As always the answer is yes and no. There are some minor points to consider depending on which transcription kits you plan to use with your Olympus DS-7000 if you don’t have the latest Olympus transcription kit the AS-7000.

Using the Olympus DS-7000 with Olympus AS-5000 DSS Player Pro R5 Transcription Module

The AS-5000 transcription kit running DSS Player Pro R5 is fully compatible with all the audio files that the DS-7000 and DS-3500 produce, which are .ds2 (DSS Pro) by default, .dss (DSS) and .wma except if you encrypt your .ds2 audio files with 256bit encryption. The AS-5000 kit is unable to decrypt 256bit and can only decrypt 128bit encrypted .ds2 audio files.

If you currently do not encrypt your audio files then the DS-7000 will be fully compatible with the AS-5000 transcription kit. If you do encrypt, your options are to simply encrypt in 128bit mode or purchase the upgrade to the AS-5000 DSS Player Pro R5 software using the AS-7004 which will convert your DSS Player Pro R5 transcription module to ODMS (Olympus Dictation Management System) R6 Transcription module. The AS-7004 upgrade is AU$59 incl. GST in Australia, you will require one per install.

Using the Olympus DS-7000 with Olympus AS-4000 DSS Player Pro R4 Transcription Module

Using the Olympus DS-7000 or DS-3500 with the much older AS-4000 digital transcription kit running DSS Player Pro R4 software you will have very similar issues to those who purchased the Olympus DS-5000 digital dictaphones over the last couple of years. The AS-4000 kit is unable to play back .ds2 (DSS Pro) audio files so with the DS-7000/DS-3500 like the DS-5000/DS-3400 you will need to set your digital dictaphone to either run in classic mode (which sets the dictaphone to record by default in .dss instead of .ds2) or convert your audio from .ds2 to .dss prior to sending to your typist using your ODMS R6 dictation module software supplied with the DS-7000 and DS-3500.

In a first of its kind Olympus Imaging in Australia held a product launch at swanky Woolwich eatery Deckhouse today in Sydney. Spoiled only by the torrential rain, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge seen in the murky distance stood several Olympus branded pedestals covered in magician black velvet hiding what was about to be announced.

Olympus Audio Pro dealers from around the country had gathered to listen to Olympus Imaging Managing Director Marc Radatt present his spiel starting with the history of Olympus, building thru to the imaging range and culminating with the announcement we audio people had gathered for … the new Olympus DS-7000 digital dictaphone.

In fact it wasn’t just about the new DS-7000 there was a slew of new digital goodies on offer which single handedly wiped out the current DS-5000/DS-3400/DS-2400 recorders, all now replaced by the DS-7000/DS-3500/DS-2500 models. So what new features will we see in this new Pro dictation range:

• Large 2″ colour screen (similar the LS series screens)
• 256-bit real-time .DS2 (DSS Pro) audio encryption
• New Li-Ion battery giving up-to 21 hours of recording
• Two SD card slots (1x microSD and 1x SD) in the DS-7000 plus in-built memory
• Uncompressed PCM .WAV recording in the DS-3500 for meeting/conference/music recording
• Capsuled 10mm mic specifically design with voice recognition in mind

Not content with revamping the Pro dictaphones a new Pro transcription kit was also birthed, the AS-7000 which replaces the AS-5000 and comes with a new four pedal USB transcription foot control (RS-31) and new under-the-chin stethoscope style transcription headset (E62). I like that, it’s kind of retro and will likely be embraced by most transcription typists, especially those that find over-the-head headsets mess with their hair.

Wait there is more … new Olympus Dictation and Transcription module software taking the release from R5 to R6 and given a new name. Gone is DSS Player Pro and in its place comes ODMS or Olympus Dictation Management System which is not just a user interface revamp but promises a more improved interface and interaction with Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium/Professional/Legal versions most notably real-time transcription and background transcription using Dragon. Sorry Mac fans still no link to Dragon Dictate for Mac for transcription of recorded voice files, Nuance dragging their feet here a little.

The DS-7000 and DS-3500  are available from today in Australia, the DS-2500 will make its debut down under mid-May 2012. Amazingly the RRP of these new recorders have dropped significantly and are lower than the previous Pro range – kudos to Olympus for this, continuing to innovate while driving pricing down. RRP’s in Australia are:

• Olympus DS-7000 RRP $699 incl. GST ($150 cheaper than the DS-5000 it replaces)
• Olympus DS-3500 RRP $549 incl. GST ($150 cheaper than the DS-3400 it replaces)
• Olympus DS-2500 RRP $379 incl. GST ($110 cheaper then the DS-2400 it replaces)

Some light reading for you to download (all in .PDF format):

• New Olympus DS Series Pro Digital Dication/Transcription Brochure
• Olympus DS-7000/DS-3500 Australia Press Release (17th April 2012)
• Olympus DS-2500 Australia Press Release (17th April 2012)

This post is only applicable in Australia. Here is a freebie from Olympus, take it while you can as these things are rare. From 1st march 2012 until 31st May 2012 if you buy an Olympus DS-5000/AS-5000 bundle then you are eligible for a free gift. The bundle is available from us for $999 incl. GST delivered.

Why bundle? Well many people looking to upgrade from analogue tape to digital will generally purchase both a transcription kit and a voice recorder in one go. If you have been thinking of moving to digital dictation now would be a great time especially as you can pick up a free digital camera or free WS series voice recorder as a part of your bundle.

This is the first promo of its kind from Olympus Australia where redemption is via the official Olympus Australia website. In the past Olympus have posted out cameras to its Pro resellers as a give away, this is a smart move again from Olympus as it starts to centralise its legitimate Pro customers in the Olympus Australia system. By legitimate I mean customers who have purchased only from official Australian Pro voice resellers and not the grey market responsible for cheap overseas imports and refurbished dictaphones with no warranty in Australia.

Which one shall I  choose, the camera or the WS series recorder? Of course you should choose the WS series recorder … but I would say that, i’m a digital voice person rather than a photographer. However, the WS series is an excellent little recorder to have handy in your office for recording team meetings etc.

To redeem your free gift you will need a receipt number from your Pro reseller and supply all your details. The small print says that delivery of your gift can take upto 6 weeks so be prepared for a wait. We have already started to email our customers from the last couple of weeks who purchased an Olympus DS-5000 AS-5000 bundle as the promotion although announced yesterday (26th march 2012) is retrospective to the 1st march 2012.

This offer is only available from official Olympus Australia Pro resellers – click here for the Olympus DS Series Special Offer terms and conditions.

Another example of digital voice being put to a great use is at a website I recently stumbled upon called LibriVox.org – I was on the hunt for audio books for my children when Google pointed me to this resource. Simple concept, they tend to be the best ones, which is take public domain books and have volunteers from around the world record themselves reading them. In turn producing a huge catalog of free audiobooks for the world to enjoy. This is a fantastic initiative, not just because my children get to listen to some classics but for the great many people who for some reason or another can’t or don’t want to read.

LibriVox was started back in 2005 by a man called Hugh McGuire and since then has amassed a few select sidekicks to help with web design, audio book cataloging and the day to day running of LibriVox. Add to that the legion of  volunteers worldwide the LibriVox catalog has grown and grown very fast.

Obviously being digitally recorded readings of books this caught my eye. Most volunteers it seems use Audacity, the very popular open source and free digital audio editing and recording software which runs on all common platforms (Mac, Windows and Linux). Some are also using digital voice recorders for their recordings so I thought I would weigh in with my comments on the best recorders to use should you want to make a contribution and volunteer as a reader for LibriVox. All the details on becoming a volunteer for LibriVox can be found on their extensive FAQ page. You don’t have to read a whole book either, LibriVox have a torrent style approach to recordings asking people to record chapters rather then whole books. Although if you are keen you can record a whole book if you wish.

So you want to record for LibriVox and you quite like the idea of using a digital voice recorder to do it. Benefits are that you can dictate from anywhere so you do not have to sit in front of your computer (visualises a reader in a hammock) so you can be more relaxed and in your favourite reading position.

You do not need a super expensive recorder either, one of the low end digital notetakers would be ideal and I would also recommend grabbing a noise cancelling microphone to concentrate the audio on your voice and not any background noise. The VN series recorders from Olympus are ideal (VN-8600PC or the new VN-711PC for example) as these are very cheap but produce excellent audio quality especially for one person speaking. Make sure you grab a VN series recorder whose model number ends in PC which means they can be connected to a computer (Mac or Windows) to transfer across your recorded audio files, early models without the PC in the model number can not and are useless for this kind of exercise.

Add to these cheap high quality voice recorders a noise cancelling microphone like the Olympus ME-15 or Olympus ME-52W microphones and you are good to go. Both microphones come with an extension cable and tie-pin clip so they can be clipped to your shirt, ideal for when you sit back and just speak your book aloud, all up quite a cheap bundle.

Just a tip. With the note taker style recorders like the VN series mentioned while you are talking if you need to take a break, sneeze or have a coughing fit then you can simply pause the recording. With this style of voice recorder you can not stop/start recording then rewind hear what you last said and then continue recording. These types of voice recorders are called digital dictaphones and they emulate old style tape recorders and they are very expensive. If you find that you are unable to read without making mistakes then you can also use Audacity after you have recorded to edit out the mistakes.

Has that inspired you to give back and become a volunteer for LibriVox?

VN Series recorders are available in Australia from us, Dictate Australia and can also be found at Officeworks. For readers outside of Australia check your local large electrical retailer or Amazon.com

You can follow LibriVox.org on Twitter @librivox

Slowly but surely the Mac version of DSS Player is coming up to speed against its more mature Windows counterpart – called DSS Player v7 Plus on Mac and DSS Player Pro v5 Dictation Module on Windows. However the Mac DSS software is still lacking a couple of keys features that Windows users enjoy, one key feature is auto email of dictation audio files. Most Mac users will simply puff out their chests as they huff that they are quite capable of sending an email without software doing it for them, still it is a handy feature, especially if you have multiple audio files, and a feature that people often ask about and look for.

I was prompted to write this blog post as a couple of hits recently had people looking at how you actually send an audio file from DSS Player v7 Plus, this is when I noticed that it is not entirely obvious in the software – there is no email button or file option. In true Mac fashion emailing a file or files is intuitive – you simply drag and drop from DSS Player Pro into your mail client or into your browser if you use Gmail via the web interface, that’s it. If you are one of those people who like to select the file from disk the quickest way to locate your dictation file and folder is to double tap (or right click if you have set this) on the audio file name in the right window pain in DSS Player Plus, select Property then expand out the File Path to open a Finder window showing your file location. All of these are covered below in detail:

Email Your Olympus Dictation Using Mac Mail

Start by composing your new email in Mac Mail then simply select one or more files from the DSS Player dictation window and drag the file(s) to the content area of your new mail message. The audio files will be copied straight in ready for your to send. Selecting multiple files can be done by holding down the Apple key ⌘ key as you click.

Email Olympus Dictation Using Gmail

If you use Gmail or Google Mail for Business then audio can be dragged into the message composition area of a new email. Again just like above single or multiple files can be selected.

Locating Your Olympus Dictation On Your Mac Hard Disk

If you prefer to find the location of your audio files on your Mac hard disk then this can be done by selecting an individual audio file (highlight it) then right-click or two finger tap to bring up the file properties. The full path of the audio file will be shown in the properties windows. To open a Finder window just click on the box with three dots, see below:

There are a couple of things to consider when you email your digital dictation files. First security, not all email clients encrypt attachments which means your audio could travel across the internet from server to server until it reaches its destination, the recipient(s). This means your audio could be sniffed meaning it could be access as it travels the web, unencrypted could then be listened to. This is unlikely but possible however if you audio is highly confidential consider encrypting the audio and/or your complete email message. Second, attachment file sizes. The maximum file size allowed per an email is usually defined by your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and for bigger companies with their own mail servers by internal policy. On average the maximum email attachment file size is anything between 5Mb to 10Mb. As .dss and .ds2 audio files are designed to be highly compressed it is unlikely that you will hit any restrictions however if your typist has not kept up with technology and is unable to play .ds2 audio files then files converted to .AIFF tend to be a lot larger in file size.

With all the hoo-haa surrounding the Julia Gillard vs Kevin Rudd showdown in Parliament recently I have found myself glued to the TV and twitterstream (in particular the fantastic work by @latikambourke) for news and updates on the goings on in Canberra. One thing I find myself doing when a press conference is on or a politician is hijacked as they leave Canberra Airport is watching the press pack thrust various microphones and digital voice recorders in the face of said pollies.

So what are the types of digital voice recorders that journalists use to capture that all important soundbite for later reference, broadcast or replay on Soundcloud? Digital notetakers are the norm for this kind of scenario, they are small, power up instantly but more importantly can capture the crisp clear bleatings of our elected representatives [earlier blog post - what is the difference between a digital notetaker and digital dictaphone].

These types of digital voice recorders are not expensive (between $100-$200 AUD) and are designed for just this type of media melee, generally running off one single AAA battery and Mac and Windows compatible with no need for software they are the perfect choice. Often I notice the budget VN series recorders from Olympus but more often that not the journos who know what they are doing grab themselves a WS series digital voice recorder.

Some of the key features of the WS series recorder are the record quality settings (high bitrate MP3 ranging from 198kbps to 256kbps) or even high quality, uncompressed PCM .WAV files although .MP3 files are preferred as they tend to be smaller in file size making them quicker and easier to move around the Internet. Some recorders also sport a zoom mic, handy for the less physical journo unable to fight their way to the front of the press pack. The zoom mic acts like a laser pointer, without the small red dot appearing on the targets chest, to narrow the field of audio pickup and to concentrate on the speakers voice alone.

When you combine one of these small high quality digital voice recorders with the Olympus TP-7 (telephone pickup) microphone you also have the ability to record phone conversations from anywhere – your office, out in the field, from home etc. as the TP-7 can be used with any telephone and plugs straight into the mic jack on the voice recorder – link to earlier post re: Olympus mics – look for the TP-7, sample recording included in the post.

So next time you see journalists jostling for position to record the speaker at a press gathering you will have a better idea of what it is they are probing with.

I don’t know much about nursing or the health system, I am rarely at my doctors and the closest I come to anything medical is on a Saturday night when Greys Anatomy is on the TV. Recently though I was briefly exposed to Palliative care and the remarkable people who work in this area of nursing as a very close relative passed away from cancer. Palliative care is given to terminally ill patients to help relieve and prevent their suffering in their last days or weeks. Not a subject most like to discuss but all of us are affected at some point in time.

One of the many services provided by Eastern Palliative Care is called a client biography. This service allows the patient to tell their life story in their own words all of which are recorded on a digital voice recorder. A trained volunteer biographer records the interviews which is later transcribed and given to the family of the patient. The patient often gets great satisfaction from talking about their life, their adventures, maybe some family secrets and often tributes to relatives and friends.

For me and my family we did not have enough time to record our close relative’s thoughts and stories as they passed away too quickly, we did have a voice recorder on hand however we never got the chance to use it. Recording a voice we could have treasured for years to come.

We help to support Eastern Palliative care with free recording and transcription advice as well as at cost Olympus digital voice recorders. Great work Eastern and others like you.

The voice recorders we have suggested and have provided to Eastern Palliative are the Olympus WS series digital voice recorders. We have already shipped some WS-750M recorders and hope to supply some of the newer WS-812 recorders when they are released in Australia March/April 2012.

In my last blog post I talked about some new innovative technology that Olympus have built into to their new range of WS series digital voice recorders which was announced in early January 2012 and on display on the Olympus stand at CES 2012 in San Francisco.

In this post we will look a little closer at the new three digital voice recorders (WS-811, WS-812 and WS-813), see how they are different from the models they will replace (WS-650S/WS-750M/WS-760M) and speculate on when we might see these in Australia. Gone finally is the trailing letter on the model of the recorders that we have seen for so many years where S used to denote Stereo and M was for music, now simply the series, WS, and the model number.

New Olympus WS Series Digital Voice Recorders

• Olympus WS-811 – 2Gb
• Olympus WS-812 – 4Gb
• Olympus WS-813 - 8Gb

New Look

As is usual with a product range revamp we tend to see the same things improve. Firstly we have a new more modern look, the rounded edges, new look grills over the improved microphones. Olympus have done some work with the mics and are high sensitivity low noise, directional mics with a  high signal-to-noise ratio which ensures clear crisp and pure recording. We also see enlarged stop and record buttons for ease of use, not much of a big deal you may think but these recorders are really quite small so anything that helps locate the buttons you need quickly adds to the use experience.

PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) – Uncompressed WAV

Surprisingly we still don’t see PCM recording across the entire WS range, with only the WS-812 and WS-813 affording that luxury which for those of you not aware PCM recordings are equal to CD quality recordings (using the 44.1k/16bit PCM mode to uncompressed WAV). Don’t be swayed, the high quality MP3 and WMA recording modes on all three are still stunningly clear and you would need the hearing of a bat to tell the difference.

MicroSD Slot

Nice to see a microSD slot on each recorder allowing the already large in-built memory to be expanded. Remember these little devices also double as portable storage so not only can you record and keep your audio on them but any digital file – much like a memory stick.

Plug And Play – No Software Required – Mac Compatible

This is nothing new, for a fair few years now Olympus have been Mac compatible and for ease of use you require no software to access the audio, or any other files, you store on your WS series recorder. Simply walk up to any computer, Mac or PC, USB connect and the stored data is available. The USB connector is built into the recorder and slides out from the bottom when needed from just below the speaker grill. All three recorders can also double as an MP3 music player, pop in the supplied earbuds or your own headphones and listen to your music.

Only On The WS-812 and WS-813 …

The WS-811 has been by-passed with some features that will be key to a few like manual recording levels, all three recorders also have auto record levels. Voice playback feature which skips the silent parts of your recording during playback and only plays the recorded voices. Voice balancer technology boosts quieter voices and reduces loud voices to attempt a level range of spoken audio volume. A calendar search function has also been introduced to help you find audio on the a little easier (if you know the date they were recorded). Files can be moved between folders on the device.

When Will They Be Available In Australia?

Yes we are keen to get ahold of these little beauties too, I for one am looking forward to playing with the new voice playback and voice balancer features and putting them through some tests ready for a review. The rumour on the street is that the new WS series recorders will be available in Australia towards the end of March. No confirmation on price in AU (prices in Europe have been published) but I would expect them to come in around the same price as the current WS series range if not a little cheaper, just to put a bit more pressure on the competition.

January is not only the time of year where you and I make resolutions doomed to fail in the first week but more importantly the time of the year where the worlds gadget companies and technology press converge at CES to show the world their latest and greatest for the future and the upcoming year. Olympus is just another name in the crowd at CES showcasing new digital voice recorders and some interesting additions to the feature set of a digital voice recorder.

Voice Changer

I know what you are thinking, this is a fun feature that can change your voice to that of a Dalek, chipmunk or perhaps how you sound after sucking helium. Unfortunatly Olympus are far too serious a company for that feature, it is more focussed around the ability to change the pitch of a recorded voice during playback on the digital voice recorder. Tweaking the pitch of a voice can help make it clearer to hear and therefore understand.

Voice Playback

This is great little feature, on playback of your recorded audio only the voice segments are played back. Silences between conversations are skipped helping you concentrate on what was said rather than awkard or long pauses between the conversation. This will vastly speed up recapping your audio and will be especially noticeable on longer recordings of interviews, meetings or your personal digital audio notes or ramblings.

Voice Balancer

Something that has plagued transcriptionists for years is now about to get much much better. With voice balancer louder recorded voices are toned down whereas as quieter voices are toned up, hence balancing the voices to a more manageable and consistent audio level.

All of the above features were announced by Olympus in a press release at the beginning of January 2012 and will be found in two (WS-812 and WS-813, not WS-811) of the three new WS series recorders released in the US and show cased at CES 2012. More on the new WS series in a separate blog coming soon.

Olympus voice are an innovative bunch, they don’t tend to sit on their hands doing not a lot, they keep refining and evolving their range of digital voice recorders. It is not uncommon to see digital voice recorder models come and go in the space of a single year. As such we often find customers coming back after years of use to replace their digital note taker or dictaphone only to find that their old model voice recorder has been replaced by a newer model.

In an attempt to make finding the current equivalent voice recorder to replace your old trusty Olympus digital voice recorder a little easier I have compiled a list of old models and their latest equivalents. This list covers PCM music recorders, interview/meeting/focus group recorders, budget recorders, the Pro range of digital dictaphones and finally Olympus digital transcription kits.

Olympus WS Series Digital Note Takers

The latest range of WS Series digital voice recorders from Olympus are:

• Olympus WS-811 – 2Gb – WMA, MP3 recording
• Olympus WS-812 – 4Gb – PCM WAV, WMA, MP3 recording
• Olympus WS-813 – 8Gb – PCM WAV, WMA, MP3 recording

These three replace the following list of WS series recorders:

• Olympus WS-100
• Olympus WS-110S
• Olympus WS-200S
• Olympus WS-210S
• Olympus WS-300M
• Olympus WS-310M
• Olympus WS-311M
• Olympus WS-320M
• Olympus WS-321M
• Olympus WS-331M
• Olympus WS-450S
• Olympus WS-550M
• Olympus WS-560M
• Olympus WS-650S
• Olympus WS-750M
• Olympus WS-760M

Olympus VN Series Basic Digital Notetakers

• Olympus VN-2100PC discontinued, equivalent Olympus VN-8500PC or VN-8600PC
• Olympus VN-3100PC discontinued, equivalent Olympus VN-8500PC or VN-8600PC
• Olympus VN-3500PC discontinued, equivalent Olympus VN-8500PC or VN-8600PC
• Olympus VN-5500PC discontinued, equivalent Olympus VN-8500PC or VN-8600PC
• Olympus VN-6800PC discontinued, equivalent Olympus VN-8500PC or VN-8600PC
• Olympus VN-8500PC discontinued, equivalent Olympus VN-711PC
• Olympus VN-8600PC discontinued, equivalent Olympus VN-712PC

Olympus DP Series Basic Digital Notetaker

• Olympus DP-20 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DP-211

Olympus DM Series Digital Meeting Recorders

• Olympus DM-450 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DM-3
• Olympus DM-550 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DM-5

Olympus DS Series Digital Meeting Recorders

• Olympus DS-30 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DM-3
• Olympus DS-40 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DM-3
• Olympus DS-50 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DM-3
• Olympus DS-55 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DM-3
• Olympus DS-65 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DM-3

Olympus DS Series Digital Dictaphones

• Olympus DS-2200 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DS-2500
• Olympus DS-2300 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DS-2500
• Olympus DS-3300 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DS-3500
• Olympus DS-4000 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DS-7000
• Olympus DS-2400 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DS-2500
• Olympus DS-3400 discontinued, equivalent Olympus DS-3500
• Olympus DS-5000 & DS-5000iD discontinued, equivalent Olympus DS-7000

Olympus LS Series Digital PCM Music Recorders

• Olympus LS-10 discontinued, equivalent Olympus LS-3
• Olympus LS-11 discontinued, equivalent Olympus LS-3

Olympus Digital Transcription Kits

• Olympus AS-2300 discontinued, equivalent AS-2400
• Olympus AS-4000 discontinued, equivalent AS-7000
• Olympus AS-5000 discontinued, equivalent AS-7000

If your older model Olympus digital voice recorder is not on the list please leave a comment with the model number and I will add it.

The official change from firmware version 1.20 to 1.30 details:

• Start DAISY file playback from previously stopped position. (DM-5 only)
• Improved DAISY bookmark function: The bookmark is at the exact position where it is set by the user. (DM-5 only)

For details on how to update the firmware on your DM-3/DM-5 please refer to our earlier blog post:

Mac & Windows – Olympus DM-3 / DM-5 Firmware Update – How To

No, is the short answer. Voice or speech recognition software will only successfully work with one spoken voice and that spoken voice, for best results, needs to have trained the software to understand their voice and style of speaking known as creating a voice profile. Most people who use voice recognition software typically pop on a headset and mic and chat away to their Windows PC or Mac and watch as their voice is magically (or using the Dragon voice recognition engine if you don’t believe in magic) converted to text.

Voice recognition is currently going through a spike in popularity, especially since the release of the iPhone 4S running iOS5 with Siri, which has raised awareness of just how good voice recognition technology has evolved over the last couple of years, Nuance being the company leading the way in this technology on Mac, Windows and now inside iOS5 working closely with Apple.

Because of this everyone now has an iPhone which is capable of recording audio and most who need to capture important meetings or interviews also have a high quality digital voice recorder. Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium and Professional edition on Windows and MacSpeech Scribe on the Mac can take recorded audio and transcribe it, that is only for that single trained person who is speaking. So it is understandable that the leap is often made that if it can transcribe one voice it can transcribe many, not so. The technology is not there yet and in my opinion won’t be for quite some time.

Nuance on their website cleverly have a couple of pages dedicated to Transcribing Interviews or Transcribing Lectures using a technique called voice writing or parroting. The idea is simple, you record your interview, meeting, lecture or whatever it is that has multiple voices or a single voice that you can not get trained in Dragon (possibly the voice of someone making a speech or presenting at a conference). Then when you are sitting in front of your Windows PC or Mac (in this case running Dragon Dictate, not MacSpeech Scribe) you listen to your recorded audio and you speak what you hear. Therefore it is your trained voice that Dragon hears as you are repeatings other peoples words from your recording. Sounds simple doesn’t it – it isn’t, I have tried it a few times and have become extremely frustrated. You may find that the voice you are listening to is too fast for you to remember and repeat back which means you are constantly stopping and rewinding the audio, which on an iPhone app or basic digital voice recorder is not always that easy. You will likely often have to stop the audio to correct mistakes made by Dragon, maybe when unfamiliar names or terms are used which have not been trained into your user profile. It will work but it does take a lot of concentration and a large amount of practice, you can give it a try just search YouTube for a boardroom meeting and see if you can repeat what you hear while wearing a headset and mic.

So what are your practical options for transcribing audio or video of meetings and interviews or in fact any audio that you need turned from voice to text?

Option 1 – Type The Audio Yourself

You could transcribe the audio yourself using some specialised transcription software to help you, transcription is the process of typing what you hear. When I say help it won’t actually do the work of typing it for you but it will assist greatly with the audio playback. For example if you are a slow typist you could slow the speed of audio playback down to match your typing speed or conversly also speed up the audio if your fingers are a blur when you type. Using transcription software you can also easily rewind the audio, again set up to match your typing ability so you could either rewind back half a second or if you are a poor typist like me rewind the audio back up to 5 seconds. The biggest benefit of using transcription software is that audio can be controlled from inside the word processor that you are typing in. By that I mean using a USB connected foot pedal or pre-defined keys on your keyboard you can stop/play/rewind the audio without leaving the document that you are typing. This is a huge time saver, often people try to transcribe using Windows Media Player or Quicktime for their audio playback and they have to constantly switch between they document to the audio player to stop/rewind/play and then back to the document which adds a considerable amount of time to the whole transcribing process.

Pros Of Doing It Yourself

• Cost, from the point of view that you are not paying someone else to do the work.
• Cost, from the point of view that transcription software is free or relatively cheap depending on what you buy.

Cons Of Doing It Yourself

• It is hard work and not as easy as it sounds.
• Transcription typing does take a long time even if you are experienced.

Just as an indication of how long transcription takes, a good quality one hour audio file of an interview between two people would take an experienced transcription typist around 2-3 hours to transcribe. If you are not experienced expect that to rise to 4-5 hours and without the help of transcription software even longer.

Transcription Software

• Express Scribe from NCH Software – $FREE
• Express Scribe Pro from NCH Software – approx. AU$40 – Click Here To Buy Express Scribe PRO – Plays .dss .ds2 .dct .dvf .avi .mov .wmv audio and video files.
• Olympus AS-2400 Digital Transcription Kit – Includes software, headset and USB foot pedal – RRP AU$425 but usually it sells online for less. Windows & Mac compatible.

Option 2 – Outsource To A Professional Transcription Service

If you need your audio transcribed quickly and accurately then this option is for you. Just Google transcription service and see how many businesses are listed both organically and in the paid Google ads. Transcription has become a boom business over the last few years and that makes total sense. With the availability and high quality of digital voice recorders and iPhone apps just about everyone is recording their meetings, interviews, podcasts, vodcasts, focus groups, lectures, letters, assessments the list goes on. It is great to have a record of your meeting and the like stored digitally which can be easily shared within your business on your intranet or with the world on the internet but more often than not a written transcript is also required for offline reading, compliance or for public record. There are all kinds of reasons audio and video is transcribed into text these days.

This is where a professional transcription service can come in to help you. Simply send them your digital audio or video via the internet and they can set to work using their team of experienced transcription typists to convert your voice to text. Here is a security tip, always make sure that the transcription service you use has their own secure file server and that the data you send them is encrypted either using FTPS (not FTP) or HTTPS (not HTTP) – this is important for two reasons. 1. your audio/video is encrypted as it travels across the internet from you to their servers. 2. by ensuring they run their own secure server they will have full control and access over what happens on that server. Many transcription services use third party providers like SendThisFile.com and they nor you have any control over your data on that third parties servers. Ask any transcription service that you approach about their security and file transfer mechanisms. Many still use FTP and not FTPS, transferring files across FTP alone does not encrypt the file contents, be it audio, video or worse still your transcribed documents.

Any good professional transcription service will turn your audio around quickly and the final transcript will very accurate. Typically there are two phases to the transcription process; phase 1 is the transcription typist who listens and types your audio/video to text. Phase 2 is a quality assurance phase, a proofreader will listen to your audio and proof against what has been transcribed. This double verifies the typists work and the document can be formatted to your specific requirements. Obviously we recommend The Transcription People, not just because this is our sister company but because they are leaders in the transcription industry in Australia who service clients not only from Australia but also the US and Europe

As audio and video for transcription is mainly digital you can utilise the services of a transcription company anywhere in the world, you may want to do this for cost benefit reasons but more often than not to take advantage of time zones. Many UK and US businesses will use the services of Australian based transcription companies for just this reason as Australia tends to work their business day as Europe and the US sleep.

Pros

• Speed, this is a transcription services core business. Reputable companies will turn around audio and video very quickly.
• Accuracy, again as a core business this is how transcription services are rated from a customers point of view. A good transcription firm will always produce high quality accurate transcriptions because of the two phase approach.
• Ability to adapt, regardless of how much audio or video you send you should always expect the same fast, accurate turn around of transcripts.
• You don’t have to do it so you can focus your time on more productive work.

Cons

• Cost is the only con, you are paying for a service so compared to you doing it yourself there will be a cost involved. Obviously the larger more reputable transcription companies will have different rates from the work from home type of micro transcription service.

So there you have it ! Reasons why Dragon NaturallySpeaking for Windows or MacSpeech Scribe for Apple Mac are not good for transcribing meetings or interviews and the options you have open to you to convert recorded audio or video into text.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking from Nuance, currently at version 11.5, can use a digital recording of your spoken voice and transcribe that into text (Premium and Professional versions only), this is commonly referred to as deferred transcription. With so many people now owning either a digital voice recorder and/or an iPhone or iPad with a voice recording app the question is often asked “is the recording quality good enough for use with Dragon NaturallySpeaking?“.

Luckily the nice people at Nuance have a quick and easy way for you to check, via the Nuance Hardware Compatibility website. This site shows compatibility for all Nuance software but you can specifically drill down on Dragon NaturallySpeaking and then look through the Recorders (current) or Recorders (legacy) for older digital voice recorders.

The Nuance Hardware Compatibility website is also worth a visit if you are planning to buy a new microphone or mic and headset combo for use with Dragon Naturally Speaking as these too are listed and given a Dragon accuracy score out of six, the more dragons the better the accuracy. We like the Plantronics DSP-400 and have been promoting that for a few years now. The DSP-400 achieved a six dragon accuracy score and is an excellent all round headset/mic combo which is both Mac and Windows compatible, works with Skype also.

Currently the only universal (iPhone and iPad) voice recording app which is listed as compatible is the awesome Andrea Pure Audio Live Recorder app (found in the Recorders (current) dropdown which achieves five out of six dragons. I have this app on my iPhone 4 running iOS5 and it works beautifully, the app also works on the 3GS iPhone.

The latest music digital recorder from Olympus is now available in Australia, the Olympus LS-3 comes hot on the heels of the demise of its predecessors the LS-10 and LS-11 and puts its hand up as the sole recorder in the current Olympus Australia range aimed at recording music.

So what makes the LS-3 different to any other recorder in the Olympus range? Well all the other Olympus recorders are designed to record spoken audio which generally has a constant and narrow range of audio volume. Large fluctuations in volume, very quiet to very loud are not coped with well with standard voice recorders, this is where the LS-3 steps in. Not only that but the new Tresmic 3 mic system nestled under the LS-3 mic grill is designed to pick up a more natural, closer to reality audio.

Audio levels on the LS-3 can be controlled automatically or if you prefer manually. When setting levels manually a built-in limiter will suppress any sound distortion.

The neatest feature of the LS-3 though has to be the pre-record function. Advertised to let you “Never Miss A Beat” this handy featured when turned on will hold a 2 second audio buffer, so as soon as you hit record the previous two seconds of audio has already been recorded and now included in the audio recording.

Key features of the LS-3 are:

• Records in Linear PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) WAV, MP3 or WMA audio formats
• 3 Tresmic Mics, center mic can be turned on or off to give a frequency response of 20Hz-20kHz (Center mic ON) or 70Hz-20kHz (Center mic OFF)
• 4Gb of built-in flash memory with an additional microSD card slot for expansion upto 32Gb
• Mac & Windows compatible

Released in Australia in August 2011 for RRP $299 incl. GST, the LS-3 sets a new standard in music and nature sound recording.

If you check in on our blog often you would have noticed us drooling of the amazing Olympus LS-20M a few months back, in case you missed it here is the link – please note the massive close up picture of the LS-20M just to ram home how cool this little device is.

Well in the latest pricing released to all Olympus Australia resellers today you could almost hear the shouts of “yippee” across the country as we rubbed our eyes in disbelief, the LS-20M is now available in Australia (or will be in the next week or two).

Sure, we all have HD video recorders nowadays, on our iPhone, our Flip camera and even on our point-and-shoot or DSLR cameras. So what makes this recorder anydifferent? Well, if you have used some or all of the above devices then one thing you would have noticed, great video quality, shocking audio quality. This is where the LS-20M stands out; using the experience of Olympus imaging for the video and the market leading audio capabilities of the Voice arm Olympus have come up with this powerful little package.

Keeping in vogue with recent trends of filtering your shots, seen in the massively popular Instagr.am app on the iPhone (follow me on Instagr.am @australia) and in the ever so popular PEN range of Olympus Imaging cameras, filters are a part of the LS-20M bundle of fun.

Unusually with the LS-20M Olympus have stepped away from the on-board flash memory + SD/SDHC card combo, the LS-20M has no on-board flash memory at all and relies solely on the SD/SDHC card slot. Click here for the US specs for the LS-20M.

What I can tell you is that the RRP for the LS-20M is $449 incl. GST.

This is where Dropbox comes in. Dropbox is a service which has both free and paid options which not only allows you to share files of any kind, of any size with others it also stores them in the cloud aswell as on your PC or Mac in effect creating a backup of what is already on your computer. The concept is simple, you install the small Dropbox client on your computer and point that client to a single folder, that folder on your computer, just like My Documents on Windows. That folder and all its contents (including sub-directories) will be automatically synced with your account in the cloud. You don’t need to worry about the transfer completing, Dropbox handles that for you, you just drop the file and forget.

You can install the Dropbox agent on any of your computers, Mac or Windows, if you have more than one to keep files in sync from one machine to another. But in the digital voice world it makes a perfect solution for sharing audio files with colleagues and even your typist, regardless of whether they are in the same office, same state or even the same country.

Dropbox allows you to share certain folders (and even files) with people, so if you store all your important documents in Dropbox on the folders (or files) you choose will be shared with others. For example, lets say you use an outsource transcription service who transcribes your audio files. You can simply setup a “Transcription” folder in Dropbox, share that with your typists and then drop any audio files you need into that directory. You typist will automatically receive the file on their computer and will be alerted via a popup that the file has arrived. Not only that, when the transcription is complete they can just drop the transcript in the same directory and vice versa you receive the actual document into your Dropbox ready for you to read.

Most good transcription businesses will utilise their own secure servers for file transfer, however some of the smaller ones still tend to use thrid party sites like sendthisfile.com to move large audio files around. That’s great but you have to wait for the transfer to complete, which if you are working off a mobile 3G connection can be slow and painful. Dropbox takes that pain away and just works, not only that all file transfers are secure and the files are encrypted as they pass from your computer to Dropbox both ways.

The uses of Dropbox are limitless. Me personally, I use Dropbox to store all the voice recorder manuals I sell, along with many documents that I refer to often. Aswell as being available for Mac and Windows there is also an Apple iPhone app and Android app so you can access your files while on the go from your smartphone.

Dropbox has been around for a while and has really set the standard for file sharing and backup. I wrote this blog because I love the way it works and I use it daily. For file sharing, especially for large audio files, Dropbox is an easy way to move you files around.

Dropbox has both free and paid options. The free option gives you 2Gb of cloud storage, if you need more then there are a couple of paid options offering either monthly or yearly payments. This gives you 50Gb of space called Pro 50 (US$99/year or US$9.99/month), 100Gb of space called Pro 100 (US$199/year or US$19.99/month) and there is also a 350+Gb option called Teams, Dropbox will tailor a plan to your needs. For the average person the free option is the way to go, that’s what I use. So give it a try and let me know what you think. Click here to get Dropbox for free !

We get alot of hits on our blog from all over the world. Many hits are people searching for answers to specific questions. So we thought we would start a post and update as we go with questions we see pop up from day to day. This post will get longer over time so make good use of your browsers search function (here’s a tip, click Ctrl-f):

Do you have a question you would like answered? Leave a comment and we may include it in the list.

Q: Can you convert a .ds2 file to .dss?

A: Yes you can. But why would you is a question we would ask back. I would understand converting an MP3 or WMA file to a dss file format as the file size would be greatly reduced, but .ds2 to .dss no point.

Q: What is the best mic for use with Dragon Dictate for Mac

A: The answer to this one depends on the kind of microphone you prefer. Dragon Dictate for Mac in Australia is bundled with a choice of several mic options (click here for a run down of them all). These are all excellent mics so it is really down to personal choice. If you like a headset then there are a couple of options, if you prefer just a mic then there is an option for that and if you prefer wireless again there are a couple of choice. Soon I am sure dictation wirelessly through your iPhone/iPad will be available I am sure as this has just been released for Dragon NaturallySpeaking on Windows.

Q: Can I use the Olympus DS-5000 with my Olympus AS-4000 transcription kit.

A: Yes you can. BUT, and there is always a but, not straight out of the box. The AS-4000 kit will only work with standard .dss audio files, out of the box the DS-5000 records in .ds2 or DSS Pro audio format which is not compatible with the AS-4000. With the DSS Player Pro v5 Dictation Module software installed on a Windows PC (it comes with the DS-5000) you can set the default record mode of the DS-5000 to what is called Classic Mode (click here for a video demo how to do this). By setting Classic Mode your DS-5000 will record .dss audio files and will then be compatible with your AS-4000 transcription kit. More info here from an earlier blog post.

Q: Free transcription software for ds2 file.

A: OK, this search term or a variant of it appears every day in my Google analytics and I have to be honest it annoys me. If you are searching for free software to transcribe .ds2 audio files that indicates to me that you are likely doing this as a service to someone, i.e. you are running a business. At some point while running a business you will have to spend some money to support your business activities. After all most transcriptionists have it good, the most popular transcription software (Express Scribe) is free, you can even use it without a foot pedal thus saving you even more money. Now if you are receiving .ds2 files from your clients do them and yourself a favour, buy the software to let you play or convert these audio files. My tip, if you are watching the pennies, buy the Olympus DSS Player Pro v5 Dictation Module software, this will let you convert an Olympus .ds2 into .dss (classic) or WMA (or AIFF if you are on a Mac) and therefore will work with your free transcription software.

Q: Which digital voice recorders are compatible with Dragon Dictate for Mac.

A: This is an easy one to answer, none. Dragon Dictate for Mac can not take audio from a digital voice recorder, unlike its Windows cousin, Dragon NaturallySpeaking which can take audio in the Premium and Pro versions. Currently a seperate product called MacSpeech Scribe will take audio from a recorder and transcribe it using the Dragon speech recognition engine. I expect this to change at some point in the future and be part of Dragon Dictate but as of now it can only be done with MacSpeech Scribe.

The DM series recorders in Australia are now manned by the Olympus DM-3 and the Olympus DM-5 digital voice recorders since the launch of the DM3 in early July 2011. To look at them you would be hard pressed to tell the difference other than the Olympus DM3 is silver and the Olympus DM5 is black.

So what is the difference between the two? Here is a summary:

Memory:

• DM-3 has 4Gb of on-board memory, expandable via the microSD slot (512mb to 16Gb cards)
• DM-5 has 8Gb of on-board memory, expandable via the microSD slot (512mb to 16Gb cards)

Maximum Recording Time (using in-built memory only):

I only list the highest quality audio recording modes as these give the best quality sound and audio pickup. If you choose lower quality recording modes the maximum recording times will be greater than I have listed. I recommend using the highest quality audio recording modes.

Olympus DM-3 (RRP $349 incl. GST in Australia)

• 25hrs 30mins on the highest bit-rate MP3 format (320kbps)
• 5hrs 15mins on the 48kHz linear PCM uncompressed WAV format
• 62hrs 30mins on the highest quality WMA (Windows Media Audio) format

Olympus DM-5 (RRP $499 incl. GST in Australia)

• 53hrs on the highest bit-rate MP3 format (320kbps)
• 11hrs 5mins on the 48kHz linear PCM uncompressed WAV format
• 130hrs on the highest quality WMA (Windows Media Audio) format

Text To Speech (DM5 Only):

Only the DM-5 is capable of reading aloud a textfile, this feature is not available on the DM-3. Text to speech is a functional typically used by people who are vision impaired or have reading disabilities.

DAISY Books (DM5 Only):

Only the DM-5 is capable of playing DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) books. DAISY books were intended to replace audio tapes for digital devices and have the ability to read-aloud books while also highlighting text and displaying images. DAISY books are typically used by people who are vision impaired or have reading disabilities.

Voice Recognition (DM5 Only):

Only the DM-5 is capable of processing voice recognition commands to control the digital voice recorder. Voice recognition allows complicated key inputs using voice alone, for example to set the date and time or setting up timer record. Voice recognition only controls the Olympus DM-5 functions is does not take your spoken words and transcribe them. Voice recognition is typically used by people who are vision impaired or have reading disabilities.

Viewing Images (DM-5 Only):

Only the Olympus DM5 has the ability to store and display images imported from a digital camera. The images can be displayed on the DM-5′s large lcd colour screen.

So there you have it. As you can see the Olympus DM-5 is really aimed at people who are vision impaired and give them a user friendly digital voice recording device. Both will record exactly the same audio quality files, the main difference being the size of the memory in each which in turn effects the maximum recording times which I have listed above. If you are not vision impaired the only reason I would see someone opting for an Olympus DM-5 over a DM3 would be if they are planning on being away from a computer for a large amount of time gathering audio that would exceed the in-built memory plus an addition microSD card’s worth of memory. That is alot of audio.

Both the Olympus DM-3 and the Olympus DM-5 are available in Australia from us, Dictate Australia. We are an Olympus Imaging Australia Gold partner. Any questions about these or any recorders please comment here or contact is through our website – www.dictate.com.au

A new firmware update is available for the Olympus DM-3 and DM-5 digital voice/meeting/interview recorders, version 1.20

New in this firmware release is:

1. Support the functions of USB microphone or Speaker.
2. Supports the function to register the voice keywords for the schedule.
3. Supports the function to register the voice memos for the schedule.
4. Supports the playback for audio files from the schedule list display.
5. Improve the volume setting when the text file is spoken out.
6. Supports to directly connect the device to CD drive and import DAISY contents from CD (Only for DM-5)

Both the Olympus DM-3 and DM-5 can be updated on either a Windows or a Mac, to find out how please review our earlier blog post by clicking the link below:

How to firmware update your Olympus DM-3 / DM-5 on Windows or Mac

The latest Olympus digital voice recorders come with the ability to update their firmware as and when Olympus release new updates. The firmware is essentially the operating system that runs your digital voice recorder so it is a good idea to always stay up-to-date with any new firmware releases, much as you do with your Mac when new OS X operating system releases are made and on Windows with security patches and fixes. Firmware updates will improve the usability of your recorder, fix any minor bugs and often add more features or improve usability.

To check your current firmware version on your Olympus DM-3 or Olympus DM-5 digital voice recorder navigate the menus:

Preferences -> System Menu -> System Info

Your current loaded firmware version will then be displayed along with your recorder model and serial number.

To upgrade the firmware on your Olympus DM-3 or DM-5 digital meeting recorder on a Mac or Windows PC you will need:

• Obviously your Olympus DM-3 / DM-5
• The DM-3 / DM-5 USB Cable
• If on Mac – OS X 10.4.11 or higher
• If on Windows – XP, Vista or 7

I recommend that you either fully charge your DM-3 / DM-5 prior to upgrading the firmware or better still use the AC mains power adapter (not Mac/PC powered USB). If the firmware upgrade fails your recorder may be left unusable, this will often occur if the recorder battery is low and powers down during upgrade.

Next you will need to determine if your current firmware version is older than what is currently available. You can do this by either regularly checking the relevant Olympus firmware website for your operating system (links below) or better still keep an eye on our blog as we will announce firmware updates as and when they occur:

Click here for the latest Olympus DM-3 or DM-5 firmware for Mac

Click here for the latest Olympus DM-3 or DM-5 firmware for Windows

The above links will give you all the detail you will need to update the firmware on your recorder.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE – DM3/DM5 FIRMWARE UPGRADE ON MAC

The steps for upgrading the firmware on a Mac are the same as on Windows, the walk through splash screens are exactly the same (see Windows upgrade steps below). The only difference I noted was that when I ran the .dmg installer it forced my to reboot my Mac prior to automatically launching the DM-3/DM-5 firmware upgrade. I left my digital recorder USB connected during this reboot.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE – DM3/DM5 FIRMWARE UPGRADE ON WINDOWS

So once you have downloaded the firmware upgrade for Windows from the above Olympus link, simply double click and the firmware updater will walk you through the process. It is very simple and only takes around 4 minutes to complete the firmware upgrade.

Step 1.

Confirms that the software you are running is a DM-X (Dm3 or DM5) firmware updater and requests you USB connect (PC not AC) your Olympus DM-3 or DM-5 digital voice recorder.

Step 2.

Your Olympus DM-3 or DM-5 will be detected and this is confirmed in this next splash box. Here you can check your current firmware version against the firmware version available and downloaded. If they are different then you can continue.

Step 3.

Firmware update phase 1 begins. PLEASE NOTE there are two phases of firware update so please be patient and read carefully every splash screen instructions.

Step 4.

Firmware (phase 1) is copied to the Olympus DM3/DM5 and is updating the digital voice recorder.

Step 5.

The next phase of firmware update is about to begin. Do not pull out your recorder from the USB yet.

Step 6.

This confirms that the new version of the firmware is now residing on the Olympus DM-3/DM-5 and is ready to be installed.

Step 7.

Wait while the firware unpacks on the DM3/DM5.

Step 8.

Firmware is installing.

Step 9.

That’s it! Your Olympus DM3 / DM5 has been flashed with the new firmware.