In a recent post I described using Soundflower and Audio Hijack Pro to get Apple’s built-in Dictation tool to transcribe recordings of spoken text.
Here I present two transcriptions each (with a headset or with the built-in Apple microphone) of recordings made with two applications (Skype, QuickTime). The sample is too small to be called “sample” with any justice, but QuickTime does much better recording directly than Skype does when “hijacked” to a sound file, and Skype with a headset does much better than Skype without. The QuickTime files are m4a and the Skype files are mp3, but in other experiments it seems this makes no difference.
Recording from Skype (v. 7.26)
Here is Dictation’s transcription of a recording made using Audio Hijack to divert a brief Skype conversation to a sound file. The passage I read is from “Shame”, in Primo Levi’s The Drowned and the Saved (tr. Raymond Rosenthal, [New York: Vintage International, 1989], p. 73)
Transcriptions
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Transcription by Dictation, from recording made with headset.
“Accuracy” of 80%.
Hello welcome just like what testing something’s off to the beep please record a message off to list your message will be played back to you the fake discomfort which accompanied wasn’t precisely but it was perceived to suck the fate discomfort which accompanied up or a she wasn’t precisely name but it was perceived to suck if you’re able to hit your invoice and you can pick up that correctly if you get this message but not to invoice the something is wrong with you or do your recording something’s please take your microphone and my conference team will visit Scott.com for more help I keep using Skype call testing service goodbye
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Transcription by Dictation, from recording made without headset
“Accuracy” of 60%.
For testing something off to be going to message off to your message will be right back to you the vague discomfort which a company to bring she wasn’t the size you should but it was perceived in such which company I’ll bring what size but it was perceived if you are able to hear your voice
Correctly if you get this message to an voice something is wrong with you what you recording something please check your my good friend and I went to take or visit Scott don’t come for help if you can
Call testing service by
One really remarkable thing is that every pass made at this recording by Dictation produces quite a different transcription:
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Just got off the message your message late vague discomfort which accompanied the break she wasn't the size but it was perceived us which company but it was perceived you're able to voice text got correctly if you get this message I got your back was fucking is wrong with you recording something please check you might want to skype.com or help I can you've Scott call test this device
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Welcome just got called testing 78 going to message with your message looking like you very discomfort with your company or a she wasn't the size you should but it was perceived us which company or a sure what precise is perceived if you're able to get you a voice
Correct if you get this message got your back always something is wrong with what you recording something please check you might like I sent you I don't come or help to give you a call test for this goodbye
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Just got called testing 78 going to message with your message will be late to you that discomfort which company are you sure wasn't the size but it was perceived set of eggs which company you what size your purse see if you are able to get you a voice
Karen if you get this message but got your voice and something is wrong with what you recording something please check you might want to some it's going to call for help and give you a call testing service goodbye
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Original text
Hello — welcome to Skype call-testing service. After the beep, please record a message. Afterwards, your message will be played back to you.
The vague discomfort which accompanied liberation wasn’t precisely shame, but it was perceived as such.
The vague discomfort which accompanied liberation wasn’t precisely shame, but it was perceived as such.
If you are able to hear your own voice, then you have configured Skype correctly. If you hear this message, but not your own voice, then something is wrong with your audio recording settings. Please check your microphone and microphone settings, or visit Skype.com for more help.
Thank you for using the Skype call-testing service. Goodbye!
Recording from QuickTime (v. 10.3):
Below are transcriptions of the passage from the first post, recording directly from QuickTime.
Transcriptions
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Transcription by Dictation, from recording using the built-in microphone (about two feet away).
“Accuracy” of 93%.
There are those who consider that studies in harmony can order point and few are the exclusive province of the intended house but if we reflect that theory must follow practice where are we preceding it if by chance we must realize that musical theory is not a set of directions for composing music it’s rather the collective and system of times the actions gathered by the practice of composers over a long time and it attempts to set forth what is or has been very common practice it tells not how music will be with me in the future but her music has been with in the past water piston in production to harmony 1941
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Transcription by Dictation, from recording using a headset.
“Accuracy” of 92%.
There are those who consider that studies in harmony counterpoint a few are the exclusive province of the intended but if we reflect that theory must follow practice rarely proceeding it except by chance we must realize that musical theory is not a set of directions for composing music it’s rocking the collected and systematize deductions gathered by observing the practice of composers over Time and it attempts to set forth what is old has been there common practice it tells not how music but how music has been written in the past is the production harmony
Original text
There are those who consider that studies in harmony, counterpoint, and fugue are the exclusive province of the intended composer. But if we reflect that theory must follow practice, rarely preceding it except by chance, we must realize that musical theory is not a set of directions for composing music. It is rather the collected and systematized deductions gathered by observing the practice of composers over a long time, and it attempts to set forth what is or has been their common practice. It tells not how music will be written in the future, but how music has been written in the past. — Walter Piston, Introduction to Harmony (1941)
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