Information and FAQs
Written by Administrator
How to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking®
Q. WHAT DO I NEED TO OPERATE A COMPUTER BY VOICE?
A. Checklist:
- Software
- Microphone
- USB pod (external soundcard)
- A suitable computer - see system requirements below
- Training
Q. WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO USE DRAGON SOFTWARE?
One-on-one training services
Viva Voce provides one-on-one training services. Click here for more information.
Dragon for PC
Dragon User documentation, including User Guides and instructional videos.
See the Training Resources on the Downloads page.
Dragon for MAC
Q. CAN I USE DRAGON ON A SMARTPHONE OR iPAD?
A. Yes, Dragon apps are available for iPhone, Android and Blackberry, iPad and iPod Touch. Click here for more information.
Dragon Apps are available through the Apps store and iTunes.
For iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
Search for 'Dragon Dictation', 'Dragon Search', 'Dragon Recorder'
The Dragon Dictation App allows you to dictate text for SMS messages and e-mails. This app is tailored to the Australian accent, though not to your particular speech as an individual. For this reason, recognition accuracy will not be as high as when using Dragon NaturallySpeaking or Dragon Dictate on a computer (where the user profile is customised to recognise your speech patterns). Recognition errors can be edited using the on-screen keyboard.
Dragon Search allows you to search online content by voice.
Dragon Recorder allows you to record speech, which can be transcribed into text, using Dragon on your computer (either Dragon NaturallySpeaking for PC, or DragonDictate for Mac).
Andrea PureAudio Live Recorder is available through iTunes, and is another App for recording speech, which can be transcribed into text using Dragon on your computer.
Dragon Remote Microphone app allows you to use your wireless device as a wireless microphone, when using Dragon on your computer.
For Android
For Blackberry
Q. HOW CAN I NAVIGATE THIS WEBSITE BY VOICE USING DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING®?
A.
- "START INTERNET EXPLORER"
- "CLICK NAME OF LINK" to click a link (that is in view) eg "CLICK BACK TO TOP"
- Alternatively, say "CLICK LINK" to number the links on a page, then "CHOOSE 3" etc
- "GO "
- "FAVOURITES"
- "START SCROLLING
", "SPEED UP" , "SLOW DOWN", "STOP SCROLLING" - "PAGE
" - "GO TO "
- "TEXT FIELD" to go to a text field for example a search box
- "PRESS TAB" to move to the next field
- "PRESS SHIFT TAB" to move to the previous field
For more information on navigating websites by voice:
- Say "WHAT CAN I SAY"
- Say "GIVE ME HELP" > CONTENTS > WORKING IN PROGRAMS > INTERNET EXPLORER AND MOZILLA FIREFOX
- See the Training Resources on the Downloads page.
Q. HOW CAN I SET UP A DRAGON USER?
A. See the Downloads page.
Q. HOW CAN I IMPROVE RECOGNITION ACCURACY?
- Use a suitable microphone and soundcard.
- Check audio settings regularly. Say “Check Audio Settings” and follow the prompts.
- Be aware of correct microphone position. If your mic has a white dot on the mouthpiece boom, make sure it is facing towards you.
- Speak clearly, as if you were reading the evening news. Avoid running words together. Articulate each word and syllable more than you would in normal speech. If you speak in a conversational tone, Dragon will probably not recognise you well.
- Speak in long phrases wherever possible. Context is one way that Dragon uses to recognise your speech. The longer the phrase, the more context you are giving Dragon to work with.
- Ensure that your Dragon User profile is set up with the appropriate language model. If you are a native Australian speaker it is very important that your user is set up with Australian English. To check, say "Open User" (or in V11 go to DragonBar > Profile > Open user; in V9 & 10 go to DragonBar > NaturallySpeaking > Open user > select your user profile > Properties > check Language. If your user profile is not set up with the appropriate language there is no way to change this, you will need to set up a new user profile. Australian speakers will generally not get good recognition if the user profile is set up with UK or US English.
- Note for New Zealanders: when setting up a new user profile in V11 there is a New Zealand option under 'Region'. However the accent model is actually Australian English. In our experience, New Zealanders will get best recognition accuracy with UK English.
- Pause before and after commands.
- Correct recognition errors. For more information, see 'Correcting recognition errors' on the Downloads page.
- Refine the vocabulary. Say “Edit Vocabulary”. It is particularly important to add frequently used phrases to the vocabulary. If a word you say is not in the vocabulary, Dragon has zero cheance of recognising it.
- Create custom commands (macros) to produce frequently used text.
- All Dragon users can improve recognition accuracy by using Vocabulary builder to scan samples of your electronic text. For more information see 'Using vocabulary builder to optimise recognition accuracy' on the downloads page. Note for poets: when words are used together in an unusual context, for example when writing poetry, this will be challenging for Dragon to recognise. Using vocabulary builder to scan exisiting poetry could assist with recognition.
For more tips on improving recognition accuracy see 'Optimising recognition accuracy' on the Downloads page.
Q. HOW CAN I EXPORT AND IMPORT A COPY OF MY DRAGON USER PROFILE?
A. Your Dragon user profile (sometimes referred to as Voice Files) contains all the customisations you have made including corrections, custom vocabulary and custom commands (macros).
It's a good idea to export a copy of your user profile in case of:
- Hard drive failure;
- Corruption of Dragon User
The Dragon user is automatically backed up (usually to the hard drive, unless you have directed it to back up elsewhere). Depending on settings, this backup is usually overwritten every 5 times you save your Dragon user, and the Dragon user saved each time you close Dragon.
In the case of hard drive failure, a backup stored on your hard drive will obviously be of no use. For this reason, I recommend that you export a copy of your Dragon user regularly to a network drive or other storage device - either burn to a CD or copy to a USB drive. If burning to a CD, zip files first using WinZip, otherwise all files will become read-only.
In the case of corrupt voice files, it is possible that a recently exported copy of your Dragon user will also be corrupt. For this reason, I recommend that you keep two exported copies of your user, preferably on a network drive—an older copy that you know is 'clean' as well as a more recent copy.
How often to export a copy of your user profile?
This is a matter of personal judgement. I suggest exporting a copy once every two or three months but it would be wise to do so more frequently if you are making a lot of customisations. Each time you export a copy, delete the oldest one so you are only keeping two copies.
To export a copy of Dragon User
Say “Manage Users” or by hand go to (V10) Dragon bar > NaturallySpeaking (V11) Dragon bar > Profile; then Manage User Profiles > make sure the User you want to copy is highlighted > Advanced > Export > Say Yes if asked to save User before exporting > Browse to the location where you will keep your exported copy (I suggest you create a folder for this purpose); follow the prompts from here.
To import Dragon User
Say “Manage Users” or by hand go to (V10) Dragon bar > NaturallySpeaking (V11) Dragon bar > Profile; then Manage User Profiles > Advanced > Import > browse to the folder where you have stored your exported copy > follow the prompts from here > If the Dragon User you are importing has the same name as your current user, rename when prompted to avoid overwriting the existing user profile.
General product information
Q. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PROFESSIONAL AND PREMIUM EDITIONS?
A. The Professional edition has more features than the Premium edition, including an enhanced capacity for customisation. The Professional edition's powerful customisation (ie macro) facility increases the number of tasks that can be done by voice, reducing use of the keyboard and mouse. For this reason, the Professional edition is recommended for those with a health condition or disability who need to work as much as possible by voice.
For those able to do some tasks by hand and using the software mainly to dictate text, the Premium edition will be suitable. For more information, see the Edition Comparison.
Q. CAN I USE DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING® ON MORE THAN ONE COMPUTER?
A. A single licence is for one person. The License Agreement allows you to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking® software on more than one computer, providing you are the principal user. You could legitimately use Dragon NaturallySpeaking® on a work desktop, work notebook computer and also a home computer.
Please enquire for more information if you are interested in a Multi User Licence.
Q. HOW FAST IS IT POSSIBLE TO WORK BY VOICE?
A. Relative productivity when working by voice compared to working by hand will depend on a number of factors, including:
- The skill and experience of the operator;
- how long you have been using the software and how familiar it is with your vocabulary and writing style;
- The nature of the task e.g. transcribing or composing, dictating or navigating;
- What typing speed and accuracy is being compared;
- What proportion of tasks, and which tasks are done by voice. People with serious health conditions or disabilities will generally want to work as much as possible by voice. However, the most efficient strategy would be to use voice for those tasks that are most efficiently done by voice, and to do the rest by hand.
- How much you have customised the software for example by refining the vocabulary and creating macros;
- Having a fast processor and plenty of RAM will increase speed and accuracy. Once trained, most users are happy with the speed at which they can work by voice, providing there are no technical problems and recognition accuracy is high (95%+).
Q. WILL I BE ABLE TO OPERATE A COMPUTER ENTIRELY BY VOICE?
A. It is unrealistic to speak of 'hands-free' use, certainly when work involves using several applications and complex computing tasks. A greater degree of 'hands-free' use can be achieved when computing tasks are relatively simple, for instance dictating standard letters using a limited vocabulary.
System requirements and technical information
Q. WHAT ARE THE SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING®?
Generally speaking, the faster the processor and the more RAM, the better Dragon will work.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Version 10.1 is required for 64-bit Windows XP/Vista/7 operating systems. Existing version 10 owners can download Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 from http://www.nuance.com/vista/naturallyspeaking/Dragon10.1/
Note that this is a full installation, not a patch. For more information on using Dragon on 64-bit operating systems, see: http://speechempoweredcomputing.co.uk/Newsletter/?p=441
Operating System Windows XP
| Level | Processor | Memory (RAM) |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended | Intel dual or quad core processor e.g. Intel Core 2 Duo or Quad with speed of 2 GHz or faster, or equivalent | 2 GB |
| Optimum — for best performance | New generation Intel processor eg i5 or i7, or equivalent | 3.25 GB |
Operating System Windows Vista and Windows 7
| Level | Processor | Memory (RAM) |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended | Intel dual or quad core processor e.g. Intel Core 2 Duo or Quad with speed of 2 GHz or faster, or equivalent | 4 GB |
| Optimum — for best performance | New generation Intel processor eg i5 or i7, or equivalent | 8 GB |
Dragon is resource hungry software and needs a fast processor and plenty of RAM. If you have the means to use a more powerful computer than recommended above, all the better.
You will also need a suitable soundcard and microphone, see details below.
Q. WHICH MICROPHONES ARE SUITABLE FOR USE WITH DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING®?
A. We recommend and sell VXI Parrott TalkPro Express headset microphones. To purchase this mic, see Product Categories / microphones. We recommend using a USB pod (external soundcard) with this microphone.
For other microphone options, including Dual microphones suitable for use with both Dragon and telephone, and wireless microphones, see the Product Categories / microphones menu.
Q. HOW DO I KNOW WHETHER MY COMPUTER’S SOUNDCARD IS SUITABLE FOR USE WITH NATURALLYSPEAKING®?
A. To check details of soundcard, go to control panel/sounds and audio devices/audio/check what is listed under Sound recording.
Then check the hardware compatibility list at http://support.nuance.com/compatibility/
Alternatively, or as an additional check, set up a Dragon user and see what results you get from the audio check. If you pass the audio check and get a Speech to Noise ratio (SNR) of 18 or more, this indicates that sound quality is adequate. If you fail the audio check, or SNR is less than 18, this indicates that either the microphone or soundcard or both are not adequate for use with speech recognition software.
A recognition accuracy check will also indicate whether the sound quality is adequate. Dictate a passage of text, around 200 to 300 words. Speak as clearly as you can. Don't correct any recognition errors. When you have finished, count the number of recognition errors and calculate as a percentage of the total number of words. For example, if you dictated 300 words and 15 were misrecognised, then 5% of words were misrecognised and the recognition accuracy rate is 95%. A recognition accuracy rate of 95% or higher indicates that the quality of sound input through your microphone and soundcard is adequate.
Q. HOW DO I INSTALL DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING®?
A. See Downloads page for instructions.
Q. WHAT ARE THE RECOMMENDED SETTINGS FOR DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING?
A. See Downloads page.
Q. WHICH VERSIONS OF DRAGON ARE COMPATIBLE WITH MICROSOFT OPERATING SYSTEMS?
A. Dragon V9.5+ is required for compatibility with Windows Vista
V10.1+ is required for compatibility with Windows 7
If you have V9.0 or 9.1, a free upgrade to V9.5 is available from the Nuance website.
If you have V10.0, a free upgrade to V10.1 is available from the Nuance website
To access the free upgrades, you will need to have registered your software, and provide the serial number of your current V9 or V10 software.
Q. WHICH VERSIONS OF DRAGON ARE COMPATIBLE WITH MICROSOFT OFFICE SUITES?
A. Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 9.5+ is required for compatibility with Microsoft Office 2007
Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 11 is required for compatibility with Microsoft Office 2010
Q. DOES DRAGON WORK ON MAC COMPUTERS?
A. Dragon Dictate 2 is available for MAC computers. Our view is that Dragon Dictate 2 (for MAC) is not as effective or as user-friendly as Dragon NaturallySpeaking (for PC). For more information on Dragon Dictate 2 please enquire, or see the Speech recognition for the Mac website and the Dragon for Mac Forum
If you are serious about working by voice, we recommend use of Dragon NaturallySpeaking on a PC.
Alternatively, there is the option of loading Windows on your Mac. You would need to load Parallels, an application that will enable you to load Vista or Windows 7 on your Mac, then install Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It will only be possible to use Dragon on Windows, not on the MAC side, so you wouldn't be able to dictate into Mac applications.
Digital Recorders
Q. CAN I USE A DIGITAL RECORDER WITH DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING® TO TRANSCRIBE RECORDED SPEECH?
A. Dragon NaturallySpeaking preferred and professional editions can be used with suitable digital recorders to transcribe recorded speech. We recommend Sony and Olympus digital recorders for use with Dragon NaturallySpeaking to transcribe.
For further information, please enquire.
Q. CAN DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING® BE USED WITH A DIGITAL RECORDER TO TRANSCRIBE INTERVIEWS, MEETINGS OR LECTURES ETC?
A. Unfortunately no. Dragon will not accurately transcribe recorded interviews, meetings or lectures etc for the following reasons:
- Dragon can transcribe the speech of one speaker only, at a time. In an interview or meeting situation there will be more than one speaker recorded in the one audio file;
- Dragon cannot accurately transcribe the speech of speakers it is not familiar with (ie a user profile needs to be set up, before Dragon can accurately transcribe that person's speech);
- In an interview or meeting situation people will generally be speaking in a conversational tone. To transcribe accurately, speech need to be very clear;
- high levels of background noise will affect the accuracy of transcribed speech.