Speech Recognition and Recording Software

August 29, 2008 11:14 AM

What (if any) are good speech-recognition programs that also serve as full-function recording software? I'm not sure if this is a dumb question, but I sure couldn't find the answer easily online or in the Ask MeFi archives (despite some good stuff about speech-recognition programs). What I'm hoping to find is a good speech-recognition program (I'm looking at the basic model of Dragon NaturallySpeaking for now) that also allows you to record and edit long blocks of text. I suppose I could buy two separate programs - I have also been looking at WavePad as a good recording/editing option - but I'd love to find one program that bundles both capabilities. If anyone has good suggestions - or even the simple answer to whether I can do the recording/editing stuff with NaturallySpeaking, I'd love to hear from you! (Another helpful possibility might be if you've got a good freeware option that can do the stuff WavePad does. Older posts here on Ask MeFi have indicated that Audacity might be a good option for this. Any other thoughts?) Thanks, all!
posted by AngerBoy to technology (5 comments total)

Um, more inside is your friend.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 12:36 PM on August 29, 2008

Fair enough. Is that why everyone's ignoring me? ;O)
posted by AngerBoy at 12:44 PM on August 29, 2008

No, AngerBoy, everyone's in the Palin thread in the blue ;-)

I use Dragon (version 8) for various things and find it to be pretty good - the more I use it the better it is. I bought my copy on Amazon, just the CD (new), for about £25 (around $50) as I already had the headset/mike and printed off the instruction manual myself. It's worth checking on eBay too, but if you buy it second hand, the license is only good for five uses, so make sure you buy a new copy of an old version.

But it does work best where there's not much ambient noise. Even sometimes my cat walking in and going 'Meow' will end up with 'the owl' coming out on screen. Hmmm, I wonder if she's planning on running away to sea. Must check my wallet for a missing five-pound note.
posted by essexjan at 12:55 PM on August 29, 2008

SO tried Dragon 7... fucking loathed it. Very recently tried version 10, I believe his comment was "Still shit. Oh, but it is waay better."

So there you go. I think he just hates teaching it though :) Oh and version 10 has user accounts - so the cat would just have to set up his own...
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 2:05 PM on August 29, 2008

Dragon is the only program to consider. Their recognition engine is years and even decades ahead of anybody else. They are even ahead of research labs in academia.

The more expensive version of Dragon 9 can transliterate a recording to text unattended (pro and up, I think.)

Dragon is very scriptable, and it can be extended thought an API. Technically, it would be possible to pay for a programmer to build the application you have in mind.
posted by gmarceau at 6:26 PM on August 30, 2008