# Dragon NaturallySpeaking v.10



## SemperEruditio (Mar 12, 2009)

Anyone use this software? I just bought it to help in transcribing Whitefield lectures. This thing is awesome. It did not do a good job in automatically transribing the MP3. However it is doing a great job with my voice. Not perfect but for speech recognition software it is impressive.

I tried DNS v. 6 or 7 and I almost threw my computer out of the window. It was horrible. I read enough reviews on this that I took the chance and I'm glad I did.

Anyone else?


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## uberkermit (Mar 12, 2009)

Yes, I have it. Yes, I love it! 

I wasn't sure if my old computer would run it, and for the longest time I _couldn't_ run it because I didn't own a copy of Windows. Then when the Windows 7 beta came out, I installed that and after having played around with the Microsoft speech recognition program I determined that DNS 10 would run on my machine. So I bought it. This has been good for me as I have a problem with tennis elbow and typing seems to aggravate that. I'm not sure if I would use it if my elbow was okay -- although there is something nice about just leaning back in the chair with your hands behind your head and telling the computer what to type. If nothing else, I can dictate into DNS 10 at least as fast as I can type. I suspect if I had a faster computer with more RAM, I can work much faster with the software. As it stands it is more than adequate. Needless to say, I will be buying a copy of Windows 7 when it comes out -- I'm not giving up my DNS 10.


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## SemperEruditio (Mar 12, 2009)

I tried it yesterday to see if it would transcribe the lectures and it did but it stopped after a certain point. I got that resolved so I have it transcribing while I am away from my computer. I dictated the lecture in Word to see how that would go. It was slow at first because I was speaking slow. However once I spoke at normal speed it was golden. Have to enunciate a bit more than usual but I figure that can only help me anyway. 

I figure after I get a hang of how to format properly, my papers will be spoken instead of typed...ahhh the laziness of man. 

There now are two reasons to have a PC or use the PC side of the Mac...Logos and DNS!


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## VictorBravo (Mar 12, 2009)

I've used Dragon Speaking v. 9, preferred version, for a couple of years now. I trained it for headset use and also for dictation through a digital recorder. The headset method has worked very well with little problem. I have a bit more problem with the dictation files because I tend to dictate while driving, which results in background noise.

Still, even with those issues, I often can have three or so letters mostly prepared during my commute, or have a Motion basically drafted. 

Plus, I dictate notes and have the computer turn them into print for a handy list that I can copy into whatever thing I'm working on.

It really does work. As you've found out, speaking fairly normally rather than slowly and one word at a time gives better results. That's because the computer spends a lot of time looking at the context of the words in trying to decipher the sound waves coming through. It's a lot easier for the computer to come up with phrases than individual words.


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## fredtgreco (Mar 12, 2009)

I love DNS 10. I bought the bluetooth microphone with it, so I can walk all around my office while dictating.


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## SolaScriptura (Mar 12, 2009)

I don't preach from a complete manuscript. I preach from an extended outline. But I'd love to have my sermons available in print form.

What I'd really like is the capability of using a digital recorder to capture my words as I preach and then somehow run that through some sort of transcription program to put it on paper.

Is there a program that will do that?


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## fredtgreco (Mar 12, 2009)

You can get a digital recorder that records to MP3 pretty cheap (under $50). I have two Olympus models. In theory, you should be able to feed the recording to Dragon and have it transcribe it - but I have not really ever done that. I tried a time or two with mixed results.

I'd be interested in how people get transcripts of sermons as well.


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## VictorBravo (Mar 12, 2009)

SolaScriptura said:


> I don't preach from a complete manuscript. I preach from an extended outline. But I'd love to have my sermons available in print form.
> 
> What I'd really like is the capability of using a digital recorder to capture my words as I preach and then somehow run that through some sort of transcription program to put it on paper.
> 
> Is there a program that will do that?



Ben, Dragon Speaking probably can do it, as long as the recording is clean. You'll have to spend a little time training it under the conditions you will be preaching in, but in princiciple that is exactly what I do when I dictate into a recorder while I drive.


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## VictorBravo (Mar 12, 2009)

I should clarify, though, on the dictation. Dragon Speaking likes to hear commands like "period", or "new paragraph" in order to format the text. I know you aren't going to end each sentence in your sermon with the word "period." So the dictation might come off as a run-on sentence that needs more editing.

Just a note that DS isn't a complete magic bullet.


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## SemperEruditio (Mar 12, 2009)

Well now that I am beginning to realize its potential I am liking this thing more and more. 

It does not do a great job with the transcription of the lectures. However that is with someone else's voice so I kinda suspected as much. I have to go and edit the document. By the time I do that I might as well sit there and dictate it myself. The plus side is I essentially just dictating notes into the document as the lecture is going on. I just have to repeat what I just heard. With each lecture at ~45min it takes about ~60min to get the notes. Not bad. 60 minutes total and I'm done. I'll take it!

Have to give some thought to the recorder. Bluetooth...that would be nice. I'm okay for the moment with the cable. I have it on my computer at work but if I use it on my laptop I might just upgrade to the bluetooth.

I read the reviews of the Mac version and chose the PC. Essentially they said the Mac version was at the version 6 level. This thing is incredible. I guess since I used the previous DNS I was less than thrilled but now it works like I thought it should. 

-----Added 3/12/2009 at 02:06:22 EST-----



SolaScriptura said:


> I don't preach from a complete manuscript. I preach from an extended outline. But I'd love to have my sermons available in print form.
> 
> What I'd really like is the capability of using a digital recorder to capture my words as I preach and then somehow run that through some sort of transcription program to put it on paper.
> 
> Is there a program that will do that?



Depends on how clean the recording is. Vic is correct in that it will be one huge run-on sentence. I have 6 pages transcribed and it is a 6 page sentence. Now your own voice I think it will work better. As you train the software the better it seems to be. Already on day two for me and it is performing better. Of course that could just be [period]

[New paragraph]Or it could be that we are both learning together...[End of line]


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## fredtgreco (Mar 12, 2009)

I thought that you could change a setting in DNS to allow it to "automatically" insert punctuation (periods, commas, etc). That would get past the run ons.


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## VictorBravo (Mar 12, 2009)

fredtgreco said:


> I thought that you could change a setting in DNS to allow it to "automatically" insert punctuation (periods, commas, etc). That would get past the run ons.



That may be a new feature. I hadn't heard of it.


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## VictorBravo (Mar 12, 2009)

You are right, Fred. DS 10 has automatic punctuation.

Ben, if you are looking to get something like this, make sure you get at least the "Preferred" version. The "Standard" version doesn't support digital recorders. Probably should check on the recorder too, because some are not certified to work with DS.


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## SemperEruditio (Mar 12, 2009)

fredtgreco said:


> I thought that you could change a setting in DNS to allow it to "automatically" insert punctuation (periods, commas, etc). That would get past the run ons.



I have so much to learn.


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## fredtgreco (Mar 13, 2009)

You can have Dragon automatically insert commas and periods by going to the menu:

Tools --> Formatting

and checking the box I've indicated


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