DSS Files Mac OS X

[Dianebh]

I have tried unsuccessfully to to find a program that will open dss files in Express Scribe. Olympus does not appear to support the Mac. I cannot find the original version in Olympus that says it is mac compatible. Any help will be appreciated. This is costing me as I cannot transcribe the dss files. Thanks Diane in Tucson

[oneMoneI]

I have tried unsuccessfully to to find a program that will open dss files in Express Scribe.  Olympus does not appear to support the Mac.  I cannot find the original version in Olympus that says it is mac compatible.  Any help will be appreciated. This is costing me as I cannot transcribe the dss files.  Thanks  Diane in Tucson

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I'm having the same problem. I know I have transcribed dss files with Xpress scribe, but it must have been with a PC. I think I'll go back to it.

marilyn Vancouver BC

[nchtj]

unfortunately Olympus do not allow third parties to use their dss format on a Mac, they only allow you to use their own software.

 

feel free to hassle them about it, we would very much like to support it since so many people are wanting it.

[desp]

Is there a problem with the software available at http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/...d=1153&os=m?

[nchtj]

thats player software, its not converter software, its of no use to anyone here.

[Switchme82]

Is there a problem with the software available at http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/...d=1153&os=m?

 

 

Hello I have a question on you!

I've tried your link to the olympus software site. Downloaded first the link "DSS Player Lite Software for Mac OS X" - installed it - then i downloaded the updates and wanted to install one after the other didn-'t work. Second didn't work too. The message was by both updates: Cant find DSS Player on your computer!

What can I do?

 

Can you help me?

[tlmurray23]

If the goal is to get from DSS into anything else, you can use a combination of the Olympus player software and Audio Hijack Pro (rogueamoeba.com), which can capture the audio stream from any source and funnel it back into a number of other formats. You have to wait for the DSS file to play all the way, but in the end, you would have (for example) an MP3 file. (Audio HJ does do m4a, but sadly, Express Scribe does not.)

[powerseed]

iMac G5, OS 10.4.7

Olympus DM-20

DSS Player 6.0.4

 

Mac users: Be advised that the current version of the Olympus DSS Player software is extremely buggy, unreliable and poorly documented. So much for Olympus touting the "Mac Compatibility" of their software--very unprofessional!

 

Assuming you have been able to follow the vendor's tortuous DSS software upgrade path to v. 6.0.4, here are some tips that may be of assistance:

 

Re error message "Can't load DSS Player" the bug is that the program can't allocate memory to load! The work around suggested by escalated Olympus tech staff (who blamed the problem on Apple) was to first open GarageBand and then quit the program. This apparently allocates memory that DSS Player can access. Now start DSS Player and it does open...for me at least;-)

 

For those who must transcribe dss file content to a Mac using Express Scribe, you might try to convert your dss files to aif's and then to mp3's. It's a bit convoluted but it might work for you (and faster than having to capture an audio stream as in Hijack or Audacity). Be advised that I am a novice at this stuff so there may be a much better way, in which case, I'm all ears:)

 

My DSS Player MP3 Conversion Procedures:

 

Download AIF files

• Set DSS Player prefs to auto download and create both dss and aif files when the recorder is placed in its USB cradle.
  
• Go to DSS player folder in your computer downloads folder; sequentially open the DM-20's folders containing files, and...
  
• Sort by type to group the dss and aif files
  
• Create new folder; select and move all aif files into it
  

Convert to MP3

• Open iTunes with refs set to not save an aif copy to music folder (but will save the mp3 version)
  
• With OPTION key held, under Advanced on menu bar select "Convert to MP3"; then select aif folder from ensuing dialog; files will then be converted en masse and the mp3 versions will appear in the i-tunes music library. These can be pulled to the desktop for transcription (haven't tried this, but the Mac version of Scribe say it handles mp3's).
  

To Burn MP3 disk

• Select converted MP3 files
  
• Make playlist
  
• Select "Burn mp3 disk; insert blank disk
  
• viola!
  

My current frustration is with the music player side of the Olympus DM-20 recorder/player. Olympus has an extended section in their doc describing how to transfer music/etc files to the Recorder using the Win version of WMP which recognizes the recorder as a removable disc and allows drag and drop transfers. There is no doc on uploading to Macs other than the enigmatic statement "Please use your favorite application software according to your use". The WMP for Mac has none of the above capabilities and appears to be a just a player. I see no way to use it to upload files to the Mac.

 

I wanted to upload mp3 files of Italian language lessons but the DSS Player software will not recognize iTunes or Audacity created MP3 files (grayed out). When I have been able to trick it into uploading one of these files, it loads about 30% then chokes and freezes and even Force Quit won't shut down the DSS Player...necessitating a hard button hold shut down. The Olympus tech person said these MP3 file types have proprietary header coding that prevents the dss player from accessing the file. I thought an MP3 was an MP3. Any work-arounds out there?

[bmoctta]

That sounds like alot of trouble - but I hate to say I'm willing to try it. I'm curious though, if you can use ANY olympus player that will transfer to a PC with the mac software? For example, if I wanted to purchase the VN3100PC, I assume I could use the DS-2 software and it would work just fine (aside from the above problems)? Otherwise it seems I'm limited to using an ipod with a recorder, which 5th gen quality sounds great - but battery life is horrible while recording.

 

BTW - I've not actually purchased either the ipod w/recorder or the olympus, so anyone who may have used both, it would be great to hear your opinions... especially with the DSS software irritations.

[mansky]

The DSS Player 6.0.5(E) also will convert the dss file on upload to the Mac the recording to aiff codec. The DSS Player is however not very scriptable in AppleScript. Also, the conversion to aiff only works on upload with the recorder attached to the machine. If you email, or otherwise, transfer the dss file to a second machine and try importing only the dss, you can't convert it to aiff within the DSS Player even using GUI Scripting.

 

Another solution to the problem of converting dss files to other formats on the Mac is to use WireTap which is a nice shareware utility.

 

Again, you'll have to play the dss file all the way thru, while WireTape records a copy in aiff format. From there you can use QuickTime Pro (about $30 from Apple) to convert to wav if you want.

 

iTunes will import just fine aiff or wav formats. As for mp3, to include mp3 conversion utilities in third-party apps, the software company producing the app has to pay a license fee to the originators of mp3. Some apps have paid the fee and hence include the functionality, others have not. Hence the uneven nature of mp3 conversion. Here's a link to some history on the mp3 codec.

 

 

Ed