Voice recorders for Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Question:
Help! I am technologically challenged when it comes to tech devices. However, I need some of these new gadgets. The first one I need is a digital voice recorder. I just started business school and I want to buy a DVR [digital voice recorder] to tape classes, and field projects. I want to load it to my PC with ease and maybe get the Dragon software to transcribe it for me. I need the sound to be excellent. I was told the new Sony ICD- U60 would be great because of the hours it records, and it includes the USB on the unit. But limited reviews say the sound quality is horrible. I don’t want to spend more than $100 to $120 max. Whose product should I buy? You mention the Sony ICD-P520 but I don’t know when you did that review. There has not been a current rating and review of DVR. Can you do an updated rating/review? Or just tell me one that would meet my needs? I also heard Olympus has good products. If you can let me know your recommendation by the end of the month that would be great. Thanks.
Answer:
Since you mentioned using a voice recorder to transcribe with Dragon NaturallySpeaking, let’s start there. First I’d look at the listing of devices that are supported by DNS. Next, look at the ratings. They’ll tell you what the best voice recorders are for Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Get this info here:
http://support.scansoft.com/compatibility/default.asp
Go through the list of the higher-rated voice recorders, and look at each. You’ll be able to find quality recorders with the statistics you specify. For example, I see that the ICD-P520 is indeed on the list, rated 3 out of 6. But many of the listed voice recorders are better than the 520. At the time of this writing, the best recorder on the list for Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition is the Sony ICD-MX20, though at $200 is slightly above your range.
Check out the detailed writeups for each recorder – you’ll find information like “For optimal performance please use ST recording quality, set the sensitivity to LO and set the directionality switch to ON”. Very helpful when setting it up with DNS.
Finally, be sure to look for units with a USB interface – These will give you easy access to transfer recordings to your PC.
Al:
My wife is in nursing school and looking for a device or program that would allow her to record her class then come home and down load the info to the computer and be able to print out the lecture points she needs
17 December 2009, 12:48 pmTom:
Just a reminder that Dragon and other dictation software has to be “trained” to one voice to work well as a transcriber. It does not work well to transcribe lectures from a speaker who hasn’t trained your software. Nor, as a professor, would I recommend straight transcription. Take notes in class, and then listen again to the lecture and fill in gaps in notes. This is more efficient than trying to take dictation, no matter its form. Having a bunch of files with verbatim lectures will not promote learning.
4 April 2010, 1:58 pmGary:
“Just a reminder that Dragon and other dictation software has to be “trained” to one voice to work well as a transcriber”.
That used to be true, but Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS) 10+ seems to have worked around that. Of course you still have to proof read the text (an example used in the DNS doc’s – “go to room B40″ – may come out as “go to room before tea”).
I bought the least expensive of DNS a year ago after giving up on speech to text software a few years ago. And was very pleasently surprised with new program. A bigger concern to me would be the quality of the voice recorders output. To really get good results with DNS I bought a GOOD Plantronics headset.
3 September 2010, 1:50 am