Digital Recording For Transcription
There are many types of recording systems that suits dictation to conference recording. If you have a mechanism of digital recording, it will record an array of different file types. If you are still planning which digital recording mechanism to buy then you have a chance to consider the types of file it will create before you purchase.
The different types of file their have advantages and disadvantages for transcription work, and is a trade-off between file size and quality.Initially you and your transcriptionist may wish to have the best quality but many formats have little quality loss but the files are much smaller. No sound file is small, but for transcription to email a 2MB file is possible. Service providers do not allow a 50MB file through, and if they do it takes long hours to download, and will block your transcriptionist's and you emails. Transcriptionists are using a system instead of email through which you can directly upload files to their website or send files by using a programme of file transfer. However, here also there are limitations on file sizes.
Also know that depending on the software of playback utilized for transcription, your transcriptionist can play back only certain types of file. Some cover all types of digital file and others are more limited, so first, it should be checked.The 'right' type of file for you and your transcriptionist will depend on purpose of your recording. In case of a dictation, a low quality of sound will offer a clear recording for a digital transcription.If you are recording a group, where many people are at various distances from the recorder and speaking at different pitches and levels, you will require a higher sound quality to manage this.
The recording device can allow to set different attributes for the same type of file. This makes a huge difference to the quality of sound and file size, and finally the quality of transcription. In some cases, dictation i.e a person speaking into mike, in a silent area, you can afford to loose quality of sound and the recording still can be clear for purpose of transcription. In other cases (groups, noisy places) you need to choose a larger size of file to maintain good sound quality.
The recording device should offer you options based on your requirements. It is always better to make a test recording with the right kind of settings. Play it back, or send it to the transcriptionist to play back, to check if the sound quality is up to required level or not.
Finally, this article is based on my digital transcription knowledge and experience. I cannot guarantee its precision but would like to hear of mistakes and would happily correct them. At the same time if you feel that there is something I have missed out then, please inform me so that I can incorporate it.
An article by Pankaj Mistry
The different types of file their have advantages and disadvantages for transcription work, and is a trade-off between file size and quality.Initially you and your transcriptionist may wish to have the best quality but many formats have little quality loss but the files are much smaller. No sound file is small, but for transcription to email a 2MB file is possible. Service providers do not allow a 50MB file through, and if they do it takes long hours to download, and will block your transcriptionist's and you emails. Transcriptionists are using a system instead of email through which you can directly upload files to their website or send files by using a programme of file transfer. However, here also there are limitations on file sizes.
Also know that depending on the software of playback utilized for transcription, your transcriptionist can play back only certain types of file. Some cover all types of digital file and others are more limited, so first, it should be checked.The 'right' type of file for you and your transcriptionist will depend on purpose of your recording. In case of a dictation, a low quality of sound will offer a clear recording for a digital transcription.If you are recording a group, where many people are at various distances from the recorder and speaking at different pitches and levels, you will require a higher sound quality to manage this.
The recording device can allow to set different attributes for the same type of file. This makes a huge difference to the quality of sound and file size, and finally the quality of transcription. In some cases, dictation i.e a person speaking into mike, in a silent area, you can afford to loose quality of sound and the recording still can be clear for purpose of transcription. In other cases (groups, noisy places) you need to choose a larger size of file to maintain good sound quality.
The recording device should offer you options based on your requirements. It is always better to make a test recording with the right kind of settings. Play it back, or send it to the transcriptionist to play back, to check if the sound quality is up to required level or not.
Finally, this article is based on my digital transcription knowledge and experience. I cannot guarantee its precision but would like to hear of mistakes and would happily correct them. At the same time if you feel that there is something I have missed out then, please inform me so that I can incorporate it.
An article by Pankaj Mistry
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