Dragon needs to have certain conditions to operate optimally. Here are my 3 “must know” tips for new users.
- The computer
specs for Dragon matter. Dragon needs a minimum of 8 GB of RAM
for functionality. However, this is not optimal. Dragon
uses a lot of RAM. For this reason, many people who use Dragon have 16 GB
of RAM on their computers (myself included).
- For optimal accuracy,
an external mic is recommended. The quality of the microphone really does
matter. For home use, I have a SpeechWare
3- in-1 TableMike. Yes, it was expensive ($279) but worth it. I found
that dictation took less physical effort. So, I was able to work an
additional 2 hours per day which in itself paid for the microphone.
Previously, I had used a Blue
Yeti, but found that microphone was ultrasensitive and was picking up
all kinds of background noise. However, in the future, I plan to use that
microphone for YouTube videos. At work, I’m using a SoundTech
GN-USB-2 microphone. It’s a decent microphone, but it does take
more effort for dictation than my SpeechWare 3-in-1. If you decide to buy
the SoundTech microphone, my recommendation is that you apply black
electrical tape over the red light at the microphone head. I found that
the microphone’s red light was causing me to squint. Some people use
headset microphones instead. I prefer table microphones because I don’t
like any type of equipment clamped to my head.
- Dragon does not like ambient noise. Excessive background noise will confuse Dragon (or any other type of dictation software) and interfere with the accuracy of your dictation. I actually got rid of a computer because its fan was too loud and causing Dragon to have issues. Try to minimize background noise as much as possible. This means not playing music or videos or having a loud fan running while you’re dictating.
Hope you
found this useful. I’ll report on my current Dragon experiment in a few weeks.
