Format Conversion (MP3 to text)

[Glenn H]

Can anyone recommend a basic, reliable Mp3 to text application???

[HarryT]

"Dragon Dictate" can certainly do it, but it's not cheap.

https://shop.nuance.co.uk/store/nuan...hoCdB0QAvD_BwE

As a Dragon user for more than 15 years now, I'd say it's DEFINITELY worth ever penny. The speech recognition keeps getting better and better, and as the effects of My CP continue to increase their toll on my typing, Dragon is my go to software. Its learning ability is even good enough to master my Kiwi-accented pronunciation of Hindi and Panjabi names. Dragon is the reason I gave up running dualboot systems several years ago, when I realised there was nothing in the Linux world that even came close. There still isn't sadly.

So if you're recording your own voice for later transcription, I'd say you can't go past Dragon. It's basically the only game in town, and it got there by crushing the opposition qualitatively.

[HarryT]

Thanks for that, Stuart. I'd heard that it was very good, but I've never seen it in action. Hopefully your recommendation will be of use to the original poster.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by HarryT

"Dragon Dictate" can certainly do it, but it's not cheap.

https://shop.nuance.co.uk/store/nuan...hoCdB0QAvD_BwE

if you are dictating, the built in google features of an android phone do it (voice to text)very well for free.
my wife dictates almost all of her emails into her phone, and she amazingly figured out how to do it without asking me ( in fact am clueless as to the precise mechanics ). I know she is doing it when I overhear " comma", "fullstop" etc, which google converts to appropriate punctuation [fulllstop]

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by stumped

if you are dictating, the built in google features of an android phone do it (voice to text)very well for free.
my wife dictates almost all of her emails into her phone, and she amazingly figured out how to do it without asking me ( in fact am clueless as to the precise mechanics ). I know she is doing it when I overhear " comma", "fullstop" etc, which google converts to appropriate punctuation [fulllstop]

The same is true on an iPhone, but I get the impression that the OP wants to convert MP3 files (audiobooks, perhaps?).

[stumped]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The same is true on an iPhone, but I get the impression that the OP wants to convert MP3 files (audiobooks, perhaps?).

i think you are correct, but as you mentioned dragon dictate...
[ which is probably misnamed and probably does far more than just dictation? well it ought to, given its price and given how good the free iphone / android options are nowadays.
I recall looking at Dragon for windows a while back and it had a scary price, draconian + frustrating copy protection and mixed reviews [ those last 2 tend to correlate ]. i was off put enough not to bother - it appearsed to be not easy to get it to play nice with MS office, also, which would have been the intended use

Originally Posted by stumped

[ those last 2 tend to correlate ]. i was off put enough not to bother - it appeared to be not easy to get it to play nice with MS office, also, which would have been the intended use

That's odd. I've never used Dragon Dictate, as such, but Dragon Naturally Speaking's integration with MS Office was seamless, back when I still used MSO. It works just as well with LibreOffice now. I'm also not sure what the "frustrating copy protection" you refer to is, either. Dragon will import from mp3 (the OP's original query) or wav. Its inbuilt text editor is RTF, hardly frustrating copy protection. The RTF files I generate in Dragon (normally by direct dictation, occasionally by transcription from a recorded source)
, I always open in other word-processing apps for final formatting and proofing - LibreOffice and GoogleDocs have no problem opening them.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by stuartjmz

That's odd. I've never used Dragon Dictate, as such, but Dragon Naturally Speaking's integration with MS Office was seamless, back when I still used MSO. It works just as well with LibreOffice now. I'm also not sure what the "frustrating copy protection" you refer to is, either. Dragon will import from mp3 (the OP's original query) or wav. Its inbuilt text editor is RTF, hardly frustrating copy protection. The RTF files I generate in Dragon (normally by direct dictation, occasionally by transcription from a recorded source)
, I always open in other word-processing apps for final formatting and proofing - LibreOffice and GoogleDocs have no problem opening them.

I have a wonk shoulder (left side) which is my non-dominant, and thus, mousing, arm. Around 3 each day or so, it simply gives up the ghost. I've been using Dragon natSpeak for ages, and it works QUITE well. I don't have issues with it and Office, TBH. I have more issues with it and other apps, like Skype (which yes, is now a MS product) TMs/chats.

I don't know bupkus about DDictate, but the NatSpeaking app is a godsend. And, yes, I love Google's Voice-rec tech, too. Just because I loathe trying to text, lol. (What's that guy in that movie say, "Machete don't text?" Yup, that's me, lol.)

Hitch

[stumped]

"frustrating copy protection": what I read at the time were reports of people struggling to jump through various hoops to activate the naturally Speaking product, despite buying it legitimately. it's been a while so I don't recall all the details* google has a great memory though!
maybe it used a dongle or some such, or had very limited activation for people with 2 or more PCs. what I do recall is that -ve reviews dissuaded me from buying. This was 3 - 4 years ago. maybe it's different now. Possibly the office integration was an issue with only some versions of office. We still use 2007, I never never seen the need to get a more recent version, and the modern idea of paying an annual subscription instead of owning some installation CDs does NOT appeal.

* but I never tried it personally. When i buy software i expect it to run on all of my equipment, not just one chosen box. Apart from anti virus, I will not knowingly buy a licence that restricts use to one device

I also have a dodgy shoulder/mouse hand but I have noisy budgies and lovebirds who would love to help with a dictation program