Dragon Medical One prides itself on being the best when it comes to audio accuracy. We understand the necessity for accurate dictation feedback when recording or working with patients. But even with said accuracy, room for audio and recording problems still exists.
As you take advantage of our dictation software, you may run into audio problems and recording issues caused by a variety of factors. Addressing them quickly is crucial for maintaining clean dictation records.
This doesn’t mean you’ll need to develop an “expert ear,” or know every single audio problem out there. But it does help to have some key knowledge for quick troubleshooting, versus digging around online for potential solutions. After all, we understand your time is limited as is.
Common Audio Problems
- Mic “Pop”
- Crackling distortion and clipping
- Excessive background noise
- Muffled speech/audio
- Distant audio/voice
- Hissing
Why understand these audio problems?
As we mentioned, it’s good to have basic, firsthand knowledge of these problems so you don’t have to go searching for answers. Also, the problems covered have simple solutions in most cases. Just like you help a patient with their medical needs by quickly identifying a problem, you reach the same resolution by knowing a fix for the audio error.
More About Audio Problems
We have covered several common audio errors or issues you may come across, but let’s briefly go over them, and their respective solutions.
Mic Pop
A small “burst” of air impacts the recording or mic, typically when the speaker makes a ‘p’ sound. For clean audio recordings, professionals avoid this by adding filters – physical or within an audio program – to block out the audio ‘thud.’
Distortion, crackling, clipping
A notorious error for types of equipment, distortion occurs when the incoming audio exceeds a device’s recording capabilities, creating staticky, distorted sounds interrupted by clipping and lower-quality audio. Usually, bursts in high volume (or high volume in general) from the audio source also cause this problem.
This is a big problem with dictation considerations, as distorted audio creates unusable record material. Adjusting for distortion means having the right hardware and minding proper volume levels.
Excessive Background Noise
As you can imagine, excessive background noise is just that. Interfering audio can come from a variety of sources, though in a medical environment, should not be a problem. It’s only if you’re hearing background audio to the point it makes dictation impossible it evolves into an issue.
Background audio can emerge from the device itself, namely laptops or older forms of legacy hardware that either weren’t built with noise cancellation technology or are failing.
Fixing background noise can take troubleshooting. Although not always possible, isolating yourself in a quiet environment with the patient is one solution. Another is to record with a different device, if necessary.
Muffled Audio
Muffled audio is a depression of recording caused by distance or interference between the speaker and the recording device. Anything in between the device and the person, from objects, walls, and distance, can lead to muffled audio. In other cases, it’s a problem with the device itself.
Removing any barriers between you and the device(s) to resolve muffled audio.
Distant Voice
You may expect this problem to occur when you’re far away from the recording device, and while that’s true, it can also mean the equipment is damaged. This can also be a problem with capture and/or recording software.
Hissing
This sounds like a low or high electronic whine, the “hiss,” which results from using low-quality equipment, interfering devices, or mismatched equipment (devices are plugged incorrectly).
Problem Resolution
Serious and in-depth resolution of various audio problems requires time and attention which you don’t always have. For instance, audio professionals or enthusiasts take advantage of recording software allowing them to fine-tune settings and counter the problems we’ve discussed. Those programs have built-in filters and when paired with quality mics, they can achieve the audio results they’re looking for.
As a medical professional, however, your priority is patient care. Furthermore, separate audio devices aren’t likely something you will casually carry around.
The good news is, though, that Dragon Medical One is designed for mobility and quality. This cuts through most of the leg work and prevents the audio complications previously discussed. It’s still good to know what they are, but all you really need is the software and a noise-canceling mic.
We do not, however, recommend using built-in computer mics or webcams. They pick up sounds from within the system (one of the issues we discussed) and can also corrupt your speech profile.
If you don’t have a noise-canceling microphone, you can take advantage of the free companion app, PowerMic Mobile, to turn your Android or iOS smartphone into a high-quality microphone.
For more information or recommendations, feel free to give us a call at 833-341-1411 or use our live chat.
