Olympus Unveils DS-7000 Voice Recorder

I just returned from traveling earlier this week to the cold and snowy hills of northeast Pennsylvania, where I was greeted Monday morning with a wind chill of below zero. While the temperature left something to be desired, the trip did not.

The reason was the official unveiling of the new Olympus DS-7000 Digital Voice Recorder. I joined top dealers from across the country at the Olympus America headquarters near Allentown to spend the day oohing and aahing over the latest professional-grade dictation recorder from Olympus.

I have to be honest here: after admiring the sophistication, ergonomics and advanced security features of the Philips 8000 for the past year, I was a bit afraid that Olympus might not overwhelm me.

I was mistaken. The DS-7000 shows that Olympus engineers - both in Japan and in the US - listened to our input and suggestions, and delivered on a product that makes all the improvements we've hoped for... and then some.We have more information about the specifications of the DS-7000 on a special page on our Web site.

The Olympus DS-7000 is for those who do have very demanding dictation needs, and particularly those whose dictation is sensitive.

Using the "Pending Dictations" Feature on the Olympus DS-5000

The majority of professionals who use the Olympus DS-5000 to dictate notes, letters or any other type of report, send those dictations elsewhere to be transcribed. This transfer is usually done automatically by the Olympus DSS Player Pro software installed on the user's PC. Say you are dictating several different notes and you would like to send one immediately, but keep the others on your recorder to finish later. You would need to enable the "Pending" feature on your device (via the DSS Player Pro software) so you are able to mark voice files as such before you download them off of your recorder.

This is how you turn on that feature:

• Open Olympus DSS Player Pro software and put the DS-5000 into the cradle. Make sure the device is turned on and the slide-switch is in the STOP position.
• Go to TOOLS at the top of the main window and scroll down to OPTIONS. Click the DEVICE tab on the top left of that window.
• Click "Programmable Buttons" in the left column. In the "STOP Mode" row select one of your funtion buttons to enable "Pending". Look at the screen shot below.

• Now click "Recording" in the left column under "Administrative Settings". Click the button next to "Finished Files" to tell the recorder to download only finished voice files and not all files.
• Now to apply these settings to the recorder, click the UPDATE button at the top of the window and select "All Pages" to update all the settings you have selected.

Now the "Pending" feature is enabled. While the slide-switch is stopped, you can press F3 (in this example) to mark the current voice file "Pending". This will leave the file on the recorder when connected to your PC so you can go back and add onto it later. Press F3 again to take off "Pending".

For more helpful tips and how-to's, browse the previous posts on this blog. Also, visit AmericanDictation.com for more information.

Introducing the Olympus DS-3400

Since Olympus released their latest pro hand-held digital voice recorder last year, the DS-5000 has become one of the most popular voice recorders used by professionals today. Its comfortable design and highly capable features allow you to manage dictations and even edit them on the device. This is truly the top-of-the-line digital voice recorder available.

However, Olympus recognizes that many people who use digital dictation will not have a need for such robust features, but still want a durable and reliable digital voice recorder. Hence, the DS-3400.
Here are some differences between the DS-3400 and the DS-5000 recorders:

• The DS-3400 has buttons for rec/play/rewind instead of a slide-switch.
• The DS-3400 does not come with a docking cradle, instead you plug the recorder directly into your PC with the USB cable.
• The DS-3400 also does not support a re-chargeable battery pack.
• The DS-3400 comes with a 1GB SD memory card, whereas the DS-5000 comes with a 512MB microSD memory card.

Visit this page at AmericanDictation.com to learn more on how these two recorders differ.

Although some features were not included on the DS-3400 hand-held, the software that comes with the recorder is the same as the DS-5000. The DSS Player Pro will allow you to transfer dictation files via FTP or e-mail, save files to a server and even encrypt voice files for a secure transfer. To learn more about the many features of the Olympus dictation software, click here.
Also, visit the Hand-Held Dictation page of the American Dictation Store to see detailed specifications on these recorders.

Transcription Headsets

If you're a transcriptionist, sitting in front of your computer typing for hours on end, comfort is a very important thing. We talk to transcriptionists nearly every day who are searching for a comfortable and clear-sounding headset to transcribe with. As a result, we have added to our store a large variety of headsets. Here are some of the most common types of headsets used by American Dictation customers.

Under-The-Chin
Most of the time, transcriptionists want a light weight headset that is comfortable and produces clear sound quality. Having a headset that hangs from your hears, under your chin, is one of the most comfortable way to listen to audio. Here are a few headsets that we offer in this style:

• Philips 334 (Includes a 10 foot cord and replacement ear cushion)

• Olympus E-62 (Includes a 10 foot cord and replacement ear cushions of two different sizes.)
  

• NovusGear NSC-FX10 (Very light weight. Comes with 5 foot cord and a 5 foot extension cord. It also has a convenient volume control switch right on the cord.

Ear-bud
Ear-bud style headphones are also popular for transcriptionists because they are comfortable and small.

• NovusGear NSC-FH1 (A mono headset with a 3 foot 9 inch cord.)

Stethoscope
Stethoscope style headsets work very well and are used by transcriptionists to often, however they are not one of our best sellers. Their design tends to lead to poorer sound playback quality because instead of having speakers in the part inserted in your ear, the stethoscope style headset contains only one speaker located at the yolk, or "joint" of the headset. The sound from this speaker then resonates through two tubes that funnel the sound into your ear. Since the sound has to travel a distance before reaching your ears, some quality is likely to be lost in the process.

• NovusGear NSC-SH-50RA (A popular stethoscope headset. This includes a 5 foot cord.)

As you can see, there are a variety of headsets in all different shapes and sizes to choose from. Look at all of their features and find one that you think will be most comfortable and will sound the clearest. It is important to be sure you choose the right one for you because headsets cannot be returned due to manufacturers' health stipulations.

Using FTP With Professional Dictation Systems

If you are currently using a transcription service outside of your office, or even within your office, the easiest and most reliable way to send your dictations to another PC is with FTP transfer. Instantly send your dictations and receive documents from your transcriptionist via a secure FTP server (provided by American Dictation) for a quick, easy and HIPAA compliant transfer. If you are unfamiliar with what an FTP server is, in short, an FTP server uses the internet as a means of transferring many different kinds of files from one computer to another.
Say, for example, you are a health care physician dictating patient notes at your office in Salt Lake City to be transcribed and/or entered into an E.M.R. system by your transcriptionist in San Diego. If you are using a Pro series digital voice recorder from Olympus, Philips, Dictaphone or Grundig, the software that was included with the voice recorder will allow you to transfer files using an FTP server. Here's a quick step-by-step of how it all works...

1. The dictating author records one or more voice files on their handheld recorder.
2. The recorder is "docked" or connected to their desktop PC.
3. The digital voice files are automatically copied to the author's PC. The software will then send the files (encrypted for security purposes, if desired) via FTP to an FTP server in the office. The recorder is then automatically erased and within a few seconds, the author is back at work.
4. The typist receives an alert that dictation files are now available
5. The typist selects the file they wish to transcribe from within their Transcription Software.
6. Once the voice file is typed, it is moved out of the work queue and archived or deleted at a later time.
7. The typed documents are stored and shared according to your existing workflow.

Our most popular professional dictation and transcription system, especially among healthcare physicians, is the Olympus 5000 series. The Olympus DSS Player Pro software will allow you to not only send your dictations via FTP, but also receive documents back from your transcriptionist using the same FTP account.

Another popular pro series is the 9600 digital voice recorder along with the 7277 transcription kit. Both of these include Philips' SpeechExec Pro software with FTP transfer capabilities. However, Philips' software will not allow the transcriptionist to send documents back to the sender.

A Complete Digital Conference Recording Kit for Only $249!

While our most popular conference recording kit is the Philips 955, we also talk to many small businesses who want to record their conferences or meetings digitally at a low cost. 

That's why we produced the NSC-CM40. 

This is a high quality conference recording kit comes with the Olympus DS-40 digital stereo recorder with over 135 hours of recording time and unique features like various recording modes and on-board file folders to help organize your recordings. You will also get two omni-directional conference recording microphones that work perfectly on a table top. They have plenty of cord as well to accommodate for a large meeting table. Also, carry all this in a locking metal case with foam padding so your equipment will be protected and last a life time. 

The Olympus 2400 Series

Few companies provide professionals with digital dictation equipment as functional and comfortable as Olympus. They understand the workflow relationship between dictators and their transcriptionists. The professional DS-5000 series provides robust file management and encrypted file transfers for a safe and secure (and HIPAA compliant) workflow. However, not every user of digital dictation equipment will find the need for file encryption or the other bells and whistles that come with pro software. 

If you dictation demands are more occasional, consider the consumer series of Olympus recorders and transcribers, the 2400 series. The DS-2400 recorder records in DSS Pro, or DS2, format. This format allows for superb sound quality during playback. Easily create new voice files with the "New File" button right on the recorder. 1 gig of memory will allow up to 159 hours of record time. The cool Voice-Activation Mode will save you time because it only records when you begin speaking, and it stops recording when you stop speaking.

The AS-2400 Transcription Kit is the digital transcription kit to be used when transcribing files recorded on the DS-2400. It allows you to comfortably playback and transcribe voice files with the Olympus foot-switch while you listen with the head set. 

One thing to note, particularly if you're an Olympus dictation user already: the DS-2400 only records in DSS Pro (or .ds2) format. That means that in order to transcribe these files, you must upgrade your transcription kit to the AS-2400.

How To Insert A Spoken Instruction On The DS-5000

The Olympus DS-5000 digital voice recorder continues to be one of our most popular recorders. Like the Philips 9600, it has the ability to attach spoken instructions to a voice file. 

While recording, hold the F1 button on the bottom left of the display screen as you dictate instructions. This will insert a Verbal Comment into the voice file and will be displayed as such when playing back either on the recorder or on your computer.

When you release the F1 button it continues to record on the same voice file. To stop recording simply slide the switch on the side to STOP. 

Spoken instructions are a good way to give a note to your transcriptionist without getting them confused about which is dictation to be transcribed and which is to be heard.

Two Brand New Recorders From Olympus

I wanted to take some time real quick to talk about the new Olympus voice recorders introduced into the DS series of digital voice recorders. The new DS-61 model is a step up from the popular DS-50. It holds twice as many hours as the DS-50, approximately 266 hours in Standard Play. Long play will give you over 530 hours! I couldn't imagine using this recorder to its full capacity in any situation, but it is nice to have. 

 DS-61 

The DS-71 model has twice as much capacity as the DS-61 with 4G of flash memory. If you are recording long meetings or conferences this recorder is ideal because with use of the AC adapter you will never have to worry about running out of time or battery. Or use this to record a musical performance. The highly sensitive microphones create superb sound quality recordings in PCM linear digital format. There are three different types of recording modes as well to ensure that you are not picking up too much extra noise, or you are not picking up enough. The backlit LCD screen is very easy and clear to read making it very easy to use right out of the box. 

DS-71

Olympus really raised the bar with the DS series when it comes to voice and music capture. If you are in the market for such, look no further than Olympus digital voice recorders. Call and let us know how we can help at 866-408-1383.

Where to Place Your Mics

When recording a board meeting or any type of conversation between many people, the placement of your microphones is key to having a quality recording in which everyone is heard. Depending on the size and shape of your meeting table and room, the placement of mics can vary quite a bit. So, I thought I'd share some knowledge about conference recording in hopes to help those who are interested in recording their meetings or those who got stuck with the task of transcribing those four hour long lectures. I'll organize this rant into three parts.

Part one: Boardrooms....

In a typical boardroom situation, the participants are seating facing others across the table. Place your conference microphones at the center of either end of the board table. Depending on the size of the table, two quality table-top microphones should be sufficient. 

The digital recorder can be placed near a person in the center of the table, with each microphone connected to the person's left or right.

Part Two...

 For larger meetings, such as those common in training or sales seminars, tables are often arranged in "U" voice capture by placing two or more microphones is appropriate locations.

Where the head of the table (or the bottom of the "U") is narrow, you can place the microphones on the sides of the U arrangement. By placing the first two microphones close, you can capture the voices of those sitting at the head table.

Part Three...

One of the more common requests we get is for microphone placement where the primary speakers are seated at a dais before an audience, such as in a city council or school board meeting.

There are many variants that affect microphone placement, such as whether audience voices are to be recorded. These are many of the same considerations to be made when recording a courtroom proceeding, since the various participants may be situated in several different locations about the room.

Basically, draw out the room you are using for your event. Draw twelve-foot diameter circles and arrange them to enclose the desired parties. Count how many circles you have drawn to best cover the recording area. The number of circles you settle on is the number of conference microphones you may need.

I hope this is helpful to you and I wish you luck in your conference recording endeavors. Remember, you can call our toll free number (866-408-1383) here at Novuscript with any questions.

Olympus LS-10 Lives Up to the Hype

When we got the Olympus LS-10 recorder here at NovuScript, I was eager to test it out. Every review I read raved about the product and said the sound quality was excellent. Many people said they use it to record live music and claim it can also produce a studio quality recording. I wanted to see for myself.

First, I just set the recorder on a chair a couple feet away from my acoustic guitar. I was blown away. After I downloaded the file and listened to it in Windows Media Player, I was very impressed with the quality of sound that I was hearing. It had recorded in Linear PCM mode which is a 24 bit/96 khz audio file, a slight step above the standard stereo sound file, since most stereo audio files play in 48 khz. The LS-10 delivers crisp, clear sound in stereo quality.

A very cool feature as well, I think, is the recorder's ability to record in mp3, wav, or wma. You can easily record a song, download it to your computer and send it to a friend in an e-mail. Or you can post it online for someone to listen to or download. Since the most common public music posting websites support mp3 format, this recorder is great for the internet savvy musician.

Also, with 2 gigs of memory on-board, you can record in the highest quality for 55 minutes and standard quality for over 3 hours. This should give you enough time to capture the music you need. For even more added memory capacity, get an eight gig SD card. Then you'll have over 12 hours record time. 

With adjustments available for mic sensitivity, record volume, low-end frequency filter and more, this little recorder is flexible in several environments. If you want to capture a musical performance or audio from any event I think you'll find this recorder to be well worth the price.

To view more detailed descriptions of all the features and any technical questions you might have, click here.

Introduction to Olympus DS-5000 Video

We've created our first demonstration video: Introducing the Olympus DS-5000 and DS-5000iD. We hope to do more of these to give shoppers an inside look at various products and how to use them. Please let us know if you find these videos helpful.

Olympus DS-5000 Has Arrived!

The long-awaited Olympus DS-5000 and DS-5000iD have now arrived in our distribution centers and are being shipped out now.

And, boy, are they cool!

After filling all the pre-orders, we still have a good amount of inventory. Unlike previous new product launches, we were sent a good initial supply of recorders.

We also have new pages on our Web site with downloadable brochures, specifications and other information.

To commemorate this arrival, we are including free aluminum cases with these recorders (while supplies last) and shipping them via Next Day at no additional cost. We're anxious to get these into the hands of professionals.

The new AS-5000 Transcription Kit is due out in a week or two. We'll let everyone know when that becomes available, as well.