[DM-MUG] Transcribe a book

[Arne Quanbeck]

Matthew,
There are a bunch of technical issues (as you might suspect), but the
microphone choice essentially comes down to what do you want the microphone
TO pick up, and what do you want it to NOT pick up. The iPod/iPhone earbuds
do a reasonable job for phone calls where the quality is poor anyway due to
the cellular network. I found that they made my voice sound flat and
uninteresting, but did an adequate job for what they are designed to do.

There is one type of call that the iPhone headphone mic does a poor job on
-- speaking with someone with a significantly different accent. In these
cases, I try to use the best quality microphone and headphones available. If
the recordings are going overseas for transcription, that may be a reason to
go with a slightly better quality system to reduce transcription
time/improve accuracy.

As with most technology, you get the biggest improvement going from very
cheap to midrange.
Thanks
Arne

On Sun, Nov 28, 2010 at 2:50 PM, Matthew Nuzum <newz at bearfruit.org> wrote:

> I have the headset that came with my ipod. Earbuds with a dangling mic. I
> use it all the time for calling and conferencing. Is there a big benefit to
> using a "real" microphone over this?
>
> For that matter, as far as recording goes, Darlene, do you have an iPod
> touch or an iPhone? They have a voice recording feature. Does this suit your
> needs?
>
> Another idea, if your computer has a webcam and a microphone built in then
> you can go to this page and learn how to create a youtube video directly
> from your webcam without having to install any software on your computer:
> http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=57409
>
> You don't have to share it with the world, you can just record yourself
> reading and then send the link to the video to your transcriber. If their
> native English is a little rough then having the video may make it easier to
> understand you. (I find it easier to speak with non-natives using video conf
> than voice only)
>
> On Sat, Nov 27, 2010 at 11:09 PM, Arne Quanbeck <dmmug at arnequanbeck.com>wrote:
>
>> The iMic is a good choice if you already have a quality mic with a 1/8th
>> inch connection. Many Macs also have this same connection, although I have
>> not plugged a microphone directly into a Mac in years.
>>
>> There are a couple of options if you don't have a 1/8th inch microphone.
>>
>> 1. If you happen to own a professional microphone (XLR connection),
>> virtually any sound board will allow you connect it to your Mac, provided
>> that you get the right adapter cables (often 2 quarter inch mono
>> (left/right) to a single stereo 1/8th inch). In this case, the board
>> provides a preamp (which the iMic also has) and Phantom power (if
>> necessary).
>>
>> 2. If you don't own a quality microphone, pick up a good midrange USB
>> microphone. This is by far the simplest solution, as the only thing you need
>> to do to make it work is plug it in and select it in your sound editor.
>> Thanks
>> Arne
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Nov 27, 2010 at 10:55 PM, Ray Bowler <rbowler at mchsi.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I used a Griffin iMic that has a port for a mic. It plugs into a USB
>>> port. Audacity recognized it and used it for recording.
>>> On Nov 27, 2010, at Nov 27, 20103:29 PM, D Reger wrote:
>>>
>>> > Yes, I've been looking at Youtube vids and it's looking easier. I'm
>>> just
>>> > fighting my own ignorance. I have a talent for making the simple seem
>>> > complex. For instance, where the manual said "Control+whatever", I
>>> > failed to translate to Command+whatever. I'm ever thankful this
>>> > machinery isn't dangerous. Also, I need to plug in a mic. Thanks again
>>> > for input.
>>> >
>>> > Darlene ("the learning curve ain't steep but it's rocky") Reger
>>> >
>>> > On 11/27/10 2:50 PM, Ray Bowler wrote:
>>> >> I have used Audacity and the manual worked for me on the Mac. For your
>>> >> use I would think that the learning curve would not be steep.
>>> >> Basically plug the mid in, hit record and go. Editing is also very
>>> easy.
>>> >>
>>> >> Ray
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >
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>>> Ray Bowler
>>> rbowler at mchsi.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>
>
> --
> Matthew Nuzum
> newz2000 on freenode, skype, linkedin, identi.ca and twitter
>
> "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." -Benjamin Franklin
>
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