Podcast Transcribing

[Oil Lady]

Okay, Hootie, I can lend some help.

Meanwhile, I am a moderator at another message forum elsewhere in the intertubes which likewise uses Simple Mahcines as their software package. So I am familiar with all the crazy/dangerous/oh-my-GAWD!-did-I-just-do-that? buttons and functions available to moderators in Simple Machines. 

Specifically, I am a "limited moderator" instead of a "universal moderator" which means I am only granted mod abilities in two of the sub-forums of that other message community instead of having a reign over the entirety of that forum's landscape.  I also can't ban anyone in that other forum, just edit/lock/move/delete existing posts. And a "limited moderator" sounds like the exact scenario that will be involved here in the newly launched transcription subforum.

[Hootie]

Thanks Oil Lady!

I have hear hear lots of interest. For now maybe when you have time you can double check my spelling/grammer what I have posted at http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?board=181.0

Life got a little busy but i am still working on 726.
Wow, Jack sure does talk fast.

[Hootie]

Go Go Shadowrider!!!

I see you uploaded Ep 330.
+1 for all the hard work!

[Hootie]

AngusBangus,
 +1 for making huge progress on Ep 707

Hootie,
Should finish tomorrow or Tuesday (24APR12). Fingers need a break and I need a beer. Do you have a formatted version (.doc, etc.). I figure we will post here, but we should put it all together in a single file that we can provide to Jack for inclusion on his site. Maybe he'll lump them all together as a .zip for the MSB?

i am working with Shadowrider (who has professional experience in the transcription world) to come up a standart template. It is slow going, as we want high quality look for Jack. but when you get something official we will let you know.

one of the Mods recommended that we keep local copies of our work. So untill we get a great template, keep a local copy to be safe.

[Hootie]

Found this post on the top 5 podcasts...
http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=33801.0

Might be an good place to start, for those looking for way to help the Transcribing cause.

[Shadowrider]

i am working with Shadowrider (who has professional experience in the transcription world) to come up a standart template. It is slow going, as we want high quality look for Jack. but when you get something official we will let you know.

one of the Mods recommended that we keep local copies of our work. So untill we get a great template, keep a local copy to be safe.

Hootie, I'm finishing the template in the next couple of days. I just want to include the links to the sponsors so transcribers can delete the ones not mentioned in that episode rather than typing them all in. Then you can run it by the powers that be for approval. 

As Hootie mentioned, please everyone keep a copy of your hard work on your computer, especially through the editing process. I know how discouraging it is to lose hours of transcription work to a "computer error." Stuff happens.

And a +1 to you, Hootie, for pursuing this and encouraging others. Transcribing is not just about typing fast, as you have already learned! Yet you are continuing undaunted with another episode. 

[Hootie]

Hootie, I'm finishing the template in the next couple of days. I just want to include the links to the sponsors so transcribers can delete the ones not mentioned in that episode rather than typing them all in. Then you can run it by the powers that be for approval. 

So far it is looking good, I like the current draft of the Template.
Let's wait and let the Mods and/or Jack think. and if a template in DOC or PDF or TXT is the best approach for finalizing a transcription.

Shadowrider/OilLady,
just a FYI. I am going to do a final touch-up edit on the #877 transcription. To prep it, so it can go into the template

[Shadowrider]

Hootie, I started proofing 877 last night, so let me know when you are done with your touch-up. I won't be able to work on it again until the weekend. 

[AngusBangus]

Transcribing is not just about typing fast, as you have already learned!

Transcribing is about listening to Jack at half speed sounding like a complete stoner, trying not to laugh out loud and lose complete control. It is about pounding the subject matter into your head as you experience it from an aural, visual, and tactile perspective. I can't get Jack & Steve Harris' voices out of my head very slowly speaking about alternative energy. It's kinda cool.

[Moonfire]

Transcribing is about listening to Jack at half speed sounding like a complete stoner, trying not to laugh out loud and lose complete control.

This would be the reason I couldn't do it at half speed, it sounded too hilarious to actually type. Plus he still talked too fast for me. Stop-and-go method it is!

[Hootie]

he still talked too fast for me. Stop-and-go method it is!

yeah, i am finding that my best option is to listen at 100% speed, for 6 sec chunks. Then transcribe, then repeat.

If i were smart i would have started with the shorter Eps, like 1-20. Those are only about 30mins (available to MSB members)

[Hootie]

This Steve Harris guy is really getting in the way of my goal of transcribing all his interviews...   

[archer]

This Steve Harris guy is really getting in the way of my goal of transcribing all his interviews...   

at least transcribing his multiple interviews brings job security...

[Hootie]

at least transcribing his multiple interviews brings job security...

well just say that I have a backup to my real job... does that count towards my prepper goal of "2 is 1 and 1 is none" ? 

[archer]

well just say that I have a backup to my real job... does that count towards my prepper goal of "2 is 1 and 1 is none" ? 

yep, it builds new skills!

[Hootie]

yep, it builds new skills!

I'll list that right next to primitive fire making and brewing beer.
I think in a SHTF senario, I won't be bragging about how I have honed my transcribing skills...

[archer]

I'll list that right next to primitive fire making and brewing beer.
I think in a SHTF senario, I won't be bragging about how I have honed my transcribing skills...

but listening and transcribing might help you commit to memory all the skills jack and his guests talks about

[Hootie]

Wow, did you all see the transcription work that "oktx" did for ep 932!
http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=36055.0#msg405050

I think it is worth a +1



Thanks for Mr. Bill for getting this into the transcription published in the transcription folder
http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=36062.0

[Hootie]

So the new mac OS X (  10.8  ) has a dictation feature... Looks I have some testing to do, but this might become my favorit feature from apple.

[archer]

So the new mac OS X (  10.8  ) has a dictation feature... Looks I have some testing to do, but this might become my favorit feature from apple.

oh sounds neat

[Hootie]

oh sounds neat

well, it is about 80% accurit. but only does about 20sec at a time.... so for now not the best option.

[The New Mike]

well, it is about 80% accurit. but only does about 20sec at a time.... so for now not the best option.

Describe this a bit more. Perhaps you can explain a bit more to me and I can automate the process and run it through the entire archives. Perhaps I could write something that chops up the entire archives into 20 second strips and run it through. Might take awhile to process but thats not really an issue. Obviously having executables instead of libraries always complicates issue but I could probably automate some sort of gui clicking and what not. So maybe it takes a few weeks of processing but I have a monster of a machine who definitely doesn't get enough cycles.

I'm really looking for about an 80% solution for the most part, so..... sounds more like a great option if it works!

[Hootie]

Describe this a bit more. Perhaps you can explain a bit more to me and I can automate the process and run it through the entire archives.

from what I have heard, there is no API to feed mp3s into "Siri",

The way it currently works:

• Assign a hot key to activate voice to text feature "Siri"
• while in any text field, press the "Siri key
• speak or play a recording in the computer's microphone

[The New Mike]

from what I have heard, there is no API to feed mp3s into "Siri",

The way it currently works:

• Assign a hot key to activate voice to text feature "Siri"
• while in any text field, press the "Siri key
• speak or play a recording in the computer's microphone

Oh you're talking about Siri. Nevermind... haha 

[Josiah]

I like it. I have been using it to dictate some podcasts. It does take a bit of editing (mostly because of the intro/exit song).

[Hootie]

I like it. I have been using it to dictate some podcasts. It does take a bit of editing (mostly because of the intro/exit song).

You talking about covering TSP Ep to text, or creating your own podcasts?. Just interested how you use it.

[Josiah]

I am talking about TSP episodes. The mountain lion dictation feature is far from perfect but as far as dictation software goes it does a pretty good job. Now obviously Jack isn't saying "new paragraph", "question mark" etc etc.


What I do is use MS Word 2011 (MS Office Suite for Mac) and have dictation write up the episode to that. I start the dictation immediately after Jack has finished with the sponsors of the day. I then use Word's auto correct to fix as much as possible.


It does become difficult at the end of a podcast with the closing music and also sometimes during interviews when conversations bleed over each other.


You still do have to read over the entire transcript but I find that mountain lion does a far better job than Dragon Dictation which is software I tried before to do this with. Whatever those apple servers are doing seem to be doing it well.


I have not yet tried Google's new dictation with the android smart phones. I have heard good things but would much rather perform this task on my desktop.

[Hootie]

What I do is use MS Word 2011 (MS Office Suite for Mac) and have dictation write up the episode to that. I start the dictation immediately after Jack has finished with the sponsors of the day. I then use Word's auto correct to fix as much as possible.

I have tried using open office as the text editor.  But had to play the ep on my phone speakers, aimed at my Mac's (os 10. microphone (external, high end "Blue")

You doing the same thing?
or have you found a way to dump a MP3 into the mac dictation?

[Josiah]

I have the yeti by blue... not the pro 


I play the episode through my home theater system and use the yeti to pick up the audio.


The way I play the episode through my home theater system is by using my iphone to play the episode using airplay through a AppleTV.... not that any of that matters.


Please keep in mind that I am not extremely careful with how these turn out. Basically I keep all of the transcriptions in a single .doc and then search for keywords using that to find any episode I want to listen to relating to that keyword. I hope I explained that in a way that someone else would understand 


My wife is a medical transcriptionist and was willing to do each episode but only if she got paid for it... they simply take far too much time out of each day to do. I wish she would do them all and post them onto the forums but I just don't think she is quite that motivated. I don't think I would be either. It's a lot of work to do them right. I didn't even bother offering her services up for a fee to Jack simply because I doubt he wants to pay for them and I wouldn't feel right expecting Jack to pay for anything.


So now I just use Mountain Lion for my hack job transcriptions.

[The New Mike]

Interesting thanks for sharing. Thats still quite an involved process. You could always just run the audio out of a device (Such as a computer) and into a microphone jack that way the audio comes in crystal clear and you can run it in the background.  If I had one of those thats probably how I would do it and then run a script to just keep on doing it till all of them would be complete. Not too hard of a process but probably extremely frail. Plus I have no experience running applications on phones (yet). It would roughly take what... a few thousand hours to run it... hah.