Digital Voice Recorders Archives - Page 3 of 3

Olympus Pro Dictation Devices Awarded 6 Dragons by Nuance

by Wayne Melleon 15 May 2013in Digital Voice Recorders, Olympus 2 comments

Entire range of Olympus Professional Dictation Devices awarded 6 stars by Nuance

With a score of 6 Dragons from Nuance, producer of Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition software, Olympus further strengthens its position as market leader for professional dictation solutions. It is the first time that an entire range of professional dictation devices – both mobile and stationary types – utilizing the established industry standard format DSS Pro has received the maximum rating of 6 Dragons in recognition of impeccable speech recognition accuracy. These include the DS-7000, DS-3500, DS-2500, DR-1200, DR-2100, DR-2200 and the DR-2300. The announcement underlines the focus Olympus places on remaining at the forefront of innovative, efficiency-boosting solutions for the professional dictation industry. The 6 Dragons rating, combined with seamless integration of the Olympus Dictation Management System (ODMS) workflow software with Dragon NaturallySpeaking from Nuance, confirms the superiority of the Olympus solutions, such as the mobile DS-7000 flagship model, to all professional users wishing to integrate the benefits of speech recognition into classic dictation workflows.

Award-Winning cutting-edge technology and reliable performance

The award of 6 Dragons from Nuance follows extensive tests by the software producer of the entire Olympus range. The high quality Olympus hardware matched with the power of ODMS, both of which are optimized for speech, ensures unparalleled speech recognition results with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Professional users therefore enjoy unrivaled, time saving transcription accuracy that assists in boosting overall workflow efficiency. Speech recognition optimization is just one area in which Olympus boasts leadership in the professional dictation market. Olympus professional dictation devices and the ODMS software also provide compatibility with a full range of contemporary IT environments. All current devices and software are Citrix Ready for both XenApp and XenDesktop, support VMWare View and are Windows 8 compatible. The ODMS software offers a fully automated dictation workflow solution to ensure customers can enjoy the full efficiency and cost savings offered by digital dictation.

Details on the full range of Olympus professional dictation solutions, now all featuring a rating of 6 Dragons from Nuance, can be found at: maynards.co.za

Pathcare entrusts Olympus with all their Dictation Requirements

by Wayne Melleon 30 April 2013in Digital Voice Recorders, General, Olympus, Transcription Kits 4 comments

Pathcare, one of the largest Pathology practices in South Africa have for years entrusted Olympus with all their Dictation requirements. The working relationship between Maynards Office Technology (Official importer and distributor of Olympus Voice Recording products in S.A) and Pathcare goes back over 15 years and in that time Pathcare have continually made use of the “top of the line” Olympus Dictation Devices, DS-3000, DS-4000, DS-5000 and now moving onto the new DS-7000.

The origin of the Pathcare group of practices can be traced all the way back to 1922, coincidentally this is the same year Maynards Office Technology was founded at our current location on the corner of Loop and Shortmarket Streets in Cape Town. Over the past 90 years Maynards have endeavored to offer the best possible business solutions and service to all our clients and this is certainly a case in point with Pathcare, highlighted by our long, ongoing working relationship with them.

Olympus have always had a close connection to the Medical Industry, going back many years especially in the microscope industry. The history of Olympus Voice Recorders is slightly shorter but since the advent of commercial Digital Voice Recorders Olympus have continually produced extremely high quality market leading products for Medical Practitioners and the industry in general. As stated above, Pathcare make use of the Olympus range of professional “dictation” devices, entrusting these devices to capture all the reports from their Histology Department. Once the recordings have been made they make use of the user friendly Olympus DSS Player Pro / ODMS Software to conveniently and safely transfer the files via FTP to their central typing pool to be typed up. This system has worked extremely well over many years and allows Pathcare to make use of our Olympus recorders throughout South Africa and surrounding countries while maintaining the backbone of their system (the typing pool) at their Cape Town head office. This highlights the diversity of the Olympus system, which is able to integrate into pretty much any current IT infrastructure.

As Maynards Office Technology and Pathcare move forward as businesses into the future we look forward to continuing to build on the already strong business relationship we have forged over the past 15 or more years and we are confident as a brand Olympus will continue to offer the perfect solutions for all and any Dictation requirements Pathcare may have in the future.

The Olympus DS-3500 – Versatile Multitasker

by Wayne Melleon 16 April 2013in Digital Voice Recorders, Olympus No comment

The new Olympus DS-3500 Digital Voice Recorder has certainly taken a few steps forward in relation to its predecessor the DS-3400.
The DS-3500 makes use of a 2” colour TFT LCD screen which gives the user an extremely crisp image; struggling to see the screen is no longer a concern. From a security point of view the DS-3500 makes use of 256 bit real time data encryption with a 4 pin device lock feature to ensure all data is securely stored. The new Li-Ion battery pack replaces the old Ni-MH pack and gives the device better battery life (up to 21 hours from a single charge) as well as extending the overall life cycle of the battery.
One of the biggest improvements in the DS-3500 has been the addition of the new ODMS (Olympus Dictation Management Software) software platform. Improvements over the old DSS Player Pro software allow seamless workflow integration with Dragon Naturally Speaking, enhanced encryption standard (256 bit) for added security and the ability to integrate into numerous Thin Client environments including Citrix.

Something that is totally NEW to the Olympus range of professional digital voice recorders and at present is only available on the DS-3500 is the ability to record in MP3 and high quality stereo PCM (.wav) *stereo recording with additional stereo microphone. This is an extremely exciting feature in that it allows the user to purchase one machine but use it in two totally different environments, something that was always an issue to achieve in the past. From a legal sector point of view this can be extremely useful, the device can be used as a primary “dictation” device and when the situation calls for it can also be used to record those important boardroom meetings.

One of the best ways to make use of the stereo recording capability of the DS-3500 is to use it in conjunction with the new Olympus ME-33 Boundary Microphone. This extremely versatile, omni-directional microphone can be daisy chained via the individual 2.5m cables to ensure any size of meeting is adequately catered for. Depending on the configuration the mic’s will either record in Stereo (2 channel) or mono (1 channel).

For further info on the Olympus DS-3500 Digital Voice Recorder or the new Olympus ME-33 Boundary Microphone please contact Maynards Office Technology on 0860 00 1922 or sales@maynards.co.za / www.maynards.co.za

This article can also be viewed on the Tech4Law website: www.tech4law.co.za

End of an Era – Tapes Discontinued

by Wayne Melleon 4 February 2013in Digital Voice Recorders, Olympus No comment

With the recent announcement from Olympus that all Microcassette Tapes have been discontinued it truly means we are coming towards an end of an era, the era of Analogue (tape) recording devices. With the advent of Digital Recording products in the early 1990’s many people believed these analogue machines would have been a thing of the past a long time ago, this is however far from what is the case today. Many small businesses, individuals and even the odd corporate company still have the old tried and tested tape machines performing critical day to day activities within those businesses.

Analogue tape machines or dictaphones as they are commonly known have been around since the early 1940’s (history) , through the years the recordings have been made on Standard Cassettes (in the earlier days) and more recently on either Microcassette or Minicassettes. Olympus discontinued their production of Minicassette tapes a few years ago and we have just received notice that all Microcassette tapes will now also be discontinued. This means that once our current stock consignment of Olympus Microcassette’s runs out there will be many professionals in the South African market that find themselves in a position where they need to upgrade to the new Digital Systems. Although this may well be seen as rather frustrating by some its not necessarily a bad thing, the new digital systems offer far more in the way of functions / features and usability and this can transform into making ones daily work easier and more efficient therefore saving you time and money in the long run.

With the above in mind Olympus Audio S.A have decided we would like to help, we are currently running an R850 special (Special Offer) on the trade-in of old analogue devices for the new Olympus Professional Line system. Please see the link above (special offer) for further details and contact us to take advantage of this fantastic offer.

Olympus ODMS Free Update – R6.1

by Wayne Melleon 14 January 2013in Digital Voice Recorders, Olympus, Transcription Kits No comment

With the increased implementation of the new Olympus ODMS software (supplied with Olympus DS-7000, DS-3500 and AS-7000) it has necessitated some updates to address certain compatibility concerns of the initial version (R.6.0), this came in the form of the free update to R.6.1 towards the end of last year.

This update brought with it some exciting compatibility improvements over the initial version. Windows 8 is now fully supported under R.6.1 and something that came as a massive relieve to the S.A users was that R.6.1 is now fully compatible with MS Office 2010 64bit edition. Probably the biggest feature update to the software comes in the form of a notification feature via the dictation module that tells the author when their dictation has been transcribed. This feature I would assume will be really useful for many users that would like to be fully aware of the status of their dictation work.

A complete list of the features and fixes for R.6.1 is:

Windows 8 is supported. The following editions are supported. – Windows 8
– Windows 8 Pro
– Windows 8 Enterprise Note:
– Windows 8 Modern UI is not supported.
– Windows 8 RT is not supported.
Office 2010 64Bit Edition is supported.
Citrix XenApp Web interface function is supported.
The following virtual environments are supported. – VMware View 4.6/5.0
– Citrix Receiver 3.x (with Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop)
Added function to notify that transcription is finished to Dictation Module.
Added file search function to the Dictation Module/Transcription Module. 6.1 Pressing the following keys opens a file search dialog if the focus is on the file list in the main screen.
– Dictation Module: [Ctrl]+[F]
– Transcription Module: [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[F] 6.2 Incremental search is supported if text is entered using the keyboard when the focus is on the file list in the main screen.
Added option to delete all internal data when uninstalling Dictation Module/Transcription Module. Once it is deleted, application settings before the uninstallation are not inherited even if you install the uninstalled application again.
Specifying both Author ID and Worktype ID for conditions in Auto Collection function is supported.
Enabling and disabling sub-folders in the Download Folder and Custom Folder are supported.
Changed the behavior of [INSERT] LED when recording directly with Dictation Module using the Olympus Directrec (DR-1200/2100/2200/2300). The [INSERT] LED blinks while recording is stopped if the recording mode is in the insert mode.
The [INSERT] LED does not blink while recording is stopped if the recording mode is in the overwrite mode.
Enhanced the voice recognition function. 11.1 Selecting files for the background voice recognition is supported.
11.2 Specifying the target Author ID for the background voice recognition and adaptation in the Dictation Module is supported. Now it is not required to match the profile name of Dragon NaturallySpeaking with the Author ID of the dictation file.
11.3 Several ODMS R6.0 issues were resolved.

For those of you out there running the DSS Player Pro v.5 and looking to upgrade to the new ODMS R.6 there is a upgrade available. Unfortunately this update is not a free of charge update as was the case from Olympus DSS Player Pro v.4 to DSS Player Pro v.5. To upgrade from DSS Player Pro v.5 to ODMS you will require either the AS-7003 (Dictation Module) or the AS-7004 (Transcription Module). This will allow you to take advantage of some of the new features as well as the updated compatibility this new version of software offers. For those of you looking to upgrade please contact us for details on the correct upgrade option!!

For those of you that have already adopted the new Olympus ODMS software, the update from R.6.0 to R6.1 should have been done automatically via the update module that is built into the software. Certain users that have upgraded to R6.1 have experienced some failure alerts from the new update manager in R.6.1. This basically renders the update manager useless as it cannot communicate with the Olympus server online therefore meaning you can no longer update your software to the latest version available. For this reason Olympus have just released a revised version of R.6.1 called R6.1.1, the full download for R6.1.1 can be found here. You can also contact us directly for a patch update to solve the issue.

A more detailed and comprehensive features and improvements list on ODMS R.6.1 can be found here: ODMS 6.1

Advantages of the NEW Olympus ODMS Software

by Wayne Melleon 14 November 2012in Digital Voice Recorders, Olympus, Transcription Kits No comment

Now that the new Olympus ODMS Software is pretty much established world wide i thought it would be a good idea to put together a post outlining the differences between it and the software it has replaced the Olympus DSS Player Pro V.5. There seems to be a general lack of information on this specific topic so i hope this helps all of you out.

ODMS (Olympus Dictation Management Software) is supplied with the new Olympus DS-7000 and DS-3500 Voice Recorders as well as the Olympus AS-7000 Transcription Kit. So lets start off on the visual side of things, from a GUI (Graphic User Interface) point of view the software is very similar in look and feel to the old DSS Player V.5 Pro software. This i believe is a good thing as it allows users of the old V.5 software to effortlessly upgrade to the new software without having to learn a whole new platform layout. The only difference to the GUI is a new splash screen on startup. This leads me onto the first big improvement, we have noticed a reduction in the amount of time the New ODMS software takes to open in comparison to the older V.5 software. This was always a source of great frustration for lots of users. Another neat addition is that of a user friendly Setup Wizard during the install process, it makes the basic setup of the software features extremely straight forward. Lets now look at some feature changes:

1. Dragon Naturally Speaking Intergration

The ODMS software integrates tightly with Dragon NaturallySpeaking (Professional and Legal), and Dragon Medical Practice Edition. This refined integration improves workflow enormously over DSS Player V5, automating Dragon’s transcription process under a variety of scenarios (i.e. multiple authors and multiple transcriptionists, single author, single transcriptionist, and so on). Transcribing dictation has never been so quick or efficient.

2. Compatibilty of the New Olympus RS-31 Foot Control

The new Olympus RS-31 Foot Control, which offers 4 unique programmable buttons (an improvement over the standard 3 offered on the RS-28 Foot Control) will only operate on the new ODMS software.

3. Transcription Complete Notification back to sender

This i assume will be a extremely useful feature for those professional users out there using the email functionality build into ODMS. It will allow the dictator to recieve a “completed transcription” message once his / her file has been transcribed. This will be useful for users that like to stay on top of their dictation work throughout the workflow process.

4. Support for Windows 8

Windows 8 Pro and Windows 8 Enterprise Note are fully supported, Windows 8 Modern UI and Windows 8 RT are NOT supported.

5. Support for Office 2010 64bit Edition

ODMS is now fully compatiable with MS Office 2010 64bit.

6. Seperate System Administrator CD

For those users / organizations that want to make use of MUL (multi-user licenses), Citrix installs and advanced workflows you would require a seperate System Admin CD. This is called the Olympus AS-56 and you should contact us if you require it.

For those of you looking to try out the new Olympus ODMS software before purchasing it, why not download a 60 day FREE trial version here.

For Updates on the latest versions of the new ODMS software as well as other Olympus software please click here.

Comparing the New Olympus DS-2500 to the DS-2400

by Wayne Melleon 30 October 2012in Digital Voice Recorders, Olympus One comment

So with the imminent departure of the Olympus DS-2400 from the South African marketplace i thought it would be a good idea to do a quick comparison with its replacement model, the Olympus DS-2500.

The NEW DS-2500 (as was the case with the DS-2400) will serve as the entry level device in the Professional DS range of devices which includes the DS-3500, DS-5000 and the DS-7000. The DS range is essentially designed for professionals such as Doctors and Attorneys that do a high volume of personal dictating. A prerequisite for this kind of device would be to have the ability to edit your recordings, options such as insert, partial erase and overwriting make letter generation nice and simple.

So, what are the differences between the DS-2400 and the DS-2500? Essentially they are the same device, the outter shell / body is of the same design in Full Metal, there has been a slight change in colour from the light almost cheap looking silver on the DS-2400 to a darker more classy looking silver on the DS-2500. Feature wise the two devices are indenticle and they are supplied with the same Olympus DSS Player Standard software platform. A really nice addition to the new DS-2500 is that of a set of BR-404 Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries which are charged via the supplied USB cable when the device is plugged into a PC. The Olympus LI-42B Rechargable Battery (as supplied in the DS-7000 / DS-3500) or the Olympus BR-403 Rechargable Battery Pack (as supplied in the DS-5000) are both not compatiable with the DS-2500.

I have noticed on one or two blogs / forums (example of such) that people have mentioned the DS-2500 cannot be used in conjunction with any Olympus accessories? This is certainly NOT the case, the DS-2500 is fitted with a standard 3.5mm Mic Input Jack as well as a standard 3.5mm Earphone Jack, exactly the same as the outgoing DS-2400. This means the Olympus ME-12 Mic, ME-15 Tie Clip Mic, ME-52W Noise Cancelling Mic and the TP-8 Telephone Pickup Mic are all compatiable via the Mic Input Jack. A standard set of 3.5mm earphones can also be used with the DS-2500 via the earphone jack. The DS-2500 is also fully compatiable with the full range of Olympus Transcription Kits. The price point for the new DS-2500 is expected to be in line with the DS-2400.

For the full Press Release on the Olympus DS-2500 please see below:

DS-2500 Press Release

The NEW Olympus LS-100

by Wayne Melleon 16 October 2012in Digital Voice Recorders, Olympus 3 comments

Olympus LS-100 Multi-Track Linear PCM Recorder: High performance, mobile multi-track recording

Uncompromising sound quality and all-round portable recording versatility have been the hallmark of all Olympus audio recorders in the renowned LS-range since its inception. Now, the LS-100 tops the lot and provides musicians and broadcasters with a state-of-the-art tool enabling the remarkable convenience of studio-grade, multi-track audio recording just about anywhere. As with its cousins in the LS-family, the new LS-100 delivers ultimate sound recording quality in uncompressed 96kHz/24bit Linear PCM splendour. This extreme audio quality has now been augmented with eight-track recording and the incorporation of overdubbing capabilities to dramatically expand the opportunities to turn sounds and individual tracks into complete compositions – all within the palm of the hand. Besides its integrated stereo mics, the LS-100 also features dual XLR/Phone combo jacks to facilitate the direct connection with professional external microphones or other musical equipment. Furthermore, this impressive mobile recording studio is capable of handling a maximum sound pressure level of up to 140dBspl

Untainted sound recording for the purest results

Audio quality par excellence is what professionals expect and will get from the LS-100. Besides stereo 320kbps MP3 recording, the uncompressed 96kHz/24bit Linear PCM format ensures highest recording quality. An expansive frequency range of 20-20,000Hz lets the dull thump of bass drums to be captured just as faithfully as the shrill song of a bird. In addition, with the capability to handle sound pressure up to 140dBspl – which is even 10dB louder than an ear-splitting rock band, drums or percussions – the intensity of sounds is no barrier to perfection either. Separate audio and system circuit boards with independent power supplies, together with the improved, sensitivity adjustable mics with a 90° layout and featuring a microphone guard ensure natural sound capture. Signals are optimised due to the onboard limiter and compressor. Furthermore, Automatic Gain Control (AGC) tweaks signals to their optimum level. And a switchable (300Hz/100Hz) low-cut filter also enhances recordings made in situations with background noise.

Size it up

The LS-100 is the first and currently only model in the Olympus LS range to boast dual XLR/Phone combo jacks (with 48/24V Phantom Power Supply). These enable instruments and professional external microphones to be plugged directly into the unit. The interface is equipped with an independent instrumentation amplifier, ensuring that low noise, high signal/noise (S/N) ratio recordings can confidently be made – even when using long leads. Levels for the left and right channels can be independently adjusted according to the requirements of the attached instruments thanks to the integrated recording level dial.

On cue for multi-track recording

Whether wanting to record in just one take or wishing to take advantage of the versatility multi-track recording offers, the LS-100 provides the power and flexibility to meet all demands. Up to eight tracks are at users’ disposal. Each can be separately volume adjusted and panned, then mixed down to create the complete composition.

More intelligent functions to bring music to your ears

Overdubs are also in the repertoire of the LS-100, allowing sound recording to take place over the original sound while simultaneously monitoring it. Meanwhile, the Playback Synchro Recording feature enables recording of an additional track while listening to another.

The first vital sounds of a recording will never be missed either thanks to the innovative Pre-Recording function, which lets the two seconds prior to hitting the record button to be captured. Additionally, with Voice Sync, users can set the LS-100 to automatically commence recording to file once sound hits a certain level. Index marks can also be placed at specific points on a track letting particular sections to be located more easily later on. And various repeat modes, including A-B Repeat, allow users to listen to precise track sequences at will.

Digital metronome and tuner features ensure that the timing of tracks is nothing less than perfect and instruments are always in tune. Users can also invoke the Lissajous function, which detects and displays the phase difference between the left and right external microphones from the sound source on the 5.1cm (2.0”) backlight LCD. Files are saved to the internal 4GB memory or on SD (up to 2GB) / SDHC (up to 32GB) / SDXC (up to 64GB) cards.

The durable and compact Olympus LS-100 Multi-Track Linear PCM recorder bestows musicians and broadcasters a high performance, mobile multi-track recording studio to fulfil all their needs – from a single track to a complete composition – boasting highest possible audio qualities. Jam-packed with cutting-edge technology and ready-to-use hands-on features.

LS-100 Multi-Track Linear PCM Recorder – Main Features:

Linear PCM (up to 96kHz/24bit) and MP3 file formats
Multi-track recording (manage up to 8 tracks under 1 project)
Overdubbing capabilities
Playback Synchro
Voice Sync recording
Dual XLR/Phone combo jacks with Phantom Power Supply (48V/24V)
Directional stereo microphones with 90° layout
High quality, low noise amplifier circuitry with separate circuit boards for audio and system – each with independent power supply
Up to 140dBspl sound pressure
20-20,000Hz frequency characteristics with built-in microphones
High signal/noise (S/N) ratio
Low-cut filter (300/100Hz)
Pre-Record buffer
Metronome, tuner and lissajous functions
Indexing function
File editing
File transfer and copying
MP3 convert
CD Writing function to burn composition to external CD drive
4GB internal memory and SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
159 x 70 x 33.5mm, 280g (incl. battery)
Includes: USB cable, USB/mini USB converter connector, strap, AC adapter, LI-50B rechargeable battery, case

Some interesting reviews on the NEW Olympus LS-100:

Digital Trends

Wired

What makes up a Digital System? Digital Voice Recorders Explained

by Wayne Melleon 8 October 2012in Digital Voice Recorders, Olympus One comment

In my previous post i gave a brief breakdown of what Digital Dictation was as well as some of the benefits it afforded users over the older Analogue System. In this post i plan to outline what makes up a Digital System as we know it today.

Firstly the Digital Voice Recorder (still commonly revered to as a Dictaphone by most people that have used a recording system for a long period of time). One of the biggest differences between the old Analogue Systems and the new Digital Systems is the actual device itself, the Voice Recorder. Old analogue or tape machines as they where readily called are pretty simple in nature, one device would generally do it all, from recording a note, small meeting to dictating that important letter. That is where the Digital device varies, they are generally split up into three different catagories, Notetakers, Meeting Recorders and Professional Dictation Devices.

Notetakers: This is considered an entry level device designed for basic notetaking and memo’s, quick notes while driving to work, reminders for the secretary, ect are what these devices are designed to do. They would generally record in a WMA / MP3 file format making the files compatiable with any operating system. They would not have any editing functionality meaning they not suitable for users that intend to dictate letters and more complex notes. In the Olympus range of Digital Voice Recorders the VN and WS range of devices would be known as “Notetakers”.

Meeting / Music Recorders: These devices record in a high quality Stereo format, normally WMA or MP3 as well. They can be used to record meetings and hearings of up to 15 people in a boardroom enviroment. With the addition of optional extra stereo microphones that can be increased to 40 or 50 people depending on the enviroment. Certain devices can also record live music, both in the form of a concert or of a particular instrument. Once again these devices have no editing functionality so they would not be suitable for letters and complex notes. In the Olympus range of Digital Voice Recorders the DM and LS range of devices would be known as “Meeting / Music Recorders”.

Professional Dictation Devices: I refer to these devices as “Professional” Dictation Devices because thats primarily who uses them, professionals such as Doctors, Attorneys and Business people dictating letters and notes on a daily basis for a secretary or company to type up. These devices have all the editing functionality a professional would need, such as File Insert (insert a new line / paragragh into your previously recorded file), Partial Erase (erase a section of that file) and Overwrite (record over previously recorded portions of work), these functions are not found on any of the other ranges of devices. The most common recording format for these devices is the proprietary .dss and .ds2 files formats, highly compressed file formats that can be up to 20 x smaller in file size than a common .wav file. This has nemorous advantages for the user, from saving space on your local hard drive or network to allowing you to easily email the file to your secretary or transcription company. In the Olympus range of Digital Voice Recorders the DS range of devices would be known as “Professional Dictation Devices”.

It is always extremely important when considering the purchase of a new Digital Voice Recorder to bear in the mind the points mentioned above. Its imperative you choose the correct device for your intended use otherwise you wont realize the true benefit of a Digital System.

For further info on Transcription Kits and the options and benefits they offer please see the post: “Transcription Options Explained”

Category : Digital Voice Recorders