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  1. Using An iPod For Transcription
  2. What Are The Limitations For Transcription From An Audio File?
  1. Using An iPod For Transcription
    Newer iPods are an excellent way to record your speech for later transcription by iListen. The Video iPod (or "5g") and the newer iPod "Classic" models have a default sampling rate of 22kHz (low quality mode) and 44kHz (high quality mode). Second and third generation iPod Nanos can also be used at either 22kHz or 44 kHz. These models also have the necessary voice recording software built-in to the iPod.

    Older iPods (pre-Video iPod) record at sampling frequency of 8kHz regardless of brand or model of the  microphone connected to it. While suitable for the human ear, this low sampling frequency does not provide enough information in the audio file for iListen to use when transcribing. The iPhone and iPod Touch do not have voice recording software and therefore cannot be used to record your voice for later transcription.

    MacSpeech has certified the following microphone adapters for use for transcription into iListen from an iPod capable of voice recording:

    NOTE: You will always get best results from live dictation. Transcription from a recording is exclusively for the convenience of translating speech to text when it is inconvenient for the user to be at his or her computer. Transcription requires the user have a trained profile in iListen and that they speak their punctuation. For more information please see What are the Limitations for Transcription from an Audio File?


    Special Note Regarding New iPods Introduced On September 5, 2007

    The iPod "Classic" models and new 3rd generation iPod Nano have voice recording software and can be used with any of the microphone attachments designed for the Video iPod. Note that the new 3rd generation iPod Nano can also be used with the microphone attachments designed for the Video iPod. The XtremeMac MicroMemo for iPod Nano can NOT be used with the new 3rd generation iPod Nano because that model has different physical dimensions from older iPod Nanos.

    The iPod Touch and iPhone do not have built-in voice recorder software and the above mentioned microphone attachments are not supported on those units, therefor they cannot be used for recording speech for later transcription.

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  2. What Are The Limitations For Transcription From An Audio File?
    All speech recognition programs (both Macintosh-based and Windows-based) which support transcription from an audio file have the following limitations:
    1. There must be only one voice in the audio file. To speech recognition software the audio file is just so much data. The program has no way telling when different people are speaking, or switching between voice profiles.

    2. There must be a matching voice profile for the person speaking in the recording. Without a matching voice profile iListen has no proper references to compare the incoming audio against.

    3. The person speaking must say any necessary punctuation such as commas, periods, question marks, et cetera. Spoken punctuation is necessary to provide additional context for the words.

    4. It is not a tape recording; tape hiss causes too much distortion.

    5. You must have the TranscriptionPak installed (version 1.7 and later).
    Unless all these criteria are met you cannot get usable recognition accuracy. iListen has specific requirements as to audio file format as well.
    • The audio file is in either AIFF or WAV format with these characteristics:
      • 16-bit mono
      • uncompressed
      • a sampling frequency of 16KHz. [Note: an exception to this is the digital recorders we support which use a sampling frequency of 11KHz.]
    • In order to receive technical support from MacSpeech, the recording must originate from a MacSpeech-certified digital recorder.
    •  
    • For a list of devices supported by Macspeech, please see the following article:
    Supported Digital Recorders

    The support for transcription from audio files is designed solely to allow an individual to dictate text while away from the computer and have this dictation transcribed at a later date. You will always get better results from live dictation. You will always get best results from live dictation. Transcription requires the user have a trained profile in iListen and that they speak their punctuation.

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