I've been busy trying out the Olympus AS-2400 Transcription Kit. The kit includes a headset and foot pedal or foot switch and easy to use software. In South Africa it's available through Maynards.
Previously, I've been using Express Scribe without a footpedal, and I was a bit nervous about using the footpedal, since I hadn't previously used one since 1994 where I used one on an analog dictation machine!
However, now I've started, I can't see me ever going back. It makes life so much easier and I believe I've said goodbye to hotkeys forever.
The software is the DSS Player Standard Transcription Module Version 2.0.0.0. Your audio files are easy to import and are stacked up in folders like files in a window, making it easy to see and work with.
Besides making secure file management easier than ever before, it offers multiple file transfer options to suit individual requirements. Full Citrix and Terminal Service support is provided and it is compatible with POP3, SMTP, and extended MAPI email environments. Moreover, SSL support for email/ftp is also included.
Features of the transcription kit include:
- RS-31 - 4 button USB footswitch (3 + 1) for hands free operation
- Under chin ear phone E-62 ODMS - Olympus Dictation Management System CD (R6)
- Transcription module to organize and playback dictations
- Manages DSSPro, DSS, WAV, WMA, and MP3 audio files
- File and document management
The audio controls are great too and offer a lot of versatility. I love that the slow down / speed up function controls the speed of the audio but it doesn't distort the voice. The voice distortion that some other software packages give is irritating and sometimes renders the audio inaudible.
This is a great solution for secretaries and transcriptionists particularly since it is completely compatible with recordings produced by the Olympus digital Recording equipment such as the DS-7000 pictured below. (which I recommend all my clients to purchase)
I decided to give this a try out on one of the most difficult audios I've had this year. It was the perfect transcription to try it out on. It was a South African government recording done around a table in a government office somewhere in the Free State. The council was NOT using an Olympus recorder, and I had background noise, indistinct names, a very long recording - the works. The software is not a miracle worker and it couldn't clean up all the noise, but it helped significantly and I got better results than I have with other similar programmes. The software offers an option to increase volume in one headphone over the other, and this was useful to increase the volume of distant speakers.
Another awesome feature is the inline bar which you can choose, which floats on the top of your screen as you transcribe. This saves clicking in between the larger interface and the document you're working on.
There are a ton of fantastic features with this software which will mean you won't want to look back. Check it out for yourself at Maynards.
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This post first appeared on Transcription And Typing Services Johannesburg, please read the originial post: here
