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HEARSAY 1000 GOLD tm COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright 1992 by Voice Tech, Inc. All rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written consent of Voice Tech Inc. Although every attempt has been made to verify accuracy of this document, we can not assume any liability for errors or omissions. No warranty or other guarantee can be given as to the suitability or accuracy of this unit for a particular purpose, nor can we be liable for damage arising from the use of same. * * * * * * The Voice Tech Hardware & Software are proprietory designs, licenses, and copyrights of Voice Tech Inc. All rights reserved * * * * * * VOICE TECH, INC. 1222 79th Street Brooklyn, NY 11228 (718) 833-9780 This manual was compiled by: John Beltron Runtime Computing Service 717 49th Street Brooklyn, NY 11220 TABLE OF CONTENTS BOOK ONE: INSTALLATION GUIDE & OVERVIEW BOOK TWO: VOICE RECOGNITION BOOK THREE: TEXT-TO-SPEECH SYNTHESIS GENERAL APPENDICES BOOK ONE TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.00 OVERVIEW 1.01 INTRODUCTION 1.02 HOW TO INSTALL THE HEARSAY GOLD 1.03 HOW TO INSTALL THE HEARSAY GOLD SOFTWARE 1.00 OVERVIEW Thank you for your interest in Hearsay's product line. The Hearsay Gold products are designed to support business, commercial, VAR & OEM markets. A consumer version, the Hearsay 1000 is also available. The Hearsay Gold is an advanced speech synthesis/voice recognition system, compatible with the IBM AT, XT, PC and its wide family of compatibles. It works with commercially available MSDOS software. A vocabulary editor is included allowing you to build custom vocabularies for any MSDOS application. Application programs can have many powerful features. Unfortunately they make you memorize, and reach for, awkward keyboard combinations. Consequently, you can only use them when you are seated at your computer. The Hearsay Gold eliminates the hassle of these time consuming and inconvenient tasks. The Hearsay Gold bridges a gap between application & user & maximizes productivity. People who don't know how, or don't like to type, can now access applications with voice. The Hearsay Gold's power, flexibility and ease of use allow you access to the full capabilities of your applications programs with hands free operation. Now you can work faster, with less fatigue and effort, simply and automatically. Plus the Hearsay Gold will increase your speed and efficiency without frustration. The Hearsay Gold can be set up in minutes and is easy to operate. It uses plain English to execute complex functions making them easier to remember. Hearsay Gold's performance is not affected by noisy environments (Offices, reception areas etc.). With an advanced AUTOPAUSE feature you can shift between conversations to issuing commands, automatically. Phone conversations will also not affect the Hearsay Gold. HEARSAY GOLD FEATURES: * Adds voice recognition & speech synthesis to MSDOS application software. * Allows command & data input via voice, keyboard & mouse for efficiency. * Generates voice recognition accuracy to 98 %. * Rejects words not in the user defined wordset. * Has a .25 second response time and speech buffer. * Recognizes 2048 words or commands by use of sub-vocabularies. * Automatically adapts to changes in the user's voice & background noise. * Macros are transparent to the software via voice and keyboard. * Pop up windows allow editing online. * Adjustable voice, pitch and speed. * Dictionary storage for higher pronunciation accuracy. * Infinite vocabulary/unlimited text-to-speech. * Advanced speech synthesis technology for clear easy to understand speech including read screen, repeat and keyboard echo features. The Hearsay Gold system includes the Hearsay Gold hardware and a high quality microphone headset assembly. Its high efficiency and speed make it an ideal system for use in office and other commercial applications. The Hearsay Gold voice recognition is designed to run with DOS version 2.0 and higher. The Speech Synthesis System is designed for DOS 3.2 and higher. Any attempt to run any of the Hearsay Gold supplied software under other DOS's may cause unpredictable results. OTHER VOICE TECH PRODUCTS Voice Tech has designed other turnkey software products for use with the Hearsay Gold, namely the Execuware line. The Execuware line consists of turnkey voice add-ons specifically designed to be used with the following programs: EXECUTARY - The first in a line of Execuware products. It is a turnkey voice system for wordprocessors such as WordPerfect, WORDSTAR, Word MultiMate and IBM'S Signature. It comes complete with preprogrammed vocabularies. EXECUSHEET - Allows you to control top name spreadsheets with your voice including versions of Lotus 1-2-3, Quatro, Quatro Pro & Excel. EXECUBASE - Allows you to control top name Database programs with your voice including versions of Dbase, Foxbase, R:Base, Q & A, and Paradox. HEARSAY'S TELEPHONE ADAPTER - Replaces the telephone receiver and allows you to operate the telephone with Executary headset or desk micro- phone unit. When the telephone rings, simply switch from your Executary to Telephone to talk. Desktop Microphone/Speaker - Unit replaces the Executary Headset for use in executive or individual offices where office noise is lower. Execuware Tutorials - For the new user or beginner, the TUTORIAL additions will teach you how to operate these complex programs. The on-line system provides a natural voice that guides you through step by step procedures for each function. Illustrated examples of each function are complemented with audio explanations and are easily accessed. Provides a one-on-one tutorial session and is organized in "Plain English" without any technical jargon. A cost and time efficient, effective, natural way to learn. 1.01 INTRODUCTION The Hearsay Gold gives your IBM PC, XT, AT or compatible the ability to speak aloud and to recognize and act on your voice commands. Hearsay Gold is normally used in conjunction with other programs, adding the dimension of voice and voice control to professional and business software, including word processors, databases, spreadsheets, desktop publishing and CAD- CAM systems. Hearsay functions may be accessed at any time from easy-to-read pop-up menus which do not interfere with the screen display of the program you are using at the time. Hearsay Gold can be trained to recognize up to 2048 commands, divided into 64 word sub-vocabularies with one sub-vocabulary active at any one time, once trained, these commands can be stored on disk for later use. Any one of the active 64 commands can cause a new group of commands to activate automatically. Hearsay can also speak text as it appears on the screen, read text from the screen (Like a word processing document) or speak each key as it is struck. This manual is written in three seperate books - INSTALLATION GUIDE, VOICE RECOGNITION & TEXT-TO-SPEECH SYNTHESIS. This manual describes and explains all functions and capabilities and tells how to implement these functions from the menus or from setup strings entered via keyboard or written into batch files. TO USE HEARSAY: A half-card board must be installed in the computer, & the appropriate Hearsay program loaded. The program must be loaded and installed each time your PC is re-booted, this can be done automatically by means of "Setup strings". WHAT YOU NEED: IBM AT, XT, PC or 100 % compatibles with enough memory to run the Hearsay programs at the same time as the program you are using it with. DOS 2.0 or higher for Voice Recognition, DOS 3.2 or higher for Speech Synthesis, mono or color monitor (CGA, EGA, or VGA), two floppy disk drives or one floppy drive & one hard drive and at least one free slot. (Text-to-Speech V2-163k, V3-217k; Voice Recognition 70k). BEFORE YOU START: Check your Hearsay Gold package and make sure you have a complete set, which consists of a microphone headset, a half-length circuit board with back plane, instruction manual and three diskettes. Have available three formatted floppy disks as the installation program requests if you would like to back up your diskettes and store them in a safe place. Use your copies for further operation of Hearsay Gold. NOTES: Check your diskette (Dir A: [ENTER] ) to see if there is a file called read.me on it. If there is, display it (Type Read.me [ENTER]). It will contain important additions or changes to this manual. If you are viewing this file from a CD-ROM, the complete manual is on it. You are currently reading part I of it. Also, you do not need to make backup copies of Hearsay programs if they are on CD-ROM, since CD-ROMS are unable to be written on, they can not be erased like floppy disks. CONVENTIONS USED: Upper case letters enclosed in brackets mean to press the keys within the brackets. Example: [ENTER] means to press the ENTER (Or RETURN) key. Hyphenated key names enclosed in brackets mean to hold down the first key and press the second. Example: [CTRL-C] means to hold down the CONTROL key and press the C key. Lower case characters enclosed in brackets mean to enter the appropriate characters and press the [ENTER] key. Example: [filename] means to enter the appropriate filename and press the ENTER key. Text spoken by the Hearsay Gold is shown in all upper case letters without any brackets. SCREEN TEXT WILL NOW BE SPOKEN. 1.02 HOW TO INSTALL THE HEARSAY GOLD HARDWARE: Preparing the Hearsay Gold system for use involves just two simple steps: 1) Installation of the Hearsay Gold circuit board. 2) The connection of the headset. The Hearsay Gold hardware is easy to install, & no special procedures are required. The board is installed in one of the option slots inside the PC system unit. If you will be installing it in an IBM PC, XT you may use any slot except the half length slot on the far right (Viewing the unit from the front). The other half length slot may be used. Since the exact procedure required for option installation varies from machine to machine, we refer you to your computer system documentation for instructions on installation. If your documentation does not contain information on option card installation & you are not familiar with the procedure, we recommend that you seek the help of your dealer or a qualified repair professional. WARNING ! The Hearsay Gold circuit board contains integrated circuit components that may be damaged by static discharge. Please, follow these simple guidelines whenever it is necessary to handle the circuit board: * Discharge any personal static charge before handling the board. This may be accomplished by touching one of the mounting screws on the back of the PC system unit cabinet. We recommend that the PC be turned off before you attempt this procedure. * Avoid contact with plastic materials while handling the board. Handling these materials can cause buildup of electrostatic charge. * Hold the board by its edges to protect the surface from being exposed to oil from your fingers. Particularly avoid touching the row of gold contacts at the bottom of the board. CIRCUIT BOARD INSTALLATION: STEP ACTION 1. Check the "Port switch (SW1)" and the "Interupt Switch (SW2)". NOTE: For normal operation, the Port Switch settings should be 1-OFF, 2-OFF, 3-ON, 4-ON & the Interrupt Switch settings should be ALL-OFF. 2. Check the volume control settings (VOL 1 and VOL 2). For normal volume with Version 2 or Version 3, turn both controls fully counterclockwise, then turn VOL 2 control about 1/8 of a turn clockwise. 3. Turn off your Personal Computer (PC) and other devices connected to it and unplug the computer. 4. Unscrew the retaining screws holding the cover on the system unit. 5. Slide the cover of your system unit forward. 6. Remove the metal bracket from the back panel of an unused expansion slot and replace it with the Hearsay Gold back plane. 7. Place the Hearsay Gold board's edge connector (Gold fingers) on the expansion slot receptacle. 8. Using even pressure, press the Hearsay Gold board straight down until it sits in the expansion slot. 9. Insert the microphone plug into the rear panel of Hearsay 2000's board. NOTE: We recommend that only accessories provided by Voice Tech, Inc. be used. Use of other external hardware may lead to permanent damage to the Hearsay Gold circuit board, degradation of system performance, or both. 10. Slide the systems unit cover back against the rear panel and replace the screws into position. 11. Plug your computer back in and turn it on. TO POSITION THE HEADSET: Position the headset facing your mouth. NOTE: The microphone must be positioned to your mouth at all times for high performance. 1.03 HOW TO INSTALL THE HEARSAY GOLD SOFTWARE: NOTE: The Hearsay Gold is designed to run with the above specified DOSES. Attempting to run any of the HEARSAY GOLD supplied software under DOS 1.0 or 1.1 may cause unpredictable results. Remember to have 3 formated floppy disks ready if you are backing up your Hearsay Gold diskettes. This step is not required if you are installing Hearsay Gold software from a CD-ROM. STEP ACTION: NOTE: This step is for floppy disk installations. If you are installing from a CD-ROM, just type [INSTALL]. 1. Put the Program Disk, #1 in the "A" Drive. 2. Type A: [ENTER]. 3. Type INSTALL [ENTER]. NOTE: If hardware is not installed, a message will appear on your screen that says "HEARSAY BOARD NOT INSTALLED". If the Hearsay board is not installed, press [E] to exit and press return and proceed to section 1.02 in this manual. If the Hearsay Gold board is installed, press [C] to continue. 4. Enter the Drive letter (B,C,D,E, or F) where the Hearsay Gold files will be stored. 5. When prompted with "Insert Program Disk #2 in Drive A:" Insert Program Disk #2 and strike a key when ready. Next when prompted with "Insert Program Disk #3 in Drive A:" Insert Program Disk #3 and strike a key when ready. NOTE: If your are installing the Hearsay software from a CD-ROM, step 5 will automatically be skipped. 6. When asked - "Do you want to back up the Hearsay Gold software on your personal diskette?" Press [Y] to make backups and follow prompts, or if you do not wish to make backups, press [N] to proceed forward. NOTES: If you are installing the Hearsay software from a CD-ROM, you do not have to make a backup copy. Three (3) formatted floppy disks are required to make backups. 7. Initial check out - First the system will check the Recognition portion of the hardware by asking you to say the word CALIBRATE. NOTE: The room noise will be measured, PLEASE REMAIN QUITE UNTIL PROMPTED TO SPEAK. 8. Press the [ENTER] key and say the word "CALIBRATE" in a normal speaking voice. 9. Read the messages printed below the "PRESS ENTER AND SAY CALIBRATE" line. If there are either one of the following WARNING MESSAGES: WARNING ! ! ! - LOW SPEECH LEVEL RECOGNITION PERFORMANCE MAY BE IMPAIRED or WARNING ! ! ! - SPEECH LEVEL LOW IN RELATION TO BACKGROUND LEVEL RECOGNITION PERFORMANCE MAY BE IMPAIRED When prompted with: "IS THE HEARSAY SCREEN WARNING YOU WITH THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE" answer "Y" for yes and check the following suggestions in the suggestion box. They are: 1. The Headset may not be positioned properly. See Section 1.02 for the proper positioning of the microphone. 2. The room may be too noisy. The Hearsay Gold will not operate in very high noise environments. The system must be moved to a different location for optimum recognition accuracy. 3. The Hearsay Gold hardware may be defective. Send the Hearsay board and headest with a copy of your original purchase receipt to your place of purchase. NOTE: If you are within the 90 day warranty, the unit will be repaired or replaced at no charge. If you are not within the 90 day warranty, we will contact you with an estimate for repair. If you would like to try again after trying suggestion 1, press [T] for Try Again, or [E] to Exit and refer to Appendix B - Troubleshooting Guide. If there are no WARNING MESSAGES, press [N]. The system will now check the Speech Synthesis portion of the hardware and speak the following phrase: TESTING...TESTING...CAN YOU HEAR ME? When prompted, "Did you hear the phrase?", answer [Y] if you heard it or [N] if you did not. If you did not hear the phrase, check the following suggestions in the suggestion box. They are: 1. The volume may be too low. Turn VOL # 2 up. 2. The headset may not be plugged in. Plug it in. 3. The Hearsay Gold may be defective. If you would like to try again, press [T] or [E] to Exit and refer to Appendix B, Troubleshooting Guide.