Usb Foot Pedal

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September 12th, 2009 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

Usb Foot Pedal

For those considering a life as a transcriptionist, there are some tools of the trade you need to invest in.

In this article, I'll give you the lowdown on some of the essentials to make your life easier and your work more efficient.

I'll focus on just gear for transcriptionists, but keep in mind that you'll probably also want to look up some info on how to setup a home office.

Transcribers

First things first - you can't transcribe if you can't playback recordings and audio playback programs on your computer (iTunes, etc) simply aren't going to make the cut here.

There are programs designed to do the task and they do it well for dealing with digital files. Dragon Naturally Speaking offers an add-on to their program specifically for transcription. It's fairly expensive, but most say well worth the investment.

Of course, not everyone has made it to the digital world of the 21st century and some people just like to use cassettes. That means getting a separate machine to deal with that kind of media. While you're likely to get most micro-cassettes, you may also want to keep a standard cassette and mini cassette player handy.

My favorite place to go for transcribers is eBay. I'd shell out the money for up to date computer software for dealing with digital files since that's what you'll probably be doing the most, but for analog machines, used equipment works just as good as the new stuff and you can save 75% or more off the price of getting a new one.

Foot Pedal

If you're new to transcribing, you'll eventually come to love and call the foot pedal your best friend. Simply stated - it makes you more productive and allows you to work far faster than you could without this essential piece of equipment.

Get a USB foot pedal for working on the computer and make sure any standalone equipment ships with it's foot pedal or you'll really regret it later.

Headset

A standard pair of headphones will work in place of a branded transcribing headset, but the key here is to make sure they're comfortable. Going to Wal-Mart and buying their $1 headphones is a terrible decision. They'll break quickly and are horribly uncomfortable to wear. I actually use a pair of noise cancelling in ear monitors myself - you could wear these things 24/7 - they're that comfortable.

Depnding on the kind of work you'll be doing whether it's legal, business, or medical transcription, you may want to consider some or all of the following equipment as part of your arsenal: line counting software, encryption software, industry specific spell checkers, and text expanders.

Once you've got the gear, you'll be all set for a fun career working from home as a transcriptionist.

Want to learn more about transcribing? Please visit iDictating and you'll find plenty of resources about transcription equipment and medical transcription equipment.

Does anyone know where I can purchase Infinity In-USB foot pedal...I don't want to use ebay or amazon!?

I was hoping I could even drive and pick one up myself. I live near Greensboro, NC - willing to drive a couple hours....I need it quick I need to start working!!!!!

Sorry, but the best place I know of is online only, but they are currently on sale at AltoEdge:

http://www.altoedge.com/pedals/index.html