HTH Engineering start-stop pro+ Instruction Manual

Universal transcription system

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Instruction Manual for the

Start –Stop Universal

"PRO+"

Perform foot-pedal activated transcription on any sound-card equipped

•

PC using Windows™ 8, Windows™ 7, Vista, XP, ME, 2000, or Windows™

2003/2008 Server

Turn your PC into a universal, high-quality transcription machine, using

•

your feet to activate up to 3 separate foot pedals.

With TrueSpeech™, Ultra-Play, Variable Speed,

Bookmarks, File Conversion, Job Manager, Smart Line

Counter, Auto-Notify,

Pitch, File Splitting, Video Ripping and Work Sharing

HTH Engineering, Inc. , Tarpon Springs, FL 34688 USA

TEL: (727) 939-8853 or (866) 254-0714 (USA & Canada)

FAX: (810) 821-6940

Transcription System

VERSION 14.0

plus 16-Band Equalizer, Constant

http://www.startstop.com

PRO+

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Page 1 Bookmarks, File Conversion, Job Manager, Smart Line Counter, Auto-Notify, plus 16-Band Equalizer, Constant Pitch, File Splitting, Video Ripping and Work Sharing HTH Engineering, Inc. , Tarpon Springs, FL 34688 USA TEL: (727) 939-8853 or (866) 254-0714 (USA & Canada) FAX: (810) 821-6940 http://www.startstop.com...
Page 2: Table Of Contents
Table of Contents Page What You’ll Need to Use the SST PRO+ What is Included with Your SST PRO+ Installation Instructions Overview of Features Even more formats supported New Optional Product Variations Available Additional PRO+ Features How to Use the Start-Stop Universal PRO+Transcription System Features of the Main Control Panel Other Features How to Play a File...
Page 3 Table of Contents (Cont’d) Page Converting Non-Standard files to Standard Microsoft .WAV or TrueSpeech™ .WAV Format or MP3 Format Specifications Media Types Played APPENDIX A – Time Stamp Control Codes (optional) Tech Support LIMITED WARRANTY...
Page 4: What You'll Need To Use The Sst Pro
CONGRATULATIONS! Thank you for purchasing the Start-Stop Universal PRO+ Transcription System (“SST PRO+”). PRO+ is our Premium Professional Version of the regular (standard) Start- Stop Universal Transcription System. PRO+ adds advanced features, highly useful for professional transcriptionists, including: WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO USE THE SST PRO+ -A PC (laptop, portable or desktop) running Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 2000 or Windows 2003/2008...
Page 5: Installation Instructions
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Close all open applications on your PC, and temporarily disable all • Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software. Then Insert the Start-Stop Installation CD-ROM into your computer (or click download link if internet download). You do not need to disable Firewalls. The Start-Stop Installation Software should begin automatically after several seconds: Please follow the on-screen instructions, and answer “OK”...
Page 6 The first time you run the program, you will be asked to select a pedal: Choose the type of pedal you have (“3-Pedal, USB DEFAULT” is the model that is included with the Start-Stop Universal PRO+ Transcription System), then click OK and follow the on-screen directions.
Page 7 command (CTRL + C) and then just click the PASTE button on the Software Setup screen. Click “Next” … and your software will register and you’ll see this message: …and the Start-Stop Universal PRO+ software will launch: Installation is now complete!
Page 8: Overview Of Features
OVERVIEW OF FEATURES SST PRO+ plays a large variety of standard and non-standard digital audio file formats under foot pedal control, while using your favorite word processor. Record from any audio source connected to your PC’s sound card, with • record time only limited by your PC’s hard drive capacity Versatile software included to activate Record, Play, Pause, Stop, Fast...
Page 9 No batteries or external power supplies are required: The SST PRO+ • self-powered by your computer, making it practical to use in battery-powered applications (for example, for use with a laptop PC). Industrial-grade components and a custom microcontroller (serial and •...
Page 10 EXTENDED PLAY- Plays EVEN More Non-Standard Dictation Audio • Formats: Express Dictate's .DCT file format, Olympus (All Models), Sanyo Digital Recorders, All Philips Recorders including professional 9500, 9600 , 9380, 9375 Digital Recorders (SP Mode), Philips Speech Mike (CELP), Lanier Digital Recorders, Plays BCB “PlayAll™” TrueSpeech, UHER DH-10, Dictaphone Walkabout, Voice-It™...
Page 11 Option to View “time-stamp time” for audio clips that are corrected for • real time or user-entered time offsets. Built-in “Smart” Word Line Counter lets you keep track of how many • characters or lines you’ve typed for productivity and for billing your customers.
Page 12 ULTRA PLAY technology plays even 10- or 20-hour-long recordings, • with or without Variable Speed Enabled, and with enhanced clarity and speed. Start-Stop lets you transcribe and play Music Compact Audio • Discs (commercial or rewriteable media) under foot pedal control (.CDA file format).
Page 13 Save Files as .MP3, and specify quality settings. This is an • increasingly popular format, and now you can share your dictations or audio received as .MP3 with others. Time Stamping with Left Pedal– You can now assign the left •...
Page 14: Even More Formats Supported
Advanced Web/Custom Integration Features: For advanced • users, the Start-Stop offers two methods of integrating the Start- Stop into your system or application: File Association, and Command Line Even more formats supported: a) Cell Phone Audio (with HIPAA-compliant encryption/decryption) Start-Stop Yodal for BlackBerry® myDictation for iPhone®...
Page 15 Network Pro Features The networking feature for Start-Stop UNIVERSAL PRO+ makes work- sharing with other transcriptionists easy and efficient New File Drag N’ Drop Feature Just drag any media file onto the main screen of Start-Stop Universal PRO+, and it will automatically load and play it. Auto-Load Last File Optionally loads the last file you used, the next time you start up your Start- Stop program...
Page 16 Order of magnitude faster for large pools of transcriptionists sharing job status (e.g., 2, 5, 10, or even 20 or more transcriptionists can simultaneously share job status and perform on-the-fly load-level management while simultaneously viewing and work-sharing hundreds of dictations from multiple persons dictating).
Page 17 Boosts voice frequencies for increased clarity -Improve recordings where the voice is muffled, by emphasizing the higher frequencies (consonants) New Support for Secure FTP (SFTP) as well as FTP for File PRO+ Transfer Now supports both SFTP as well as regular FTP. If your company or a company for which you work stores files on an FTP server, you can now automatically upload and download them directly into your computer (and display them using the Start-Stop Job Manager for example).
Page 18 will be created Reagan_a.wav and Reagan_b.wav with times of 8 seconds and 4 seconds (if the original file was 12 seconds). Detailed Split Options PRO+ Split with Overlap: you can set some overlap between the split file segments for continuity, so you don’t chop off in the middle of a word Extreme Detail Multi-Split PRO+ Choose any number of segments, with...
Page 19 -Sortable duration column shows length in hours, minutes and seconds Multiple SAVE AS options (converting) for a large variety of PRO+ formats -Save as WAV, Truespeech WAV, or MP3 New Audio Extraction (Ripping) Feature for Video Files PRO+ Now you can extract the audio soundtrack from a large number of different video formats, and store them in any folder for transcription at a later time, or to split into smaller parts! You can specify source and destination folders (with the output audio format as either non-...
Page 20 PRO+ (Of course, all of these video formats can be loaded into Start-Stop Universal Transcription System for playback and transcription as-is, no ripping necessary, if all you want to do is transcribe them). New Formats Playback/Transcription Support for these additional formats: RA (Real Audio), MTS (audio soundtrack only), AVI (audio soundtrack only) Sony DVF/MSV format (used in older Sony Digital recorders)
Page 21: How To Use The Start-Stop Universal Pro+Transcription System
HOW TO USE the Start-Stop Universal PRO+Transcription System To open the program, click on Start…Programs….Start-Stop Universal PRO+ Transcription System, or the Start-Stop Universal PRO+ icon on your desktop. You can get instant help ("tool tips") by hovering the mouse cursor over any control on the screen.
Page 22: Features Of The Main Control Panel
FEATURES OF THE MAIN CONTROL PANEL Elapsed Time Indicator (E.T.) (Hour, Min., Sec.): Shows the position of the recording in progress or playback in progress. Double-clicking on this blue icon will allow you manually to set an elapsed time for instant positioning. Time Remaining Indicator (LEFT) (Hour, Min., Sec.): Shows the amount of playback time remaining.
Page 23 name, date it was created, time it was created, length in Kb (kilobytes), and the Job Status (whether the job has been “done” or not). To select the folder or directory to display: To choose a directory or folder that the Job Manager “looks” in, click on the Settings button, then “Change.”...
Page 24: Other Features
(by holding down the left mouse button over the title bar (e.g., “C:\Program Files\HTH Engineering, Inc\….”) and dragging to the desired screen location). Then: -Click on “Save Current Position”...
Page 25: How To Play A File
Stop-Watch Feature allows you to keep track of your work time, either elapsed or total, with Start/Stop/Pause feature How to Play a File There are several ways to load and/or play a file: 1. Preview/Load/Listen to any dictation with a double-click: You can double-click with your mouse on any row (anywhere within a row) to play the file of interest.
Page 26: Setting Up Job Manager Hot Keys
There are two ways to mark a job done: 1. Manually Mark the Job as “DONE” You can select a row (using the up and down arrow keys on your keyboard, or by single-left clicking on a row with your mouse), and then click the DONE job hot- key (default is CTRL + F10) to mark it as “done.”...
Page 27: Job Manager Screen Controls And Resizing
Using the pull-down selections, you can choose any key on the keyboard that you want to designate for controlling each of the Job Manager’s functions. The default settings are shown. If you want to disable ALL hot keys, check the red-lettered box, “Disable All Hot Keys.”...
Page 28 3. Changing the folder where Job Manager “looks” for your work on the fly This can be done “on the fly” by clicking on the Change Folder button, and browsing to the folder at which you want the Job Manager to look. 4.
Page 29: Job-Sharing For Multiple Transcriptionists Using The "Network Pro" Mode
Job-Sharing for Multiple Transcriptionists Using the “Network Pro” Mode Features Multiple transcribers can see whether a given file on a shared network drive has • been "checked out" for transcribing by another person, and by whom. Only the person who is working on the file can mark it "Done," and then everyone's Job Manager will show it as "Done"...
Page 30 dictation or audio files is located on a network drive, all mapped drive letters must be the same. For example, if drive “S:\Sample Audio Files” is the shared drive, then transcriptionists on your network who want to share this work must all have their PCs mapped as drive “S:\Sample Audio Files”).
Page 31: Network Pro User Features
Network PRO User Features Loading Jobs Jobs can be loaded by either double-clicking on the line containing the recording you want, or by highlighting that line with a single click then clicking Load Job button. The actual # of total jobs is dynamically indicated to the right of the Job Button.
Page 32: Additional Job Manager Features
Additional Job Manager Features -High Priority jobs can be marked with the “Stat” column and they’ll appear in bright green, and are sortable by priority. -New Notes Column allows you to enter any special notations or comments about each recording (click on the cell, and an arrow will appear, then begin typing) -Sortable duration column shows length in hours, minutes and seconds...
Page 33: Renaming Files Manually As They're Moved To Done
A supervisor or manager can view the files done by each transcriptionist to see productivity. Additionally, the completed audio dictation files can be moved off to another server or backed up periodically as desired. Renaming files manually as they’re moved to DONE: If you check the NEW FILE NAME checkbox, then the transcriptionist has the opportunity to rename the file before it moves to done.
Page 34: User Name Control
User Name Control If the “Enter your User Name” field is left blank, the login name that your Windows PC uses (the name you see if you click the Start button on your PC) will be used in the Job Manager. But, let’s say that in your organization, that PC name is LAB3391, but you’d rather have it display Debbie as the user.
Page 35: Show/Hide Columns Button (Under Job Manager
Show/Hide Columns Button (Under Job Manager…Settings) You can decide which columns you want to appear in the job manager via this menu. Special Dictation Formats Supported by Start-Stop 1) Check here if you have the Start-Stop Call-In Telephone Recording System (2 or 4 line) www.startstop.com/callin.asp and have purchased Model #32010.
Page 36 2) If your dictators are using Blackberry® cell phones in conjunction with Start-Stop Yodal for Blackberry® HIPAA-compliant dictation software, you can enable demographic data for these types of files (Author, Priority, Reference Information, Comments, Task ID) If the dictator has sent you an encrypted YODAL file (HIPAA-compliant), when you first open the recording, it will prompt you for a password in the Yodal Password Manager:...
Page 37: Mydictation For Iphone® Hipaa-Compliant Dictation
The first two characters of a dictator’s name will be unique to that person, e.g., recordings made by John Smith will start with “JS” for example. Enter the first two characters into the password manager, then enter the password in the box below, and click the “Add” button to add it to the list.
Page 38: Recording Mode Bookmarks
2. Go to Configure… Pedal Configuration from the Start-Stop’s main menu screen, and set up a pedal for Bookmarking operation by checking “Check here if you want a pedal to be used for bookmarking instead.” Every time you tap that pedal, a bookmark will be inserted.
Page 39: Smart Word Line Counter Feature
The Bookmark function maintains an audio-file/bookmark association list under a folder called “BookMarks” located in your PC’s Windows folder. Smart Word Line Counter Feature The Smart Line Counter lets you keep track of how many characters and lines you’ve typed for a client or customer. Line Counter is initiated by clicking on “Line Counter”...
Page 40 Check to Enable Line Count – Checking this box enables Line Counting to take place, in accordance with the features you’ve checked on the form. “Check what you want Line Count to Trigger on” You can define what a “line” of typewritten text is in the Trigger area – If you check the first box, “Check this box and enter how many keystrokes is equal to one line,”...
Page 41: Stop Watch Feature
Current Line Count – Shows the current line count for billing or productivity monitoring purposes. Current Total Character Count – Shows how many valid total characters have been typed. Check to Automatically Open this Form – If checked, the Line Count Function Window will stay “up”...
Page 42: Playing Music Cds (Audio Compact Discs)
Playing Music CDs (Audio Compact Discs) You can transcribe an Audio Compact Disc (CD Audio). This is a CD that will also play on your home or car stereo system. Increasingly, a number of companies and individuals are supplying dictation, meetings, and interviews in this MUSIC format, rather than supplying a PC-compatible DATA CD (with data files on them…e.g., .WAV files).
Page 43 from the music CD may be weaker than a regular commercial (aluminum stamped, mass-produced) audio CD. To compensate for these effects, click on CONFIGURE from the main screen of the Start-Stop, and then select ADJUST AUDIO CD CONVERSION. You will see the following screen: Select the desired setting and click Save Changes to put the new settings into effect.
Page 44: Sftp/Ftp (File Transfer Protocol) Client
SFTP/FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Client The Start-Stop has an advanced FTP Client built-in. An FTP Client allows you to download and upload files to a company FTP server. These servers are in common use in dictation and transcription for transfer of digital voice recordings to transcriptionists, and uploading completed documents back to the server or end customer.
Page 45 The SFTP/FTP Setup screen is shown here. You reach the FTP Setup screen by clicking on “Settings” on the main FTP screen. Your settings will be retained when you click OK. Full control of upload and download directories and file types are provided as shown. You can have the files automatically “archive”...
Page 46: Recording And Conversion Of Files From One Format To Another
RECORDING and CONVERSION of Files from One Format to Another: The Start-Stop will let you convert any standard or “proprietary” format that the Start-Stop can play into your choice of these formats: -Standard Microsoft .WAV (11,025 Hz, 8 bit, mono PCM) -TrueSpeech ™...
Page 47: Mouse-Operated Control Bar Functions
If the speech sounds “buzzy” or “too weak and hissy,” you may need to experiment with the input audio level to your computer, as set by the computer’s normal Volume Control panel for the microphone or line input controls, for best results.
Page 48 The Pedal Function menu allows you to assign a pedal to any transcription action on the Start-Stop Transcription control panel (default settings shown for the 3-pedal model). The Pedal settings shown will assign the left pedal to go backward by “N” seconds (where you choose how many seconds “N”...
Page 49 If it's too slow or fast, you can use the Speed control to compensate, or select the Dialogic 8KHz setting. If all settings sound incorrect, then the file may not actually be a VOX file (check with the originator of the file). The Start-Stop PRO + will remember your most recent settings.
Page 50: Time Stamp Functions
“Time Stamp Functions” You can assign the left pedal to type in text automatically, and your choice of elapsed time, real time, or offset real time directly into your focused Word Processor screen. Purpose and Uses of Time-Stamping Time Stamping lets you automatically show the exact time that each person said something.
Page 51: Associate Files With Start-Stop
You can assign the left pedal to type in text automatically, and your choice of elapsed time, real time, or offset real time directly into your focused Word Processor screen. Check the Enable checkbox if you want this feature. A complete list of “control characters” you can type, in addition to numbers, letters, and punctuation, is included in Appendix B.
Page 52 This feature also works with Windows batch files, shell commands, and DOS batch commands (e.g., C:\Program Files (x86)\HTH Engineering, Inc\Start-Stop Universal PRO+ Transcription System\StartStopV14.exe c:\My Media Clip\1.wav ) 2. Associating File Types by CUSTOM extension. You can quickly enter a custom file extension type (e.g., “d00”...
Page 53: Choose Language
“Choose Language” Select the language you want here. “Auto POPUP Bookmarks” If clicked from the Configure menu, a checkmark will appear. Clicking again will toggle it off. This allows automatic pop up of any bookmarks you have associated with a previously opened file. “Optional Components”...
Page 54: Manual Fecryption Of Hipaa-Compliant Files
This option is used to enter encryption keys from files sent to the user by Start- Stop Transport or Start-Stop VIS Digital Recorder. The encryption key must match identically to the sender’s key. This key can be up to 70 characters in length.
Page 55: Window
This menu will appear: Use the drop down “Available Names” box to select a name entered in by the above procedure or just key in the encryption key. Then click the button labeled Second to select and decrypt the file. Window…Set Screen Size You can set the size and position of the Start-Stop’s main screen by clicking on Window (on the Start-Stop’s main screen), then selecting “Set Start-Stop Screen...
Page 56: Recently Opened Files" Menu
Medium Thin Super Slim "Recently Opened Files" Menu The screen shows the last 8 files that you have opened, for easy access to reopen. To reopen a file, click on the Re-Open button, which shows the path so you never have to guess where the file is located. The Clear List button allows you to clear all files on the list.
Page 57: Sending Files Securely
require installation of a special CODEC from the Help…menu. E.g., to play the video formats from the folder named “Other Samples” Always on Top: Click to “check” and enable this feature, or click again to disable it. This feature lets you keep the Start-Stop Screen always on top of the work you’re doing, e.g., as a bar above your word processor.
Page 58: Playing Non-Standard Files
Playing Non-Standard Files The Start-Stop PRO+ will play files that are not normally playable by Windows, using “Extended Play” technology from HTH Engineering. These files may or may not have a .WAV file extension, but the Start-Stop will automatically analyze them to determine what type of files they really are.
Page 59 -Microsoft .WAV (PCM), WMA, Sun .AU, DSP Group’s TrueSpeech Compressed .WAV, Microsoft ADPCM, GSM 6.1, u-Law, A-Law, at all amplitudes (4-8-16 bit) and sampling frequencies (8 KHz to 44 KHZ) for mono and stereo. Also Plays All Olympus Recorders (DSS/WMA/MP3/WAV) except DS-2400 and DS-2500, All Sony Recorders (MSV, DVF, WAV/MP3/WMA), Philips Digital Recorders (SP mode), Philips Speechmike CELP, ExpressScribe DCT, Nice AUD, Speex, OGG Speex, Sanyo Digital Recorder, ProCat™, BCB Play All™...
Page 60: Appendix A - Time Stamp Control Codes (Optional)
APPENDIX A – Time Stamp Control Codes (optional) Code ----------------------------- BACKSPACE {BACKSPACE}, {BS}, or {BKSP} BREAK {BREAK} CAPS LOCK {CAPSLOCK} {DELETE} or {DEL} DOWN ARROW {DOWN} {END} ENTER {ENTER} or ~ {ESC} HELP {HELP} HOME {HOME} {INSERT} LEFT ARROW {LEFT} NUM LOCK {NUMLOCK} PAGE DOWN...
Page 61: Tech Support
-Dialogic™, PlayAll™, Digital Voice ™, Dictaphone ™, DVIPS™ ,Crescendo™ and Sun™ Microsystems, ProCat™, Creative Soundblaster™, iPhone®, Blackberry® are all registered trademark of their respective companies. -Specifications subject to change without notice. Not responsible for typographical errors. Copyright © 1998-2013 by HTH Engineering, Inc. All Rights Reserved Rev 14.0...