I checked Sony's web site to see if your recorder Sony ICD-AX412 is compatible with the Apple OS X operating system. The answer was: "There are no files available to download for the selected operating system." That means no compatibility. I had two Sony ICD-MX20 recorders that are not Mac compatible. When I look them up for Mac compatibility, Sony doesn't even mention Mac--only Windows info is shown. I tried what you are doing, but things just didn't function properly with Dragon Dictate3. Some of that is mentioned above in this thread. When I realized that Dragon Naturally Speaking doesn't work on VMware/Windows7, I decided to go with Dragon Dictate3. I was able to get a refund from Nuance that paid for Dragon Dictate3. I did a lot of Internet shopping for Mac compatible recorders and came up with this Sony configuration:
The Sony recorder that I purchased was a Sony ICD-UX523 Digital Flash Voice Recorder. It is available on Amazon right now for $95.77 Sony's website answer for this model is: "This model of voice recorder is compatible with Apple® Macintosh® computers installed with the following operating systems:
Mac OS X v10.2.8 (Jaguar) -*Must be version 10.2.8. Earlier versions of Jaguar are not supported.
Mac OS X v10.3 (Panther)
Mac OS X v10.4 (Tiger)
Mac OS X v10.5 (Leopard)
Mac OS X v10.6.7 (Snow Leopard)
Mac OS X v10.7 (Lion)
Mac OS X v10.8 (Mountain Lion)
Mac OS X v10.9 (Mavericks)
NOTE: The software supplied with the recorder is not compatible with Macintosh computers."
You don't need the incompatible software included in the package with the recorders.
I also purchased a Sony ECM-CS10 Tie-Clip-Style Omnidirectional Business Microphone (available on Amazon for $32.98 right now.) This is an excellent microphone that enables the recorder to shine with Dragon Dictate3. I always select the LPCM (.wav) file format for best results recording speech that will be transcribed to text.
Obviously, your intended use will dictate whether you need to purchase this combination, but I can tell you from personal experience over the last two years that this is the equipment that works for me with maximum results. Be sure to follow Nuance's directions for voice training, vocabulary training and profiles. That's how DD3 gets used to your "accent." We all have an accent and need to help the machine to understand us.
Also, I don't use any punctuation in the input I give the machine. I'm giving a speech and it would annoy the listeners and distract me. The result is a string of words with no punctuation on the initial pages. You do punctuation on an rtf file by entering "Command-S" after the transcription is completed. I copy the rtf file to InDesign, an Adobe app that enables me to precisely place the words where needed in various boxes. I do this because of special uses that require this. For normal stuff, the rtf file is just fine or you can copy and paste into Word.
Obviously, your decision to purchase or not depends upon your intended use and how urgent that use is for you. All I ask is that, if you decide to go for it, DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK. I can almost guarantee that, at some points along the way, you will become very irritated at the clumsy way some things are done. I want you to curse Nuance and not me. The only thing that has enabled me to reach my level of enjoyment of the system I now have is PERSISTENCE! I wish it were easier and I sometimes wonder if it was worth the effort. I don't know anything about Dragon Dictate 4. I'll probably look into it, but I hesitate to disturb my current working setup that was achieved by expending a lot of time and effort.
Last edited by JoBoy; 05/04/14 01:58 AM.
