I really would like to pre-order a speech where three in one microphone (the second-generation anyway) I was not able to make my mind up quickly enough and I missed out on getting in on the first generation.

1. I like using my boom will microphone because it will allow me to dictate very quietly and I do not have to worry about being as much of a disruption to other people. I understand that headset microphones will generally allow you to speak at a softer tone of voice. But do you have to speak considerably louder for the speech were three and one microphone to pick up your voice?

2. I use a power wheelchair and I was wondering if anyone in a wheelchair or those who like to dictate sitting down have ever reported having a problem getting the microphone on the correct plane so that it was in the proper position for them to dictate?

The SpeechWare 3-in-1 TableMike’s should be able to handle low-volume input levels because it includes auto level control (the speech recognition 1st) and we have tested it with a soft voice but you may need to move within 4 to 6 inches of the microphone to obtain your best results.

Yes, we are now taking advanced orders for the second-generation 3-in-1 microphone.

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so would you say it is able to pick up a soft voice just as well as theboom? I don't mean to be annoying about this but, being able to dictate very very quietly is one of the things I value the most in my current microphone. So I just want to be absolutely certain that I will not be disappointed. Because ordering a 3-1 microphone is not an absolute necessity for me. It would just be extremely nice and convenient to have one.

Having thought more about it, we now suspect that you would be better off keeping your theBoom "O" microphone because we believe it is probably better suited for lower volume levels.

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Wheels,

Can't speak to the 3-in-1 because I haven't been fortunate enough to try it yet, but dictating from a wheelchair using the SpeechWare 2-in-1 is a breeze. I understand that the microphone elements on the 2-in-1 and 3-in-1 are different, and I know from personal experience that the 2-in-1 has considerably more range than its 6-in-1 brother, but if the 3-in-1's range is closer to the 2-in-1 than the 6-in-1, then you should be just fine.

Confused yet?

I've destroyed more than one Boom mic by running it over with a wheelchair. For my money, the "unibody" headsets (think Sennheiser ME-3 or KnowBrainer hands-free) seem to stand up to abuse better than the UmeVoice models. But yeah, who wants wires or headsets anyway?

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Eric Wright At work: DNS 12 Pro. At home: DNS 11.5 Pro,  KnowBrainer 2011, and Utter Command by RedStart Systems; Dragon Dictate 3 for Mac

 

Appetite for Dictation - My Blog

Thanks for the advice. I was a little apprehensive about being able to adjust the microphone to get it on the correct plane. Although, I don't know why would be any different than dictating from the typical seated position.

It's funny you should mention destroying a couple of headsets. Unfortunately, I have destroyed a couple of Plantronics headsets that were not relatively cheap. When you wrap them around your tire and then back away something's got to give. :-) So far my boom microphone has actually held up surprisingly well. Thankfully I have not run it over or anything. I had it for over a year anyway so the warranty is expired by now.

I was just in the middle of doing some dictating with my boom microphone and I noticed that probably for anybody the earphones do not stay on your head very well as you move your head around. If your head is completely still you will probably be okay but if you are moving around and looking at things you are going to have problems. I think foreign office use a desktop microphone is definitely in order because it would do so much more convenient. Plus when I was using my boom at my internship the cord was so long it kept getting caught on my wheelchair and the various connections would come undone. I guess I could have shortened the cord with a zip file or something but then it would have been inconvenient for dictating at home. I guess just another advantage to getting and desktop microphone. I think I will definitely be signing up for the pre-order for the second-generation.

 

 

Eric, I notice you use Dragon NaturallySpeaking at work. Do you find that your dictation is a nuisance to other people? I have always been apprehensive about dictating in public, worrying that I would be a bother to other people. I would always be very hesitant to use my speech recognition software and when I did I would try to speak very quietly.

You and I discussed this a little bit in this thread:

A QUESTION ABOUT 'PRIVACY MICROPHONE'

Generally, I don't consider myself to be a nuisance and I don't think that others do, either. I totally get that sometimes YOU want privacy when dictating, and that sometimes confidentiality and privacy laws or considerations require privacy, but generally no. I have no problem using Dragon in public. I can't speak for others, but generally when I use Dragon I'm not speaking at a volume that's much different than the one I would use to have a conversation on the phone or face to face with another person. Generally speaking, conversational din is expected in public spaces. You'll be fine. You really will blend into the background noise.

The only thing that's sometimes kind of weird is sometimes people who don't know me will hear me talking or see me wearing a headset and say "are you on the phone?" because they want to know whether I'm available to speak with them. Most times I'll say "no, I'm talking to my computer" and then we'll get on with our day. It ain't no thang, really. If you're so inclined, you can take the opportunity whenever awkwardness arises to share your knowledge and enthusiasm about speech computing.

Your concerns about getting a desktop microphone on the right plane are totally legit, though. I have an adjustable desk and an adjustable chair. No matter what combination I use of angles, adjustments, and placements, I just cannot get the Andrea Beam array-style microphone to work for me. But really, I think that's more an indictment of that particular microphone (which Nuance often gives away with your purchase of NaturallySpeaking) than it is of that style of microphone. Like I said, when you've got a good desktop microphone then dictating with it is easy. The SpeechWare mics I've tested (the 2-in-1 and 6-in-1) are marvelous. I've also had success with several other models sold here. I recommend the 2-in-1 because its range is really incredible. No matter where I placed the microphone or what angle I approached it at, I could dictate with amazing accuracy. I suspect that the 3-in-1 will perform just as well or better, but it's just a suspicion because I haven't used it yet.

Cheers,

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Eric Wright At work: DNS 12 Pro. At home: DNS 11.5 Pro,  KnowBrainer 2011, and Utter Command by RedStart Systems; Dragon Dictate 3 for Mac

 

Appetite for Dictation - My Blog

I guess you are right we did have a short discussion about this previously. I thank you for indulging me anyway with a very thorough answer. You have definitely put my mind more at ease. And since it is not that powerful anyway being at ease definitely helps :-)

thanks

 

how is the accuracy of the Speechware 2 in 1 compared to the Speechware 3 in 1?

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Dell Inspiron 7520 SE,  2ghz core i7(Ivy bridge), 8gb ram, 750gb Seagate Momentus XT SSD/HD Hybrid hard disk. SpeechWare 3 in 1, Sennhesser ME3, Buddy USB 6G, Windows 7 Ultimate, Office 2007.

supee,

Unfortunately, that's like asking how does an apple compare to an orange. Both produce excellent accuracy. However, the SpeechWare 3-in-1 adds additional algorithms which improve on the clarity, and hence the accuracy. The SpeechWare 3-in-1 is more accurate over a broader range of conditions. The signal (speech) is much cleaner.

The key difference is that the SpeechWare 3-in-1 adds AGC (Automatic Gain Control) and ANC (Adaptive Noise Canceling), along with a host of other features that make the microphone perform more efficiently. By the same token, you can't really compare the differences in accuracy, particularly if you're getting 99% plus. Once you get to that level of accuracy, you're simply not going to see any significant improvement. What you will see are certain conditions under which Dragon may misrecognize what you say with the SpeechWare 2-in-1, but gets it correctly with the SpeechWare 3-in-1. This is because the signal output (your speech) is simply clearer and cleaner with the SpeechWare 3-in-1. Nonetheless, accuracy is dependent on so many variables that you can't really compare the two under normal dictation conditions.

The only thing that I can add is that if I had my preference between the SpeechWare 2-in-1 and the SpeechWare 3-in-1, I would go with the SpeechWare 3-in-1 any day of the week. Another way of looking at it analogically is that it's like the difference between a 2008 Porsche and a 2012 Lamborghini. Which one would you rather have?

Chuck Runquist
Technical Project Manager
VoiceTeach LLC
Home of VoicePower®: We don't make Dragon NaturallySpeaking, we make it better!

If you hear the sound of hoofbeats, think horses not zebras.
variation on Occam's Razor (Law of Parsimony)

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 thanks for your reply, Chuck. Obviously the  2012 Lamborghini will do me nicely

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Dell Inspiron 7520 SE,  2ghz core i7(Ivy bridge), 8gb ram, 750gb Seagate Momentus XT SSD/HD Hybrid hard disk. SpeechWare 3 in 1, Sennhesser ME3, Buddy USB 6G, Windows 7 Ultimate, Office 2007.