Setup Tips for the Olympus R6.3.1 Dictation Module

Olympus Dictation Software Setup

The scope of this guide includes basic installation and configuration of the Olympus® ODMS R6 Dictation Module (for Windows®). Along the way, we’ll provide tips and strategies that will help set you up for success. Yet, unlike the user manual, we won’t be covering every minute detail. Rather, this is intended to be a brief read-and-reference, providing key startup best practices and configurations for your dictation software.

Although automatic file delivery and co-operative speech recognition are both supported within ODMS R6, we won’t be configuring email or discussing Dragon® settings here. Check out our knowledgebase for further instructions.

 

Installing the Dictation Module

We know that you know how to put the installation disc into the computer, but there are some subtleties you’ll want to observe:

  • Don’t let the disc run the install wizard by itself. Rather, open up the disc in Windows Explorer and go to the ODMS_R6 folder. Locate the “setup.exe” file with the type “Application,” right click, and then select “Run as administrator.”
  • Don’t be confused: there’s only one disc for both the Dictation Module and the Transcription Module. You’re going to need a license key with an “RD64” prefix to install the dictation software.
  • While running the installation wizard, be sure to choose “Individual User Settings (Default),” rather than “All User Settings.” You’re probably not installing this software for multiple people who use your computer, and you’ll want to be able to change the folder paths, if the need arises.
  • The disc you install is possibly an earlier dot release of R6, like 6.2.2. Make sure to check for updates and get the latest version, ODMS R6.4.  Even when you get that, you should still install Patch 0016, as it’s not included in the update.

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DS-7000 Checklist

A few things to mention about your new digital voice recorder, before we forget:

Check the firmware

  • Turn on the DS7000 and click [OK/Menu]. Find the Device Menu tab on the far right. Navigate to System Information. The “version” listed on this screen refers to the firmware. It should be version 2.1 (as of this post). If it is not, download firmware v2.1 here, and follow these steps to load it into the recorder.

Check your USB connection

This one can throw you if you’re not careful, as there are several issues we’ve seen crop up in the field when plugging in the DS-7000:

  • Make sure you’re using a USB 2.0 port, as the DS-7000 has not been certified for USB 3.0 protocol. USB 3.0 ports can be identified by an “SS” logo—indicating “SuperSpeed.”
  • Do not use a USB hub. Plug directly into the computer with the recorder or the cradle.
  • When plugging the DS-7000 into a new USB port, your computer will install drivers. Don’t unplug the device until those drivers are finished loading. Watch the progress indicator on your Windows taskbar to determine when this is finished.

 

Using the First Start Wizard

When you open the Dictation Module software, the “First Start Wizard” will pop up. You can skip the wizard altogether, but if you’d like to proceed, here are some tips:

  • Skip worktypes, until you understand what they are and how they work.
  • On the “Dictation Method” screen, leave the radio button on “Folder Location” and don’t try and change the default location.
  • Enable automatic downloads.
  • Check “Delete Upon Download”—unless you have an old USB cable and can’t be sure your connection is stable. We have, on occasion, seen people lose dictations because of bad wiring, so your best bet is to use a new cable.
  • Enable automatic updates.

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Configuring the Dictation Module Software

There are a few options you’ll want to configure in the Dictation Module. Our recommendations will help make your workflow and operation simple and effective. We’re going to hide things you don’t need and automate as much as we can. You can always restore these hidden items and turn off automation if you so choose.

We’re shooting for a workflow wherein you can record audio files to the DS-7000, upload them to your computer automatically, find them quickly, and play them back. Most of this setup will be done within the Options panel, found under Tools in the ODMS menu bar.

Menu Bar

  1. Open ODMS and look for the menu bar at the top of the window. Click Tools > Select Speaker and make sure that PC Speaker is chosen. This will ensure that your audio playback doesn’t come through your DS-7000 speaker.
  2. Turn off View > Property Window, unless you plan on making regular changes to your folder settings.

Tools > Options > Folder Design

  1. Click Tools > Options and go to Folder Design.
  2. Uncheck all of these items:

-Folders B-G

-Recording Folder

-Outbox (It will reappear if you decide to configure email or FTP delivery.)

-Sent Items (It will also reappear, if needed.)

-Adaptation Data (This is related to speech recognition.)

  1. Click the [Apply] button at the bottom.
  2. Next, click over to the Download Tray and find Auto Download (under Actions on the right). Make sure it is set to “Yes,” because you do want your dictations coming in automatically.
  3. Below Auto Download, set Backup to “Yes.”
  4. If you want to point all of your folders to a network location, create a folder called “Dictations” on the network, and then change the path of the Download Tray to point to that network location. This will allow ODMS to create the A-G subfolders in that directory. Alternatively, you can point one or more Olympus folders to network folders. If you do this, leave the Dictation Tray in its default location.
  5. Click the Backup folder and verify that it is pointing to your desired backup path. Consider enabling the Purge setting, with a frequency of once a month. If your group data retention policies require otherwise, make sure that Purge is set to “Off.
  6. Click [Apply].

Tools > Options > Workflow

  1. Staying within the Tools > Options menu, find the Workflow tab.
  2. In Download, make sure that the box next to “After downloading file(s), delete the original file(s)” is checked. Again, if you have some reason to be concerned that your cable is untrustworthy, get a new cable ASAP. You’ll save yourself some major headaches.
  3. In Advanced Download, check the box next to “Download all dictations to…” and make sure it’s set to folder A. This will push all the dictations you make on your DS-7000 into one bucket, eliminating the confusion of searching in multiple places to find your dictations. This also means that if you choose folder C on the DS-7000, the dictations will still go to folder A on your computer.
  4. In Author, if you didn’t create an author name, do it now. You’ll need it to help identify your device and your dictations.
  5. Click [Apply] and [OK].

Tools > Options > Device

  1. At this point, make sure that the DS-7000 is plugged in or docked. We’re going to be making a configuration change that requires the device to be connected.
  2. Once the recorder has had a moment to be detected, go to Tools > Options > Device and click Author List (under Administrative Settings). Find the small button up top that reads [Update], and choose “Only this page.” This will assign your author name to your device and tag any new recordings with that name.

Tools > Options > Update

  1. Finally, jump over to the Update tab and set it to “Check for updates automatically.” Every four weeks is just fine for the check interval.
  2. Click [Apply] and [OK].

 

General Tips

Here are some overall strategies to consider when working with ODMS R6.3.1:

  • Organize your dictations by clicking the Created column, which will sort them by date created. This makes it easy to identify new/old work and prioritize accordingly.
  • The Device Manager, at the bottom left of your screen, indicates files that are on the DS-7000. The Dictation Tray, top left, represents files that are on your computer or network.
  • If you decide to use networking to pass files, we suggest that you also network the Finished folder, so that both author and transcriptionist can view finished dictation files.
  • If at all possible, do not redirect your Windows “My Documents” directory onto the network. This can cause significant problems with your Olympus system files.

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