks, from 0.8× (slower) to 1.3× (faster). Default is 1.0×.
Noise reduction
Match this to your hardware to reduce echo and background noise.
| Option | Use when |
|---|---|
| Off | You have a clean studio setup or a hardware noise gate |
| Headphones (default) | You're using a close-range mic — headset, lavalier, USB mic |
| Laptop / Speakers | You're using a built-in laptop mic with speakers playing the response |
Reset to defaults
The dialog has a Reset to defaults button that restores: Voice ⇄ Voice mode, 0.8 s pause, Auto language, Male voice, 1.0× speed, Headphones noise reduction. You still need to Save to apply the reset.
Tips
- For very noisy environments, switch to Voice → Text — the text engine is more forgiving than the live speech-to-speech path.
- If the assistant interrupts you too often in Voice ⇄ Voice, try Automatically (semantic) turn detection.
- For dictating into a long message you'll edit, use Dictation with Manual sending.