Digital dictation is a method of recording and editing the spoken word in real-time for transcription and maximum intelligibility in a
digital audioDigital audio uses digital signals for sound reproduction. This includes analog-to-digital conversion, digital-to-analog conversion, storage, and transmission. In effect, the system commonly referred to as digital is in fact a discrete-time, discrete-level analog of a previous electrical analog...
format. In some cases speech is recorded where sound quality is paramount and transcription unnecessary, e.g., for
broadcastingBroadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. The audience may be the general public or a relatively large sub-audience, such as children or young adults....
a theatre play; such recording uses techniques closer to high-fidelity music recording, rather than those discussed here.
Digital dictation offers several advantages over traditional cassette tape based dictation:
- The user can instantly rewind or fast forward to any point within the dictation file to review or edit.
- The random access
In computer science, random access is the ability to access an arbitrary element of a sequence in equal time. The opposite is sequential access, where a remote element takes longer time to access...
ability of digital audioDigital audio uses digital signals for sound reproduction. This includes analog-to-digital conversion, digital-to-analog conversion, storage, and transmission. In effect, the system commonly referred to as digital is in fact a discrete-time, discrete-level analog of a previous electrical analog...
allows inserting audio at any point without overwriting the following text.
- Dictation produces a file which can be transferred
File transfer is a generic term for the act of transmitting files over a computer network or the Internet. There are numerous ways and protocols to transfer files over a network. Computers which provide a file transfer service are often called file servers...
electronicallyElectronics is a branch of science and technology that deals with the controlled flow of electrons. The ability to control electron flow is usually applied to information handling or device control. Electronics is distinct from electrical science and technology, which deals with the generation,...
, e.g.
Digital dictation is a method of recording and editing the spoken word in real-time for transcription and maximum intelligibility in a
digital audioDigital audio uses digital signals for sound reproduction. This includes analog-to-digital conversion, digital-to-analog conversion, storage, and transmission. In effect, the system commonly referred to as digital is in fact a discrete-time, discrete-level analog of a previous electrical analog...
format. In some cases speech is recorded where sound quality is paramount and transcription unnecessary, e.g., for
broadcastingBroadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. The audience may be the general public or a relatively large sub-audience, such as children or young adults....
a theatre play; such recording uses techniques closer to high-fidelity music recording, rather than those discussed here.
Digital dictation offers several advantages over traditional cassette tape based dictation:
- The user can instantly rewind or fast forward to any point within the dictation file to review or edit.
- The random access
In computer science, random access is the ability to access an arbitrary element of a sequence in equal time. The opposite is sequential access, where a remote element takes longer time to access...
ability of digital audioDigital audio uses digital signals for sound reproduction. This includes analog-to-digital conversion, digital-to-analog conversion, storage, and transmission. In effect, the system commonly referred to as digital is in fact a discrete-time, discrete-level analog of a previous electrical analog...
allows inserting audio at any point without overwriting the following text.
- Dictation produces a file which can be transferred
File transfer is a generic term for the act of transmitting files over a computer network or the Internet. There are numerous ways and protocols to transfer files over a network. Computers which provide a file transfer service are often called file servers...
electronicallyElectronics is a branch of science and technology that deals with the controlled flow of electrons. The ability to control electron flow is usually applied to information handling or device control. Electronics is distinct from electrical science and technology, which deals with the generation,...
, e.g. via WANA wide area network is a computer network that covers a broad area...
, LANA local area network is a computer network covering a small physical area, like a home, office, or small group of buildings, such as a school, or an airport...
, USBUSB is a way of setting up communication between a computer and peripheral devices. USB is intended to replace many varieties of serial and parallel ports. USB can connect computer peripherals such as mice, keyboards, PDAs, gamepads and joysticks, scanners, digital cameras, printers, personal...
, e-mailElectronic mail, often abbreviated as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages, designed primarily for human use...
, telephonyIn telecommunication, telephony encompasses the general use of equipment to provide voice communication over distances, specifically by connecting telephones to each other....
, BlackBerryBlackBerry is a line of wireless handheld devices that was introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager. In 2002, the more commonly known smartphone BlackBerry was released, which supports push e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, internet faxing, web browsing and other wireless information services....
, FTPFile Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to exchange and manipulate files over a TCP/IP based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server applications...
, etc.
- Large dictation files can be shared with multiple typists.
- Sound may be CD quality and can improve transcription accuracy and speed.
- Digital dictation provides the ability to report on the volume or type of dictation and transcription outstanding or completed within an organization.
Dictation audio can be recorded in various
audio file formatAn audio file format is a file format for storing audio data on a computer system. It can be a raw bitstream, but it is usually a container format or an audio data format with defined storage layer....
s. Most digital dictation systems use a lossy form of
audio compressionAudio compression can mean two things:* Audio data compression - in which the amount of data in a recorded waveform is reduced for transmission. This is used in CD and MP3 encoding, internet radio, and the like....
based on modelling of the vocal tract to minimize
hard diskA hard disk drive is a non-volatile storage device that stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating platters with magnetic surfaces. Strictly speaking, "drive" refers to the motorized mechanical aspect that is distinct from its medium, such as a tape drive and its tape, or a floppy disk...
space and optimize network utilization as files are transferred between users. (Note that
WAVWAV , short for Waveform audio format, also known as Audio for Windows, is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on PCs. It is an application of the RIFF bitstream format method for storing data in “chunks”, and thus is also close to the 8SVX and the AIFF...
is not an audio encoding format but a file format and has little or no bearing on the encoding rate (kbit/s), size or audio quality of the resulting file.)
Digital dictation is different from
Speech RecognitionSpeech recognition converts spoken words to text. The term "voice recognition" is sometimes used to refer to speech recognition where the recognition system is trained to a particular speaker - as is the case for most desktop recognition software, hence there is an aspect of speaker recognition,...
where audio is analyzed by a computer using speech algorithms in an attempt to
transcribeTranscription is the conversion into written, typewritten or printed form, of a spoken-language source, as in the proceedings of a court hearing. It can also mean the conversion of a written source into another medium, as by scanning books and making digital versions...
the document. With digital dictation the process of converting digital audio to text may be done using a digital transcription software, typically controlled by a foot switch which allows the transcriber to PLAY, STOP, REWIND and BACKSPACE.
There are two types of
Digital dictation softwareDigital dictation software comes in a number of forms. It can be a standalone product or part of a proprietary workflow system.Platforms for digital dictation software include Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Pocket PC and Palm Pilots....
:
1) Standalone digital sound recording software - Basic software whereby the audio is recorded as a simple file. Most digital sound recording applications are designed for individuals or a very small number of users, as they do not offer a network efficient way of transferring the audio files other than email, they also do not encrypt or password protect the audio file
2) Digital dictation workflow software - Advanced software for commercial organizations where audio is still played by a typist but the audio file can be securely and efficiently transferred. The
workflowA workflow consists of a sequence of connected steps. It is a depiction of a sequence of operations, declared as work of a person, a group of persons, an organization of staff, or one or more simple or complex mechanisms. Workflow may be seen as any abstraction of real work, segregated in...
element of these advanced systems also allows users to share audio files instantly, create virtual teams, outsource transcription securely, and set up confidential send options or 'ethical walls'. Digital Dictation workflow software is normally
Active DirectoryActive Directory is a technology created by Microsoft that provides a variety of network services, including:* LDAP-like directory services* Kerberos-based authentication* DNS-based naming and other network information...
integrated and can be used in conjunction with
documentA document management system is a computer system used to track and store electronic documents and/or images of paper documents. The term has some overlap with the concepts of content management systems...
, practice or case management systems. Typical businesses using workflow software are law firms, healthcare organizations, accountancies, or surveying firms.