11.0

Performing Audio Checks and Acoustic Training

As described earlier, personalizing Dragon’s vocabulary is a small investment of time that makes a big

difference in how accurately the software can work for you. In addition, when misrecognitions do happen,

using proper correction technique allows Dragon to learn from its mistakes.

In certain cases, you may also want to perform additional acoustic training to improve accuracy. This lesson

presents how to train individual words or phrases and how to bring up a training text to read aloud, as well as

how to use the Microphone Check, a short but important process.

IMPORTANT:

When providing Dragon with acoustic training, be sure to use your natural dictation voice:

relax, and speak clearly but not louder or slower than you would when dictating normally. Otherwise, you give

the software acoustic data that is not representative of how you usually dictate. Remember, when you are

training software to accurately recognize your speech, you must represent your speech accurately!

Microphone Check

Use Dragon’s audio check if something in your environment has changed: new computer, new microphone, new

room, different ambient noise… Also, if your overall accuracy is lower than expected, you want to verify that

your audio hardware is functioning correctly.

Step 1: From the DragonBar’s Audio menu, click or say Check Microphone, which opens the microphone check

wizard (formerly called the Audio Setup Wizard). You can also bring it up directly by saying check

microphone or check audio.

*Note: Opening this Wizard automatically turns off the microphone.

Step 2: Follow the Wizard’s screens as when you first created your Dragon profile: click the Start button and

read the content of the gray box. Dragon will indicate whether the check passed.

If it failed, verify that your microphone is plugged in correctly and that its listening side is facing your •

mouth. (On many microphone models, the listening side is marked by a dot or the word TALK, which

you may have to pull out the foam cover a bit to see.) If your microphone is properly connected and

positioned, there may be a problem with background noise (including “subtle” noises such as your

building’s temperature-control system) or with your audio hardware). Click the Help button and see the

Knowledgebase of technotes at support.nuance.com if needed.

If it passed, click Finish. (If, once you resume dictating, accuracy is still lower than expected, see •

Improve my accuracy from the DragonBar’s Help menu.)

Training Individual Words

You have learned to add new words and phrases to the vocabulary, as well as to create Spoken Forms for items

pronounced differently from the way they are written. Spoken Forms are often the most efficient way to

ensure accurate recognition.

If you suspect that Dragon needs help recognizing a tricky word (particularly if it contains one or more sounds

you cannot represent in a Spoken Form, such as a rolled r), you can acoustically “train” that word.