Your microphone plugs into a chunk of your PC loosely called the “sound card” or the “audio card.” Dragon NaturallySpeaking relies on the sound card for converting what comes out of your microphone into computer bits. Are some sound cards sounder than other sound cards? The answer is a resounding “Yes!”
How do you know whether your sound card is your problem? It’s hard to be certain. Because replacing a sound card is a pain, most people try to improve other aspects of their audio first, like speaking more clearly or adjusting the microphone position. If those efforts don’t work, they get a new sound card (or buy a USB microphone).
Try all the suggestions first, before buying anything new.
Finding out whether you have a Dragon-certified sound card is a good idea. If you have one, and audio input is poor anyway, you’ll know to look elsewhere for the cause. Check out Nuance’s website for the list of compatible products.
The manufacturers of some of the sound cards that get good marks from Nuance include top-end cards from Creative Labs (SoundBlaster and Ensoniq cards) and Voyetra Turtle Beach (Santa Cruz), but many lower-cost cards also do just fine. SoundBlaster cards are the “classic” PC sound cards, and NaturallySpeaking works fine with most of them.
The best way to see what you have is to check your PC's or laptop's sound card. Here’s the easiest way if you are using Windows XP:
On the Windows taskbar, choose Start→Control Panel.
In the Control Panel, double-click the Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices icon.
A dialog box pops up.
Click on the Sounds and Devices Panel icon.
A dialog box pops up with tabs.
Click the Audio tab at the top, and see what Default Device is listed for Sound Recording or Playback.
The manufacturer’s name or telltale initials of the product line appear here.
If you are using Windows 7, do the following to check your sound card:
On the Windows taskbar, choose Start→Control Panel.
In the Control Panel, double-click the Hardware and Sound icon.
A screen with several icons pops up.
Click on the Sound icon.
A screen pops up showing the volume mixer for your Speakers and System Sounds.
Double-click the icon for System Sounds.
You’ll see the following tabs at the top: Playback, Recording, Sounds and Communications. See what Default Devices are listed for Recording and Playback. If the ones you want are not the default, click on them to make them the defaults.
What about the rest of you who don’t have a Dragon-blessed sound card, or have no idea whether you do and aren’t about to spend the money to get one anyway? The best solution is to try to improve your speaking, run the Audio Setup Wizard’s volume adjustment regularly, do lots of training and vocabulary building, and make sure you work in a quiet environment.
dummies
Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/the-best-sound-card-for-naturallyspeaking.html
No comments:
Post a Comment