In today’s digital world, talking instead of typing has become a game-changer. With voice dictation, you can easily turn your spoken words into written text, making tasks like sending emails and messages super easy. And what makes this magic happen? Microphones! These little gadgets aren’t just extras; they’re the heroes behind clear communication. A good voice dictation microphone is like the secret sauce that makes talking to your computer more accurate and efficient.
In 2022, I shared the story of my involvement in inventing SpeechWare’s first generation KeyboardMike, a microphone designed for voice dictation. The KeyboardMike is a small lightweight portable mic, which can be attached to the back of a desktop computer keyboard, to the side of a laptop, or to a desktop monitor.
Now the Belgian company, renowned for manufacturing high-quality voice dictation microphones, is releasing a new second-generation KeyboardMike, called the KeyboardMike Plus. It boasts an update to the company’s USB MultiAdapter with a new proprietary VoiceMatic chipset inside delivering improved performance under short range blue and long range green LED dictation settings.
SpeechWare kindly sent me a demo unit of the KeyboardMike Plus a few weeks ago and I have been trying it out using Apple Voice Control and Dragon Professional 16 voice dictation software on my laptop.
Voice dictation microphone specifications
• Up to 44.1, 48 and 96 KHz
• 16/24-bit Sample rates
• Instant no latency transcription
The new USB MultiAdapter’s optimised motherboard reduces latency and increases gain. During my testing, SpeechWare shared another user’s early test results using a demo unit with ChatGPT, which showed more than a 70% improvement in both clearer audio with less background noise, and a stronger, louder audio signal. The company said these findings match their own in-house testing.
What’s included
The KeyboardMike Plus maintains its predecessor’s design featuring a 20 cm or 8 inch microphone boom, and the next generation USB MultiAdapter with the new chipset, which is where all the magic happens. Indeed, all of the company’s next generation of devices –starting with the MultiAdapter will share the same improved VoiceMatic audio chipset.
Also included with its elegant storage and carrying case are:
• Special USB male to female 90 degrees fixed angle elbow connector to keep the USB Adapter in a upright position when plugged to a laptop
• Certified USB 2.0 to USB Type-C converter for MacBooks and latest Windows laptops
• Velcro sticker to affix the microphone in keyboard or the back of a monitor
• Spare windshield
What’s it like to use the KeyboardMike Plus
As a predominantly Mac user, I prefer to use Apple Voice Control for voice dictation, which is inferior to Dragon speech recognition software on Windows computers. However, using the KeyboardMike Plus with the new USB MultiAdapter with Voice Control, my dictation is now significantly more accurate! It’s incredible to experience an application that previously disappointed perform almost perfectly with the KeyboardMike Plus.
I feel more energised, find myself making fewer corrections, and experience heightened productivity in my work through using the KeyboardMike Plus as my daily driver for voice dictation, and phone calls. The value of being effortlessly understood by a voice dictation application is immeasurable. The only analogy I can think of is the experience of a deaf person being given a new hearing aid that lets them hear crystal clear for the first time.
Noise cancellation has also improved on the KeyboardMike Plus. In my home office situation, I can have the TV or radio on in the background at a moderate level, and it doesn’t affect the accuracy of my dictation. This voice dictation microphone has significantly better noise filtering than the previous generation.
Price
The KeyboardMike Plus is priced at €299 EUR including VAT.
Verdict
Attaining high levels of accuracy in transcribing spoken words into text in emails, website text boxes, or computer documents through speech recognition applications is a complex and challenging task.
Contrary to claims by some technology companies, the KeyboardMike Plus demonstrates that the quality of the microphone plays a crucial role in achieving accurate voice dictation. Indeed, perhaps waking up to this fact, Apple is rumoured to be developing better microphones for speech recognition on its devices this year.
The KeyboardMike Plus excels in precision, compact size, and versatility. It stands out as a notable upgrade from its predecessor, enhancing speech recognition accuracy on both Mac and PC platforms. In an era marked by advancements in on-device AI for voice dictation, the KeyboardMike Plus is a hardware gem.
While there are other good and more affordable microphones for speech recognition available, the KeyboardMike Plus has clear accuracy and productivity advantages. Getting rid of the tinny sound on the long-range green LED setting means clearer calls and eliminates the need to switch modes or microphones during phone calls, thanks to improved sound quality on the long-range green LED setting.
The improved gain and noise cancellation makes the KeyboardMike Plus a great voice dictation microphone for people with soft or weak voices, and those who dictate in moderately noisy environments.
Whether you use Apple’s Voice Control or other speech recognition applications, the KeyboardMike Plus is poised to deliver a significant uptick in voice dictation accuracy.
For those seeking a top voice dictation microphone, the KeyboardMike Plus will be available for order on the SpeechWare website starting February 2024.
This review is based on a demo unit provided by SpeechWare, and the assessment is honest and objective. There is no commercial connection beyond the demo unit for review purposes.
