David and Katie talk about speech recognition software for the Mac, focusing on the powerful dictation applications MacSpeech Dictate and MacSpeech Scribe.
Links of note
MacSpeech
Dragon Naturally Speaking (For PC)
MacSpeech Certified Microphones
Felipe’s Mac Cave
Please support our sponsors:
Formerly SmileOnMyMac
Save 20% off the price of 1Password using coupon code MacPowerUsers or through this link:
https://agilewebsolutions.com/store?d=MacPowerUsers
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (29.2MB)
iTunes
RSS Feed – Blog
One “downside” to MacSpeech Dictate is that it doesn’t work well when both it and textexpander are running. Characters are transposed and textexpander snippets do not always expand properly. Hopefully a fix is in the works.
As always, great podcast. I used Dragon with a sony digital recorder and it was a great workflow: very natural for composing memos and briefs. When I switched to the Mac four years ago, I had to forgo dictation and rely solely on typing (thank you Mavis Beacon!).
MacSpeech Scribe with my iPhone may foot the bill. I really wish there was a 30 day trial period though, the videos of the product don’t make it seem ‘Mac-like’…
Thanks again,
Scott
In researching the Plantronics Calisto, I only see the Calisto Pro on http://www.plantronics.com; however macspeech.com doesn’t specifically indicate that this is a tested model. Anyone know:
1. if there is a difference
2. does the Calisto Pro work with MSD
Was looking for the tip on the Automator tool to turn RSS into speech, then to itunes? Can’t find it.
Love the podcast, deeper, darker tips
David and Katie — Thanks for the podcast. Several of us working on MacSpeech products even learned some new ideas from you two.
@Jack – MacSpeech Dictate requires a USB microphone connection. For example, the Plantronics Calisto itself can only be used along with a corresponding Bluetooth USB Adapter. The Calisto Pro looks like the same microphone, but you must have a USB Adapter plugged into your Mac for it to work. Also, yes, any text macro, auto-text or auto-type applications or features may collide with MacSpeech Dictate as it attempts to type what you said.
Hope this helps. Thanks!
Just ran across your podcast as I was contemplating a purchase of Dragon Dictate. The first twenty minutes was all I needed. Specifically, Katie mentioned typing speed vs dictation. I happen to be a pretty fast typist (85+ wpm) but my wife is a court reporter. When she tested to get her state certificate she had to be able to accurately capture someone speaking at 225 wpm. And after almost two decades of doing this, she still frequently has to warn attorneys to slow down! I thought about this for a minute or two and then the pieces began to come together in my mind.
Dragon Dictate 2.0 installed easily, just like any other Mac product. I chose to purchase the download version with no microphone. I bought a Plantronics Audio 995 wireless headset. My Mac Mini automatically recognized it. I set it as the default input device, started up the software and selected it as the microphone. Five minutes later I was finished with the initial training session. It has been working flawlessly.
Regarding USB and Bluetooth, this software has some quirky requirements. For some reason it does not like to get its audio directly from the Mac’s own built-in bluetooth. It can be done if you configure things correctly using line-in and Soundflower, but this software evidently prefers incoming audio from USB. It doesn’t care what is on the other side of the USB port, whether it is a cable or a Bluetooth adapter. But one benefit (to me) of using this Plantronics headset is that it uses the USB port but uses regular RF radio signals for the wireless connection. That way my system Bluetooth can just worry about the keyboard and trackpad.
I highly recommend this headset, but if you want to go with something smaller and lighter avoid the Calisto. Just go to Plantronics’ own web site and read the user reviews there. It isn’t pretty.
One more note: During the broadcast, David and Katie talked about how they are hybrid users when it comes to commands. I certainly understand that, but I’m guessing that the true power users for that feature are those who are disabled or facing repetitive stress injuries. So far I’m finding the system commands to be pretty nice. A bit complicated to figure out, but very handy!
David and Katie, thank you for talking about how you use MacSpeech Dictate. Your discussion of how you use the program is the most honest and practical assessment of what it takes successfully dictate your thoughts. You two have convinced me that it is possible to effectively use this program, but it will take practice.
I seriously think your audio discussion should be added to the MacSpeech Dictate website. What you have to say will save people a lot of frustration. (Note: this was written using the program. Thanks again.)
By the way, this is a great tutorial about how to use your Mac’s built-in mic with MacSpeech Dictate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0lomqcOpJA
Just an FYI for all of those who have the 27 inch iMac (an issue that may or may not be limited to the i7 model): the Calisto Bluetooth adapter does NOT work, which renders the device useless. After owning a Calisto, and upgrading to the 27 inch model, I first thought the Bluetooth adapter might be faulty, so I ordered another one. When that didn’t do the trick, I consulted the MacSpeech forums where the problem is well-documented.
This is an extremely disappointing development, this issue is both known and long-standing, and there is no anticipated fix for it. The Callisto remains an approved device for Dictate something I find to be more than a little disingenuous.