Creating a transcription source

You need to create a transcription source before you can transcribe a recording.

Before you begin

Review the information below before you begin creating a transcription source.

The transcription source is built from data about the speaker's voice - yours or someone else's - and about the recording device used to record it.

Choose the correct profile

If you will be transcribing dictation recorded in your own voice, create the transcription source in your own user profile.

If you will be transcribing a recording of someone else's voice, create a user profile for that person and create the transcription source there. Don't use your own profile to transcribe someone else's dictation, because it will modify your speech data and affect your own dictation results.

Have a sample ready

You need a sample recording of your voice, or of the person speaking in your recording, that Dragon can use to train the transcription source.

If you don't have a sample of your own voice, record yourself reading a few paragraphs of text with your recording device, and save the audio file on your computer.

If you don't have a sample of another person's voice, you can use the same recorded speech you plan to transcribe.

Use one recording device

You can only create one transcription source for a user profile. Because Dragon refines it's accuracy for both the voice and the device used to record it, you should choose one device that you plan to use with Dragon for this purpose. If you do need to use another device, create an additional user profile for that transcription source.

To create a transcription source for your own voice:

Make sure your profile is open.
On the DragonBar, select Profile > Manage Dictation Sources.
In the dialog, click Add New Dictation Source.
In the "Other audio input" section of the next dialog, select Transcription source and click Next.
Enter the path and file name of the audio file you want Dragon to use as your sample recording. Dragon uses your sample recording to train the transcription source.
If necessary, enter a value for the number of seconds you want Dragon to ignore at the beginning of the recording, to avoid transcribing title data or long pauses.
Click Next.
When Dragon is finished transcribing the sample, you'll see a dialog with the results. Correct any errors. Click Play to hear the recording if you're unsure what was said.
Click Next.
When you see a dialog telling you Dragon is done creating the transcription source click Finish.

To create a transcription source for someone else's voice:

Go to the DragonBar and select Profile > New User Profile and in the dialog, click New.
On the Welcome screen, click Next.
Type a name for the user profile and click Next.
Select the speaker's Region and Accent, then click Next.
In the "Other audio input" section of the next dialog, select Transcription source and click Next.
In the Choose a sample recording dialog, enter the path and file name of the sample recording, or click Browse to navigate and select it.
If necessary, enter a value for the number of seconds you want Dragon to ignore at the beginning of the recording, to avoid transcribing title data or long pauses.
Click Next.
When Dragon is finished transcribing the sample, you'll see a dialog with the results.
Correct any errors. Click Play to hear the recording if you're unsure what was said.
When you're satisfied with the results, click Next.
Dragon will apply the data gathered from the sample and from your edits to produce your new user profile, and notify you when it's finished.
Click Finish.

Related procedures	Additional information
Transcribing recorded dictation	About dictation sources