================================================================= Kurzweil VoicePad for Windows 95 Release 1.0 READ ME ================================================================= AUDIO INPUT 1. Confirming Correct Installation Confirm correct installation by starting Kurzweil VoicePad, adding yourself as a new user, checking sound levels, and adjusting the microphone gain as needed. Confirm proper operation by dictating to the system. Follow these steps: A. Start Kurzweil VoicePad. Add your name to the user list as a new user. Read the initial help dialog, and press OK. The Start User screen appears. Select your name from the start user screen and press OK. If a dialog appears saying "Kurzweil VoicePad cannot control the microphone gain," you will have to perform step C3, below. B. Complete a sound levels check by saying "Sound Levels" and following the prompts on the screen. You will be prompted to record four seconds of silence and to say nine words, "testing one two three...six seven eight." C. Adjust the Microphone Gain as Needed: 1. If the difference between the level of silence and the level of your Kurzweil VoicePad is not greater than two ticks on the sound levels meter, press the Mike Gain button and raise the gain. 2. If the sound levels meter doesn't respond to your Kurzweil VoicePad (even after you've raised the gain), check the following: - Make sure the microphone plug is connected to the microphone jack on your sound board. - If a microphone gain button is present in the Sound Levels dialog, press it, and raise the gain by a couple of ticks. 3. If the gain button is not present, the microphone gain must be set outside of Kurzweil VoicePad. See "Adjusting the Microphone Gain Outside of Kurzweil VoicePad" in on-line help (search on the keyword "microphone"). 4. If you still can't get a proper sound levels check, record a test sentence using the sound recorder icon in the Accessories program group to check the output sound quality of your sound board. See "Checking Sound Board Fidelity" (search on the keyword "soundboard) in on-line help for this procedure. 2. Sound Board Compatibility Extensive steps have been taken to assure that Kurzweil VoicePad is compatible with the widest possible range of Sound Blaster 16-compatible and Windows-compatible, 16-bit sound boards. If you experience recognition difficulty or find that the microphone doesn't hear anything you say, the problem may be due to one of the following: A. Incorrect microphone gain. Because of the variations in microphone gain among sound boards, Kurzweil VoicePad's default microphone gain setting may be incorrect for your sound board. If recognition appears to be poor or erratic the first time you use Kurzweil VoicePad, see "Adjusting Microphone Gain Inside Kurzweil VoicePad" in on-line help for information about correcting the problem (search on keyword "microphone"). B. Nonconforming sound board. You should be able to use Kurzweil VoicePad to control your microphone gain, but if your sound board does not conform to accepted Windows conventions, you may need to refer to "Adjusting Microphone Gain Outside Kurzweil VoicePad" in on-line help for information about correcting the problem (search on keyword "microphone"). KNOWN PROBLEMS AND WORKAROUNDS IN KURZWEIL VOICEPAD 1.0 1. "Say" Command in the Active Words Window In the Active Words window, do not select the "Say" command from the pop-up menu because Kurzweil VoicePad may crash. If this occurs, please restart Kurzweil VoicePad and continue. To avoid this, you can double-click on the item in the Active Words window. 2. Disk drive spinning during Setup You may hear prolonged spinning of the disk drive during your setup of Kurzweil VoicePad. Do not be concerned; it is part of the mechanics of the Install Shield. FEATURES AND APPLICATION NOTES 1. Changing Kurzweil VoicePad System Files Using a Text Editor When you add or edit commands using the Active Words window, Kurzweil VoicePad automatically formats these commands in Kurzweil VoicePad .kvv system files. If you are forced to edit .kvv files using a text editor (Notepad or Wordpad), you must insert an asterisk after the equal sign. The edited entry must be left justified. For example: "MY ADDRESS" =* "123 Main St.", , TEXT, Y, N CONFIGURATION 1. Memory Requirements VoicePad ships with a 12,000 word vocabulary and the ability for users to add an additional 500 words or commands. It requires approximately 5.5 DEDICATED RAM. This does not include the memory required for the Windows 95 operating system and any other applications you may be running. Your applications and the operating system typically require 8 MB of RAM. Consequently, you will probably need a total of 16 MB of RAM to run VoicePad. 2. System Requirements Kurzweil VoicePad Release 1.0 may perform adequately on a 486-based PC, but a Pentium-based PC is strongly recommended.