Most users in the speech recognition community understand that while using a new microphone with transcription software such as Dragon Medical Practice Edition always requires an audio check and some basic training for the software to work properly.  If this is a first time setup or a replacement microphone of the same model (or very similar), the process will work well.  However, most users don’t realize this method is not the proper way to introduce a different brand or model to software that has already been configured with another microphone.  For instance, if you were using Sennhieser DW Pro Wireless and you have now decided to upgrade to a Philips SpeechMike Premium, then the software may be erroneously compensating for deficiencies or just variances in the voice output from the old microphone.  Unexpectedly, you can find you are now experiencing a decline in the accuracy of the transcriptions.

To remedy this, you will need to create a new dictation source within the existing user profile, or create a new profile altogether.  If you chose the latter with Dragon software, remember to export a copy of the old user profile before making any changes.

We recommend you simply replace the dictation source within the existing profile.  This will actually replace your previously configured dictation source, as you can only have one per profile.  To do this, first open Launch Dragon and create a new dictation source following the same steps as before. While doing this keep the microphone plugged into the USB or mic in jack. After this  is complete, you can delete the previous dictation source and open your Dragon User Profile, and check the new microphone over the dictation source.

To know more about configuring a new microphone, you can refer the documentation and files that come with transcription software.  As we always remind our customers, garbage in and garbage out applies to speech recognition software as well!  Always invest in a good quality microphone and take the proper steps to configure it; you will be amazed at the level of accuracy possible with your speech recognition software.