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Dictation, zoom, and speak selection
Three of the Mac's built-in accessibility features can live on a button: Start Dictation, Zoom, and Speak Selection. They are under System Function in the Accessibility group. Each one relies on the matching macOS feature being switched on, which takes a minute the first time.
Start Dictation
Set a control's output to System Function, then Start Dictation. One press starts dictation, the next press stops it, exactly like pressing the dictation key on the keyboard. It works as long as Dictation is on in System Settings, Keyboard. Under the hood the binding sends the dictation key itself, so it follows whatever shortcut macOS has for dictation and keeps working if you change that setting later.
A triple tap on the MacBook's palm rest is bound to Start Dictation in the built-in Tap the Mac preset, which is dictation with no hardware at all.
Zoom
Zoom On / Off, Zoom In, and Zoom Out send the standard macOS zoom shortcuts. Switch on System Settings, Accessibility, Zoom, Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom, and the three outputs work. Put Zoom In and Zoom Out on a Turn-mode MIDI knob or on the two directions of a stick for a smooth magnifier.
Speak Selection
Speak Selection reads the selected text aloud. Switch on System Settings, Accessibility, Spoken Content, Speak selection. Select text with the pointer, press the button, and the Mac reads it in the voice set there. Pressing again stops it.
Related: VoiceOver
VoiceOver's own commands are keyboard shortcuts, so they bind as ordinary Keyboard Key outputs. The Smart Preset Maker has a VoiceOver Navigation workflow that puts the common ones on a controller. The app itself supports VoiceOver in the scan overlay and the editor.
Questions
Dictation does not start. Why?
Check System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation is on, and that the shortcut there is not set to Off. The binding presses that shortcut, so it needs one to exist.
Can I dictate into any app?
Yes. macOS dictation types into whatever has the text focus, so the binding works in Mail, Pages, a browser, or a game chat box.
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