This works for me

Posted by phobus1x9 on September 13, 2004 at 12:56:29

In Reply to: Rerecording from Dictaphone Straight Talk. posted by DD on August 23, 2004 at 20:10:59:

There are two things you need to record onto your hard drive: A patch cord and some recording software.

The patch cord is to get the audio signal from the transcriber to the PC, and you can get one at Radio Shack or any electronics store. It's just a wire with headphone-style plugs at each end. Plug one end into the line-in (not the microphone or speaker) jack on the back of your computer and the other into the transcriber.

For recording software I recommend downloading GoldWave (http://www.goldwave.com). It's a simple sound-editing program with good help files and worth spending an hour or two learning. There is a shareware version that works fine, but it doesn't cost much to register.

When you record, make sure the volume control on the transcriber isn't too high. Double-clicking the speaker icon in your system tray will bring up the Windows Mixer, which is a bunch of different volume controls. Make sure the Line volume is set about halfway or a little over, and that Mute is off.

I don't know if the Straight Talk transcriber uses those goofy two-pronged headphone plugs like the old Dictaphone used. If so, you might have to chop the wire off a Dictaphone headset to make your patch cable. If so, you need to get a plug for the computer end and either solder it yourself or get a friend to do it. Or you can chop the wire off a regular set of headphones (with the small plug), twist the wires together, and tape them. This is less reliable than soldering.

I hope it doesn't sound too complicated. After you get set up and learn the software it's as easy as falling off a log, if a little time-consuming. GoldWave makes audio editing a lot like text editing. One thing you can do with GoldWave is change the speed before you save the sound file, so you can record at maximum speed to save time, then use GoldWave to slow it down.

Follow Ups:

• PS: two more things - phobus1x9 13:01:15 09/13/04 (0)