MacSpeech Knowledge Base
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Article #: KB262
Summary:
"What are some tips for getting Dictate to work optimally with my voice?"
Details:
If you are having difficulty with Dictate accurately analyzing and recognizing your speech (i.e, during the voice profile creation, the text is constantly flashing red as you read), take note of the following tips to improve the ability of Dictate to work with your voice.
1. Make sure your vocal chords are lubricated. Drink some water before starting, and keep a glass of water handy to drink periodically, especially after reading large chunks of text, to make sure your vocal chords don't dry out. This changes your voice quality, and the application may have accuracy issues.
2. Don't get frustrated. If you are creating your voice profile, and the text is constantly flashing red, users have a tendency to start speaking louder, or to get frustrated, which causes your voice quality to change. If you are getting frustrated with the application, just close it down, and come back later when you are relaxed and in a calmer mode.
3. Make sure you speak SLOWER at the beginning. The software has to adapt to your speaking style, and if you start off speaking fast, you will experience accuracy issues. Start off by reading phrases at a time, and pause between each to let the software catch up. As you get through the profile creation process, you will be able speed up as you go along about midway through, as the software recognizes your speech patterns.
4. If you have a disability such as Multiple Sclerosis that affects your voice quality at different times of the say, you may need to create multiple profiles to account for how your voice sounds at those different times of day. Even if you don't have a disability that affects your voice directly, many peoples' voice quality changes from morning to night.
5. Position of the microphone is VERY important. The microphone should be approximately two fingers width from your mouth. Some may need it further away, some closer, depending on the timbre and volume of your voice. This is a guideline.
6. Don't look at the screen while dictating. This helps you keep an even rhythm.
7. Speak in complete phrases, with a steady rhythm, with appropriate pausing.
8. Remember to speak your punctuation. That provides the software the needed context for your speech pattern.
1. Make sure your vocal chords are lubricated. Drink some water before starting, and keep a glass of water handy to drink periodically, especially after reading large chunks of text, to make sure your vocal chords don't dry out. This changes your voice quality, and the application may have accuracy issues.
2. Don't get frustrated. If you are creating your voice profile, and the text is constantly flashing red, users have a tendency to start speaking louder, or to get frustrated, which causes your voice quality to change. If you are getting frustrated with the application, just close it down, and come back later when you are relaxed and in a calmer mode.
3. Make sure you speak SLOWER at the beginning. The software has to adapt to your speaking style, and if you start off speaking fast, you will experience accuracy issues. Start off by reading phrases at a time, and pause between each to let the software catch up. As you get through the profile creation process, you will be able speed up as you go along about midway through, as the software recognizes your speech patterns.
4. If you have a disability such as Multiple Sclerosis that affects your voice quality at different times of the say, you may need to create multiple profiles to account for how your voice sounds at those different times of day. Even if you don't have a disability that affects your voice directly, many peoples' voice quality changes from morning to night.
5. Position of the microphone is VERY important. The microphone should be approximately two fingers width from your mouth. Some may need it further away, some closer, depending on the timbre and volume of your voice. This is a guideline.
6. Don't look at the screen while dictating. This helps you keep an even rhythm.
7. Speak in complete phrases, with a steady rhythm, with appropriate pausing.
8. Remember to speak your punctuation. That provides the software the needed context for your speech pattern.
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