I love getting away from the office and my computer. I want to go outside and get some fresh air but I still need to be productive. Most of my work requires written communications and I would NEVER think to write long passages with my iPhone. However with MacSpeech Scribe and my iPhone, I get a tremendous amount of written work done.
MacSpeech Scribe takes audio files and transcribes them into written text. It’s amazingly accurate and can be trained for even greater accuracy. It’s simple to use too.
There are several voice recorders available for the iPhone including the free Voice Memos app by Apple. You can use any app that allows you to export AIFF, MP4, or WAV files. I like the FiRe Field Recorder app because I can see the actual audio file. The key while dictating is to use basic punctuation by saying comma, period, or new paragraph and they’ll magically appear in your transcription file. Other than that, just speak your thoughts into your iPhone.
When you return to your office, transfer your audio file to your Mac. Open MacSpeech Scribe, select your recording, and it’s transcribed right before your eyes. When it’s complete, copy & paste it into your word processor for additional editing. It’s really quite simple.
I like to use Scribe and my iPhone for writing first drafts of articles, scripts, and training materials. It allows me to do a “brain dump” out of my head and have it written up for me. I can then go back and fine-tune the edits and craft it into a finished product. But for a rough draft, nothing’s better than speaking off the top of your head.
Scribe and my iPhone are an awesome combination. Together, they allow me to get out of the office but still really crank out the prose. If you write a lot, I highly recommend it.
Scott
I’m intrigued about how seamlessly your videos blend between video and screenflow screencasts. Take your MacSpeech Scribe demo video for example. How did you manage to go from your video to your MacSpeech Scribe screen so seamlessly such that your digital camera audio was in perfect sync with your actions in Scribe?
Are you able to share your secret so we can benefit?
Peter
Peter, I’m glad you like it. I do too. And of course, I’m more than happy to share. This post shows you how: http://www.skillcasting.com/using-multiple-cameras-in-your-screencasts/
This technique is done by using a separate camera track. You do this by turning on your external camera and starting your screen capture application. Clap so both audio tracks have spike. Deliver your presentation by speaking to your camera and working with your computer. Stop both recordings when finished. Bring both tracks into your screencasting application. Place your video camera source on the bottom track and place the screen recording right above it. Align the recordings based upon the clap in the beginning. Trim your edges and lower the opacity of the screen recording track. Now all you see in your editor is you speaking to the camera. While playing your video, when you see yourself turn to do something on the computer, bring the opacity back on the screencast track and you’ll have a nice smooth transition to the second track.
Repeat this for all the other in’s and out’s to your video.
I find this type of effect more engaging than just using the Picture-in-Picture capabilities of screencasting software. It’s a tad more work, but IMHO, well worth it.
Excellent Scott. I appreciate your help. The dimming of the screen recording track. Can I ask which screen capture software allows you to do that?
Thanks again for the advice.
Peter
Scott,
Please disregard my question. I just viewed your video (which I found to be superb) and you say you are using Screenflow.
Thanks
Peter