MacSpeech Scribe just released by MacSpeech lets Mac users record their voice to a digital voice recorder and then have MacSpeech Scribe transcribe it for them. The only certified digital recording devices for MacSpeech Scribe are the iPhone, iPod Touch (2G+ plus a mic) and some of the Olympus digital voice recorders.

Two of the Olympus digital voice recorders certified for use with MacSpeech Scribe are the Olympus DS-3400 and DS-5000, both from the Professional series of digital dictaphones from Olympus, these are serious digital dictaphones. They both come with DSS Player Version 7 Plus for Mac which simplifies the task of getting the audio off the recorder. The software lets you also setup users on the recorder, set noise cancelation levels, playback and edit your recorded dictation and direct record using your digital dictaphone as a high quality mic.

Out of the box both the DS-3400 and DS-5000 will record in DSS Pro digital audio format, these files have a suffix of .ds2 – files of this format can not be loaded into MacSpeech Scribe so some file conversion needs to take place, this is where DSS Player Version 7 Plus can help. On a Mac it is not possible to set the DS-3400/DS-5000 to record in .aif format by default.

For file conversion you have two options. 1. you can manually convert each file 2. you can set DSS Player Plus to automatically convert audio every time your DS-3400/DS-5000 is connected. Both are very simple:

Manually Convert DS-3400/DS-5000 Audio To .aif Format

To manually convert .ds2 audio files to .aif on a Mac using DSS Player Version 7 Plus simply right-click on the .ds2 file you want to convert and select Convert to AIFF File, your converted file will be placed in the same download folder tray as the original file. If you want to save the .aif file to an alternative location simply highlight the audio file to be converted and click the Convert to AIFF File icon .

Automatically Convert DS-3400/DS-5000 Audio When The Recorder Is Docked

If you prefer to convert every audio file during download to your Mac when your digital dictaphone is connected then open the DSS Player Preferences and click the Download tab. Here you can tick “Convert to AIFF file during download” which will have the desired affect. Your .aif files will appear in the download tray folder configured and are then ready to be loaded into MacSpeech Scribe.

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At the recent MacWorld 2010 Expo in San Francisco, the place for companies developing technologies for the Apple Mac and iPhone to show off their ideas, MacSpeech announced the launch of their new software product MacSpeech Scribe.

MacSpeech Scribe will do what alot of existing MacSpeech Dictate customers have been asking for, transcribe from a digital recording of their voice. Now you no longer have to be in front of your MacBook or iMac to dictate audio to be transcribed. Using one of the certified MacSpeech Scribe digital voice recorders you can record your thoughts anywhere. Then at a time convenient to you have MacSpeech Scribe transcribe the audio for you.

This is similar concept to the Philips LFH0667 (formerly LFH0660/10) which was a cut down version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 for Windows which would only take audio from a digital recording.

MacSpeech Scribe is a stand alone product and is not an add-on to MacSpeech Dictate. If you already own MacSpeech Dictate and have created and trained a profile for your voice that profile can not be imported into MacSpeech Scribe, you will have to start from scratch with a new MacSpeech Scribe profile.

Only a small number of digital voice recorders have been certified by MacSpeech to work with MacSpeech Scribe. These are the iPhone, iPod Touch (2nd Gen up with a mic) and a few Olympus digital voice recorders. Of the Olympus recorders on the certified list only the DS-3400 and DS-5000 are currently available in Australia. MacSpeech Scribe can take audio in .aif, .aiff, .mp4, .m4a, .m4v and .wav format so in theory a huge number of other voice recorders will be compatible (although not certified). Remember, its all about the audio quality, so just because the $20 USB recorder you bought off eBay records in one of the supported audio formats the quality of that recording may leave you disappointed – stick with Olympus and you won’t go wrong.

MacSpeech Scribe is available now for download from the MacSpeech Australia store for $199. We hope to have a copy in the next few days and will blog a review of the setup, training and performance.

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So, this year has been a big one for Olympus voice with a revamp of all their digital recorder range. Not content with being left behind Philips had a go back in April when they rolled out, finally, Mac compatible note takers with the DVT (Digital Voice Tracer) range comprising of the 660/860/880 models. This week Philips have done a rejig in this range and discontinued the young 660/860/880 recorders and replaced them with new model numbers although essentially they are the previous recorders upgraded. Philips have also added some innovative voice recorder packages, like a set aimed at reporters and a set aimed at writers who might want to attempt their own transcription.

So what has been discontinued and what are their replacement models:

• Philips DVT LFH0660 discontinued, replaced by DVT LFH0662 (2GB – RRP AU$189)
• Philips DVT LFH0860 discontinued, replaced by DVT LFH0862 (4GB – RRP AU$249)
• Philips DVT LFH0880 discontinued, replaced by DVT LFH0882 (4GB – RRP AU$279)
• Philips DVR DragonNaturallySpeaking Voice Recorder Edition LFH-660/10 discontinued, replaced by LFH0667 (RRP AU$259)

A common change across the range is an increase in memory, that makes sense with solid state memory continuing to grow in size and drop in price. Also added to all recorders are a visual record level indicator and the USB connection, as well as powering the unit, will now also charge a rechargeable battery.

Other notable changes include uncompressed PCM recording now available on the LFH0662. High Sensitivity mic added to the LFH0862 and LFH0882 with the new “Zoom” function.

As mentioned another innovative thing Philips have done is create some Digital Voice Tracer combination packs, new packs are:

• LFH0868 (RRP AU$279) – 862 Digital Voice Tracer with docking station.
• LFH0888 (RRP AU$339) – 882 Digital Voice Tracer with docking station.
• LFH0867 (RRP AU$369) – Writers Set. 862 Digital Voice Tracer with the media player USB hand control (LFH2370/00)  which allows audio control with yours thumbs.
• LFH0885 (RRP AU$369) – Reporters Set. 882 Digital Voice Tracer with stereo lapel mic.
• LFH0895 (RRP AU$749) – Compact Meeting Recorder. I like this one, 882 Digital Voice Tracer with two of the best looking and good quality boundary mics available.

Expect to see these new models appearing around Australia from October.

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MacSpeech Inc, the creators of MacSpeech Dictate voice recognition software for Mac powered by the Dragon speech recognition engine, today announced out of their headquarters in the US a new product in the MacSpeech Dictate range: MacSpeech Dictate International. The International version will ship with voice support for four languages, English (UK and US), French, Italian and German.

The surprise exclusion from the three new supported European languages (French, Italian and German) was Spanish, especially as the customer base for Spanish speakers would be huge. In their press release MacSpeech have acknowledged Spanish speakers, Andrew Taylor head of MacSpeech said “ .. we did not forget those who speak Spanish; when there is applicable news, rest assured we will announce it.” so read into that what you will, coming in the near future I would guess.

MacSpeech Dictate International is available now for purchase in the US and it is expected into Australia in a couple of weeks. It will be available as a stand alone package or for people who already own MacSpeech Dictate v1.5+ a cross grade licence will be available. For Australian English speakers you should still be looking at the standard MacSpeech Dictate v1.5+ version currently available as International will not support Australian English.

Click here for the full MacSpeech International press release.

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Released mid 2009 in Australia in a joint venture between Philips Dictation and Nuance was the Philips Dragon NaturallySpeaking Voice Recorder Edition (LFH0660/10) at an incredibly cheap price of RRP AU$259.00 incl. GST. At that price it certainly makes you sit up and pay attention, after all the package contains Dragon NaturallySpeaking v10 and a very competent Philips Digital VoiceTracer 660.

Not much to say about the Philips DVT 660, a great little recorder, perfect for single speaker audio. The 660 records in MP3 format and like all recorders has multiple recording modes (tip: always use the highest quality recording mode, SHQ on the DVT 660). This is a note taker not a dictaphone so you are not able to rewind/review your audio just simply record and stop, although you can pause during recordings. The recorder has 1Gb of in-built flash memory, can be powered by two AAA batteries or by USB and can record on the highest quality audio setting for 17.5 hours.Included in the box is version 10 of Dragon NaturallySpeaking (Windows only) which uses the latest Dragon speech recognition engine, this is a drastically cut down version of the software so does not include features that you would see in the Standard or Preferred edition, hence the cut down price. The recognition engine though is the same so no skimping on the quality of the speech recognition.

The aim of the  Digital Voice Recorder Edition is to allow people to dictate into their digital voice recorder for later transcription by the Dragon NaturallySpeaking software. The user does not need be in the office and in front of their computer while dictating, therefore gives them the freedom to record dictation whenever and wherever they want, which of course is very convenient. Because the software is a cut down version you can not directly talk to the software using a headset and mic as you can with the Standard or Preferred versions, the software will only transcribe audio from a digital recording. Now this does not have to be a recording made on the 660, any recording in the audio format .mp3, .wav or .dss can be used. The software can be configured for multiple user profiles (or speakers) so if you have a number of people in the office all with a digital voice recorder that records in a compatible audio format they could all use one installed copy of the software, once they have trained their profile to their voice.

Installation of the software is quick and easy and you are guided through each step of the install with clear and precise instructions, normal with any Dragon NaturallySpeaking install. When installation is complete you are presented with a selection of eight transcripts, any one of which you are required to read for your initial voice training. To do this read your preferred transcript and record your voice using the Philips VoiceTracer 660. This must be recorded into one single digital audio file and not split over multiple files. You have the option to display the transcripts on the screen or print them.

The selection of eight voice training transcripts to read are:

• 3001 – The Final Odyssey (Harder Reading – Science Fiction)
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Reading for Teens – Fantasy)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Reading for Teens – Adventure)
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Reading for Teens – Adventure)
• Dave Barry in Cyberspace (Medium Reading – Humour)
• Dogberts Top Secret Management Handbook (Harder Reading – Humour)
• Success is a Journey (Medium Reading – Business Philosophy)
• The Captain of Battery Park (Reading for Teens – Adventure)

I suggest you print one then take yourself away somewhere comfortable to sit and read the transcript while recording your voice with the digital voice recorder.

Tips when recording your first voice training transcript:

• Speak in your normal voice but make sure your speak clearly.
• Speak at your normal speech rate, do not rush or speak too slowly.
• Make sure the digital voice recorder is set to SHQ recording mode.
• Take some time to understand how the voice recorder works before you begin. You can pause during the recording of reading the transcript, work out how to do this before your start.
• Record the audio somewhere quiet, not at a cafe or in a busy office with phones ringing and people talking around you.
• Have a glass of water handy and take some sips if and when your pause recording, helps keep your audio clear.
• Do not dictate punctuation.

I was interrupted a couple of times in my office while recording my voice training transcript hence the tip for learning how to pause the recording. Training the software to recognise your voice and more importantly the way you speak is key to the success of this software and ultimatly your user experience with it. Be warned the selection of transcripts can take some time. For my voice training I selected “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” which took just over twenty minutes to record (with a couple of interruptions).

Once you have completed the recording of your voice training audio connect the digital voice recorder to your PC via USB. Then select the location of the audio file which by default is in Folder A on the voice recorder unless your specifically selected another folder prior to recording. By default the software looks for a file called in.wav, simply browse to the voice recorder and select the recording you just made:

Dragon NaturallySpeaking will transfer a copy of the audio from the recorder to a temporary folder on your PC where it will verify the audio. Verification checks the audio quality and clarity of your recording as well as the signal to noise ratio. If all is good Dragon NaturallySpeaking will identify which one of the eight transcripts you chose to read, as you can see from the image below “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was identified, click next and the real work begins. Dragon will process your audio against the transcript and work out how you speak and how you sound.

Verification of the audio can take up to an hour, for me it only took around 20 minutes until the process was complete. Nearly finished, hang in there…. Finally you have the option of having Dragon NaturallySpeaking analyse your writing style, the software can look at your email (Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express or Lotus Notes) and your documents (Microsoft Word, Text and Rich Text files) and adapt to your writing style. This helps Dragon NaturallySpeaking produce documents in your style of writing, this part can be skipped.

That completes the voice training and initial setup for Dragon NaturallySpeaking Digital Voice Recorder Edition. It is recommended that when you have time in the future you work your way through the other seven voice training transcripts, that helps Dragon fully analyse the way you speak and enunciate your words.

You are now free to record dictation to your Philips DVT 660 and request Dragon to transcribe the audio for you. You will need to include punctuation as you dictate, “new paragraph”, “new line”, “full stop” and so on otherwise your transcript will be one long sentence in one long paragraph. I found this out when I decided to get Dragon to transcribe my voice training transcript, below is a screen shot of Dragon NaturallySpeaking in action transcribing my training dictation:

You will still need to proof your transcribed audio however the whole exercise will still be alot quicker than typing the audio yourself.

Remember, this software only works for one person dictation. You can not record an interview or meeting and have Dragon transcribe it for you. You should not even attempt this as other voices will change your voice profile and affect the accuracy of transcription. For multi speaker audio you need your own on-site transcriptionist or outsource your digital audio to Australia’s leading online transcription service – The Transcription People.

So to sum up, I was actually very impressed by the ease of use of the software and the transcription accuracy. I am very used to using Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred using a headset and mic so just recording into a voice recorder put me a little out of my comfort zone but for people who are used to talking into a voice recorder they will be very comfortable with the whole process. There is minimal effort to proof your completed transcription and the speed of transcription will easily beat the fastest typist.

Pros:

• Cost effective, very cheap for excellent software and a quality voice recorder.
• Easy to use software and digital voice recorder.
• Fast, accurate transcription for single speaker dictation.
• Software can have multiple user profiles so anyone with a voice recorder can have their dictation transcribed.

Cons:

• Document has to be proofed post transcription and not in real time as with Standard or Preferred Editions.
• Voice training audio can take up to twenty minutes to record.

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Oooh they have done it again those sneaky Americans, I woke up this morning to an inbox full of overnight alerts on a new product annoucement from MacSpeech, this time MacSpeech Dictate Legal version. Official MacSpeech Dictate Legal press release.

MacSpeech Dictate Legal Version Announced

Just a week or so since the launch of MacSpeech Dictate Medical, the legal version comes packed with a dictionary full of legal jargon, 30,000 legal words and terms, the kind of chit chat lawyers use every day and the kind of words their typists struggle with, unless of course they outsource their legal transcription to our sister company The Transcription People (shameless plug, sorry).

MacSpeech Dictate Legal is built on the very latest Dragon speech recognition software from the people at Nuance, in fact from what I understand the recognition engine in MacSpeech Dictate version 1.5 is more advanced than that currently in use by the Windows folk running Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1, so state of the art voice recognition combined with a comprehensive legal dictionary.

As always, no news yet of Australian packages or pricing as the US announcement is just a few hours old. However, in the US the price of MacSpeech Dictate Legal is the same as MacSpeech Dictate Medical so it would be fair to assume the same packages and same pricing as Medical (Australian MacSpeech Dictate Medical pricing and packages). As soon as we receive confirmation from the Australian distributor on price and availability I will post.

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With the announcement just over a week ago of the release of the MacSpeech Dictate Medical version, we now have the bundle packages that will be available in Australia and their pricing.

MacSpeech Dictate Medical v1.5 available from Dictate Australia

The medical version of MacSpeech Dictate has not yet landed in Australia but is expected any day ready for shipping nationally within the next week or so. Here at Dictate Australia we have already sold the first Australian copy of MacSpeech Dictate Medical to a doctor in Victoria.

The MacSpeech Dictate Medical packages that will be available in Australia are:

• MacSpeech Dictate Medical bundled with Parrott VXI TalkPro – RRP $849 incl. GST
• MacSpeech Dictate Medical bundled with Revolabs xTag Wireless – RRP $1,099 incl. GST

So, the choice is the excellent quality Parrott VXI TalkPro headset and mic (this is the headset I use and love it) or the very ugly (in my opinion, beauty is in the eye of the beholders though) Revolabs xTag wireless mic. Cable or no cable, that is essentially your choice for microphones.

There are also upgrade options for those early medical adopters of MacSpeech Dictate who have either stanadard version 1.3 or 1.5 – these upgrades will not be available through MacSpeech resellers or the Apple stores but only from the Australian MacSpeech distributor, MacSense in Sydney. Here is the upgrade pricing:

• MacSpeech Dictate Medical Upgrade from v1.3 – RRP $549 incl. GST
• MacSpeech Dictate Medical Upgrade from v1.5 – RRP $499 incl. GST

Any questions on MacSpeech Medical, upgrades to version 1.5 or just general MacSpeech questions please feel free to comment and we will get back to you with answers. You can also follow us on twitter @dictates or follow the official @macspeech twitter.

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At 1am on Friday 19th June, 2009 Sydney time I set my alarm clock for an announcement coming out of the MacSpeech tower of power in the USA. I heard through twitter (@macspeech) that an announcement was coming and so close to the release of version 1.5 it could only be something else new, I was hanging in there for digital voice recorder support but alas it was something bigger, the MacSpeech Dictate Medical version. Official MacSpeech Press Release

MacSpeech Dictate Medical Version

Based on the very new 1.5 version (so the latest greatest Dragon voice recognition engine from Nuance), MacSpeech Dictate Medical version will be available as a stand alone product or if you have MacSpeech Dictate already a reduced price cross grade will be available. We have no info on avialability or pricing for Australia as yet, as soon as we do we will post.

The MacSpeech Dictate Medical version has a specialised medical terminology directory, they have targeted  fifty four key medical disciplines and specialities and tailored the dictionary around those, so whether you are a midwife or a colon or rectal surgeon there will be something in there for you to talk about. The loooong list of disciplines and specialities covered are:

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So there I was, on my early morning commute down to Sydney on the train, checking my email in between games of FlightControl when BAM! this graphic jumped out at me from an email:

MacSpeech Dictate Upgrade to Version 1.5 Announced

Being a reseller for MacSpeech Dictate since its release back in February 2008 I thought I might have, you know, been told it was coming. So as a reseller and user of MacSpeech Dictate I was just a little surprised. MacSpeech Dictate is the worlds leading voice recognition software for Mac OS X. Launched at MacWorld in 2008 it won Best In Show that year.

Here is what we know from the MacSpeech press release:

• Upto 20% more accurate transcription.
• New vocabulary editor.
• New accents added – some American accents and also European.
• Compatibilty enhancements, e.g. with Microsoft Word for Mac.
• Added 100 websites for use with the Jump To command.
• Some user interface tweeks.

Still no deferred transcription via a digital voice recorder, yeah yeah standard answer … “it’s coming soon” I hope.

MacSpeech Dictate 1.5 Release Notes

So that all sounds great, essentially for us Aussie users we will benefit from the improved accuracy and also the vocabulary editor which will let you train Dictate for unusual words and abbreviations that you may often use, for me its “Puffufel Valve”.

Of note, this upgrade is only compatible with those of us running Leopard. If your MacSpeech Dictate is on Tiger you should either upgrade your OS or just stick with MacSpeech Dictate version 1.3 (although you will still receive your free upgrade pack if you registered after 1st April as I will mention below).

Here are some common questions we received in the office today about the upgrade announcement:

Q: I just bought MacSpeech Dictate last week, will I still have to pay for the upgrade?

A: From what I have read and heard the answer is no. Anyone who registered (not bought) their licenced copy of MacSpeech Dictate on or after the 1st April 2009 will receive a free upgrade to version 1.5

Q: Can I just pay for the upgrade now and download the upgrade?

A: No, the upgrade will only be available as physical media. Just like your original MacSpeech Dictate you will receive a CD and a DVD. My understanding is that this is no minor upgrade to the original software but in effect a whole new version.

Q: How much will the MacSpeech Dictate version 1.5 upgrade pack cost?

A: No confirmed pricing so this is just a guess, I would say it will be approximately AU$79 incl. GST and then a small shipping cost on top of that. As I said, its a guess so don’t hold me to it.

Q: I want to buy MacSpeech Dictate, when will you be selling version 1.5 boxed.

A: There is no firm date for us in Australia as yet. I managed to grab a few minutes with the guys at the MacSpeech distributor in Sydney today, MacSense, for chat. They estimate version 1.5 boxed available around 1st June but this is a very rough estimate. They will work as hard as they always do you get us the software as quickly as they can.

Q: I can’t wait for MacSpeech Dictate version 1.5 to come, I need it now, what do I do.

A: Simply buy MacSpeech Dictate version 1.3 as it is still available. By registering your licence you will get the free upgrade to version 1.5 when it arrives in Australia.

Q: MacSpeech have announced that the upgrade is available now, where can I get it in Australia?

A: Yes it is available but only in the USA. We will need to wait until MacSense, the Australian MacSpeech distributor, receive their upgrade disks. It is estimated that these upgrade disks should be available within a couple of weeks.

Q: Will you be selling the upgrade?

A: No, Dictate Australia will not be stocking the MacSpeech Dictate version 1.5 upgrade disks. We will advise everybody to go direct to the distributor for upgrades, MacSense in Sydney.

Most of the questions we received today have been covered, please leave a comment if you have further questions. Keep an eye on this blog for updates.

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Philips Dictation Australia continue there surge forward in 2009, hot on the heals of their awesome new DVT (Digital Voice Tracer) range of digital notetakers (did I mention that they are now finally Mac compatible, only several times) they have just announced out of their Worldwide headquarters in Vienna – Dragon NatutrallySpeaking 10 – Voice Recorder Edition. I know, makes you want to say “wow” loudly.

Philips Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 DVR Edition - LFH0660/10

It is fantastic to see some more innovation from Philips, taking the initiative to work globally with Nuance, the Dragon NaturallySpeaking people to provide an affordable package for people looking to get into the voice recognition. We have seen huge growth in the voice recognition software, both Mac and Windows over the past year as professionals, students, authors etc give up on the need to type for hours. Most people talk around the 120 words per minute mark, way faster than most can type so why not let your computer do it for you.

The first thing that hit me about this package is its amazingly low price, RRP of $209 incl. GST. Hang on, I thought, Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred Edition which is the first of the Dragon product line which takes audio from a digital voice recorder is waaaaay more expensive than that (currently RRP $349 incl GST) without a digital voice recorder so how do they do it for the price?  The catch, it is a considerably cut down version of NaturallySpeaking, especially when compared to the Preferred version.

Here is the product comparison matrix, apologies for the quality it came from the dealer handout I will create a nicer easier to read version shortly:

That said, it is enough to get you into the product and lets you sniff around at what this incredible software can do. If you regularly dictate single speaker reports or documents or even painstakingly type them yourself this bundle might be worth a punt. For the price you are not really going to lose, even if you don’t get on with the software you still end up with a pretty descent digital notetaker in the Philips digital voice tracer 660.

From what I can see in the specs you will not be able to dictate real time into Dragon NaturallySpeaking using a microphone, you will only be able to do deferred transcription using the audio recorded on the DVT 660.

We can expect to see these appearing in Australia from the end April, so now. Dictate Australia will be stocking the bundle from the second week in May.

Update – May 2009 – Philips Dragon NaturallySpeaking Voice Recorder Edition Available NOW from Dictate Australia – click here.

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