Over the weekend we received a Pro 8HEmW return from a customer who couldn't get it to work with 2 Buddy 6G USB soundcards on 2 different computers. When testing the Pro 8HEmW on 3 different Buddy 6 USB soundcards we received completely unacceptable results in the Audio Check although the accuracy was fine. We haven't been recommending units with larger microphone elements for use with the Buddy 7G for about a year but we were unaware of any problems with the Buddy 6G and for the time being, we are recommending against using the Pro 8HEmW with the Buddy 6G although we have experienced no issues with the combination of the Buddy 6G with any other microphone.

-------------------------

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

 

 

 

Since I'm going to need a new soundcard, do you have any new news on the new speechwhere soundcards that are coming out?

We are supposed to receive a SpeechWare USB soundcard prototype towards the end of April but even if it's perfect, that loosely translates to being several months away from production. As far as current USB soundcards are concerned, the 1\2 duplex ANC USB Pod is still our Pro 8HEmW favorite but if you're looking for something low-profile, the second-generation PureAudio USB-SA Pod would be a good choice. The VXI USB soundcard isn't quite as hot and wouldn't be our 1st choice; especially for softer voices. The Buddy 7G doesn't work on any large diaphragm microphone but we were surprised that the Buddy 6G didn't work well with the Pro 8HEmW because it works great on every other microphone we have tested.

-------------------------

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

 

 

 

I currently have a buddy 6g soundcard that I am using with my boom headset. Will my soundcard work well enough for me to at least try the audiotecha headset to see if I like it? I don't mind buying a new soundcard but I don't want to buy a new soundcard for microphone that I might not want to keep.

We cannot guarantee positive results. 1 of our customers was unable to get any sound through the Buddy 6G. We tested 3 Buddy 6G soundcards and the Audio Check looked absolutely horrible with every other frequency going off the chart but the microphone actually worked fairly well. Rather than purchasing a new soundcard, we recommend trying your Buddy 6G 1st but if it seems like your accuracy has dropped, you'll probably want to replace the soundcard 1st. We mostly just want to warn new people against purchasing a Buddy 6G when purchasing the Pro 8HEmW.

-------------------------

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

 

 

 

I have a Buddy 6 that was my main pod for quite some time with the BoomO. I could not get the 6G to work reliably with  the AT mic.

Phil Schaadt

-------------------------
DNS12 Pro BM V Large Vocabulary plus KB or Voice Computer running Win7 64 bit machines with i7-2640M to i7-3960x and i7-3770K processors plus a Sony VAIO Windows 8 machine. DBX Audio Gate with Allen&Heath mixer/USB Audio; Andrea PureAudio USB  usually with Airline 77 or Audio-Technica but also Sennheiser MD431 II, theBoom, et. al.

Wheels & Phil,

The problem that most users are having with the Buddy USB 6G is not a compatibility issue as much as it is a hardware issue. The Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW uses a Mono miniplug (3.5 mm). It doesn't always connect correctly with the Buddy USB 6G.

That being said, there are three methods that you can use to ensure the correct hardware connection:

1.  Use a stereo, shielded, audio adapter cable. This ensures correct connection to the Buddy USB 6G USB SoundPod. I believe that Lunis provides this cable anyway. It's also a good idea to use this extension cable simply because the microphone cable itself is simply too short for many circumstances, particularly desktop systems.

2.  The Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW works best with the Andrea half duplex USB SoundPod, which generally doesn't require any extension audio cable.

3.  You can insure proper connection using the Andrea P-100 Converter plug, which I believe you can get either from Lunis or definitely from Andréa. This not only provides for correct connection between the Mono miniplug of the Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW and the input jack of the Buddy USB 6G, as well as others, it also stabilizes the output signal.

Regardless, I have not had any problems given the above using the Buddy USB 6G. It works just fine as long as you ensure proper connection between the Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW and the Buddy USB 6G microphone input connections.

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

"Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one." -  Chinese Proverb

-------------------------

Chuck, thank you for reminding us about the P-100. We just finished testing the P-100 "Converter Plug" and it takes care of the problem of using the Buddy 6G. We have also updated our website to reflect this information. Anyone who has an existing Buddy 6G that is considering purchasing the Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW microphone (w/KB PLUS PACK) will additionally need the $5 "Converter Plug".

-------------------------

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

 

 

 

Chuck

Just to make sure I am understanding you correctly as long as I employ one of these solutions I should be okay?

Thanks for the input.

Yes but we recommend the $5 option.

-------------------------

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

 

 

 

I think I might need to get the extension cable as well just to give myself a little more room. However I think I'm going to need to replace the Knowbrainer version of the cord for something a little bit shorter. Sometimes having a lot of cabling can turn out to be a nightmare for me. What kind of cabling should I look for to replace the one that comes in the Knowbrainer plus package?

Our cable is a simple six-foot shielded stereophonic headphone shielded cable with a 3.5 mm stereo jack on 1 end and a Standard 3.5 mm plug on the other. You should be able to locate a 3 foot version of this cable at your local hi-fi store or on the net.

-------------------------

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

 

 

 

Thank you. I'm planning on purchasing from Knowbrainer but, as I have found with my boom microphone too much cord can cause me a massive headache.

Thanks again

I tried plugging the headset directly into the external soundcard and the results were truly awful. I purchased a 3 foot long extension cord. Even though it was a 3.5 mm male-female cord for some reason the termination on the end of the headset would not fit snugly into the extension cord.

I find this a little confusing because the A T termination fit snugly into my soundcard and my boom O termination fit snugly into the soundcard. I was able to plug the boom O into the extension cord and everything fit well. When I tried to plug in the AT termination into the extension cord it would not fit snugly. It was very loose and the male end of the connection would not go all the way in.

Unfortunately I find these kinds of semi-random mechanical problems all too often. The manufacturing quality control on Asian consumer audio connectors is truly awful. Many of them are completely out of spec and by that I don't just mean that 1/8" doesn't really equal 3.5 mm.

sometimes inserting the connector only part way will make for acceptable electrical connection. You can try to fiddle with it. also your extension cord should terminate in a "stereo" connection. By that I mean three separate metal bands on the plug: 1. a tip, 2. a ring, 3, a second ring that is part of the connector body.

But you may just have had the bad luck of random mechanical incompatibilities between your equipment in your connectors. My guess based on limited experience is about 2 to 5% is a typical problem rate.

Your experience is why I am very cranky on these forums about cables and connecters.

Phil Schaadt

-------------------------
DNS12 Pro BM V Large Vocabulary plus KB or Voice Computer running Win7 64 bit machines with i7-2640M to i7-3960x and i7-3770K processors plus a Sony VAIO Windows 8 machine. DBX Audio Gate with Allen&Heath mixer/USB Audio; Andrea PureAudio USB  usually with Airline 77 or Audio-Technica but also Sennheiser MD431 II, theBoom, et. al.

The weird thing is it will connect fine to my boom microphone termination but not to the audiotechnica termination 

So as long as the connector has two black bands on it I should be okay?. There's the tip of the plug, a black band some more space and another black band.

Does anyone have a shorter extension cable that they could recommend?

Now you know why we include a specific 6’ Extension Cord. Unfortunately, we don’t have access to other sizes because there is no demand for it.

-------------------------

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

 

 

 

I see the problem. Unfortunately, for me too much cord can cause quite an issue. It tends to get wrapped up around the wheels off my wheelchair.

I wrap my long cords audio cords using a plastic cord control spindle or Velcro so the cord doesn't get destroyed by my chair.

Phil Schaadt

-------------------------
DNS12 Pro BM V Large Vocabulary plus KB or Voice Computer running Win7 64 bit machines with i7-2640M to i7-3960x and i7-3770K processors plus a Sony VAIO Windows 8 machine. DBX Audio Gate with Allen&Heath mixer/USB Audio; Andrea PureAudio USB  usually with Airline 77 or Audio-Technica but also Sennheiser MD431 II, theBoom, et. al.

I usually use zip ties but unfortunately inevitably the cord eventually works its way loose. Now I've got a little bit of a mess because I think I misplaced my Knowbrainer cord that came with the original microphone.

Try a "Cable Turtle". They are more reliable than Velcro and I use them for my theBoom and other audio cables. They also come in small medium and large. "Cable Capture" Cord organizer is good for desks and walls or larger cable that can be spooled.

Phil Schaadt

-------------------------
DNS12 Pro BM V Large Vocabulary plus KB or Voice Computer running Win7 64 bit machines with i7-2640M to i7-3960x and i7-3770K processors plus a Sony VAIO Windows 8 machine. DBX Audio Gate with Allen&Heath mixer/USB Audio; Andrea PureAudio USB  usually with Airline 77 or Audio-Technica but also Sennheiser MD431 II, theBoom, et. al.

Okay, currently I have my 3 foot extension cord making solid contact with the male end of the headset. And the male end of the extension cord is making solid contact with a female end of the soundcard.

Unfortunately, no matter which of the 3 foot extension cord I have tried the microphone will not pass the sound check. I get a report that the volume level is too low. And when I run the audio check a very strange thing happens. The green and yellow bars are interlaced and both of them extend all the way vertically to fill the black box entirely.

Does anyone know how I can fix this? In less I just flat out have gotten two defective cords. Which is highly unlikely in my opinion because I've used different brands both times.

We suspect a reverse polarity issue. We experienced the same situation when we attempted to use a Buddy 6G USB soundcard. The solution is a $5 P-100 "Converter Plug" which, considering shipping costs, you should probably try to source locally.

-------------------------

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

 

 

 

Thanks, I will try to find one locally and I will report my results.
Thanks so much for all the advice.

You won't likely find the P-100 "Converter Plug" over-the-counter but you might try Lindsay Adam, Peter Maddern or Graham Henry who all UK Nuance certified resellers.

-------------------------

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

 

 

 

Thanks, it might be tricky to find it locally but I will give it a shot. It would actually cost me more to buy from the individuals you mentioned above. I am a US user.

Wheels,

If you are in the US, then you should go directly to Andrea Electronics.

Click on the link above that I provided you with. That will take you directly to the part and you can order from there. Yes, you have to pay shipping but since the unit only cost $4.95, the overall expense is not that significant.

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

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." -- Mark Twain

-------------------------

Quote:

It would actually cost me more to buy from the individuals you mentioned above. I am a US user.

Sorry, for some reason we had you pegged as living in the UK. We can all but guarantee that you won't be able to source the P-100 locally. You will likely have to purchase it directly from Andrea Electronics or optionally from our store.

-------------------------

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

 

 

 

I'll check Andrea Electronics and see what the shipping will be.

I am still having problems with the headset. I received to the converter from Andrea Electronics. My first suspicion is the converter I received is white but the one I see pictured here and at Andrea Electronics is black.

I connect the male end of the converter into my external soundcard and the female end to the extension cord. The female and the male end of the plugs do not make good connections. I am fairly certain I have found a high-quality extension cord. It seems that the connection should be enough to work. However, I am unable to pass the volume check. I received an error message that the volume level is too low. And I am not allowed to continue.

Wheels,

The P-100 converter plug can come in either white or black. It makes no difference what the color is. I have several that are both colors, but they all of the same unit and work exactly the same way.

First, try connecting the Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW to the Andréa P-100 converter plug and then plug that into your soundcard. Then run the Audio Setup Wizard (Check microphone). Does that work?

Second, if you continue to get the error message that the volume level is too low, right-click on the speaker icon in the systray and select Recording device. Make sure that the Recording device (default) is the one that you're Audio-Technica Pro 8HEmW is plugged into. If not, make sure that you select the correct device and click on the Default button. Do the same for the Playback device. Then click OK and run the Audio Setup Wizard (Check microphone) again. Can you pass the Volume Check?

If you can pass the Volume Check, then try connecting the extension cable and rerun the Audio Setup Wizard (Check microphone). Does that work?

If you still can't pass the Volume Check after trying all of the above, let us know. One of the reasons why you get the low volume level error message is because Dragon is detecting no sound input. What this means basically is that no sound is getting from the microphone to the soundcard. That is a very typical reason for that error.

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

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is." - Yogi Berra

-------------------------

 

After a couple of tries I have been able to connect the headset directly to the white converter. It actually seems to be working rather well. Although, I really don't find it to be terribly comfortable.

I know it is hard to give a specific answer to this question but I'm going to ask anyway. Is it usually best to read a little bit of additional training text? To let Dragon get used to the new input from the microphone.

That's a bit of a loaded question because it really depends on the quality of the previous microphone. On average, if you were using a good microphone before switching to the Pro 8HEmW, it wouldn't be worth your time to create a new user or perform additional training. We almost never recommend training in situations where the end user doesn't have a standard mid Continental North American accent. Our user profile is 99% accurate and was never trained; not even the four-minute training. We've used the Samson Airline 77, SpeechWare 3-in-1, Pro 8HEmW, Samson Stage 55 and more recently the new Olympus DS-7000 digital recorder. That's right; we not only use the same UNTRAINED profile for every microphone but we even use the same profile with digital recorders. We like the path of least resistance.

-------------------------

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

 

 

 

My other microphone is the boom o. Obviously, I don't want to go through the whole process of creating a new profile. I think I will just leave my current profile alone.

Switching from theBoom "O" to the Pro 8HEmW should be all but seamless. If your previous microphone had been a Bluetooth or Logitech, we might be having a different conversation but you're talking about switching from 1 high-end microphone to another similar high-end microphone. Our only recommendation would be to run the Audio Check.

-------------------------

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

 

 

 

That's what I was thinking but I wanted to be absolutely certain I was using the optimal set up.
Thanks