They finally got it right, baby!
Tech Review by Bruce Braunstein
After decades of trying, and millions of man-hours of frustration, they finally got it right. Nuance Corporation has got the nuance down. The "Holy Grail" has been achieved -- speech recognition finally works the way it was supposed to! The software that does it: Dragon NaturallySpeaking Version 10.
For decades I have been futzing around with various versions of speech recognition programs. I tried IBM's Via Voice. I tried earlier versions of Dragon. Each time I have given up in frustration. But finally, version 10 works the way you want it to.
I'm using the product right now to write this review, sitting at my desk talking to it as I would talk to a person. The text is coming out almost perfectly. Of course, some editing is required, but the editing is easy and almost painless. You can go back, highlight words and correct them. Not only that, they've improved the speed of the program as well. Now, words appear on the screen almost as soon as you speak them.
The preferred edition allows you to use a Bluetooth headset so you can walk around the room and dictate. Also, you can dictate into a wave or MP3 recorder. These files can be uploaded to the computer. Dragon will analyze the files and type them up for you. The productivity benefit of this product is enormous.
The hardest part in writing is getting the first draft down. Now, getting your first draft down can be fun. The thought and care that went into the program will really make your life easier. As a writer, no longer can you use writers block as an excuse. With Dragon you can simply talk out your ideas.
As a writer I find the most important thing is to get your ideas down quickly, then edit them later. If you confuse the editorial and the creative processes you will get writers block. This can stymie you. Using a program like NaturallySpeaking takes you one step closer to getting the work on paper. It removes a level of frustration. You don't have to worry about spelling. You don't have to worry about typing. You don't have to worry about the technical difficulties of writing. You just need to concentrate on the content.
One of the features I like most is the program's ability to sense when a sentence is over, and automatically insert a period and a capitol letter at the beginning of the next sentence. Little details like that make the program easy to use.
After you dictate it's important that you go back and reread your work carefully. Even though words are correctly spelled sometimes, a similar word can be substituted for the one you meant to use. Sometimes sentences are not broken at the correct spot. And sometimes your words just need to be rewritten. In short, you have to be careful editing your work later. It's much easier to go back, edit and review than it is to type it up in the first place.
Dragon's latest version works seamlessly with Microsoft Word. You can use all the features of the program with ease.
Here are some suggestions for future versions of the program. I would really like to be able to save a wav file or MP3 file from what I say to the computer. The program should have a recorder feature that lets me export and save the .WAV or .MP3 file. As an alternative, you can record your text into an audio editor such as Audacity, export it as a wav file, then process the text in batch mode.
Another suggestion: a kids training program for reading text, so pre-teen children could use this program to help with their homework. Voice recognition software could be a help or a handicap. It would be like having a calculator when they are doing math. It would be a great tool for students — provided they learn how to write by hand as well.
A third suggestion: screenplay formatting macros built into the program, for automatically formatting dialogue and action by voice.
Finally, I think the next version should update the DragonPad word processor that comes with it. It hasn’t been updated in years and could stand a revision. One problem is that if you set a font and then go to a new paragraph, the font you set up is lost and it reverts back to the default. Thus, for any real work, you have to use Microsoft Word. Fortunately, Dragon works flawlessly with Word.
In the end, I'm having a blast with this program. I think it's great. It's something I have looked forward to my whole life, and I think they finally have gotten it together in a great program. Check it out for yourself at http://www.nuance.com/.
Showing posts with label Braunstein. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Braunstein. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
FILM REVIEW: "THE WRECKING CREW" DURING DOCUWEEK AT THE ARCLIGHT (2 MORE SCREENINGS AUG 28, 4:30PM & 9:45PM)
by Bruce Braunstein
edited by Don Rose
I had the privilege of seeing a great documentary -- The Wrecking Crew -- playing as part of DocuWeek at the Arclight in Hollywood. DocuWeek is not a film festival. It is a project by the IDA (http://www.documentary.org/) to help films qualify for Academy Award consideration. A documentary has to play for a week in Los Angeles and New York to qualify for the Oscars.
The Wrecking Crew tells the story of the musicians behind the hits. It turns out this small group of musicians played on all the big hits from LA in the 60s. It's amazing -- they play music for artists like the Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher, Frank Sinatra, the Chipmunks, the Monkees, Nancy Sinatra, and Gary Lewis and the Playboys. You name it -- they did it.
A musician like Herb Alpert would come in with a lead sheet; the studio musicians would take the simple set of chords and turn it into a hit. Songs like A Taste of Honey were recorded at little recording studios like Goldstar that were scattered throughout Hollywood. Producers like Phil Spector would use the same musicians over and over again to create the Wall of Sound.
Members of the crew included Carol Kaye, the only female. She could keep up with the best of them. She was known for her incredible bass lines and guitar riffs echo through the music of the 60s. Saxophonist Plass Johnson contributed a distinctive sound, and drummer Earl Palmer could do almost anything on percussion.
The emotional center of the film is the story of guitarist Tommy Tedesco. The film was put together by his son, Danny Tedesco, who took all the existing archival photographs, clips and interviews and, in the time before his father passed away, gathered together the members of the Wrecking Crew and shot them in 16mm film, in order to get their stories out. Composer Jimmy Webb said, "they were stone cold rock 'n roll professionals, and there may never ever be a group of rock 'n roll musicians of that caliber again..."
Everyone knows that the Monkees didn't play their own music at first. Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone magazine has kept blocking the Monkees' entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, because they didn't originally play their own instruments. (Lead singer Mickey Dolenz said that he viewed the Monkees as actors playing the part of musicians.) But what most people may not realize is that there are songs in which bands like the Association and the Beach Boys didn't play the music either. For example, the Wrecking Crew were the musicians that you heard on Good Vibrations.
The Wrecking Crew provided the sound on thousands of records, but nothing goes on forever. Eventually, styles changed and the crew wasn't in demand anymore. Singer-songwriters learned to play their own instruments and studio musicians weren't as needed as before. Fortunately, because of his musical ability and versatility, Tommy Tedesco was able to continue working as a studio musician, long after the demand for his work in rock and roll had dried up.
I loved this film. The music is great, featuring over 100 different songs (nearly all huge hits) from the 60's. Even though the extraordinary musicians featured in this documentary played the music on all these tunes, their names are not on the records. They worked anonymously, they got paid, and they didn't get credit. This film finally pays them the tribute they deserve. The movie deserves a wider release, since it is one of the most enjoyable films I've seen in a long time. Thanks to IDA and DocuWeek for enabling Angelenos to see such a fine film as The Wrecking Crew. You can get more information about the film and future screenings at http://www.wreckingcrew.tv/.
edited by Don Rose
I had the privilege of seeing a great documentary -- The Wrecking Crew -- playing as part of DocuWeek at the Arclight in Hollywood. DocuWeek is not a film festival. It is a project by the IDA (http://www.documentary.org/) to help films qualify for Academy Award consideration. A documentary has to play for a week in Los Angeles and New York to qualify for the Oscars.
The Wrecking Crew tells the story of the musicians behind the hits. It turns out this small group of musicians played on all the big hits from LA in the 60s. It's amazing -- they play music for artists like the Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher, Frank Sinatra, the Chipmunks, the Monkees, Nancy Sinatra, and Gary Lewis and the Playboys. You name it -- they did it.
A musician like Herb Alpert would come in with a lead sheet; the studio musicians would take the simple set of chords and turn it into a hit. Songs like A Taste of Honey were recorded at little recording studios like Goldstar that were scattered throughout Hollywood. Producers like Phil Spector would use the same musicians over and over again to create the Wall of Sound.
Members of the crew included Carol Kaye, the only female. She could keep up with the best of them. She was known for her incredible bass lines and guitar riffs echo through the music of the 60s. Saxophonist Plass Johnson contributed a distinctive sound, and drummer Earl Palmer could do almost anything on percussion.
The emotional center of the film is the story of guitarist Tommy Tedesco. The film was put together by his son, Danny Tedesco, who took all the existing archival photographs, clips and interviews and, in the time before his father passed away, gathered together the members of the Wrecking Crew and shot them in 16mm film, in order to get their stories out. Composer Jimmy Webb said, "they were stone cold rock 'n roll professionals, and there may never ever be a group of rock 'n roll musicians of that caliber again..."
Everyone knows that the Monkees didn't play their own music at first. Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone magazine has kept blocking the Monkees' entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, because they didn't originally play their own instruments. (Lead singer Mickey Dolenz said that he viewed the Monkees as actors playing the part of musicians.) But what most people may not realize is that there are songs in which bands like the Association and the Beach Boys didn't play the music either. For example, the Wrecking Crew were the musicians that you heard on Good Vibrations.
The Wrecking Crew provided the sound on thousands of records, but nothing goes on forever. Eventually, styles changed and the crew wasn't in demand anymore. Singer-songwriters learned to play their own instruments and studio musicians weren't as needed as before. Fortunately, because of his musical ability and versatility, Tommy Tedesco was able to continue working as a studio musician, long after the demand for his work in rock and roll had dried up.
I loved this film. The music is great, featuring over 100 different songs (nearly all huge hits) from the 60's. Even though the extraordinary musicians featured in this documentary played the music on all these tunes, their names are not on the records. They worked anonymously, they got paid, and they didn't get credit. This film finally pays them the tribute they deserve. The movie deserves a wider release, since it is one of the most enjoyable films I've seen in a long time. Thanks to IDA and DocuWeek for enabling Angelenos to see such a fine film as The Wrecking Crew. You can get more information about the film and future screenings at http://www.wreckingcrew.tv/.
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