acoustic optimizer "no pass"
Submitted by mattsoy on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 05:18.
I'm trying to get DNS 9.5 up and running on a second laptop but am getting the acoustic optimizer "no pass" before I get to general training -- even though I'm using the same microphone on the same kind of hardware right now, so I know the equipment is not the problem.
I faintly remember having this problem the first time round, and one of you guys gave me some simple advice that solved it. But I've forgotten. Was it to click one of the option boxes on or off, turn off the machine's external microphone, or what?
Can any of you help me? I use a Toshiba Satellite with 2 GB RAM, 2 GHz chip, VISTA and DNS 9.5 Preferred. The only difference on the new machine is screen
thanks!
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We believe that your
We believe that your user files have to be in absolute pristine
condition to run Acoustic Optimizer. Simply put, you will probably have to
forego using this utility.
Lunis Orcutt - Developer of KnowBrainer &
Host
of the Http://www.KnowBrainer.com Speech Recognition Forum
A Nuance Gold Certified Endorsed Vendor
ALWAYS Ask If Your Speech Recognition Vendor Is
Nuance Certified
I'm guessing
that you mean the Audio Setup Wizard, not the Acoustic Optimizer.
I don't have a great idea for a solution -- maybe those people who are more expert in microphones than I am will have an idea.
You might try unplugging the power cord, and see if you get better audio quality when running on battery.
Big Duh on Us
Well Duh! After rereading the original question we are inclined
to agree with Matt that it sounds like you're having trouble passing the
Audio Setup Wizard rather than the Acoustic Optimizer. Perhaps if we had
taken a little more time to read your question we would've noted the “no pass”
before I get to general training”. After blundering our 1st answer, we'll try
again
We suspect that you're using the manufacturer included analog microphone
with your Toshiba’s integrated soundcard.
The manufacturer included microphone and many integrated soundcards often
fall a little short of the mark when it comes to speech recognition.
HOWEVER, you may just be suffering from some form of
interference. Try rerunning the Audio Setup Wizard
and press the Play button in the last stage. If you hear interference,
unplug your computer from the AC and repeat the procedure on batteries. If
the problem is eliminated by running off from batteries, post back and we
will offer some additional workarounds.
Lunis Orcutt - Developer of KnowBrainer &
Host
of the Http://www.KnowBrainer.com Speech Recognition Forum
A Nuance Gold Certified Endorsed Vendor
ALWAYS Ask If Your Speech Recognition Vendor Is
Nuance Certified
You're right, but why?
My mistake, it was the Audio Setup Wizard I was talking about, not the Acoustic Optimizer. And unplugging the power cord, just running on battery, did solve the problem. But why does a power cord interfere with VR accuracy in this test, but not in my daily use? What exactly is being tested by the setup wizard?
mattsoy wrote: My mistake,
My mistake, it was the Audio Setup Wizard I was talking about, not the Acoustic Optimizer. And unplugging the power cord, just running on battery, did solve the problem. But why does a power cord interfere with VR accuracy in this test, but not in my daily use? What exactly is being tested by the setup wizard?
If running on battery solved the problem, it means the laptop power supply is adding something to the audio (hum/noise) that shouldn't be there. Of course you are keeping the power cord away from the mic cord... right?
We Suspected As Much
[Quote] just running on battery, did solve the problem.
But why does a power cord interfere with VR accuracy in this test,[/Quote]
We suspected as much. Skip has basically supplied you with the Why.
You are suffering from a 60 Hz hum from substandard shielding which is
unfortunately a frequent problem with too many notebook computers; especially
Dell and HP. If your computer is under warranty, our 1st recommendation would
be to make it the manufacturer's problem.
However, you have another option. Keep in mind that this isn't
our 1st recommendation because there is some risk involved but we haven't
heard of any computer burn outs to date:
1.
Go to your local hardware or grocery store
and purchase a 3 prong to 2 prong adapter. You'll recognize the adapter which
it is typically colored chocolate with a ground ring.
2.
Use a metal file to reduce the size of the
neutral (larger prong) so that you can flip the plug over in the outlet. We
call this reversing polarity. You are now plugging the positive side of the
plug into the negative side of your AC outlet.
3.
Plug the AC plug from your computer into this
new adapter. The reason why we had you file the adapter is so that you don't
damage your original equipment. It's better to damage a 3 dollar plug.
This will typically take care of the problem but keep in mind
that we consider this more of a last resort. We believe the real solution is
to force the manufacturer to build their computers right.
Lunis Orcutt - Developer of KnowBrainer &
Host
of the Http://www.KnowBrainer.com Speech Recognition Forum
A Nuance Gold Certified Endorsed Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Vendor
ALWAYS Ask If Your Speech Recognition Vendor Is
Nuance Certified