Your Mac may be your key workstation , but that does n’t intend you need to sit at its keyboard all the time . With a digital voice recorder and MacSpeech ’s iListen 1.5.2 — the only speech - recognition software package that can transcribe audio file onto your Mac — you could dictate your memoranda , atomic number 99 - mail service subject matter , or short account on - the - go , and later download the file , tug a clitoris , and keep an eye on while iListen eccentric what you articulate .
iListen ( $ 99 ; with headset , $ 149 ; 816/373 - 4506 , www .macspeech.com ) is n’t perfect ( after all , we did give it a millimetre rating , January 2003 ) . But in our tests , the program was about 77 percent accurate when transcribe audio files into Microsoft Word . Three correct words out of four is n’t bad , and with a little exertion you’re able to leaven that middling and pass less clock time cleaning up errors .
Garbage In, Garbage Out
If you desire speech - recognition software package to understand what you say , you have to give it right material . This think having the right equipment optimized with the good context .
Choosing a RecorderMacSpeech recommend only two digital articulation registrar for manipulation with iListen : Olympus ’s $ 150 DS-330 (; October 2002 ) — which we used for our tests — and $ 250 DS-2000 ( 800/622 - 6372 , World Wide Web .olympusamerica.com ) . Others may also work ( they must immortalise 16 - bit mono files at 16kHz with no compressing ) , but there ’s no guarantee .
Headsets HelpYou can utter directly into your fipple flute , holding it like a mike . If you choose this pick , ensure the registrar ’s Micsens ( microphone sensitiveness ) permutation is localize to Dict . This lour the sensitivity of the internal microphone and prevents it from picking up ambient sounds , such as a coworker ’s jape from down the manse . When you talk , hold the recorder 2 to 4 inches from your mouth .
However , speech - recognition software system count on clear , gamey - tone audio . soda water , feedback , and noise decrease accuracy . So does odd volume — for instance , when you obtain the fipple flute against your lips one import and a metrical unit away the next .
By using a headset , you ’ll get an quick boost in truth , as well as better mobility .
To turn with a digital recorder , your headset must have a received minijack hoopla , not a USB connection . ( The VXi Parrot , which is available compact with iListen , fits the bill . )
Nix the NoiseWhether you use a headset or not , you should take advantage of the Olympus recorders ’ construct - in Noise Cancel feature , which reduces background stochasticity . To activate it , take a file cabinet you ’ve already recorded and press play . While the file is play , press and hold the play button for a few second . The current Noise Cancel level should appear on the recorder ’s silver screen . Tap the play push button to scroll through the options until you reach the Hi stage setting , and then push the plosive button . This is now your default transcription setting .
Create a Profile for Your Recorder
To get the best final result , you have to first train iListen to recognize your voice . You do this by create a profile . Every drug user must have a unparalleled iListen visibility optimize for his or her speech communication — and each input gimmick also demand its own visibility . This is because your vox sound different when it ’s play by a fipple pipe . Training iListen to understand the specific strait of the recording machine is key to improved realisation .
The HookupThe first thing you ’ll need to do is attach your recorder to your Mac . If your Mac has an audio - in jack , plug one end of the cable ( let in with the recorders ) into that jack , and the other ( L - form ) ending into the Ear shit on your record-keeper .
If your Mac does n’t have an sound - in jack , you ’ll call for an adapter . Griffin Technology offers two option : the $ 35 iMic USB Audio Interface and the $ 100 PowerWave USB Audio Interface and Desktop Amplifier ( 615/399 - 7000 , www.griffintechnology .com ) . In improver to acting as adapters , both gimmick advance the quality of your audio recording . In fact , I recommend using one even if you do n’t demand a USB audio adapter . ( You already have the Griffin iMic if you bought the $ 149 iListen bundle . )
We were peculiarly impressed by the PowerWave (; Mac Gems , June 2003 ) . In our psychometric test ,
it importantly better sound quality and as a result made training less operose . Plus , it offer many other utilitarian audio feature , such as the abil - ity to link stereo speaker to your Mac and to tape and edit incoming audio .
twist off your Mac before plugging the PowerWave into your Mac ’s USB larboard . habituate the cable to link up the adapter ’s mike jack and your recorder ’s Ear jack . interchange the unlabelled black switch on the front of the iMic toward the mike manual laborer . Set the PowerWave ’s Thru switch ( on the back ) to On and its Gain alternate to lineage . Plug your headset into the recorder ’s mike jack , and you ’re ready to go .
Make a New ProfileBefore you start a new profile , ensure your System Preferences setting reflect your audio setup . open up System Preferences and choose the reasoned acid . Under the Input chit , pick out the right circumstance . For lesson , if you ’re routing the vertical flute ’s audio through a PowerWave , choose PowerWave USB Audio .
afford iListen and make a newfangled profile ( File : Profiles ) . The New Profile Assistant windowpane leads you through the process of naming your profile and coiffure up your headset properly .
Trials and Audio TestsOnce you ’ve opened a new profile , iListen channelize you through a series of sound tests . These help the curriculum conform introductory configurations to compensate for the quality of your transcription machine . Depending on your apparatus , this process may stimulate you considerable frustration . Speech - recognition computer software is picky , and disc - ers do n’t exactly vaunt the best audio calibre .
To complete the tests , you need to order through your recorder into your Mac . Rather than holding down the fipple pipe ’s novel clit throughout all of the tests , use the more ovolo - friendly option : simply press the Rec push button once . Then delete the resulting Indian file after you ’re done .
To begin the Recording Volume test , tap the microphone picture and read the forgetful musical passage on screen . After a few times through the sample text edition , iListen should designate whether the sound quality is sufficient . If you detect yourself reading the handing over again and again with no feedback , it ’s not sufficient . ( We show the text 16 times on our first attempt before giving up . ) In this suit , adjust the volume on your recorder and repeat the mental test . notice the perfect volume context may take some trial and error . In our experience , bulk story 9 was the magic identification number .
Still having problems ? Set your recorder ’s volume to 9 , press the Show Advanced options button , and tinker with the program ’s Recording Volume manually . If you still have no hazard , then break out the serious equipment : use a headset and deliberate springing for the Griffin PowerWave .
Once you pass the Recording Volume run , you may keep with the Recognition And Silence Detection test . If this does n’t go smoothly , open Advanced preferences again and try sour the Silence Detection level down .
Train , Train , Train!You’re now ready to begin the Learn My Voice breeding . This process helps iListen aline to your voice and manner of address . You ’ll begin by say a long passage of text as the program pursue along .
If the plan has trouble understand you , try read the whole phrase over instead of just the baffling word . To move past a particularly unregenerate word , select the Skip Word push button . If you continue having hassle , try turning your recorder ’s intensity down somewhat .
Once you ’ve completed the initial reading , you ’re ready to start transcribing . However , you’re able to further meliorate iListen ’s credit by complete extra breeding physical exercise .
Polish Your Transcription Powers
Here are some additional steer that may help you get better results from iListen down the line :
Dictate Shorter PassagesRather than creating one 60 minutes - long file for an total chapter of your novel , consider breaking the chapter into several abbreviated bidding file . It ’s comfortable to edit shorter files , since you’re able to promptly fast - forward through the magnetic tape to mind to a special enactment .
Train for Special VocabularyMacSpeech does n’t yet offer special dictionaries for unusual vocabulary — for example , legal , aesculapian , or technical jargon . you could , however , employ the program ’s Learn My Writing Style feature to help it recognize the strange lingo you use most often . Create a schoolbook papers that hold in a list of specialized terminal figure you ordinarily use . From iListen ’s Speech card , choose Learn My Writing Style , and then choose your schoolbook document . This will give up you the study of correcting the terms again and again — for exemplar , when iListen substitutes braid a cardigan for bradycardia .
