Audio to Text Conversion Tips
Audio to Text conversion is useful for providing an alternative medium for target audiences that are not able to “digest” the recorded audio. People with hearing disabilities are the major users for this audio to text conversion.
Other cases involves audience that are non-native speakers of the recorded medium’s language. Nowadays, most users require audio to be converted to text for posting in their websites. This allows search engines to index the material and return the results in search engine pages. This increases web site traffic.
Tips on how to convert Audio to Text:
1. Use Good audio.
If you are doing the recording, try getting it done in a quiet space. Never do an interview in a cafe! The ambient sounds will kill your accuracy! If you must, do it inside your car with the windows up!
2. Use Digital Voice recorders.
The quality improvements are amazing! Best of all, most DVR now supports saving the audio in common formats like mp3 and WMA (windows media). I like using olympia recorders. You can check out digital voice recorder here. The MP3 and WMA formats use compression technology to make the file size smaller compared to CD format.
3. Enhancing Audio.
Let’s face it. Not all of your audio will have clear audio quality sounds. You may have to enhance it by processing it thru noise filters, amplifying some sgements, or equalizing sounds to get better auido quality. In this scenario, I recommend using WavePad sound editor from NCH.
4. Try audio to text software.
Try Dragon Speaking naturally from Nuance. The downside is that it needs a bit of training for it to work. You still need to do manual editing after wards, but if you train correctly, you should get 85% accuracy or even higher!
5. Do it manually with aids.
You need a good audio player with stop, rewind and fast forward features. I recommend using NCH’s express scribe. Express scribe also supports foot pedals so you can use your feet to do the audio rewind, fast forward, stop and start functions!
6. Increase your typing speed.
If you want to increase your typing speed, check out Mavis Beacon Typing software!
7. Review, review, review.
You need to go back and review it at least 2 times to get better accuracy. You will be surprised by the amount of improvements you can make to the audio to text conversion.
8. Use Software Tools!
Microsoft Word’s spelling checker tool also checks for grammar and punctuation mistakes. Another nifty tool is the “Find and Replace” feature. You can use this to remove double spaces and convert them into single space.
9. Use a common style
Check out Transcription Style rules to find out the industry standard in transcribing audio to text.
10. Use search engines!
Some key terms need to be researched and confirmed. Use the power of the internet. Google it! (or bing.com!)
These tips are by no means all inclusive. Id love to hear from you. If you have tips of your own, please share them and the community will thank you for it!
Wilson Chua
Futuregen International Pte Ltd
1 Fullerton Road #02-01
One Fullerton
Singapore 049213
Singapore
6832-5183
[email protected]
The Basics of USB Turntables
Digital music is great. Everyone loves to hear digital music. But wouldn’t it be great if you can access your digital music especially the old vinyl to your computer with the use MP3 or compact disc? Nowadays, you can actually convert your old vinyl to your computer through MP3 or CD. You can even convert this old vinyl straight to your computer.
A USB turntable is like a modernized version of the old turntables our grandparents used to love. The big difference is that USB turntables are more advanced and are plugged in a USB port for it to work. This invention paved the way for the revival of old music long forgotten since turntables became obsolete.
The basics are very simple. Just plug your USB turntable to the nearest USB port. After plugging, activate the idiot-proof audacity software and you can start having your old vinyl collection converted. This is much easier to do than using a record.
USB turntables have adjustable gain and an anti-skating control. It has high speed recording function that you are surely looking for. Its belt driven can be connected to home stereo that has CD or auxiliary inputs. So even if your records are not converted, you can still play your vinyl at home.
Turntables can play the oldest recording, like Whitesnake. Even the speed is not a question. Turntables can let you forget the option of buying a new music. They let you reminisce how beautiful old songs are.
There is also a turntable with iPod. This lets you transfer vinyl records to your iPod even without a computer. All you need is an iPod dock and you can already transfer vinyl to your iPod. Just prepare your player, let it spin and start recording. This is easy and fun to do with your iPod.
You can even use this kind of turntable when recording to MP3. There are just simple steps to do this. On the Audacity preference, choose USB Audio CODEC in the Device.Prepare your vinyl and click record to begin. After recording, press play and you can start your USB turntable.
However, the USB turntables with iPod dock are not for laptop use. It is compatible with Windows Vista and Media Center. It is also compatible with PC and Mac. This is compatible with any recording software as long as it supports USB audio devices. This has UK 3 pin plug.
This has extra features of 3.5mm stereo line input, automatic play or pause button and modern styling.
The computer requirements of turntables with iPod dock are much greater than an ordinary turntable. It requires higher software to run this turntable. The computer should have Windows XP or Vista with a Quicktime of 7.1.6. Its Mac OS X should at least be 10.3.9 with a Quicktime of 6.5.2.
This gadget is brilliant and useful to music lovers. The money you spent for buying this gadget is really worth the service that the gadget offers. This can also be a best gift for your love ones. Let your love ones enjoy their favorite vinyl just like how you enjoy your favorite vinyl while using the turntable.
For more information on DJ Turntables and Mp3 turntablesplease visit our website.
Five Top Tips For Successful Audio Conferencing
Conference calls have revolutionized the way businesses communicate, saving time and money. Many companies now hold regular daily, weekly or monthly calls between 3 or more participants. However, for participants that are new to audio conferences, there can be a tendency to not properly follow protocol, which ultimately makes calls less effective. Here are five simple tips so that you can contribute in a positive manner and enjoy your participation in a audio conference call:
1) Be early on the call, not Late! – Like any normal meeting being punctual is very important. If you are not on time you may miss important information about the agenda for the call and protocol. You may also be left until last to speak or even worse left off altogether. This can become extremely annoying if you have important information to pass on. Logging into the conference 5-10 minutes before is good practice.
2) Call from a quiet place – If you are participating in an audio conference call then you should ideally select a quiet room or place to call from. If you are calling in from your home then you will have children and pets in the background or appliances making distracting noise. In the office there are different distractions such as phones ringing and people chatting. You may be able to mute these from the call, but once you start talking they will be causing you much distress whilst you are thinking of what you are saying.
3) Try to avoid calling in from a mobile phone – Using a mobile phone to conduct an audio conferencing call is a bad idea. Mobile phones cause call interference as they use a different format for transferring data. This may irritate other participants, as the line will appear crackly or fuzzy for all listening in. If a mobile phone is all you have, use the mute function if you are not speaking as this will lessen the distraction on the side of the participants.
4) Don’t put the call on hold – Putting the conference call on hold distracts the participants especially when the phone has hold beeps or music. Many users will be left bemused and it is hard to catch up when you are not focused. If for any reason you need to leave and you are not sure at what time you can join the audio conference call, it is better to hang up and call again if you are ready.
5) Raise your hand to speak – Avoid butting in whilst others are talking or it is not your turn. There will usually be a method to attract the attention of the chair person or organizer. Most audio conferences have a ‘raise hand’ option, which seems to work best. This informs the chair person you wish to speak and they will usually invite you in once and chance is available. If you ignore this option and simply talk over people, you will very quickly alienate others and could be asked to leave.
Follow these simple steps and you will have much more productive and enjoyable conference calls. If you don’t then you will soon encounter delays, interference and general annoyance of all participants involved.
Peter Bennett is CEO of Ozone Conferencing Limited. This article was prepared for small businesses wanting to know more about audio conferencing. For more details about audio conferencing please visit our types of audio conferencing service page.
The Basics of Setting Up a Teleconferencing Service
Teleconferencing has emerged as one of the as one of the most cost effective and useful tools for business communication. Companies all over the globe have managed to slash the costs of their executive travel by moving meetings onto phone and web. Multiple participants can engage in conference calls at low costs saving time and money. So for those businesses that are still in the dark when it comes to teleconferencing, here are some tips on setting up your own teleconferencing service.
It is important to remember that something as important as teleconferencing needs to be done right to reap the benefits. In the following paragraphs, we’ll see how to setup teleconferencing calls for successful usage.
The first thing to consider is; how great is your need for teleconferencing? This form of communication only makes sense if the number of participants is three or more. Usually teleconferencing calls are facilitated by dedicated service providers, who offer the service for a fee, normally for specific periods of call. Once the user agrees with their terms and conditions, they will be given a toll-free number and an access code, which is to be distributed among all the participants who are to take part in the teleconference call. Also, it is required for the person reserving the service to mention the exact date and timings of setting up the teleconference call or meeting. This time slot booking is usually done in order to avoid clashing with other meetings, as it is a possibility that more than one customer may demand the same time slots on a particular date.
At the chosen date and time, each of the participants will join the online conference call by dialing the toll-free number and authenticating their invite using the access code they were given. Once in the conference, each party can talk as much or as long as they want, (one person at a time is recommended). The entire session of the call will be controlled by the host, and they can decide who should be online and can knock people off the call if necessary. In the usual settings, if the host is to hang up, the entire teleconference will be terminated. But, alternate options are available so as to continue the call even if the host exits, but it is optional and that right entirely rests with the person who setup the teleconferencing service.
If you are looking to select a teleconferencing service, always setup with service provider who offer recommended conferencing solutions and technical support. Make sure you follow the instructions given by the service provider. If you follow these simple steps you will find that your business will also benefit from teleconferencing as many other businesses already are.
Peter Bennett is CEO of Ozone Conferencing Limited. This article was prepared for small businesses wanting to know more about teleconferencing. For more articles like this please visit our conferencing blog.
Using Legal Music Download Sites For Your Mp3 Player
Modern technology makes music more accessible than ever, with a huge percentage of people now downloading music from the internet onto their MP3 player. Many people use file sharing sites to obtain their MP3 player files, but these sites do not have copyright ownership. This alters the stability and quality of the product, and can also lead to legal proceedings being brought against the user. Therefore, the best way to download music to your audio player is to find a legitimate site.
Online MP3 player downloads from a legitimate site have the benefit of being licensed by either the record company or the artist. This means that there is no infringement of copyright laws and so enables many benefits for the user. Approximately 35% of all MP3 player owners now use this method to download music files. Of course, licensed MP3 file downloads come with a price tag but this is minimal when compared with the cost of CDs and minidisks.
There are two ways of paying for MP3 player downloads. The first is one off fee or monthly payment that acts as a subscription. This method enables subscribers to download unlimited music files to their audio devices, and is cost effective for any consumer who requires regular use of the services. The second method of payment entails a pay per download or burn scenario. This is more cost effective for those who will use file downloads less frequently. Either payment method will enable the user to reap the benefits of legitimate MP3 file downloads.
The main benefits of using a legitimate MP3 player download site is that the sound quality is the best possible as state of the art digital recording equipment is used. The download speed is also excellent, and many download sites have great additional extras such as MP3 ripping and MP3 tagging services. Licensed MP3 player files will not corrupt part of the way through, and so you can be confident in the service received. The licensing means that the download site will not be closed due to copyright infringement, which is common amongst file sharing sites. One of the main benefits of using a legitimate site is that there is little risk of encountering and picking up a virus. Licensed MP3 player download sites have advanced security measures which are updated frequently to ensure the best possible product is received by customers. There is also better privacy guaranteed, with spyware detected and removed, keeping customers safe from risk.
Of course there are some disadvantages to be had. Licensed MP3 player download sites have a much smaller selection of music available than the file sharing sites. There are also very few licensed mp3 download sites available, so there is little choice in terms of which service provider you can use. However, the quality of the sites available is very good, so this should not be a problem. The cost involved with licensed MP3 player sites is off putting to many, but overall the advantages of subscribing outweigh the disadvantages. The licensed site guarantees a quality product for your audio player, which is safe for your computer and which follows laws and regulations. It is fast, accessible and cost effective.
Many MP3 player download sites offer free trials of its product and services so that you can test the site thoroughly before committing to any purchase. This involves being able to download a specified number of MP3 files or being able to use the services for a set length of time before a payment is required. To be more informed, read reviews of the sites before trialling their product as this will save you time.
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This article can be accessed in portuguese from the Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/mp3-player.php
Roberto Sedycias works for www.PoloMercantil.com.br