Copingwithdisability.com

Using a clip on microphone with Dragon NaturallySpeaking

I just recently started using a clip on microphone with Dragon NaturallySpeaking the microphone is a  Olympus ME-15 Microphone and so far it works great for me I don't even have to clip it on my shirt I just have placed it on my desk and it works great from their.  I used to use a headset however it was really difficult for me to take on and off especially since I like to take frequent breaks when writing. I have found that the clip on microphone has several advantages over the headset for me.  First I find it much easier to concentrate because I do not have to worry about the headset falling off or whether the microphone is too close to my mouth.  Second I have found that for whatever reason the clip on microphone just laying on my desk is much more accurate than the headset was.

Improving the accuracy of Dragon NaturallySpeaking

I have been using Dragon NaturallySpeaking for a long time and I want to share a couple of the things I've learned about how to make Dragon NaturallySpeaking more accurate.

My first recommendation would be that instead of a headset you get a microphone that you can sit on your desk this is especially helpful if you are disabled like me and have trouble constantly putting on and taking off a headset

I bought a Olympus ME-15 Microphone and it works great for me

I also recommend that you buy the most recent version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Especially if you're using an older version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking or another voice recognition product.  At the time I wrote this the most recent version was version 9.   There is definitely a noticeable accuracy improvement between version 6 (the version I was using before version 9) and the current product

If you are using a headset it is important that you place a microphone the same distance from your mouth each time you put it on.

I recommend that you train words that you use often.

I also recommend that if you don't use Dragon NaturallySpeaking on a regular basis that you go through more than one training.  Each training you do helps to improve the accuracy of Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking accuracy improves every time you correct a mistake by saying correct that and scratch that.  The more you use Dragon NaturallySpeaking the better it gets.

It is also a good idea to run the acoustic language model optimizer on a regular basis because I used the program every day I run the optimizer every week.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9

I just started using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 and so far it works  great.

I previously was using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 6 for several years.   The first thing I notice is that their is a noticeable improvement in  the accuracy of the program.  In Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 you have  the option to skip the initial training of a user profile so you can  start dictating right away.  However, I chose to go through the  training anyway because it helps to improve the accuracy of the  program and cuts down on annoying mistakes.  I have only used it for a  few days but the dictation  accuracy is great I can speak many more  words before it makes a mistake then with the older version I was  using before.  I'm excited about this because it's a lot less  frustrating to write articles now.  I also use the program to write  e-mails and to instant message with people in real time.  And the  program works well for all of those tasks.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 is compatible with Windows Vista

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 6

    I use a program called Dragon NaturallySpeaking to do the

majority of my typing, using a noise canceling microphone that you

plug into the computer, this piece of software types what you say. I

am using it to type this article the program while not perfect surely

is an improvement on my manual typing.  I am currently using version 6

I am a few versions behind they were up to version 9 at the time I

wrote this. I plan on purchasing version 9 soon and I will write an

article on that version when I get it. I've been using voice dictation

software for over ten years.  Yes it has been around for that long. My

first voice dictation program was made by Kurzweil and no longer

exists to my knowledge. That program was surprisingly accurate for me

but had several limitations. First you had to go through an extensive

training by reading a prewritten script, second you could only say one

word at a time.  In Dragon NaturallySpeaking 6 there is less training

before you can use the program and you are encouraged to speak

naturally as you dictate, meaning you can say more than one word at a

time.  When you first start using voice dictation program's like

Dragon NaturallySpeaking it can be very frustrating because the

program makes a lot of mistakes, however; it does get better overtime

provided you properly teach the program.  In Dragon NaturallySpeaking

6 you teach the program by saying "scratch that" when you want to

erase a dictation mistake and "correct that" when you want to correct

a dictation mistake.