Damian Lettie

I am just about to do a similar test (with Typing Pools) and am hoping that EVERYONE assigned to a typing pool will receive copies of the dictation file. Here is my reasoning as to why this should exist (or at least as an "option" at the bottom of creating a pool - like a checkbox that reads "send to all typists" or something of the sort).

 

We have doctors that dictate in two languages (English and French) - we have transcriptionists for both languages. So, the transcriptionists download the cases and as they get to each one and start listening if it's their language they type it and send it - if it's not, they delete it.

 

If there is a better workflow for this type of scenario then please let me know ... otherwise, I second the request to have at least an option in the typist pools to send the dictations assigned to that pool to all typist recipients.

Unfortunately Delegate currently works with the limitation that one recording maps to exactly one transcript.

You could achieve what you want by getting the speaker to upload the recording twice, with a different tag each time (eg. <english /> and <french />, or <lang>english</lang> and <lang>french</lang>), then using rules to assign the English jobs to typist A and the French jobs to typist B, but that's obviously not ideal.

An official way of mapping one recording to multiple transcripts is definitely wanted.

I have just bought the infinity USB pedal and I don't seem to be able to calibrate the REW and FF functions.

I have selected the Infinity pedal from the drop down menu and then clicked on the wizard. When I do that I get a box asking to press the play/forward button only. I pressed the play and that calibrated it. I thought I would then get a box for FF and REW but I only get the play/forward button.

To the right of the Port list, there is another list labelled "Number of pedals". Is it set to "3 pedals"?

Changes in Express Scribe v 4.29 for Windows:

• Added: Data folder setting is now validated.
  
• Added: Scribe Mini window now has a close button.
  
• Added: File name can now be specified when forwarding dictations.
  
• Added: Express Delegate connection test now validates that the user has the role of typist. (Requires Delegate v4.01 or later.)
  
• Fixed: Playback actions after approx. 3 hours 22 minutes into the dictation no longer reset the playback position back to the beginning.
  
• Fixed: Fast forward / rewind "step" behaviour was not consistent between pedals and hot-keys.
  
• Fixed: Couldn't download multiple dictations at once from Express Delegate if they had the same file-name.
  
• Fixed: "Special Audio Processes" now have more error checking.
  
• Fixed: Can now run "Special Audio Processes" on multiple dictations at once.
  
• Fixed: Speech to Text conversion wasn't working for SAPI 5 engines, such as the one shipped with Windows Vista.
  
• Fixed: Bookmark list "Remove" button didn't work on more than one bookmark at a time.
  
• Fixed: The "Bookmark Time" for a bookmark with a description that's added while the dictation is playing is now set to the time when the bookmark was added, not when entry of the description finishes.
  
• Fixed: Bookmark list sort column was reset when removing bookmarks or closing the dialog.
  
• Fixed: Couldn't install on Windows 98 Standard Edition if the common controls DLL hadn't been updated.
  
• Fixed: Cosmetic issues when running on Windows 98.
  
• Changed: Automatic "Special Audio Processes" are now run before speech to text processing.
  
• Changed: Improved "FTP Connection Test Results" dialog.
  
• Changed: Default Express Delegate port number is now 99. (To match Delegate v4.01 and later.)
  

I have downloaded the trial version of Express Scribe and want to test the Speech-to-text option. I am using Microsoft Vista, so is Microsoft Speech Recognition suppose to work with Express Scribe, for Speech-to-text?

 

I have enabled Speech-to-text and selected Microsoft Speech Recognition as the engine, and also selected my profile, but it still will not work.

A bug stopping SAPI 5 speech-to-text engines (such as the one shipping with Windows Vista) from working in Express Scribe was found recently, and the fix is due to be in v4.29. This version is currently undergoing final testing so keep an eye out for a release announcement soon.

Is it dissabled in trial versions(unregistered versions)?

There is no trial version of Scribe. It's free for unlimited use.

Scribe receives the dictations as it should but the problems start when I want to finish a dictation. Normally (without Delegate in the equation) I could just click the Done button and the dictation would be removed from my list. Unfortunately this option is unavailable to me - the options is greyed out. Is there a reason for this? I'm assuming that there is something in Delegate that I have missed Is the option for completing dictations simply not available when using Delegate to assign dictations? How would a typist go about confirming that a piece of work has indeed been completed?

You can use the "Dispatch (Reply with typing)" item in the File menu, or the equivalent button on the small tool-bar (which has the tool-tip "Send the typed work and mark the file as done"). The transcript will be uploaded to Express Delegate, the dictation will be marked as Finished, and the Speaker will be able to download the transcript from inside Express Dictate's "Work Progress" dialog (or via the web control panel).

I just recently downloaded Express Scribe, uploaded a cda file, but can't get the file to play. I can play the file within Windows Media Player, but can't get the file to play in Express Scribe.

 

I'm a VA and need to transcribe two CD's, same format, and can't get this %^&*$@#$#%$^& working.

The information in this topic might help. Also, please make sure you have the latest version of Express Scribe (currently v4.28, for Windows), as some earlier versions had problems loading from audio CD's.

Does anyone know if Express Scribe supports an Infinity IN-USB-1 transcription foot pedal?

If not, what brands does Express Scribe support and where can I get one?

Express Scribe does support the VEC Infinity IN-USB-1. You can purchase it, or the VPE vPedal USB (which is also supported) from Alto Edge.

I have a Sony foot pedal (FS-85USB).

Sorry, but this type of pedal isn't supported by Express Scribe. If you would like to see it supported in the future then please make a suggestion on the official feedback page.

I would like to send some of dicatations that are currently in .dct format to a transcription service that would like the files in .wav format.

To export a WAV file from Express Dictate:

• Load the DCT into Express Dictate and make sure it is the only dictation selected in the dictation list.
  
• Select "Save as..." from the "Dictation" menu.
  
• Select "Wave Files (*.wav)" from the "Save as type" drop-down list.
  
• Click Save.
  

or you could add the transcription service as a recipient (Options dialog -> Sending tab), change the file format to WAV (Send to Typist Recipient Properties dialog -> File tab), and send the file directly to them from inside Dictate.

the new version will not allow me to choose mp3 to automatically load in Express Scribe - I go to Settings - File Types - check the MP3 box, and lo and behold it will not save this setting! It's like it remains permanently unchecked.

 

I've gone into Vista and put Express Scribe as the default program to play MP3s as well, but that doesn't help. The older version of ES works fine with Vista, but this newer version does not.

Is the version of Scribe you just installed v4.28?

What was the version number of the old version of Scribe?

Did you uninstall the old version of Scribe before you installed the new one, or install over the top?

Does the same thing happen for other file types, or just MP3?

Is your Vista user account a "Standard user" or "Administrator"? (You can check in Vista's Control Panel.)

When a dictation is downloaded from Express Delegate into Express Scribe (ES) there is a dispatch issue. If you don't type anything (no notes, no word document) and click the dispatch button - then you get the dispatch to delegate window. If you link a word document to the dictation (which is how our work is done) via the word templating feature, when you click the dispatch button you get the send by email window instead of the dispatch to delegate.

Express Scribe will only show the Delegate dispatch dialog if it has downloaded that particular dictation directly from Delegate. The dictation in question wasn't loaded from a DCT file or some other source, was it?

Yesterday, it seemed that when a dictation was assigned a "pool" via a rule, it was moved to the "assigned" queue and when it was downloaded by a typist it would move to the "transcribing" section. Today when I tested, it remains in the unassigned after both being assigned a pool via a rule and after downloading it (via automatic incoming) whereas it should have moved to the assigned pool and transcribing pool respectively.

Did you use your browser's Refresh button to check for changes? (The web pages are not updated in real-time.) Also note that the background task that assigns dictations to typists only runs once every few seconds, so changes may take a few seconds to be reflected in the web pages.

For the deadline feature that you plan on implementing into Express Dictate - I have some concerns on how that will affect a businesses workflow. Specifically, if we allow too much influence on the "urgency" of a dictation from a dictator, then it could have detrimental effects on a companies overall workflow and output. To draw a picture, a client dictates and flags it as high priority and sets the deadline to a date in the past (which the system allows for). When it enters our system, it is now flagged as both high priority and overdue, which should technically boost it to the top or very near it according to how you calculate urgency (Quote from online help: "Urgency is calculated using priorities, deadlines, and the relative ages of dictations.") So, by doing this they have effective bypassed the workflow policies that we have instituted. I know this is a bit of an exagerration, but it's a scenario to simply illustrate my point. From a business perspective, the client can have limited influence on the turn-around times and this functionality exists - low, normal and high priorities. The deadlines, I see, as a tool for management to ensure that contractual and internal policies are met - rather than a method for cleints to "bump" their dictations to the top of the pile. So, I would prefer to see this feature implemented into Express Delegate rather than Express Dictate.

 

I have a suggestion on how this could be done - but still has a potential drawback.

 

My first thought on implementing this, is to allow managers to set default deadlines for "pools" based on priority. So, when creating/modifying a pool - a manager/admin can set the turn-around time in fields marked "low", "normal" and "high". Then when a dictation is assigned a pool, either manually or automatically via a rule, then it would add that time to the dictation time and that in turn becomes the deadline. The potential drawback for this method, is how to handle the changing of pools once it has been assigned. I would suggest that the old "deadline" would just become superceded by a newly calculated deadline based on the new pool (as it's calculated from the dictation time, the effective deadline would be the same as if it was assigned that pool initially - and turn-around time is met accordingly).

I think we have two different scenarios here: Scenario A, where a Speaker runs the Delegate server, and scenario B, where a transcription service runs the Delegate server. You obviously fall into scenario B, and would like as much control over deadlines as possible, but in scenario A, the Speaker would obviously benefit from having deadline control integrated into Express Dictate. We need to support both scenarios, and some more thought will have to go into how to do that.

One last request, specific to ES, is to have more flexibility in the naming of files when using templating. Our clients request our files to be saved in a specific naming format. In order to fully utilize the new Express Delegate system - it would be great if we could have the same flexibility in naming the document much in the same way we can name dictation files in Express Dictate (ie. file name format in Express Dictate - %userid%-%filenumber% %filename% by %username% for example). I can provide further details on what type of fields I would like to be able to include, if this is something you will consider implementing.

Sounds like a good idea. I've added this as a feature suggestion for a future version of Scribe.

In Express Delegate there is a configuration screen already for e-mail. I had originally thought this was to send notifications of completed work (or status updates) ... but from your reply, I may have jumped the gun. An idea, if not already in the works, would be to check boxes on a user's screen to optionally receive notifications of completed work.

Notifications like those are definitely something we've been thinking about for Delegate.

Almost forgot to answer your question regarding the uploading of corrected documents. The scenario we specifically face is usually that a portion of the dictation is unclear (due to background noise, muffling, etc) and we mark the unsure transcribed text with ? ... example:

 

? the quick brown fix jumped over the fence ?

 

Silly example, but we then send the document as such and also comment in the email informing the client to check that document and feedback with what the correct text should be. We then correct the document and resend it. In Delegate, a feature to upload a corrected document is a must for us because we do medical transcription - and if the information remains incorrect there could be legal issues we face.

Thanks for clarifying that. And thanks again for all your feedback.

Changes in Express Dictate v 5.05 for Windows:

• Fixed: Dictations weren't being redisplayed in the main dictation list after the "No audio data found" error stopped a send to an Express Delegate recipient.
  
• Fixed: Fourth line of address in User tab of Options dialog wasn't being saved.
  
• Fixed: Uninstaller was crashing when clicking Next with the "I do not want to uninstall" radio button selected.
  
• Changed: Improved "FTP Connection Test Results" dialog.
  

Changes in Express Scribe v 4.28 for Windows:

• Fixed: Sender's name wasn't being displayed for dictations downloaded from Express Delegate.
  
• Fixed: Menu items and toolbar buttons weren't being disabled when no dictations were selected.
  
• Fixed: Scribe no longer offers to delete local copies of dictations if they have been deleted from Express Delegate and are in the local Done folder.
  
• Changed: Forward and Done actions are no longer available for dictations downloaded from Express Delegate.
  
• Changed: White-space between XML tags and notes for dictations downloaded from Express Delegate.
  

Where does one set the "deadline"?

Currently the only way of setting the deadline is via Delegate's web control panel, on the "Create New Dictation" or "Edit Dictation Details" pages. We plan to have a way to set the deadline in Express Dictate in a future version.

I want all new incoming dictations to be flagged with a default deadline based on certain criteria. As an example, Client A has a paid turn-around time of 24h with "High" priority dictations receiving a 12h turn-around time. Client B has a paid turn-around time of 48h with "High" priority cases having a 12h turn-around time. Is this possible in the current version?

No, this is not possible is the current version.

There doesn't seem to be a way to reset a user's password

You can use the "Forgot your password?" link on the web control panel "Login" page to reset the password for that user and have the new password emailed to them.

It would also be nice to see the "pools" that a user is part of on the "view" screen (specifically typists) so managers can verify that a typist is setup correctly for all of the pools rather than having to look at multiple pools to accomplish the same task (time saver).

Good idea.

Also, it doesn't seem like the current system will handle "amendments" or "corrections" easily. For example, say Client A sends a dictation for transcribing and it is later reported back that there is an error. There doesn't seem to be a way that the typist can "re-upload" a corrected document to the server ...

True. Would the speaker have to report back the mistake to get it fixed, or do typists discover mistakes without being told?

Lastly, where does one set the "purge" policy for dictations - ie. we want to keep up to 30 days of finished work on the server and then purge to conserve space and make information more legible

If the speaker is using Express Dictate, if / when they delete the dictation from "Work Progress" or "Recover Sent Dictations" dialogs then the dictation is also deleted from the Delegate server.

Delegate currently doesn't keep track of whether or not the transcript has been downloaded by the speaker, so if dictations are automatically purged then there's a danger that a transcript will be deleted before it's been downloaded. Perhaps if some system of warnings (emails?) was put in place then this would be less of a problem.

after 30 days the list would be LONG and the page might take some time to load - in order to keep it fast it should either limit the number displayed with arrows to move back and forth between "pages" or provide a search ability.

Good point.

As I use the product more I might have more questions or suggestions - but it is definitely one great upgrade from the old version! Great work!

Thanks for all the feedback.

Is it possible to link in some of the dictation information into Word using fields? For example, instead of the transcriptionists having to type in the dictator's name in a field, can this be populated automatically somehow?

It is possible to set-up system-wide hot-keys for copying some dictation details (current playback position, sender name, sender email, etc.) to the clipboard, but I couldn't get them all to work in v4.27. A bug maybe?

Is there a way to upload the transcribed document to the new Express Delegate via a "Send" button in v4.27?

Selecting Dispatch from the menu, or the tool-bar button with the "Send the typed work and mark the file as done" tool-tip, will upload the transcript to the Express Delegate server if the dictation was downloaded from Delegate. You'll get a dialog asking if you want to upload the notes or an attachment. If you've been typing in Word then your transcript should be in the dictation attachments.

Express Delegate v 4.00 for Windows has just been released.

Express Delegate is dictation file and workflow management software, designed to integrate closely with other NCH Software dictation applications such as Express Dictate and Express Scribe. For more information, and a download link, please visit http://www.nch.com.au/delegate.

v 4.00 is complete rewrite, from the ground up. If you have an earlier version installed, please uninstall it before installing v 4.00.

Changes in v 5.04:

• Added: Express Delegate support.
  
• Added: Show an error message and abort when attempting to send or export a dictation that has an audio duration of zero.
  
• Added: When enabling encryption for a recipient, the encryption key must now be typed twice.
  
• Fixed: "Save As" can no longer save a dictation with an invalid file extension.
  
• Fixed: "Save As" was saving DCT as encrypted if the last recipient the dictation had been sent to was configured to use encryption.
  
• Fixed: Licence class check for enabling encryption.
  
• Fixed: DCT and WAV file formats no longer share the same custom codec settings.
  
• Fixed: Dictation duration is now updated if the application quits while a recording is in progress.
  
• Fixed: When clicking the "Cancel" button during sending of multiple dictations, subsequent dictations are no longer sent.
  
• Fixed: Dictations are no longer copied to the mirror / backup folder if the send failed.
  
• Fixed: Focus no longer shifts to the Fast-Forward / Rewind buttons when the equivalent foot-pedal button is pressed.
  
• Fixed: "Transfer from Portable Dictaphone" dialog's recording duration display now updates at the speed set in the "High Speed Transfer" option.
  
• Fixed: The Help buttons on the Hot-Keys tab of the Options dialog and the "Add New Hot-Key" / "Change Hot-Key Command" dialog weren't working.
  
• Fixed: The "Purchase License Online" link on the "Register" dialog was opening the web page twice.
  
• Fixed: List column widths (main window, recover dialog) weren't being restored on application restart.
  
• Fixed: The "View / Customize Main ToolBar / Send" menu item wasn't working.
  
• Fixed: The default height of the Notes text box was too small.
  
• Changed: Improved layout of options dialog tab pages.
  
• Changed: Characters typed into the FTP password field on the Recipient page of the "Send to Typist Recipient Properties" dialog are now hidden.
  

I have received a .cda to transcribe via e-mail. I could not load it from the desktop.

 

I read a post that said you need to "load from CD" So I put it on a CD using Nero and chose data format - still could not load.

 

I then loaded it on a CD using music format through Nero - I still could not load it. In both instances it shows but the load button is not available.

 

Any ideas on how I can make this work?

Can you play the CD in an audio CD player? If so, make sure you're using Scribe's "Load Audio CD Tracks" function, not one of the file load methods.

Also, have a read of this short Wikipedia article: Compact Disc Audio track

Make sure the file you received was larger than the 44 bytes mentioned in the article.

Are there modules I can buy/download that will convert Express Dictate audio files to text?

Express Scribe can do it. Install it, open the help, and have a read of "Options ~ Speech to Text" for instructions.

Changes in v 4.27:

• Added: Express Delegate support.
  
• Fixed: Pressing FF/REW global hot-keys would bring Scribe window to top.
  
• Fixed: Focus no longer shifts to the FF/REW buttons when the equivalent foot-pedal button or hot-key is pressed.
  
• Fixed: "Load Audio CD Track(s)" dialog would only ever load the first track from the first drive.
  
• Fixed: "Foot Pedal Control Setup Wizard" wasn't showing an error message if the port/device could not be opened.
  
• Fixed: "Foot Pedal Control Setup Wizard" Cancel button wasn't working.
  
• Fixed: "Save As" can no longer save a dictation with an invalid file extension.
  
• Fixed: List view column widths (main window, load dialog, recover dialog) weren't being restored on application restart.
  
• Fixed: "Load Dictation File(s)" dialog now adds to the recently used folder list when you load a dictation.
  
• Fixed: "Load Dictation File(s)" dialog no longer closes without doing anything if you double-click on an empty area in the file list.
  
• Changed: "Go to Bookmark" system-wide hot-key changed to "Open Bookmark List".
  
• Changed: No longer require Real Audio DLL to load *.au files.
  
• Changed: Updated welcome message recording.
  
• Changed: Renamed "Load Now" to "Sync".
  

The typist can't send the dictation file back to me via ftp, is that right?

Unfortunately that is correct, but please stay tuned for an announcement about a new version of Express Delegate in the near future, as it's expected to offer something similar to what you're looking for.

I support a medical clinic that has numerous doctors using the DS-4000 Dictation module. 4.10.3 is the current version. Their module download the voice file into a .DSS file, encrypts it per HIPPA requirements, and emails the file to the office mail server.

 

The transcriptionist uses her DS-4000 Transcription module to make a POP3 mail connection to the office server and download the .DSS file. Her DS-4000 Dictation module has the encryption key I entered at installation time. It decrypts the .DSS file and loads it into the DSS player.

 

Q: how does an Express Scribe user handle the decryption?

Express Scribe only decrypts DCT files that have been encrypted by Express Dictate. ie.:

If the dictation has been encrypted using a third-party application then the sequence would be:

(assuming the typist doesn't have access to the 3rd-party decryption software but you still want a secure transmission from the dictator to the typist).

I presently use DQS for my MT work, but need to do from free lance from CD--can I use Windows Media Player to play CD and use Express for software?

Express Scribe can load and play tracks directly from standard audio CD's so you wouldn't need to use Media Player.

Unfortunately Express Scribe v4.23 has a bug in it's CD loading dialog, but any other version should work fine.

Are you sure you are thinking about the same software? Mine is All in One, an early version, apparently, though it gives no number.

Sorry, I'm not familiar with "All in One".

Try changing the Data Folder to the network drive location:

I would recommend against that. The incoming directory and the working directory should be different folders, and the working directory should not be located on a network drive.