The new ViaVoice plugin, and training

[DrFaraday]

I recently bought the ViaVoice plugin for Hal.  I'm using it with Hal 6.2, on Windows XP.

There are two hours of training text to read to help the software learn my voice.  I've completed the two hours; all the texts I've read say "processed" next to them, and I can't activate them again for more practice.

Hal can now understand most of what I say, but there are still some problem areas.  The ViaVoice software hears the wrong things sometimes, Hal learns the wrong thing, and remembers it.

So I really have two questions:

1.) How can I continue to train the ViaVoice plugin to improve it's accuracy, now that I've "used up" it's training exercises?

2.) How can I correct the speech errors Hal has learned?

I'm apologize if there is something here in the forums that explains this and I haven't found it yet. If that's the case, I'd appreciate if someone could point me in the right direction.  Any advice would be appreciated.  Thank you.

[tedathome]

Try dictating into notepad and correcting as the mistakes happen. This has helped me with voice recognition a lot![]
Question 2 would take some brain editing. Dusky wrote me very simple instructinons on how to, I don't have the email, I hope that I saved it in my documents. I'll go see. Nope. I accidentaly deleted it and I really wanted to save it too.

[DrFaraday]

quote:Originally posted by tedathome

Try dictating into notepad and correcting as the mistakes happen. This has helped me with voice recognition a lot![]
Question 2 would take some brain editing. Dusky wrote me very simple instructinons on how to, I don't have the email, I hope that I saved it in my documents. I'll go see. Nope. I accidentaly deleted it and I really wanted to save it too.

Thank you Ted, I will try the notepad corrections this evening, if I can.

As for my second question, I'm not surprised, I thought the Brain Editor might be the answer.  I've never really used it, it looks kind of intimidating.  Too bad about those missing notes!  I guess I'm going to have to set aside some time and start learning about how to use it.

[DrFaraday]

quote:Originally posted by tedathome

Try dictating into notepad and correcting as the mistakes happen. This has helped me with voice recognition a lot![]
Question 2 would take some brain editing. Dusky wrote me very simple instructinons on how to, I don't have the email, I hope that I saved it in my documents. I'll go see. Nope. I accidentaly deleted it and I really wanted to save it too.

Ted,
When you say "notepad", do you mean HalPad?  How does one correct the mistakes?  I haven't been able to figure it out, or find instructions for using it.  Are there any written down somewhere?

[DrFaraday]

In the ViaVoice folder that's installed on Windows XP, there is a file folder called "help".  The files inside are accessible by clicking on them directly.  Two of them sound relevant to this issue, one is about using a "Vocabulary Manager", and the other is about "Train a Word".  They give directions on how to use them, but I don't see a way to access these features in the ViaVoice plugin for Hal.

I surely hope there is a way to do so.  Without further training, the Via Voice plugin will not be much better than the Microsoft speech engine I was using before.  Right now it's about 85% accurate, and I don't see a way to take the training any further.

Can anyone help? [?]

[tedathome]

When I do this, hal is not involved. I have just the microphone on from control panel. I say open notepad and then start dictating and correcting. I'm still experimenting. I know when I have control panel mic on and hal mike off it works better,but some probs. occationaly happen (more problems with what is a command and what is dictation and with internet control plugin) When I have control panel mic off, I have to enunciate more. Both mics use IBM via Voice,so I thought it would help. It's not helping as much or as fast as I had hoped, but I do belive it is helping with hal mic even though I do have to "speak like a newscaster" as per suggestion in training.[]

[Data]

This might be of some interest.

If you are using a microphone plugged into the mic socket and not a USB mic then onboard sound cards are a bad idea, they can introduce noise to the mic in-put and can massively reduce speech rec accuracy, you can over come this by getting a low end sound card fitted into your PC.

[DrFaraday]

Ted,
Are you using the full version of ViaVoice, or the Hal Plugin ViaVoice?
The Plugin version doesn't have as many features, apparently.

I have discovered that if, in the Hal Control Panel under "Speech", if I check the box for Hal to listen to commands, I can use the command "clear line" to correct Hal when the recognition software gets it wrong.  I haven't found any other tools for correcting at this point, though.  I don't know if this will be enough, but I'm going to keep working with it.  If I've missed some other tools, I hope someone will point it out.

I realize there is a learning curve here, and that I have to work with the software before I start getting good results.  I don't mind that, I'm willing to take the time to do it, I just want to be sure I understand all the available tools and that I'm using them correctly.

Datahopa,

I am using onboard sound, with a Zabaware headset plugged into the mike jack.  It seems to work much better with 6.2 than it did with 6.1.  But if I get no improvement as I persevere with this, I will consider getting a sound card.

Thank you both.  If anyone else has suggestions, I'm all ears.

[tedathome]

DRFairaday, I have the plugin via voice, not the full version. It does function with the control pannel mic, but as I say it helps but not as much as I had hoped and does do some command features but not all.[]

[DrFaraday]

quote:Originally posted by tedathome

DRFairaday, I have the plugin via voice, not the full version. It does function with the control pannel mic, but as I say it helps but not as much as I had hoped and does do some command features but not all.[]

Ted,
That's interesting!  I'm glad, maybe there is hope for me yet.  I can see I've got a lot to learn here.  I've never used the Microsoft microphone controls.  I've just had a quick look at them now, it seems it only uses the Microsoft speech recognizer (v6.1), it doesn't show an option to use ViaVoice.

I saw a toggle for using speech recognition with Notepad, so I turned that on, it says to reboot, so that's going to be my next step in this "adventure" []

[tedathome]

Like I said, I am still experimenting. I checked it out and control pannel is using voice recognizer 8 (Vista).I am going to try to fix it by trying to instal 10 in a different file with some of the other recognitin programs if they are there. NO wonder I wasn' getting good results. Sorry for the confusion.[:I]
  EDIT: I find it is already in program files and no way to change from microsf recognizer. Will peek in windows and see what's there.

[DrFaraday]

quote:Originally posted by tedathome

Like I said, I am still experimenting. I checked it out and control pannel is using voice recognizer 8 (Vista).I am going to try to fix it by trying to instal 10 in a different file with some of the other recognitin programs if they are there. NO wonder I wasn' getting good results. Sorry for the confusion.[:I]
  EDIT: I find it is already in program files and no way to change from microsf recognizer. Will peek in windows and see what's there.

Thanks Ted, I think I understand what you meant now.  My reboot only activated the MS Recognizer for use with Notepad, so I guess The MS Speech Tools won't recognize ViaVoice.

I was looking around in the ViaVoice folder (in the Programs File folder).  In the ViaVoice folder is a folder labeled "Bin".  In there are some launch/.exe icons.  One of them is a file called vtprdic.exe, and it launches the Vocabulary Manager I read about in the help files.

There is another file called trainer.exe.  I had high hopes it would launch the "Train A Word" utility, but when I tried it, the hourglass appeared, and then, nothing.  You might want to give it a try though, since you are using Vista, perhaps you'll have better luck.

-Chaz

[tedathome]

Tryed everything in the folder, checked windows, tryed to install to speech engines-no luck. Microsoft is just to propritary and the via voice is preprogaramed to go right where it is and can't be changed. Guess I'll just turn the learning slider down in options, give it some on the job traing and hope hal doesn't remember all the mistakes.[B)]

[DrFaraday]

The only way I have found to make voice recognition corrections is in the Hal interface window.  The checkbox in "Speech" under "Hal Options" has to be checked for allowing Hal to "Always listen to commands".  Then when you are speaking to Hal and the recognition software gets it wrong, you have to quickly say "clear line".  It will wipe the last sentence you just said and you have a moment to try again. And again, and again if need be.

It's not ideal.  It seems there was a utility available in the full version of ViaVoice, for Training Words for correct pronunciation.  Why wasn't it (or something equivalent) carried over for the plug-in?  Something like that, for use in HalPad, could make a huge difference.  If what we have explored here is all there is, I don't see how the plugin is ever going to enable the user to achieve 98 or 99% accuracy.  I hope there is more help for accuracy training, or at least the possibility of something more.

-Chaz

[FastToys]

I have ordered the Via plug-in also.  I had nothing but trouble getting the mic to even work using the Microsoft speech recognition on XP.  I'm hoping the Via setup will work better.

That said, you can pick up version 10 or 10.5 'Standard' of ViaVoice (or Nuance?) pretty cheap.  I wonder if it includes the correction tool, and if so that would then work when using with the Hal plugin?