Damian Lettie

If you're using iTunes, you could burn the track to a CD then re-rip it, which should give you a DRM-free AAC or MP3.

When you configure a USB controller, Scribe remembers which USB port it was plugged into. If you switch to a different port then you'll need to run the wizard again. (I think versions up to and including v4.35 were a bit more forgiving.)

In Options -> Sending, click "New recipient..." or "Properties..." to show the "Send to Typist Recipient Properties" dialog. Assuming you aren't using the Express Delegate send method, on the File tab you can change the "File name format" setting. After registration, each copy would have a different value for the %userid% variable. You're getting the same file names from different users because all users have the ID of zero until they register.

Please check the support terms again, as I think your support contract would have expired after a month or a year, depending on the level of support that you purchased.

The information above is quite old - Express Scribe has supported M4A format for a while now, so you should be able to load the file without converting it. Having said that, you will have problems if the file is DRM protected.

If you try to load several files, Express Scribe won't start loading (or even show) the next file until the previous ones have finished. What does it say on the status bar? Is there a progress bar on the status bar? Things that increase the loading time include audio processing (Options -> Incoming -> "Perform special process") and speech recognition (Options -> "Speech to Text" -> "Enable speech recognition").

Do you plug the pedals directly into a USB port on the computer, or through a USB hub or extension? Do you leave your pedals plugged in all the time? Seems this issue wasn't fixed in v5.00 like I thought it was. As mentioned in the v5.00 release notes: "NOTE: Cached playback positions will be reset if upgrading from an earlier version." This is probably overkill, but you could try Windows XP Mode? Could you post your computer specifications? (CPU, RAM, etc.) Also, are you using the default setting for Options -> "Disk Usage" -> "Data Folder"?

There are several foot-pedals listed on the NCH and AltoEdge sites. Could you be more specific? Do you mean that the device doesn't appear in Windows' Device Manager?

DCT files aside (because they contain extra meta-data), when a file is loaded into Express Dictate, it will use the file name as the dictation name.

In the Express Delegate v4.04 help, it says: Express Dictate: Professional Dictation Recorder Version 5.04 or greater is required. Version 5.09 or greater is recommended. Express Scribe: Transcription Playback Software Version 4.27 or greater is required. So you do meet the minimum requirements. Express Dictate v5.09 or greater is recommended because of the improvements to sound quality, but v5.04 is still compatible.

I don't know enough about Express Delegate v3 to comment on that, but it sounds like the problem happened earlier in the chain anyway. What do you mean by "how would Express Dictate know there are two voice file numbers missing"? Are you referring to the dictation names? In that case, aren't those names just taken from the file names created by the recorder and / or the software you're using to transfer the files off the recorder?

Changes in Express Scribe v 5.00 for Windows: NOTE: VEC Infinity IN-USB-1 and IN-USB-2 foot pedal controllers must be reconfigured if upgrading from an earlier version. NOTE: Cached playback positions will be reset if upgrading from an earlier version. Added: Can now view video files. Fixed: Controller button / pedal presses or releases were sometimes being ignored. Fixed: Configuration of "Generic serial controller" wasn't being restored when the application was closed and run again. Fixed: Couldn't install from a standard (ie. non-admin) user account. Fixed: Syncing from an incoming source with receive method "File Copy" wasn't checking for all enabled file types. Fixed: Sorting on the duration column of the dictation list wasn't working correctly when the number of digits differed. Fixed: Channels window values are no longer ignored when restarting playback while the application window is minimised. Fixed: "Delete old 'done' files after number of days" option now deletes all files for a dictation at the same time. Fixed: Column labels for XML data columns in the dictation list can no longer be blank. Fixed: No longer allow non-numeric input in the user ID field of the "User Encryption Key" dialog. Fixed: No longer allow rename dictation short-cut key (F2) when more than one dictation is selected. Changed: "Recover Old Dictation(s)" dialog now uses a dedicated window for playback. Changed: Controller detection no longer tries to distinguish between VEC Infinity IN-USB-1 and IN-USB-2 foot pedals. Changed: Now using a progress bar in the status bar, instead of text. Removed: No longer automatically delete dictations that have zero duration.

Please give more information. What version of Express Scribe have you got? What foot pedals? Are you having trouble configuring the pedals, or using them?

No, they're always there.

There's a known issue with automatic incoming in Express Scribe v4.37, and a fix will be in the next release.

The name in the Sender column says Dock when the recording has been docked from a portable recorder. In this case, Scribe has no way of knowing who originally recorded that dictation. The Sender column is more useful when a DCT file is received from Express Dictate, Web Dictate, Dial Dictate, or MSRS. Express Delegate can do that.

Try clicking the transport control buttons (Play, Rewind, Fast Forward) along the bottom edge of the main window. Do they work as you expect? When you click the buttons, you'll notice they change visible state (eg. changing colour). Do they behave the same when you press the pedals as when you click them with the mouse?

Try the Control -> "Play Real Speed" menu item. Does that sound OK? If so, double-check that the fast-forward or rewind buttons aren't lighting up when you press the play pedal.

According to Microsoft's knowledge base, this problem is caused by a Vista DLL being installed in XP.

Turn off Options -> "System-Wide Hot-Keys..." -> "Enable system-wide hot-keys". Or right-click on the Express Scribe notification area icon (AKA: the "tray icon") and select "Disable system-wide hot-keys".

See the release notes for v4.35 for details of how to change file associations in Windows.

View -> "Float Main Window Above Other Windows"

There's no way of disabling the splash screen, if that's what you mean.

That path isn't too long, but those Chinese characters will cause problems.

Does it sometimes miss pedal presses too, or just pedal releases? What type of pedal are you using? Can you post your PC specs? (OS, CPU, RAM, etc.)