13.0

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 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!

The Microphone Check

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

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

your audio hardware is functioning correctly.

Opening this Wizard automatically turns off the microphone.

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.

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 may

be under the foam cover.) 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 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 in isolation

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.