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Speech Dictation
Has anyone ever used speech dictation on their computer? I am actually writing this using my MacBook’s dictation feature but was curious if anyone has used a more sophisticated program. I am actually surprised at how well this is working. However, because I do not speak very clearly it is having some trouble detecting some of my words and, therefore, I’m having to edit some of it. Still pretty nifty though!
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6 Replies
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I used Dragon NaturallySpeaking for 20 years before I had to get on a vent 24/7 last year. It is the absolute best when it comes to speech recognition. It has no equal in its ability to do everything a regular mouse can do on top of being able to discern what you’re saying. One thing I would recommend with any of this type of software is to invest in a good microphone, either on a headset or freestanding, desktop one. You’ll be surprised the difference spending a little time researching mics will make in the software’s performance. It’s also important to spend the extra time in the beginning to train yourself and the software. Dragon comes with built-in training exercises that it will walk you through. It’s super easy to use and even comes with the ability to make your own macros for shortcuts. And if all that isn’t enough, it comes with a cool name! Check out Dragon.
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Sounds pretty amazing! I’m going to have to look into this further. Thanks Kelly!
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I have also used Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It works best with Microsoft products, so use Outlook for email, not Chrome. It adapts to your unique way of speaking. I use the Snowball microphone. It stands on the table, so I don’t have to get help putting it on and off. If you buy it, get the physical copy, so you can always prove your purchase and can re-install if you get a new computer or your computer crashes.
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Good to know. I wonder how compatible it is with Macs.
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I believe they make a version for Mac, but I’m not 100% sure. The physical version is usually a little more expensive than the downloaded one. I got the downloaded version and had no problem adding it to a different computer when my old one died. They keep track at the company of your purchase, and you can even go online to see the date. I had a few troubles in the beginning using it with chrome, especially on gmail, but there’s an extention you can get that fixes most of the problems. They’ve really tried to make it compatible with different platforms. It’s not cheap software, but I’ve always thought it was worth the price.
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Dragon for Mac was discontinued, although if you can find it on eBay you can still potentially install it.
I mostly use an onscreen keyboard but for a few years now I’ve also used some speech recognition software called Talon. I wrote about on my website. Presently, it’s somewhat technical to setup but I’m hoping that will change in the future.
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