Dragon Dictate for Mac - What Microphone Should I Use?

In Australia there are five microphone options for Dragon Dictate, the latest voice recognition software for the Mac by Nuance. In our latest blog post we look at each of the available mics to give the Aussie consumer a clearer picture on what each microphone looks like to help you decide which is best for you.

The range has something for everyone. If you like on the head mics then there are two to choose from, the Plantronics .Audio 610 and the Parrot VXI. If you like bluetooth in the ear then the Plantronics Calisto is the mic for you. Don't need a headset? Then the MicFlex would appeal and finally if you want wireless but don't like in ear then the Revolabs xTag would be your option.

Please head to our main blog for a picture of each and let the speech recognition begin !

The Best Of The Budget Digital Voice Recorders

Often overlooked are the budget voice recorders from the giants of the digital voice world, Olympus and Philips. This dis-service to the cheap recorders I have decided to address by giving them their own blog post. Over at our main blog I take a quick look at the bottom of the range digital voice recorders from Olympus and Philips;

From Philips the LFH0612 & LFH0632

From Olympus the VN-8500PC & VN-8600PC

Although all are bottom dwellers they are all still very good a recording digital audio. Cheap from Olympus and Philips does not mean nasty, it simply means a lack of features. But for the basic voice recording user an over abundance of features may not be required. The four recorders retail in Australia from $99 to $129, record in mp3 or wma and come with 1Gb or 2Gb of memory depending on the model.

Looking for a cheap digital voice recorder, have a read of this first!

Dragon Dictate For Mac - Simply, Speech To Text

On our main blog I have just posted a short video of Dragon Dictate in action. Nothing flash, just the basic voice to text speech recognition that makes this software so useful.

The video shows me talking to my Mac using a Parrot VXI USB noise canceling headset and what I say is transcribed into a Dragon Pad edit session. In the video I just wanted to show that by talking normally, at your usual pace Dragon Dictate can accurately understand what is being said and can transcribe faster than you can type. Perfect for students writing large essays or anyone who needs to type large documents. Click the header link above and see Dragon Dictate in action.

To get accuracy this good I only had to spend around four minutes doing the basic voice training when I first created my voice profile. So setup time is minimal.

How To Convert Tape To Digital Audio Format

Many people still record dictation or interviews/meetings using older style micro cassette or mini cassette dictaphones. However, most transcription typists now use software to playback audio while transcribing. Mainly because digital audio is becoming more popular and also for the simple fact that getting ahold of a tape transcription unit is almost impossible since most of the major dictation companies have discontinued or are phasing out their tape systems.

So what if you receive a tape in the mail and need to transcribe it using your digital transcription kit. Well there are ways to convert analogue (analog) tape to digital, all you need is the recorder which created the tape (so you can playback the audio), a cable to connect the player to your PC or Mac and some free audio editing software.

In our main blog we look at the tools to do this, have some tips on recording and have some suggestions for software to use whether you are a Mac or a PC.

Express Scribe and .ds2 Files Don't Mix - But There Are Ways Around This

Since the launch of the latest professional Olympus digital dictaphones (Ds-2400, DS-3400 and DS-5000) which all record out of the box in .ds2 (DSS Pro) transcribing the default audio files is an issue for many small and micro transcription companies who use free transcription software.

Digital Speech Standard Pro or .ds2 audio files as they are more commonly known is the latest audio file format employed by the big boys in the digital dictation world, namely Olympus and Philips. The DSS standard was created by them along with other players like Grundig as a way to keep audio quality high and at the same time keep audio file sizes small. And what a great job they have done.

For many transcription businesses the popular free transcription software from NCH SwiftSound called Express Scribe is used. This is excellent software and a real bargain for free, but it currently can not playback .ds2 files and nor is it likely to in the near future. The reason is not because NCH can't be bothered to support the format, the reason is because there is a cost involved. DSS Pro is proprietary software meaning Olympus and Philips own the rights to the codec for the audio.

There are of course ways to convert .ds2 audio files to older and open audio formats to enable files to be loaded into and played by Express Scribe. However if you are serious about your transcription business you should consider investing in software from Olympus or Philips. It does not necessarily have to be their transcription kits either. In our main blog we look at the options available for users from both the Mac and Windows sides of the fence on how to transcribe .ds2 audio files.

MacSpeech Dictate becomes Dragon Dictate 2.0

Something we have been hard at work on in the Dictate Australia office over the last few weeks has been testing the beta for the latest product from Nuance, new owners of MacSpeech, Dragon Dictate.

Now we can finally dare to mention the words Dragon Dictate as Nuance officially launch the new name for MacSpeech Dictate and start to ram home the Nuance look and feel on this voice recognition software for Intel Mac.

The Nuance influence is not just seen on the new box design which now makes Dictate look like the Windows Dragon NaturallySpeaking range but also in the flood of features and enhancements built into this latest and greatest version of the software.

Upgrades are available for all owners of MacSpeech Dictate from version 1.0 upto the last release version 1.5.9. If you tried MacSpeech Dictate at version 1.0 and gave up you really should take the plunge again and take up Nuance's generous upgrade offer.

Upgrades from MacSpeech Dictate and the full edition are available in Australia now as a download. Boxed copies will be here in October and pre-orders are being taken now through the MacSpeech Australia website.

For a full run down of upgrade options and some insight into whats new click through to our main blog.

Dictate Australia Become Windows & Mac Voice Recognition Experts

Listen, listen carefully ... in the distance you might be able to catch the sound of trumpets !! That's us, Dictate Australia, blowing our own trumpets as we have proudly just become Certified Dragon NaturallySpeaking Certified Gold Resellers .. not silver or bronze - GOLD resellers.

Apologies for the excitement but we are quite proud. To become a Gold reseller we work closely with Nuance Australia and have to study and sit exams. This study gives us an insight into all aspects of Dragon NaturallySpeaking and gives us the skills to advise our customers of the best Dragon package or setup to suit their needs.

We are also claiming expertise in the Mac side of the voice recognition fence. We claim this title as we have been advocates for MacSpeech Dictate since day one. We were on board with version 1.0 in Australia and have followed the success of MacSPeech Dictate up to where it is today, sitting at version 1.5 with alot more goodies to come in the near future. How do we know that for sure? Well we are beta testers for MacSpeech Dictate so we can see into the future and the future is good.

If you have been considering a voice or speech recognition solution for your Windows or Mac platform please get in touch. There is no hard sell here, we will tell you what we know and will advise you on what we think is best for you.