Customizing Philips SpeechMike on a Mac

So you've got the Philips SpeechMike microphones, now comes the fun part.  The Speechmike series are extremely customizable, and while we won't cover everything here, feel free to get in touch with our support team to discuss any additional questions you have regarding the setup.

Out of the box, the microphone will work as both a microphone, and a mouse (trackpad and buttons) just by plugging it in.  See here for instructions on pairing if you purchased the wireless SpeechMike Air SMP4000.  

The real benefit from this microphone comes from programming the buttons to further speed up your dictation, and control your computer.  These additional functions can only be accessed by installing the Philips SpeechControl software.    

Once you are on the website, scroll down to the Software and Drivers section, and click the SpeechControl driver and configuration software for Mac.

Install

Once the file is downloaded, run it and allow it to install.

If you get a message similar to:

when you try to launch SpeechControl, that means it's being blocked by Mac security setting.  To allow it:

1. Click the Apple icon in the top left of your screen, 
2. Click System Preferences,
3. Open Security and Privacy,
4. Click the lock on the bottom left and enter your credentials if needed
5. Click "Open Anyway" beside SpeechControl. 

For this example, I am using the SpeechMike Air, but the software download link, and the configuration process is identical for the wired 3700.

Once you have downloaded and installed the software, launch it and ensure you see your microphone listed like below - plug it in now if you have not yet done so.

There will be some defaults, but for the most part they will not be applicable to Talkatoo.  

Start/Stop Dictation

Currently there is a key sequence that cannot be changed in Talkatoo to toggle dictation. 
COMMAND+OPTION(Alt)+S

You can also show and hide Talkatoo using:

COMMAND+OPTION(Alt)+H

To set Start/Stop to the Record button,

1. Click the Button Configuration tab and change the dropdown from Event Mode to Dragon for Mac Mode 
   
2. Click the button with the ellipses to the right of Record
   
3. Check the boxes beside Alt and Command, then click in the field labeled Key Code identifier and press the letter S.  If it is not entered in that field, click clear and try it again.
   
   
   
   This will configure it so that when you press record, it is like clicking on Start Dictation.  Then when you are done speaking, you simply press it again to Stop Dictation.  
   If you would prefer to press and hold while you speak, and then let go check the box above that reads Send hotkey when the button is pressed and when it is released.
   Note: If you are using the press and hold method, ensure you are holding the button down long enough for Talkatoo to finish the typing/correction process  - usually 1-2 seconds after you finish speaking, depending on the length.
4. You can then perform the same process for any other keys you would like to have on the microphone, such as Enter, Tab or any shortcuts specific to your Practice Management Software.  At a minimum, we like to set the following defaults:
   • Forward (The double arrow to the right): Enter - The new line character
   • Back (The double arrow to the left): Delete - Deletes one character with each press
   • Play (The play/pause button below record): Tab - Moves from one text field to the next.
     
     
     These entries are all created just like above, by clicking the button beside the corresponding entry, ensuring there are no additional check marks besides Alt, Ctrl, Shift of Command, and then pressing the correct button, ie Enter, or Tab.
5. IMPORTANT Once you have made all of your changes to the button configuration, you must click Save to device.
   
   
   
6. Close the Philips Speechcontrol software with the x in the top right, and test it out. You should now be able to control Talkatoo, and any other buttons you configured. 

SpeechMike Air (wireless)

If you purchased the wireless SpeechMike Air, everything above will still apply to you, but there are a couple of additional things to know about how it works.

First, the Speechmike Air is not bluetooth.  It connects through the dock that was included with it.  The dock is both for pairing and for charging.  There is a charging port on the bottom of the SpeechMike Air itself, but it will not work as a cabled microphone.  

When you place the microphone in the dock, it will automatically charge.  This is also how you re-pair the microphone to the dock if you use it on multiple computers.

Using a SpeechMike Air on multiple computers

There are a few options if you want to use the microphone on different computers:  

1. You could move the entire dock from computer to computer.  Simply move the dock and the one USB cable to the computer, and plug it in.
2. Purchase one dock for each station/location.  This can be more convenient, especially if you are using it at different locations, such as at home, and the office. Then you only need to bring the microphone back and forth, drop it in the dock for 5 seconds and it will automatically pair.
3. Purchase an "Air Bridge" which acts just like the dongle for a wireless mouse in that the microphone is paired to the Air Bridge and then you just move the Air Bridge from one computer to another (along with the microphone).
4. Have a full microphone and dock for each computer.  Arguably the most convenient, but also the most expensive option.  

For both wired and wireless microphones, the settings, such as button configuration are not stored on the microphone, but rather on the computer.  That means you would need to either configure them on each one, or you can export the configuration to a file, and then import it on each computer.  

This is not an exhaustive list of all of the the functionality of the SpeechMike Premium series of microphones, rather some of the functionality we see commonly used.  At this time, our support team is unable to assist with the setup of this method, however if you've already got it configured, or have a question, you can email support@talkatoo.com and we can try to help.