Dictate and Download
If you use SpeechExec for Mac and haven’t figured out how to download your files yet, this guide is for you. Alternatively, if you are just looking for software to transfer files from your digital voice recorder to your Mac, this may also be for you.
Philips DPMConnect for Mac is a free application that allows you to download dictations from a Philips recorder—and a few Olympus recorders as well—to your Apple computer. You can think of DPMConnect as the other half of SpeechExec for Mac, even though it is a standalone application and installs separately.
Requirements
Operating System
As of January 2016, DPMConnect for Mac is up to version 1.3.03, which supports OS X 10.9 Mavericks and OS X 10.10 Yosemite—but not El Capitan (10.11). That may change with newer versions, so be sure to follow us on Twitter for updates.
The latest release of the software is available for download here. You won’t need a license/serial number for installation, but you may need to check your Mac operating system first.
*UPDATE: DPMConnect for Mac v1.5.01 is now available and supports OS X El Capitan (10.11) and Sierra (10.12).
Application Version
And if you’re already using DPM Connect for Mac, you might want to make sure you’ve got the latest version. Click the DPMConnect folder icon and select “About.”
Can’t find the folder icon? Look for this symbol on the menu bar at the top of your screen, near the Mac clock and the wi-fi indicator:
This means that DPMConnect is running in the background—which is normal. The application should always be running, so that when you dock your device, downloads happen automatically. If you can’t find the icon, the application isn’t running.
Dictation Devices
DPMConnect for Mac will only download files from specific recorders (listed below), and only in DSS or DS2 formats. That means that an MP3 or WAV dictation won’t download at all.
*UPDATE: DPMConnect for Mac v1.5.01 will download MP3 and WAV as well.
Devices supported:
Philips Digital Pocket Memos (DPM)
- DPM6000
- DPM7000
- DPM8000
Philips LFH Recorders
- LFH9600
- LFH9500
- LFH9380
- LFH9370
Olympus DS Recorders
- DS-5000
- DS-3400
Preferences Menu
Now, let’s talk about the options that can be customized in DPMConnect for Mac. Click the folder icon and select “Open Preferences.”
Automatic file download
Downloading is what DPMConnect for Mac was made to do. In this section, you want to indicate which files to download:
- “All files” – Most people prefer all of their dictations to be downloaded when they dock their recorder.
- “EOL dictations only” – Note that EOL only works for Philips recorders. Choosing this option means that only the files that you’ve marked as “End of Letter” are going to get downloaded.
- ‘Keyword1 match” – If you’ve set up multiple authors on the device, and you only want to download files from one author, choose this option and set the author name in the field. Remember, you need another computer to assign author names to a recorder.
- “Delete files after download” – Most people prefer for their files to be automatically deleted from the recorder after they’re transferred to the computer.
Download location
- “Download folder” – Decide where you want your new files to go by clicking the [Choose] button and selecting that folder, whether it’s local or on the network.
- “Create subfolders based on keyword” – First, you must have configured keywords on your recorder. If you then want your dictations to download into different folders based on the keyword selected, check this box.
- “Select keyword” – If you’ve checked the above, decide which keyword you want to base your folders on.
Show download notifications
Check this if you want to see a little screen tell you what’s happening when you download your dictations.