Dragon naturally speaking and voice to text

snoturtle

Golden Member
Apr 28, 2001
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Hi all :)

Just recently picked up an Olympus ws-802 voice recorder and Dragon Naturally Speaking

The purpose of this purchase is to record professors at college
I have on in particular that talks alot more than I can write :p

I am trying to setup the software and the first thing it want you to do is read so it can learn my voice

The problem is it will probably never hear my voice in the recordings

Is there a way around this part?
Should I do it anyways?

Is there other software out there that would do this for me?

Thanks for any help
 

Virgorising

Diamond Member
Apr 9, 2013
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Hi all :)

Just recently picked up an Olympus ws-802 voice recorder and Dragon Naturally Speaking

The purpose of this purchase is to record professors at college
I have on in particular that talks alot more than I can write :p

I am trying to setup the software and the first thing it want you to do is read so it can learn my voice

The problem is it will probably never hear my voice in the recordings

Is there a way around this part?
Should I do it anyways?

Is there other software out there that would do this for me?

Thanks for any help

I have Dragon, but almost never use it, for me, it's still too slow.

I am unclear why it not "hearing' YOUR voice...as opposed to the Prof's is the issue.
 

snoturtle

Golden Member
Apr 28, 2001
1,609
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it wants me to record my voice reading something so it can learn my voice and I can't get past this point without recording my own voice

its not going to hear my voice on the recordings at school because I won't be talking only the professor will be
 

Virgorising

Diamond Member
Apr 9, 2013
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it wants me to record my voice reading something so it can learn my voice and I can't get past this point without recording my own voice

its not going to hear my voice on the recordings at school because I won't be talking only the professor will be


Thank you....I get it now!

I guess this would work back to how generically sensitive Dragon might be to a voice and speech patterns it has not been trained to respond to. I would think the only way you would find out is by trying it.

You can experiment with a friend at home, sitting at some distance from him or her. I guess you would first check if the distant voice passes Dragon's mic test, and that would work back to the sensitivity of yr mic.

If that passes, then, you will soon find out Dragon's accuracy re a voice it has not been formally trained to respond to.

Very interesting issue this is.
 
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ignatzatsonic

Senior member
Nov 20, 2006
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I've used Dragon for thousands of hours, but not as you intend to use it.

I've never heard of anyone even attempting to use it for a voice not their own.

Whoever is speaking must be near the microphone. Within an inch or two in my experience, typically from a headset.

I'd expect very poor if any accuracy. I wouldn't be surprised if you got nothing at all if the prof isn't speaking directly into your mike.

You're better off trying one of these methods:

Record the prof on an ordinary recorder and later play the tape back. While listening to playback, repeat what you hear into a headset mike and have Dragon turn it into text.

Don't record the prof. Instead, have Dragon running while you are in class. As he speaks, repeat what you hear in real time into the mike and let Dragon turn it into text. Maybe you can sit off in a corner to do that so you won't be disturbing the class with your voice?

The first method would probably work better as you would have time to properly rephrase what he says on the recording and correct as you go. With the second method, you just have to repeat what he says on the fly and hope Dragon can make some sense of it, without corrections in realtime.

Keep your expectations VERY low, unless you've placed the mike very close to the prof and even then you will end up with many errors and nonsense passages that you may not be able to make sense of after the class.

Training for your voice rather than his might make some difference, but I'd guess the other issues will make much more of a difference. Your main problem is that you apparently intend to just let Dragon run in the background while someone talks as opposed to repeating what he says yourself from a recording.

And Dragon likes powerful CPUs. If your machine is not fast, Dragon will get hopelessly behind and you'll be wasting your time entirely.
 
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Virgorising

Diamond Member
Apr 9, 2013
4,470
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I've used Dragon for thousands of hours, but not as you intend to use it.

I've never heard of anyone even attempting to use it for a voice not their own.

Whoever is speaking must be near the microphone. Within an inch or two in my experience, typically from a headset.

I'd expect very poor if any accuracy. I wouldn't be surprise if you got nothing at all if the prof isn't speaking directly into your mike.

Your better off trying one of these methods:

Record the prof on an ordinary recorder and later play the tape back. While listening to playback, repeat what you hear into a mike and have Dragon turn it into text.

Don't record the prof. Instead, have Dragon running while you are in class. As he speaks, repeat what you hear in real time into the mike and let Dragon turn it into text.

The first method would probably work better as you would have time to properly rephrase what he says on the recording and correct as you go. With the second method, you just have to repeat what he says on the fly and hope Dragon can make some sense of it, without corrections in realtime.

Keep your expectations VERY low, unless you've placed the mike very close to the prof and even then you will end up with many errors and nonsense passages that you may not be able to make sense of after the class.

Training for your voice rather than his might make some difference, but I'd guess the other issues will make much more of a difference. Your main problem is you intend to just let Dragon run in the background while someone talks as opposed to repeating what he says yourself from a recording.

And Dragon likes powerful CPUs. If your machine is not fast, Dragon will get hopelessly behind and you'll be wasting your time entirely.

The guy's gameplan is inspired; in my fast delving, I found many go in this direction. It is not at all impossible, in fact, it might well be viable if each element is addressed and augmented.

See my post and the link I put up.

Conjure outside of the prison box...and always try. Creative inspiration ought never be shut down.
 

snoturtle

Golden Member
Apr 28, 2001
1,609
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81
Ok after looking into it more Dragon doesn't do what I am looking for :(

Any decent mp3 to text programs out there?

I am really surprised there isn't something out there that can do this automatically
even if I have to go back and correct words after that would be ok
 

Virgorising

Diamond Member
Apr 9, 2013
4,470
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Ok after looking into it more Dragon doesn't do what I am looking for :(

Any decent mp3 to text programs out there?

I am really surprised there isn't something out there that can do this automatically
even if I have to go back and correct words after that would be ok

Did you use the link I put up after I delved after my initial post???? It clearly suggests otherwise. What do U mean "after looking into it more"?

Bet a dollar you can get this done. But you will have to experiment and configure as I tried to delineate.
 

Virgorising

Diamond Member
Apr 9, 2013
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From the Dragon site:

Even though Dragon software was not designed to transcribe multiple voices, thousands of Dragon customers have successfully used the software to transcribe lectures using a basic technique called "voice writing" or "parroting." Simply record the lecture that you plan to transcribe and download the electronic recording to your PC or Mac. Listen to the recording of the lecture through the headphones of your Dragon headset. Activate your Dragon microphone and repeat the recorded text in your own voice as you hear it played back. Speaking the text aloud in your own voice enables Dragon to accurately transcribe the audio using the Dragon profile tuned to your voice. Dragon turns your voice into text as quickly as you can speak the words – so there’s no need to constantly rewind the audio while you try to type out the corresponding text.

While what they suggest is circuitous, apparently people do it. But were I you, I would still experiment with a friend playing the part of the lecturer.

Why not? At the very least, it would be fascinating experiment. And, if in a classroom, you can sit close enough to the Prof.....and have a high end mic....I think this might well still work.

Remember, in what it posts, Nuance has to protect its butt legally in making claims for its software.

Do not give up!!!

 
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snoturtle

Golden Member
Apr 28, 2001
1,609
1
81
I may try the parroting and see how that goes

First I have to get dragon setup which isn't going well
I give it the mp3 file of my recorded voice telling the story that they provide and it says that its not an audio file :(
Works fine to play it back in WMA though lol

Will play with it some more

Thanks for your help
 

ignatzatsonic

Senior member
Nov 20, 2006
351
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Unless it has changed since I last looked at it, you don't give it an mp3 file.

You give it your voice in real time into a microphone. Not a recording. You just read the story into the mike. Use your best articulation like a newscaster. Keep the mike maybe one inch from the corner of your mouth.

Don't bother upgrading to an expensive mike. They don't make much difference.

Accuracy will vary. You'll need to correct many errors. Whether that is worth the time it takes is up to you. After a few hundred hours experience, I could read 10,000 words from a random book and correct the errors in about 2/3 the total time it would have taken me to just type in the 10,000 words directly. Turns a 10 hour job into a 6 or 7 hour job and saves your hands.

I had a fast machine. That helps a lot.

You'll get the hang of it. You speak most puncuation. "new paragraph", "bold that", etc.
 

Virgorising

Diamond Member
Apr 9, 2013
4,470
0
0
I may try the parroting and see how that goes

First I have to get dragon setup which isn't going well
I give it the mp3 file of my recorded voice telling the story that they provide and it says that its not an audio file :(
Works fine to play it back in WMA though lol

Will play with it some more

Thanks for your help

Sorry to hear this.....do not give up. Why it doesn't recognize it as an audio file, I do not know.

Not to say it again, I think your original plan might be worth trying....if you address each base!

Again, Nuance must first protect its butt re the claims they make for Dragon....does not mean what you envision is not possible. Again, I would think, depending on where you sit, sensitivity of yr mic, etc.

Also, if the lecturer moves around a lot.

The latest build of Dragon requires less training than previous builds....tho this software Species still has a long way to go....at least I think it does.

No thanks necessary, I think everyone here really likes helping!

I will be interested to be party to yr journey in this!!!
 

snoturtle

Golden Member
Apr 28, 2001
1,609
1
81
One of the options during setup is to either have a mic or a digital recorder
If you select digital recorder it asks you to read a story and than give it the mp3 file

After searching around seems to be a known issue
Will try recording again and see if I can get it working

Unless it has changed since I last looked at it, you don't give it an mp3 file.

You give it your voice in real time into a microphone. Not a recording. You just read the story into the mike. Use your best articulation like a newscaster. Keep the mike maybe one inch from the corner of your mouth.

Don't bother upgrading to an expensive mike. They don't make much difference.

Accuracy will vary. You'll need to correct many errors. Whether that is worth the time it takes is up to you. After a few hundred hours experience, I could read 10,000 words from a random book and correct the errors in about 2/3 the total time it would have taken me to just type in the 10,000 words directly. Turns a 10 hour job into a 6 or 7 hour job and saves your hands.

I had a fast machine. That helps a lot.

You'll get the hang of it. You speak most puncuation. "new paragraph", "bold that", etc.