At the end of last year Sonifex released new software for the transcription of audio. There are 2 types of software available :
D:Scribe Client & Server and
D:Scribe Standalone. D:Scribe Client and Server is a database system which can be used to categorise, transcribe and then file audio recordings with their transcripts. D:Scribe Standalone is a package of PC transcription software together with a 3 pedal foot-controller, for simple, fast and effective transcription of pre-recorded audio files. Applications include transcriptions for police interviews, law courts, solicitors offices & council meetings.
Sonifex are premiering some additions to this software on stand number C3526 in Hall C1. D:Scribe Standalone now includes a recording package, as well as a CD-ripper, to make it a complete recording, playback and transcription package.
Recordings can be taken from any of the PC sound card inputs, so you can mix inputs together and record them. The CD-ripper can create linear wave files from an audio CD and can also rip directly to mp3 files, to reduce the file size for emailing, etc. Additionally, new licensing allows the D:Scribe Standalone version to be sold without the foot-pedal.
Marcus Brooke, Managing Director of Sonifex Ltd, commented “Due to customer demand, we’ve added a recorder and CD-ripper to the software to make it an all-in-one record, replay and transcription solution. The recorder is quite sophisticated and can act as a long-term logger, if required. ”
D:Scribe Client and Server operates seamlessly with the Sonifex Net-Log multi-channel audio logger. Audio recorded on one or more Net-Logs can be archived to a defined server IP address where audio files can be stored and logged. The audio files automatically appear in the database structure of D:Scribe Server with the recorded time and date available. Additionally, recording and archiving on the Net-Logs can be controlled from D:Scribe Server.
D:Scribe Client and Server is a software suite which runs under Microsoft SQL2000™ on MS Windows 2000 Server™. It provides an environment where pre-recorded audio files can be categorized, searched and then transcribed and is ideal for environments where you have multiple channels of audio recordings which need to be transcribed by many people on a network. Recordings are stored in the D:Scribe Server software where they are categorised and made available to the attached Clients. Audio files are automatically linked to the transcriptions allowing you to systematically arrange and classify the stored information.
The D:Scribe Client allows you to search for recorded audio by recorded Net-Log, recorded channel (which could be a particular microphone in a court, a channel on a recorded radio frequency, or a particular meeting room) or by recorded time and date. You can then use either the software controls, or the optional foot-pedal, to begin transcription, in a dedicated text window. Once transcription is finished, the text is available and is linked to the audio file. It can then easily be referenced, emailed or exported. You can globally search transcriptions for text, refining the audio files that you search, by Net-Log, recording day, channel, time and date, or script status (new, audio only, text only, audio & text, or open).
Standard audio controls for transcription include Play, Pause, (Fast) Forward and Rewind by defined amounts. Previous and Next buttons allow you to go to the previous and next recordings respectively, which is useful where a long session has been captured over a number of recordings. There are also volume & playback speed controls. The Play/Pause, Forward & Rewind buttons can be controlled with the optional DS-FPS3 or DS-FPU3 foot-pedals. D:Scribe contains Auto-Archive and Auto-Delete software so that you can define how long recorded audio files & scripts are stored on the server.
D:Scribe Standalone is the perfect transcription package to use for quick, simple voice-to-text conversion which can be used either with it’s own text editor, or which can “float” on top of another application, such as MS Word™. D:Scribe Standalone has all the transcription features of the full Client & Server version, but doesn’t have the management database structure for multiple clients.
The audio controls for D:Scribe Standalone are the same as for the Client & Server version, but without the Next and Previous buttons. A foot-pedal is supplied as standard with this package which controls the Play/Pause, Forward & Rewind buttons. The online spell-checker is available and 12 user defined function keys can be used to enter repetitive material such as names, places and recurring events. The recorded time & date (if transcribing Net-Log audio files) and the current time & date are also available. Finished transcripts can be simply emailed by clicking the on-screen email button, which runs your standard email client to send the text file.
