voice recognition problems
Submitted by bvil on Thu, 03/15/2007 - 04:13.
Hello to all
I hope this is the right place to post this if not then sorry.
but anyway now with my question.
I just wonder if anyone might have any insight on a sound problem I didn't notice any problem when I first installed a voice command app then with in a short time after I installed it I began noticing the problem. The voice command work great in trial. In tell I went too train the Speech Recognition in Microsoft for the responding heads software and windows xp told me that the engine could not be created to choose a different engine or audio device. Which puzzled me because I could hear sound though the speakers fine and the voice command did fine with simple commands so I thought it might just be the sound drivers was the reason that I couldn't train the speech Recognition and the computer is less then four month's old so I reinstall the drivers and now the command doesn't hear a thing. Music etc I still hear fine so I than ran the microphone test in Microsoft and the bar responded to my voice but the voice bar in the speech Recognition does not respond .I looked on line for a answer to my problem only to find very little most site's just keep telling me to reinstall the sound drivers and the speech engine and to check the volume level on the microphone and make sure its not muted and to replace the UserLexicons file which I've done all of them and still no good. Oh and one last thing if I ever get it working that is how do I set it to when the computer hears my voice without it blasting my voice at me me through the speakers which I noticed that when the command app first was working kind of anyway that I could not hear my voice through the speakers and now I can I also did a Sound Recording through the windows Sound Recorder and it work so I'm now lost on what to do next to get the voice command too work?
The software is responding heads yes I know that there is more than likely better ones but this is my first try so with voice commands I thought I start simple.
and the hardware I think is realtek ac'97 audio for via (r)audio controller
Thanks any help would be great
bvil wrote: I just wonder
I just wonder if anyone might have any insight on a sound problem I didn't notice any problem when I first installed a voice command app then with in a short time after I installed it I began noticing the problem. The voice command work great in trial. In tell I went too train the Speech Recognition in Microsoft for the responding heads software and windows xp told me that the engine could not be created to choose a different engine or audio device.
Microsoft Windows can only utilize one audio input device at a time. You can have several installed on your system but only one can be the default device at any one time. Audio devices that perform ADC, analog to digital conversion, can be sound cards like the Sound Blaster, external USB connected sound pods, and onboard sound chips like SoundMax, SigmaTel, Realtec, etc.
It sounds to me as if your voice command application, you do not say which one, has taken control of the audio device and order is currently active when you're trying to use Microsoft Speech. Deactivate the voice command program as Microsoft speech has fairly good voice command and control itself.
It is also helpful if you tell us the names of your programs, the operating system version, the sound card and the microphone?
--
Martin Markoe, eMicrophones, Inc.
The best microphones for Speech Recognition
Read, "Key Steps to High Speech Recognition Accuracy"
Marty appropriately
Marty appropriately answered this question but you do have a possible solution. Purchase a second soundcard. You need one anyway. We recommend an external USB sound card. Your current soundcard is an integrated Realtek 97 which is well-known to be substandard. If you are going to do any serious dictation then you'll want to utilize a USB soundcard. You may be able to regulate the microphone input of your 2 speech recognition products to different soundcards so that you can run both products simultaneously. Sound output doesn't matter but 2 speech recognition products cannot share the same soundcard when they are running simultaneously.
As far as the volumes in your speakers is concerned, you'll have to turn down your speakers manually (assuming you have a hardware volume control on the speakers themselves). When you run the Audio Setup Wizard for your sound card, it takes over the volume input and output of your sound system. That's why your speakers are too loud on playback.
Recommendations: 86 both current speech recognition products if you're at all serious about using speech recognition. You didn't mention what your voice command application is but unless it's NaturallySpeaking, you're probably using some form of underdeveloped trash. NaturallySpeaking is the only current speech recognition product that offers acceptable accuracy and command & control. The Microsoft Vista speech engine is very high-quality but it's a new product and lacks a number of amenities such as a Command Browser or even the ability to add commands (unless you're a programmer). The speech engine in Windows XP, that you are currently using, is also crap.
If you're on a tight budget you might consider ViaVoice which includes better macro capabilities and a decent speech engine but you should keep in mind that the product hasn't seen any development work in about 4 years and it has been officially abandoned by the manufacturer. It probably won't even be available next year. This means no upgrade path and we would only recommend ViaVoice if you are under very tight budget constraints.
KnowBrainer Support Staff - Lunis Orcutt
Dictated with DNS 9, KnowBrainer and UniVoice
To see additional responses visit the KnowBrainer Technical Support Forum
KnowBrainer wrote: If
If you're on a tight budget you might consider ViaVoice which includes better macro capabilities and a decent speech engine but you should keep in mind that the product hasn't seen any development work in about 4 years and it has been officially abandoned by the manufacturer. It probably won't even be available next year. This means no upgrade path and we would only recommend ViaVoice if you are under very tight budget constraints.
KnowBrainer has made a very good suggestion.
I have been using ViaVoice since 1998 with all its upgrades. It is a very user friendly programme, and the top level is a relatively inexpensive.
Notwithstanding that its development appears to have ceased, it is still very popular in the UK and Ireland, is user friendly, comes with built-in macros, and it is relatively easy to make macros for both dictation and navigation in any programme.
As has already been said, a good microphone with a USB sound pod will give you the best results. You will get nowhere with the built-in sound card. Alternatively you could purchase a good Sound Blaster sound card, and install it. It will replace the built in one automatically. However a good quality microphone is essential, and are not too expensive. Marty has already advised you in this regard.
Quentin
Hi Thanks for all the great
Hi
Thanks for all the great info
I guess I should of been a little more in depth but I believe that you guys got it right anyways.
I just was hoping that it wasn't the sound card and I admit that the microphone is probably crappy which is a M-40 Telex.
all the information that should of been here that wasn't is as follows (sorry that I was not in detailed about it more and I will try too be more in depth if it helps but I think you guys got it dead on with your above anwsers but I guess I could be wrong ).But anyways here goes
I had never real tried voice command before and I was just playing around one night and found.
What looked like to be a very simple form of voice command software called responding heads at download.com that was freeware which I thought would be good just too play around with sense I had never really work with voice or speech software before and wanted to try something before buying one.
So I installed it it seemed to work fine with what one would called its default commands. You would say listen and it would respond with a voice saying it was listening too let you know it was working (which was kind of cool). But to do anything more then the software responding heads default commands you had to train Microsoft speech I guess Responding heads uses Microsoft speech in recognizing words.So I went too train the speech in Mircosoft and as soon as I click on the speech in the controll panel a window pop up saying (that the engine could not be created to choose a different engine or audio device).
Which I only have one sound card which I think is Realtek for that is whats on the disk that the computer shop gave me when they built it and only have one microphone which did not have any software when I got it.
So I went too the realtek website and reinstalled the realtek ac 97 drivers hoping that was it but it wasn't for it keep poping up saying the samething (that the engine could not be created to choose a different engine or audio device).So then I thought the speech engine that had to be it so I went to the mircosoft website and reinstalled the speech engine only that didn't work either.Well I call it a night and thought I'd work with it more later. the next day I started the responding head software thinking that maybe there was something in the software I'd misseed only to noticed that the responding heads software default commands was no longer responding so I then uninstall responding heads software sense MS speech sounded better so now I have one software which is Microsoft speech one soundcard and one microphone.So I went to trian MS speech only for it not to be working still the same pop up saying the samething and then I thought my mic it did not have a software so I ran it through the microphone setup wizard and the bar light up moving up and down with my voice.
So then I be came lost I thought of just one more than to try and that was to do a voice recording which work fine but MS speech still want work but I'm not sure it ever did for I had never-ed try it before and responding heads had quit working and this other software called vr commander did not work either.
So all the information I know at this moment is
That responding heads software that did work with default commands quit working
I'm not sure if MS speech ever did work
VR Comannder does not work
I only have at this time one software no the computer which is MS Speech
one sound card realtek
one microphone M-40 Telex
The microphone wizard showed the little bars moving up and down as I read what it said to read
and I successfully made a voice recording and the os and version is
System:
MicroSoft Windows XP
Professional
Version 2002
Service Pack 2
Computer
AMD Semprom(tm)Processor
3100+
1.81GHz 1.00 GB of RAM
Hope this helps if you still think its the mic or sound card then I'll more then likely will go that way I'll also try some other softwares soon.
but if someone believes it something else the all info is appreciated if anyone needs pics of what I'm talking about I can get some
Thanks all for the great answers
bvil, > I went too train the
bvil,
> I went too train the speech in Mircosoft and as soon as I click on the speech in the controll panel a window pop up
> saying (that the engine could not be created to choose a different engine or audio device). Which I only have one
> sound card which I think is Realtek for that is whats on the disk that the computer shop gave me when they built it
> and only have one microphone which did not have any software when I got it.
The Telex microphone has been discontinued for at least five years and with good reason. It may work well in a very quiet environment for just issuing voice commands. However, for use as a speech recognition microphone with Microsoft's speech, it will not be acceptable as it is so prone to picking up even minor background noises.
Onboard sound chips like SoundMax, Realtec, SigmaTel, etc. in older computers were generally not shielded and pick up extraneous electronic noise from within the computer enclosure. I can assure you the combination of the Realtec sound chip and the Telex M-40 are a combination for assured failure.
In terms of a speech recognition hardware platform, your current computer should be just fine for the older Microsoft speech you have. However, for the latest versions of Dragon NaturallySpeaking or Microsoft's Windows™ Speech Recognition in Vista, your machine is underpowered in terms of CPU and RAM.
I think you're best solution would be to uninstall the command program fully. You may even have to check your Windows registry to find any entries it made. Alternatively, you may be able to use a restore point prior to installing the command program. Once you have done that, you will have a high probability of being able to use the Microsoft speech program. Having said that, the older program will give you a feel for speech recognition potential, but if you are to be serious about it, you're going to need to upgrade the hardware and I've a look at Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 9 or Vista speech recognition.
--
Martin Markoe, eMicrophones, Inc.
The best microphones for Speech Recognition
Read, "Key Steps to High Speech Recognition Accuracy"
Now hold on just a minute
Now hold on just a minute Marty... I have to disagree with you about the Telex M-40 microphone. Granted, it's one of the worst speech recognition microphones I have ever tested but it makes a great tie rack! Bvil is just using his Telex microphone for the wrong purpose
Lunis
Be nice you
Be nice you guys....
Sheesh.......
Lunis, > Now hold on just a
Lunis,
> Now hold on just a minute Marty... I have to disagree with you about the Telex M-40 microphone.
> Granted, it's one of the worst speech recognition microphones I have ever tested but it makes a great tie rack!
> Bvil is just using his Telex microphone for the wrong purpose
It might be good for all those "good old boy" bolo string ties you guys in the trailer park have. It would not hold all my circa 1960's paisley and psychedelic ties.
Marty