WHAT WILL THE SPEED SETTING DO?

T3's Speed setting is T3 at its best. Depending on file format, the Speed setting can get audio files down to as little as 12% their original size, GREATLY enhancing the speeds of uploads and downloads. This is, by far, the recommended usage of T3 Software.

AUDIO IS CRYSTAL CLEAR ON MY END, BUT MY SCOPIST SAYS IT'S TERRIBLE ON THEIR END WHEN I USE THE "OPTIMIZE FOR SPEED" SETTING OF T3. WHY IS THIS AND WHAT CAN I DO? '

Although this will not be the case for the majority of T3 users, it is a common enough question that we have decided to address it at length to give users a thorough understanding of the issue and solutions to their concerns. We know that if users read, understand, and implement the suggestions we give, they will be able to use T3 in the "Speed" setting with fantastic results! As with anything, however, if these suggestions are only "sort of" read and followed, users will only "sort of" achieve the results they desire.

The best way to answer the question of "Why is my audio great on my end and bad on my scopist's end when using the T3 speed setting" is that T3 is massively compressing and rebuilding the file. Why should this affect the quality? The best way to answer is by giving a real life analogy.

Think of T3's compression/rebuild as the same thing that occurs when someone speaks into a phone. It's actually extremely similar, technologically speaking! What a reporter gets on their computer is what a person in an office would hear if someone else in that office were speaking on the phone. What the scopist gets on their computer is what the person on the other end of the phone would hear.

What does that mean? It means that if someone were talking extremely loud into a telephone, anyone else in that office (court reporter) would hear them perfectly, "crystal clear" in other words. However, what the person on the other end of the phone (scopist) hears is a very garbled, staticky, hissing voice. We've all been in that situation where someone is speaking too loudly into their end of the phone and it's almost painful to listen to.

Likewise, if someone is speaking too softly into the phone, another person in the office (reporter) would most likely hear them just fine, but the person on the other end of the phone (scopist) would not be able to hear them at all and would have to keep asking them to speak up.

So why is this? This is because of audio compression and restoration. Compression of sounds (data) allows it to move great distances at incredible speeds. T3's compression algorithm is built on the same theory, pulling audio (data)down to the greatest tolerable degree in order to transfer it via the Internet at the fastest possible speeds.

THAT'S GREAT, BUT I NEED SOLUTIONS!

Of course you do, and T3 is here to give you those solutions! Understanding the issue is just the first step towards fixing it. Again, please follow and implement these suggestions, and we know that you, too, can achieve the fantastic results so many T3 users do!

2. FIND THE PROPER SETTING IN YOUR CAT SYSTEM.

CAT systems allow for several different settings, or in other words, ways to record. Lower settings and tighter formats produce smaller file sizes but don't have the quality of higher settings and looser formats. The best way to find out what's right for you is to speak with your CAT support and find out what they recommend. Eclipse, for the most part, recommends 11,000 kHz, 8 bit, mono. CaseCATalyst recommends the higher of their two settings, 14 MB per hour. Speak with them, though, and they can show you how to manipulate these settings for your own experimentation to find what best suits your computer!

Most importantly, don't make the mistake of thinking "more is better"! This is not the case! For example, setting your computer to record at 44,000 kHz, 16 bit, mono may make CD quality sound that could impress the Rolling Stones, but it's not necessary for recording depositions! Not only is it not necessary, but sending a file of that size and strength through a voice compression engine like T3 will never give you decent results. More is not, by its nature, ALWAYS better!

3. FIND THE PROPER RECORDING VOLUME LEVEL.

This is the trickiest part of our suggestions, and we'll warn you up front that it will require approximately an hour of your time and effort. We know that reporters and scopists are extremely busy people, and finding an extra hour can be difficult, but it truly is necessary to maximize the effect of your T3 Software. Think of it this way: Spend an hour one time getting your recording volume levels set in their absolute best spot to easily survive the compression/rebuild of T3 in the "Speed" setting or spend an extra hour each and every time you or your scopist uploads and downloads a file from T3 because you're stuck using the "Optimize for Quality" setting!

The reason this is the trickiest part of our suggestions is because every computer records differently. Different sound cards, different processors, different manufacturers, etc., make for very different results. We can not give you a "Hit this key, and all will be fine" type of suggestion. We can show you what to do and how to test, but it's up to the reporter and scopist to decide what works best for them and their system.

Again, the Golden Rule is: MORE IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER!

The first thing you'll need to do is find your Recording Volume setting. Where this is varies slightly depending on your Windows version, but it can, generally speaking, be found via Start/Settings/Control Panel/Sounds. Once there, you will have some tabs as options, perhaps "Voice" or "Audio". Within there, you can find a "Sound Recording" or something similarly named that allows you to adjust the volume levels. If you can not find this, you can refer to your Windows operating manual or Start/Help. Use "Sound recording" as your key words, and you should be able to locate it from there.

Once you find where to go to adjust your recording volume levels, you will be ready to begin. You will need one other person to help you in these tests.

First, find a room that mimics a deposition setting and set yourself up exactly as you would when taking a job, being certain to place the microphone in as similar a position as you normally would. Find someone that can read a few pages of an old transcript as you re-take the job.

Set your audio recording volume to approximately 10%, title the job "10 percent", then have your helper read three or four pages of the old transcript you have chosen. It is very important that you title the job "10 percent", as you will see later. Take the job just as you would in a "real life" situation. How much you want them to read is really up to you. Three or four pages should be enough for your scopist to get a good taste of what type of audio was produced.

Stop when you're comfortable that you've taken enough. Close out of that job. Go into your recording volume settings and bump it up to 20% and begin a new job, naming this one "20 percent". Have your helper read the EXACT SAME PAGES. Try to make sure your helper does their best to read in a normal speaking voice at a normal volume, always trying to speak in the same volume. This will maximize the effect of your testing.

Repeat this process until you've recorded at 100 percent volume, bumping up the recording volume by 10 percent each time and making sure that you title your job in exact accordance with the percentage of volume you are recording in. After you've done the "100 percent" job, your files are ready for your scopist's ear.

Go online and bring up your T3 screen. Be certain that "Optimize for Speed" is checked. Send your scopist all 20 files (ten text and ten audio).

It's now the scopist's turn. They can listen to all 10 different jobs you have made and tell you which one worked out best. Since all the files have been named according to the recording volume level you used to create them, it will be very easy for you to return your volume level to that place and begin really enjoying the benefits of T3 while still getting an extremely good audio file to your scopist!

Remember, the more "real life" you can make your tests, the greater your results will reflect what happens when you take a real job. If you have two or three people that can read for your tests, all the better!

AUDIO ISN'T EASY

There is only one reason each and every one of you is a T3 user: You want fast, reliable transfers of audio files. We know that if you follow all of the steps outlined above, that's exactly what you will achieve every time.

However, audio files are not simple. AudioSync is an excellent feature that CAT systems are building into their software, but AudioSync is certainly not without its limitations. Those that use both AudioSync and scopists definitely need to be a little savvy to maximize the potential of this great feature.

What you have on your computer is a copy of T3 Software, an extremely technologically advanced piece of software that is designed to make your life easier and more efficient. However, it does require that you spend a little time learning how to use it in order to achieve the best results. Just as you couldn't achieve much of anything with a CAT system until you spent some time learning how to use it, you also won't see the great benefits of T3 unless you spend a little time getting everything properly in place.

Please take the time to do the steps we outlined above, and we know that you will find great satisfaction with your T3!