Voice Command Dictation

Did you know that you can set up custom voice commands to control dictation recording in Express Dictate? Express Dictate works with your computer's speech recognition engine so you can have hands-free control while dictating to write notes, flip through files, or to just relax a little.

To set up this feature you first need to configure your computer's speech recognition engine. Express Dictate requires a SAPI 5 compatible speech engine—but don’t worry if you don't know what this means—if you have either Windows Vista or Windows 7 you already have a speech engine that meets this requirement. To configure your speech engine, go to your system’s control panel (found from the Windows Start menu) and click Ease of Access, then Speech Recognition Options, then Start Speech Recognition. You’ll go through guided steps that will teach your computer to recognize your voice and accent.

Once you have finished that, Express Dictate will also be able to recognize your voice. To set up your custom dictation commands, open the Voice Commands tab in the Options dialog of Express Dictate and make sure the Enable voice commands box is checked. Click the Add button to create a new command, type in the spoken phrase you want Express Dictate to recognize and select the command it should trigger from the pull-down list by clicking in the Command column. Try to select voice commands that you aren't likely to use while dictating to avoid any unwanted program activity, yet specific enough that you will remember what they refer to. Once you're done, starting to record can be as easy as simply saying "Record."

To try out the new speech commands for yourself, download Express Dictate dictation software today and enjoy the added freedom of having hands-free control.

To Droid, Or Not To Droid?

Update: Express Dictate for Android is now available. You can Get Express Dictate for Android from Google Play or Amazon


Whether or not to make any of our programs for Android phones and if so which ones has been a big question floating around NCH for a while now, and one that we have been going back forth on. And after the release of WavePad for the iPhone the question is at the forefront again. As the debate rages in the company I want to know what you think about having NCH applications for your Android phone.

No matter how you look at it, it is a significant commitment to begin development for a new platform. We do have a strong desire to have a full range of products, especially in areas like our dictation software where we are already offering a breadth of so users can choose what works best for them, which makes Android development seems like a natural addition. But on the other side of the coin there is concern that there won't be enough demand to justify the development expense.

Some projections estimate that Android will be the market leader by 2012, but the growth has been so fast it is hard to know if it will really have the lasting power. Is it possible that Android will fall out of favor given time and become only a minor player like Palm is now? Or is Android really here to stay?

I would love to see a developer begin work on Express Dictate for the Android, but I do have to admit it is hard to know if there is enough demand for that, or other NCH Android applications, to make it worthwhile. And with early evidence suggesting that Android users are even less willing to pay for applications than iPhone users, it is sadly just that much harder to justify the development commitment with potential returns such a question mark.

So I want to know. Would you use or even pay a small fee for a new version of Express Dictate for your Android phone? Would having WavePad on your Droid make your world more complete? Since demand is one is one of our biggest concerns I can't help but ask, who out there is just itching to have dictation software for their Android phone?

Dictation & Transcription Software–A Powerful Duo

If you are a lawyer where the law is on the line, or have any other reason why you just can't rely on an automated speech-to-text system guessing at your speech there are still ways you can use technology to help streamline and improve the dictation/transcription process in your office.

Choose from a variety of ways to record dictations: record straight into your computer, dock a portable digital recording device to your computer, or record dictations on the go from your iPhone, pocket PC or palm PDA and transfer completed dictations directly to your typist when you're done. See our complete range of dictation software options to find the solution that works best for you.

On the other side of the coin, we also provide Express Scribe free transcription software. Express Scribe allows transcriptionists to easily manage the files sent from any of the many dictation software options, and provides valuable time saving features for completing transcriptions efficiently, including variable speed playback and optional foot pedal control. Also be sure to check out our other software tools for typists.

Florida Lawyer Reduces Paperwork and Cuts Administrative Costs with Express Dictate

If any job can claim to be buried in paperwork, it would certainly be the legal profession. Everything that is said related to any case must be documented, on the record, creating a constantly growing paper trail that can be hard to stay on top of. Just ask Richard Georges, a lawyer in St. Petersburg, Florida whose practice handles real property, corporate, wills, trusts and estates law.

“Dictating memos, correspondence, and mounds of paperwork is something that lawyers do all day, every day,” Georges said. He used to spend his days dictating into handheld machines, carrying tapes to his secretary, or using expensive systems that sent dictation over cords to a carousel tape machine on his assistant’s desk. But that wasn’t enough. He also wrote important case details down on paper and brought his scribbled notes to his assistant for transcription.

The paperwork was overwhelming, and he needed a solution that would enable him to devote enough time to strategize, research, to counsel his current clients, and to attract new ones.

Georges writes a column called Future Lawyer for the Tampa Bay Review. He served on the Florida Courts Technology Commission by appointment of the Florida Supreme Court, and is a past Chair of the Committee on Technology for the Florida Bar. He also served on technology-related Committees for the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Committee of the American Bar Association and the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association. His knowledge, experience, and position afforded him the opportunity to do exhaustive research of every possible dictation solution.

He found Express Dictate digital dictation software was a perfect fit for his needs, allowing him to record and send dictation directly from his computer. The software also included a Palm OS version that allowed him to dictate from his cell phone when he was away from the office.

“Express Dictate is the most useful, easiest to use, productivity tool in my arsenal,” Georges said. “Just dictate, and email the result to your transcriptionist.” This new dictation process is far more accurate and less time consuming than the old tape machine system. “My assistant no longer has to listen to me read to her, which has made her very happy.”

To see how Express Dictate can revolutionize workflow in your legal practice or office, cut down on scribbled notes, and relieve your assistant from doubling as a transcriptionist, download a free 14-day trial today. For your transcriptionist, Express Dictate works seamlessly with the free transcription program Express Scribe.