Equipments we use - 2 (Software- 1)

The transcription process, as mentioned in our previous section, begins with the audio/video recording to the finalizing of the transcribed text.  In this section, the software aspect of the process will be touched upon.


1.  Recording of the audio/video (Dictaphone, microphones)  Good audio recording is critical to transcription process.  It is very important to invest in a good quality microphone.  There are two kind of microphones; omni-directional (sound recorded from all sides) and uni-directional (sound recorded from one side).  When choosing a microphone, it is best to go with a unidirectional microphone.  This is great for recording narration as it only picks up the sound coming from the narrator, so a lot of ambient noise is eliminated.  Omni-directional microphones are used in group recordings.

 2.  Transfer of audio/video recording (via Internet using secure FTP softwares/share servers).  Once the recorded audio or video is finalized, it is sent to the transcription company for transcription.  We use HTTP servers hosted by ShareFile (http://www.sharefile.com/) for transfer of the recording source. Investing in a fast and reliable internet connection is very crucial, as transfer of large files require faster bandwidth and connection speed, which reduces download and upload time of files.

3.  Processing the audio/video format (sound format converter, sound file extraction from a video, background sound elimination).

a) Format conversion:  Today, since there are so many formats of sounds available (mp3, mp4, mp2, wav, wma), we need to process audio formats that are incompatible with our audio player software.  Depending on the requirement, we process the audio or video source accordingly.  For instance, softwares like Goldwave, Switch, Wavepad , OJOsoft are mainly used to change the format of any file to an Mp3 or wav format as both these formats are compatible with all audio players.

Goldwave interface

b) Sound extraction: While transcribing a video which is very large in size, extracting the sound from the video and then transcribing the audio can also be done.  Larger videos take a longer time to get loaded onto the transcription software player; hence we use softwares such as ‘OJOsoft’ for extracting the audio from a video source.

c) Sound amplification/background noise removal: Generally, all transcription software that we use has a background noise elimination feature, but as our experience has proven, it is always helpful that we eliminate background noise manually rather than automatically given by the software. A software named ‘Audacity’ can also be used for background noise elimination.  Please note that when the audio is really bad, it is not always possible to eliminate backgrounds noises.  A word of caution—when using softwares for background noise removal, there can be loss of original sound.  It is imperative to have some practical experience while using softwares for eliminating background noise.

Equilizer interface

USEFUL TIP:  A very helpful feature is the Sound Manager Feature of your motherboard.  The Sound Manager is a link to the equalizer of your computer system.  This is a very important feature because you can amplify low sounds, remove background sounds, etcetera.  In your equalizer, the Bass feature generally enhances speaker volume, and the Treble option takes out the background sound and clarifies the main speaker voice.  Use of the Sound Manager has become an important practice at Cripton as we can process audios without any loss of sound quality.  This feature is available for most computer motherboards available in the market, and is a must-have for all transcribers.

 A combination of the amplifier speakers (mentioned in the previous blog) and use of the Sound Manager feature gives you the most optimum output of sound to your headphones.

In our next blog (in later January), we will show you different softwares used in transcription, various reference softwares, players, and some useful tips and tricks.