Transcription Buddy for Windows

User Reviews

• Perfect software for my needs

  kathyberkenDecember 9, 2015

  Pros

  Has a wide variety of custom functions. Works very well. I like the custom pause features, backup feature, playback option, and audio speed option.

  Cons

  I had to convert some of my files in order for it to work, so that meant downloading another piece of software, but I found something online that was free. It's just a nuisance to not have this program have a convert feature. Also, with each file I am transcribing, I have to reset the Automatic preferences button in the Audio tab. I would prefer that this remains the same unless i change it.

  Summary

  Essentially, this is an excellent program. I have several recorded interviews that needed to be transcribed. I was looking initially for voice recognition software, but can't find any right now to suit my needs that are free and accurate. So, this is the second best option. I just installed it today and used it three times. There might be more features I haven't discovered, but so far, so good! Thank you for this.

  ---

• Looks great, does not function as advertised

  Burke_ToastMarch 4, 2012

  Pros

  GUI is clean and simple. Controls are laid out well. Offers plenty of tools for marking and editing during playback. Good design.

  Cons

  "Transcription Buddy can be used to play standard or compressed WAV, DSS or MP3 files." - This is not true. Transcription Buddy recognizes .wav, .mp3, .wma, and .vox. It is NOT a DSS player and therefore not very useful for professional transcription.

  Summary

  no DSS support. Use Olympus' free DSS Player Lite instead, or pay for software. Otherwise, a good and flexible player.

  ---

• The best transcription software I've tried so far

  sweetmystiqueDecember 29, 2011

  Pros

  You get the same quality audio you download, which was amazing to hear after tearing my hair out trying to make Express Scribe usable, which I never could. Another Pro is that it's easy to figure out. You speed up/slow down and it only changes the quality a little. I used a footpedal and was able to modify it to my exact specifications. You can try it for free for a month, but it didn't take my credit card information so I don't know if that still applies or not. Guess I'll find out but it being so far and away superior to some others I've tried, it's worth the $40.00.

  Cons

  The same thing that's good about it is what's bad about it - as far as quality of video. It can't fix the sound quality at all, it gives only what you give it, so if you have a means of using audio editing software, try cleaning it up first, then you could try it. Other than that, no negatives that I can see. I supposedly have to pay after a 30-day trial but I'm so tired of the quality of free software that I'm willing to pay it.

  Summary

  I pretty much say it all above. I've tried quite a few other transcription software on CNET's list and this is the best I've tried so far and I've been a transcriptionist for 12 years.<br /><br /><span class='notifyMsg'> Updated </span>on Dec 29, 2011<p/>I said "video" above and I meant "audio". That's what I get for posting at 3 something in the morning, lol.

  ---

• Good tools, lousy playback

  cupcakearmyNovember 22, 2009

  Pros

  versatile automatic pause feature, ability to slow down playback while maintaining pitch, keyboard shortcuts

  Cons

  no way to save place to come back to, playback is choppy and skips

  Summary

  I don't have a lot of experience with transcription, but I had a long interview I needed to transcribe and I decided I would give this software a try. I like the idea of the program, especially the ability to create pauses in the audio file every so often, to allow you to catch up in your transcription. However, this software is ultimately *unusable* for me because the playback likes to skip over whole words and phrases. It's impossible to get an accurate transcription when so many words are skipped over, so for now I'll stick to other software.

  ---

• Makes transcription from digital media easy

  belfuriousNovember 7, 2003

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This product has everything I've been looking for in transcription software, and then some. Some features I find very useful: --Supports many audio formats, including MP3. You can: --Easily define a section of a recording that you want to isolate, and jump back to the beginning of the section with a single click. --Step backward and forward through a recording by intervals you define (as small as 1/10 second)--very useful for replays of garbled speech. --Begin playback at very precise points in the recording (not possible with standard media players). --Speed up playback to home in on a section to transcribe. --Slow down playback to make it easier to keep up as you type. And in the How Cool Is That department: --Includes a feature that automatically pauses playback after a number of seconds you define--so that you can catch up in your typing--AND THEN AUTOMATICALLY RESUMES PLAYBACK. The interface for the product is very easy to use, and for the most part intuitive. The only gripe I have, and it's a minor one, is that it's easy to confuse the controls for defining a section with the controls for navigating through the section. All in all, this is an outstanding product. I will have no qualms about paying the registration fee when my (fully functional) trial expires.

  ---

• Show reviewsHide reviews
• Rate it