Hi,

I have a Olympus DS-4000 voice recorder as well as the additional Olympus ME-12 microphone. 

 Does it make any sense, to use the ME-12 (together with the DS-4000) even in a quiet environment? In other words: Is the ME-12 good only for background noise reduction or does it provide any other benefits (if any at all)?

 Thanks for your help!

Markus 

The ME-12 is a better microphone than the one built into the DS 4000 - or at least that is my experience.

Graham

www.itspeaking.co.uk

Good to know.

Thanks for the fast response!

Markus 

The ME12 with the DS-4000... If I am attempting to record a class lecture (and later experiment with Univoice when it is released for transcription purposes) versus "up close" dictation, does using the ME12 still make sense or should I rely on the built in mike?

Also, the DS-4000 has "conference" and "dictation" modes. I would assume that the conference mode would be the preferred mode for recording class lectures? Would it make any difference if I were using the ME12 mike?

THANKS!

Alan 

DNS 12.0 Pro (KnowBrainer + VoiceComputer  - latest versions) Buddy 7G (2nd gen) USB + Sennheiser MD 431 II - Toshiba Satellite Core™ i7 2670QM laptop 4 cores/8 threads 6 MB L3 cache 6 GB DDR3 RAM (1333 MHz) + MacBook Pro with Retina display (i7 2.7 Ghz); 16 GB RAM; 8 MB of L3 chache; 751 GB Solid State Drive (using Parallels 8 with Boot Camp).

The ME-12 microphone is for recording dictation i.e. with the microphone close to the corner of the mouth.  To record a "class lecture" you would need a different type of microphone.

Dictation and Conference modes essentially change the recording volume of the internal microphone and are not active when there is an external microphone connected.

Even with UniVoice I very much doubt that you will be able to accurately transcribe a recording of a class unless the "lecturer" dictated in the style that is required by Dragon.  Unless the teacher also remains static s/he would also need to be wearing a microphone to prevent excessive volume changes.

Graham

www.itspeaking.co.uk

THANKS for your feedback, Graham!

I guess it was just "wishful thinking" that we could have "transcription" of lectures. ;-) I was just thinking of the billiions of students in the world who would give the shirt off their back for such a product!

DNS 12.0 Pro (KnowBrainer + VoiceComputer  - latest versions) Buddy 7G (2nd gen) USB + Sennheiser MD 431 II - Toshiba Satellite Core™ i7 2670QM laptop 4 cores/8 threads 6 MB L3 cache 6 GB DDR3 RAM (1333 MHz) + MacBook Pro with Retina display (i7 2.7 Ghz); 16 GB RAM; 8 MB of L3 chache; 751 GB Solid State Drive (using Parallels 8 with Boot Camp).

Alan,

> I guess it was just "wishful thinking" that we could have "transcription"
> of lectures

eMicrophones supplies not only microphones, but easy to use but powerful recording software (used with notebook or desktop computers) to government and educational institutions as well as businesses. The educational institutions for the most part use the software and microphones to record class lectures. Many of these are then posted to be downloaded as podcasts for students unable to attend the live lecture. Click Here to see these products.

Features of this software include having a preset agenda which enables dividing the lecture into individual tracks for each relevant point. The software also allows for annotation and transcription.

Martin

Martin Markoe - BANNED USER: This user has been banned from these forums

Martin,

THANKS for the additional information. VERY HELPFUL!!!! Just a few additional questions because I know their must be a lot of folks out there with similar needs who would benefit from this product...

SoniClear Gov Recorder Software - 

With this software, I load it on a laptop for example, then have a mike attached to the laptop, and simply record the lecture onto my laptop?  

Also, does the software come with a Labtec 303 microphone, so I'd be ready to go just by purchasing the SoniClear Gov Recorder Software?

Is there a way to use my Olympus 4000 with ME12 mike and transfer recordings from the Olympus to the laptop that has the SoniClear Gov Recorder Software installed, even though that might not be the best option?

You also mentioned that "Many of these (class lecture recordings) are then posted to be downloaded as podcasts for students unable to attend the live lecture." Where would you suggest that I find software/hardware and "how to" instructions to do podcasts as you described?

Thanks for sharing your expertise and your amazing products...

DNS 12.0 Pro (KnowBrainer + VoiceComputer  - latest versions) Buddy 7G (2nd gen) USB + Sennheiser MD 431 II - Toshiba Satellite Core™ i7 2670QM laptop 4 cores/8 threads 6 MB L3 cache 6 GB DDR3 RAM (1333 MHz) + MacBook Pro with Retina display (i7 2.7 Ghz); 16 GB RAM; 8 MB of L3 chache; 751 GB Solid State Drive (using Parallels 8 with Boot Camp).

Alan,

> With this software, I load it on a laptop for example, then have a mike
> attached to the laptop, and simply record the lecture onto my laptop?  

Exactly.

> Also, does the software come with a Labtec 303 microphone, so I'd be
> ready to go just by purchasing the SoniClear Gov Recorder Software?

I would not recommend using that microphone as it is a toy with no echo cancellation. To answer your question, the last time, about a month ago, I opened a box it was included.

> Is there a way to use my Olympus 4000 with ME12 mike and transfer
> recordings from the Olympus to the laptop that has the
> SoniClear Gov Recorder Software installed, even
> though that might not be the best option?

You can import from MP3 Format and export to MP3 format. The DSS format is not importable or exportable.

> You also mentioned that "Many of these (class lecture recordings) are
> then posted to be downloaded as podcasts for students unable to attend > the live lecture." Where would you suggest that I find software/hardware > and "how to" instructions to do podcasts as you described?

Audacity is the most popular free podcast software:
http://www.download.com/Audacity/3000-2170_4-10058117.html

For educational podcasting, start here:
http://www.podcast.net/show/83869

Martin Markoe - BANNED USER: This user has been banned from these forums

Click KB 2012 REV D to Download a 30 Day Evaluation of KnowBrainer 2012 

Hi Lunis!

THANK YOU for sharing that information with the forum as well! Thank you for your expertise, your willingness to go the extra mile for your customers (I know that because I am one of your many regular customers), and for providing up-to-the second technology and solutions for the rest of us!

As a follow-up to your last post, some students with impairments (elementary, middle school, high school & college) may also require hard copy of lecture notes, which makes the possibility of transcribing lectures via Univoice all the more intriguing. While those of us who are instructors/professors could certainly share an outline of what we were discussing in class for those with impairments recognized under Section 504/ADA (or in K-12,  Special education - IDEA 2004) providing a verbatim transcription would be the ideal. Please keep us posted on any and all developments in this area because I would think there would be a huge market for this kind of technology.

All the best     

DNS 12.0 Pro (KnowBrainer + VoiceComputer  - latest versions) Buddy 7G (2nd gen) USB + Sennheiser MD 431 II - Toshiba Satellite Core™ i7 2670QM laptop 4 cores/8 threads 6 MB L3 cache 6 GB DDR3 RAM (1333 MHz) + MacBook Pro with Retina display (i7 2.7 Ghz); 16 GB RAM; 8 MB of L3 chache; 751 GB Solid State Drive (using Parallels 8 with Boot Camp).