Alead Livemic2 User manual

LiveMic2 Wireless Bluetooth Microphone & Transmitter:

User Guide for the Speech Recognition User

Speech Recognition Solutions, LLC

Contents

Introduction & Key Features......................................................................................................................... 1

Getting started..............................................................................................................................................2

Charging:...................................................................................................................................................2

Overview of functions...............................................................................................................................3

Use of the on/off button: .........................................................................................................................3

Pairing with your preferred device........................................................................................................... 3

Basic Use of the LiveMIC2.............................................................................................................................4

General Set-up:......................................................................................................................................... 4

Omni- versus Unidirectional Microphone Selection.................................................................................5

Using an External Microphone .................................................................................................................5

Using the LiveMIC2 with Speech Recognition Software............................................................................... 7

Bluetooth and Speech Recognition: General Considerations ..................................................................7

Dragon NaturallySpeaking........................................................................................................................8

Dragon Medical One (DMO) ..................................................................................................................... 9

Fluency Direct .........................................................................................................................................10

Speech Recognition on an iPhone or iPad..............................................................................................10

Introduction & Key Features

The LiveMIC2, a product of Alead, Inc., is a unique device which

allows wireless connection to a variety of Bluetooth-equipped

devices, including mobile devices, personal computers, audio

receivers, PA systems and headphones. Although the product

includes built-in omni- and multi-directional microphones, it also

includes an external microphone jack to allow use with any analog

headset microphone using a 3.5 mm plug. In so doing, it allows

you to turn almost any wired analog microphone into a convenient

wireless microphone.

Key features:

•Bluetooth connection using A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) and HFP (Handsfree

profile)

•Separate on-board omnidirectional and unidirectional microphones

•External microphone jack for attachment of most common microphones using a 3.5 mm plug

•User selectable microphone gain control

•Rechargeable Lithium ion battery supported with included mini USB cable which can access

power via any USB charger or available USB port

•Two user-selectable pairing modes including “Type A”(audio receivers, speakers, PA systems

and headphones) and “Type B”(iPhones, iPads, Android phones, other smartphones, tables,

personal computers (Windows and Mac)

•Mic muting control

•Hinged clip for attachment to shirt, or laptop lid

Detailed Specifications:

•Rechargeable Li-Polymer battery with up to 8 hours of talk time and 100 hrs of standby time

•Size: 5.5 cm x 2.8 cm x 1.7 cm (LxWxD)

•Weight: 21 gm (0.8 oz)

•Mic frequency range: 50-20KHz; sensitivity 55dB± 2dB

•Charging: Using included USB to micro-USB cable; 2 hrs to maximum charge

•Wireless range: up to 20m (66 ft.)

•Supported Bluetooth profiles: Headset, Handsfree and A2DP

Included in the box: The following parts are included within the box:

1. LiveMIC2 microphone/transmitter

2. USB to mini USB charging cable

3. Lapel microphone

4. Quick Start Guide

Getting started

Charging: Although your LiveMIC2 will arrive with a partially charged lithium ion battery, we highly

recommend that you charge it for 2 hours before using it. Charging can be accomplished with the

included charging cord which can be connected to either an AC to USB adapter or any available USB port

on a computer. Charging status can be assessed as follows:

•During charging the LED will appear a bright amber

•When fully charged the LED will be dim or off

Overview of functions

Use of the on/off button: The power to the mic is controlled as follows:

a. 3 second hold: mic turns on

b. 3 second hold: mic turns off

Pairing with your preferred device

First, you must consider the type of device you plan to connect with and set the sliding switch on the

lower edge of the LiveMIC2 to the appropriate setting:

•Position A: Select this for use with Bluetooth equipped audio

receivers, speakers, PA systems and headsets.

•Position B: Select this for use with iPhones, iPads, Android

devices and other small mobile devices.

Pairing with a Type A Device (Speaker or Audio Receiver)

1. Set the sliding switch on the bottom edge of the LiveMIC2 to position “A”

2. With the LiveMIC2 turned off, press and hold the power button until it begins rapidly flashing

blue. It is now in the Type A device pairing mode.

3. Initiate the pairing functionality on your remote audio receiver or other device

4. When the two devices are paired, the blue LED will change to flash slowly

5. Note: If your device requires that you enter a pin code, you can use any of the following: 0000,

1111, 1234, and 8888.

Pairing with a Type-B Device (Smartphone, personal computer, etc.)

1. Set the sliding switch on the bottom edge of the LiveMIC2 to the “B” position

2. Open the Bluetooth software on your mobile device or computer using the method appropriate

for your device and initiate the

pairing mode. Keep in mind that

the exact method used to add a

Bluetooth device is dependent

upon your devices operating

system and its installed software.

If there is a small Bluetooth icon

on your computer taskbar (very

bottom of screen) you can right-

click on this and select “Add a

Bluetooth device”. Alternatively,

you can go to Control Panel >

Devices and Printers and then

click on “Add a device”.

3. If currently on, turn off the LiveMIC2 by holding

the power switch for about 3 seconds

4. Put the LiveMIC2 into the pairing mode by

pressing and holding the power button until the

LED begins alternately flashing blue and amber.

5. From your mobile device or PC, look for

identification of “LiveMIC2” and select this. If a

PIN code is requested, enter “0000”.

6. For mobile devices, nothing more should be

necessary; for a personal computer, you should

go to the Sound control panel and select the

LiveMIC2 as your default audio device (see

adjacent image).

Basic Use of the LiveMIC2

General Set-up:

Basic use of the LiveMIC2 is straightforward. What follows relates solely to use with a computer or

mobile device. In general terms, follow these steps:

1. Pair your LiveMIC2 with your chosen device using the methods shown above.

2. Decide whether you will be using the on-board mic(s) on the device or using an external mic and

if the latter, connect the external microphone.

3. As needed, adjust the microphone gain as needed to optimize performance

Omni- versus Unidirectional Microphone Selection

Omnidirectional versus unidirectional microphone: the LiveMIC2 comes with two on-board

microphones and these are designed for different purposes:

•Omnidirectional Mic: this is located on top left of the

unit (above and to the left of “Alead”words and is

designed to accept sound from all directions. This is

ideal when recording a meeting and it is best to lay the

microphone down when accepting sound in this mode.

•Unidirectional Mic: the unidirectional mic is located on

the top edge of the LiveMIC2, just to the side of the

external mic jack, and is designed to pick up sound

directly at the microphone. This is the mode you would

use when recording your own or someone else’s voice

and typically while being held in your hand and pointed toward your mouth or another intended

sound source.

Changing between the on-board mics and an attached external microphone. This is as simple as a

button push.

•To switch to an external

microphone, simply give a

single push to the central

mic selector button. You

won’t see anything

happen, but the external

mic is now active.

•To switch back to either of

the on-board microphones, simply give a single push to the omni or uni buttons that are to the

left and right of the central external mic button. Again you won’t see any change, but the

selection will take place.

•To switch between the omnidirectional and unidirectional mics, simply give a single push to the

button associated with your desire mic.

Using an External Microphone

As described above, directing the LiveMIC2 to use an external

microphone requires nothing more than a single brief depression of the

central external mic button and plugging the microphone into the mic

jack.This scenario is the true beauty of the LiveMIC2 in that it converts

any analog microphone with a suitable 3.5 mm plug into a Bluetooth

wireless microphone. See adjacent image for wiring requirements.

The general set-up for use of an external microphone is overviewed below:

Compatible Microphones: Speech Recognition Solutions has tested the LiveMIC2 with a variety of

microphones and have yet to find one with which it did not work. Some specific mics with which we can

attest to excellent compatibility are the following:

Headset Mics

Other Mics

Andrea NC 181

Andrea NC 185

Audio Technica 8HEmW

Sennheiser ME3

SpeechWare FlexyMike DEC

SpeechWare FlexyMike SEC

Olympus ME52W*

SpeechWare TabletMike*

*Both are “snub-nosed”mics and allow

use of the LiveMIC2 as hand-held

microphone

If you have problems with any microphone, be sure to try adjusting the microphone gain up or down as

needed for the software application. Newer versions of the Sennheiser ME3 have a less sensitive mic

capsule and require that you jack up the gain a bit.

Confirming Use of an External Microphone: If you ever find yourself in doubt about whether an

external mic is being properly recognized by the LiveMIC2, it is suggested that you open the sound

control panel on your Windows (Control Panel > Sound) or Mac machine and simply look to see if there

is a visual indicator of sound input and whether this is impacted by unplugging the external mic.

Remember that you must be viewing this from the “Recording” tab of the Sound control panel. See

graphics below:

Indication when an external mic is the chosen with LiveMIC2 using the sound control panel on a

Windows computer:

Talking with external mic

connected

Talking with external mic

unplugged

Indication when external mic is not the chosen mic with LiveMIC2:

Talking with external mic

connected

Talking with external mic

disconnected

Using the LiveMIC2 with Speech Recognition Software

Bluetooth and Speech Recognition: General Considerations

Frequency Range: Although earlier versions of Bluetooth used a narrow band

audio signal and did not necessarily provide the best possible results with the

demanding needs of speech recognition software, newer devices, including the

LiveMIC2, use wide-band Bluetooth and will transmit the full range of human

speech frequencies. Most human speech occurs in the range of 300 Hz to 3.4

KHz and the frequency range of the LiveMIC2 (20Hz –50KHz) more than covers

this.

Audio Latency: Another consideration is the lag time which occurs in the process

of digitizing and transmitting a sound, a process termed audio latency. In the

realm of Bluetooth, audio latency depends upon to factors: 1) the data format

and 2) the Bluetooth codec. Long latency periods are most critical in the context of a combined audio

and video scenario. If the sound is transmitted via Bluetooth and video seen in real-time, the lack of

synchronization will be apparent and impair the experience. There are two reasons that latency is NOT

an issue with the LiveMIC2, particularly when used with speech recognition software:

1. The LiveMIC2 employs the latest low latency Bluetooth technology

2. Unless extremely long, the latency is relatively meaningless to a speech recognition user since it

is a one-directional audio-only signal and, after all, what does it matter if there is a 40 vs. 100

nsec delay?

Dragon NaturallySpeaking

All versions of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, including the Home, Premium, Professional, Legal and Medical

versions are fully compatible with a Bluetooth sound source, including the LiveMIC2. The set-up is

straightforward and you should follow the Dragon instructions for adding a Bluetooth audio device as

your sound source.

We add a few simple instructions to assure simplicity in setting up this device:

1. If you haven’t done so already, start by adding the LiveMIC2 to your computer as a sound

source. (If your computer does not have built in Bluetooth, an inexpensive Bluetooth dongle will

serve the purpose. In this case, be sure to install any needed Bluetooth drivers.) Detailed

instructions are provided earlier in this guide. Once your LiveMIC2 is paired and you have an

active connection, proceed to the next step

2. Do some preliminary gain setting of your LiveMIC2 using either the external microphone or on-

board unidirectional mic on the device (whichever you intend to use). We recommend opening

the sound control panel, identifying the LiveMIC2 on the Recording tab, and doing some talking

to confirm that the device is connected and a sound signal getting through. At this point you

should adjust the gain up or down as needed until the sound deflections on your sound control

panel is extending up about half way during ordinary speech into your microphone.

3. Open Dragon and add your Bluetooth source (the LiveMIC2) as a new source to your existing

Dragon user profile (alternatively you can set up an entirely

new user profile, but this is not necessary). Instructions for

adding a new source vary based on the version and proceed as

shown below:

Dragon 13,14 & 15:

1. Go to Profile > Manage Dictation Sources

2. From the “Manage Dictation Sources” window select

your new audio source

3. Click “Add New Dictation Source”

4. Follow ensuing steps

Dragon 12 (DMPE2) or Equivalent

1. Go to the Profile menu and select

“Add dictation source to the

current User Profile …”

2. On the next screen select the

appropriate type of sound source

from the drop-down menu

3. On the next screen select the actual sound source

4. Follow all subsequent instructions

4. If you get any error messages during initial training indicating the mic volume is either too high

or low, simply adjust the gain on the LiveMIC2 to adjust the output volume as needed (gain up

and gain down button on the LiveMIC2) to make Dragon happy.

5. Once you’ve set up the LiveMIC2 as your sound source, you can alter the external mic or use the

onboard mic (we recommend the unidirectional mic in this situation). We recommend,

however, that if you change the mic, re-run the Sound Set-up Wizard (say “Check Audio”)

Dragon Medical One (DMO)

DMO is the newest cloud-based speech recognition product aimed at the medical audience and use is

growing rapidly in the hospital community. Although Nuance tends to discourage a Bluetooth

microphones with this product, Speech Recognition Solutions has found the LiveMIC2 to be a very

accurate and convenient means of connecting microphones to DMO. We offer the following advice:

•DMO Desktop Application: When using a locally run version

of DMO, if the microphone is paired with the computer at

the time DMO is opened, it will show up as “Headset

(LiveMIC2 Hands-Free)”and should be chosen. Beyond this,

there is nothing special to do.

•Server Based Application: When DMO is presented via

virtualization software such as Citrix, DMO will present only

two microphone options, 1) PowerMic Mobile and 2) the last

on-board sound source used by the computer. It is

essential, therefore, that you you set the LiveMIC2 as the

default sound source for your computer BEFORE opening

DMO. This is done from your sound control panel

and requires that you follow these steps.

1. Make the Bluetooth connection between the

LiveMIC2 and your computer

2. Open the Sound control panel by going to

Control Panel > Sound

3. Go to the Recording tab on the Sound control

panel

4. Identify the LiveMIC2 as a sound device

5. Right click over the LiveMIC2 and select “Set as

Default Device” (see adjacent image)

6. Click “Apply” and close the sound control

panel

Fluency Direct

Fluency Direct is another recognized and well-performing speech recognition application directed to the

medical audience and is also compatible with the LiveMIC2.

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