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Dear All:
I need your advice. I leave Dragon 9.5 open on my desktop with the microphone off. Every so often (often overnight) I'll go to click the microphone back on and I get the following message:
"The speech engine was unable to turn on the microphone or audio input device"
Closing Dragon and then re-opening it doesn't help.
The only way I can get it working again is to turn the computer off and re-start it again. After that everything works OK. It used to happen occasionally with DNS 9. It seems to be happening more in DNS 9.5
Any suggestions on how to deal with this annoying problem? I'm using DNS 9.5 Medical on an HP 1940 with 1 GB of RAM, Windows XP
Thanks!!
canadoc: Dear All: I need your advice. I leave Dragon 9.5 open on my desktop with the microphone off. Every so often (often overnight) I'll go to click the microphone back on and I get the following message: "The speech engine was unable to turn on the microphone or audio input device"
There is always some solice in knowing you are not alone.
email:
Are you using a USB microphone? And if so, by any chance are you removing the connection? This would be one reason for this happening.
Are you using any other audio programs or are you running Skype for example? If so, these would take over the audio device and not give it back.
Martin
>>I leave Dragon 9.5 open on my desktop with the microphone off. Every so often (often overnight) I'll go to click the microphone back on <<
Are you hibernating or putting your desktop on standby?
Chris Wilkerson, D.C. Carson Doctors Group TabletPCs in Medicine Editor-in-Chief www.MedicalTabletPC.com Home: www.Digital-Doc.com
I am using one of Martin's excellent Sennheiser MD431 II with an Andrea sound pod connected to the USB port that is desk mounted. I always dictate at the same computer. I was just turning the microphone off, not hibernating etc.. No other audio programs are running that I know of. Again to be accurate it happens intermittently.
Thanks again for the advice!
Do you have your Andrea USB pod connected to a rear USB port on your computer? If so, you might consider switching rear ports because USB ports come in 2 channels and channel A. is often stronger than channel B. Think of it as being right-handed and left-handed.
If you're using a front or side USB port or USB hub, we recommend discontinuing that practice immediately. Only rear USB desktop computer ports should be used with speech recognition software.
Lunis Orcutt - Nuance Dragon Medical Gold Certified BBB Accredited Speech Recognition/Microphone Solutions Provider
canadoc:I am using one of Martin's excellent Sennheiser MD431 II with an Andrea sound pod connected to the USB port that is desk mounted. I always dictate at the same computer. I was just turning the microphone off, not hibernating etc.. No other audio programs are running that I know of. Again to be accurate it happens intermittently.
When you originally said you were turning the microphone off, I assumed you meant you were turning off the microphone in Dragon (going from upright green to horizontal red)? It now appears you are just turning off the Sennheiser MD431II using the On/mute switch? Leaving the Dragon microphone on, even with the switch on the physical microphone off, is not a good idea for prolonged periods. Dragon is always listening its microphone is active and can disconnect its connection to the audio input device over time. Just turn Dragon's microphone off when walking away from the computer and you should not experience the problem any longer.
I get the same message, and usually profanity ensues as I have to restart the computer to get it working again, have to run to a different patient while I juggle the restart and getting the programs back up. Sometimes won't do it for weeks, then like 3 times per day. Yes, it's a USB Andrea soundpod also that I have my mic hooked up it. It's like it shorts out or something. I can move wrong and it does it but can't repoduce the error when I want to. I'd love an answer to this because it's leading to workplace machine violence some days.
ktoms:Yes, it's a USB Andrea soundpod also that I have my mic hooked up it. It's like it shorts out or something. I can move wrong and it does it but can't repoduce the error when I want to.
As mentioned in the previous message the most likely cause is that you are not turning off the microphone in Dragon NaturallySpeaking. This is the microphone on the far left of the Dragon bar and in the system tray to the left of the clock in the taskbar. When you walk away from the computer the microphone icon should be lying horizontally and be colored red. When you click on it to turn it back on and will turn green.
Is it possible you are not turning off the microphone in Dragon?
So I turn off the microphone with the plus key on the number pad. I'm dictating one chart, in the middle of the dictating, and a nurse asks me a question. I hit the plus key to answer the question and hit the plus key again to continue my dictation, something I do about 100 times per day. But everyone once in a while I hit the plus key in the same exact scenario and I get the little "unable to turn on microphone" message. I haven't done anything different, standing in the same place, talking about the same persion, in the same program. It just quits. A restart is then required. So, no. I has nothing to do with turning off the microphone.
Other times I have finished one chart, hit the plus key to turn off the microphone. Come back from the exam room and hit the plus key again to start dictating and get the little message, then restart, etc. Happens on both the computer in my cubby, and in the computer in my office, both of which use USB Andrea sound cards and Seinhauser microphones. It is intermittent, but when it happens, it really destroys my productivity and my abillity to go home to my children on time.
>>I hit the plus key to answer the question and hit the plus key again to continue my dictation, something I do about 100 times per day.<<
It may be time for a new keyboard and or choice of different keys or methods of turning the mic off and on. I have had similar, "Once in a while," problems when using the same key to turn software on and off. The circuit may no longer be perfect. Very frustrating. Good luck.
"When you originally said you were turning the microphone off, I assumed you meant you were turning off the microphone in Dragon (going from upright green to horizontal red)?"
This is what I was doing. I always leave the Senns. microphone switch in the on position.
Thanks
ktoms:So I turn off the microphone with the plus key on the number pad. I'm dictating one chart, in the middle of the dictating, and a nurse asks me a question. I hit the plus key to answer the question and hit the plus key again to continue my dictation, something I do about 100 times per day. But everyone once in a while I hit the plus key in the same exact scenario and I get the little "unable to turn on microphone" message. I haven't done anything different, standing in the same place, talking about the same persion, in the same program. It just quits. A restart is then required. So, no. I has nothing to do with turning off the microphone.
In the hustle, bustle of a business day, I hit the plus key thinking the microphone was turned off. I continue talking to someone else. On occasion, I either think I have hit the plus key to turn the microphone off or have accidentally hit another key. This moves the focus to a window that does not have a text box. The microphone continues to listen and fill up the speech buffer. The next thing I know the microphone is not responding. Usually, I just hit the plus key one time, and within a minute or two the microphone can be used again.
I understand this is frustrating. It is just a matter of workflow. The microphone and sound card are just pure audio input devices. They do not control the computer and have nothing to do with control of the computer. Only the software and the human being issuing commands to the computer are able to control the computer.
This is not a buffer issue. This is not a computer hang issue. This computer is responding very briskly like always. This is a Dragon-can-no-longer-see-my-microphone issue. I think it does probably come down to using the USB sound card, and I think after this discussion, I'm going to plug directly into the sound card instead of using the USB sound card, because I'm beginnging to suspect it has to do with the USB sound card suddenly no longer being recognized, even though it is present in the Device Manager.
Next time it happens, I'll try and get a screen shot for you.
Update: I've got a screen shot, but can't figure out how to upload an image to the forum. Oops.
ktoms:This is not a buffer issue. This is not a computer hang issue. This computer is responding very briskly like always. This is a Dragon-can-no-longer-see-my-microphone issue.
I think it does probably come down to using the USB sound card, and I think after this discussion, I'm going to plug directly into the sound card instead of using the USB sound card, because I'm beginnging to suspect it has to do with the USB sound card suddenly no longer being recognized, even though it is present in the Device Manager.