Re: [ARSCLIST] voice recognition software

[andy kolovos <akolovos@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Brandon,

Questions about speech-to-text are probably the second most common 
queries I get after things like: "so, tell me why I shouldn't record 
interviews using an iPod?" Voice recognition software, and Dragon 
Naturally Speaking in particular, has been discussed a lot on the H-Net 
Oral History List, and you can search their archives for the many 
discussions about it there:

http://www.h-net.org/~oralhist/

My opinion is similar to yours and that expressed by Ms. Hostetter, and 
to my memory most of the folks who posted to the H-Net list feel the 
same.  Plus, I'd rather keep a human being employed and thankfully we 
budget to do so.

As far as other options for transcription, there are two software 
programs out there designed to work with digital audio files that I'm 
familiar with:

Start Stop
http://www.startstop.com/home.asp

Express Scribe.
http://www.nch.com.au/scribe/

Start Stop at least used to cost around $200 and comes with a serial or 
USB foot pedal.  Express Scribe is a free download and you need to buy a 
foot pedal if you want one.

We've used Start Stop for several years now and it's been terrific--all 
the functionality of a cassette-based transcription machine transferred 
into the digital domain.  I send our transcriptionist CD-RW discs with 
the audio files on them, she transcribes the interview, returns the 
discs and I wipe and reuse them.

Many people in the Oral History world use Express Scribe and love it as 
well.

As far as field recorders go, we've been using Marantz PMD670s for a 
while now, perhaps going on two years, and we picked up a few of the 
PMD660s over the summer.  The pre-amps on both units are noisy, which is 
their main drawback from my perspective.  However, match the recorder 
with the right mic ("right" for these things means "self-powered 
condenser" or in the least a condenser--according to Marantz) and you'll 
do better.  I've had pretty good results with the PMD660 and an AT813a 
running on a battery.  I chose the AT813a primarily for cost reasons. 
If you've got more to spend, get a sharper mic.  Heck, if you've got 
more to spend buy a Fostex FR2 or a Sound Devices 722.  Or a decent 
field mic-pre.

With the PMD670 we continue to use our trusty 421IIs--noisy, but ok.

We've been doing 16/48 mono recording using the machines and for most 
purposes they've been pretty darn good.

I maintain a webpage on field recording equipment for use in 
ethnographic and oral history interviewing:

http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/res_audioequip.htm

I plug it every chance I get.

Best,

andy

--

Andy Kolovos
Archivist/Folklorist
Vermont Folklife Center
3 Court Street ; P.O. Box 442
Middlebury, VT 05753
(802) 388-4964
akolovos @ vermontfolklifecenter.org
http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org