What is a SpeechMike?

A SpeechMike is a handheld dictation microphone made by Philips, with buttons for recording, playback and commands. It connects to a computer, and you assign its buttons to commands in Philips' SpeechControl software ¹. Philips positions it as the official successor to Nuance's PowerMic 3 and 4 ². It does not type on its own. The software does the recognition, and the SpeechMike supplies the voice and the buttons.

A SpeechMike is a microphone with buttons that control software

Philips' manual says that with a SpeechMike you can control various applications on your computer or in your browser ³, and you can change the button assignment for each mode in SpeechControl software ¹ ( Philips button modes). The buttons are the difference from a plain desk microphone. Pressing one runs the command assigned to it, and that command depends on the mode.

Philips says the Event mode is the default mode of a SpeechMike ⁴.

The manual lists these button modes for the SpeechMike Premium Air: Event mode, Keyboard mode, Browser mode, Windows speech recognition mode, Dragon for Mac mode and Dragon for Windows mode ⁵. Button modes and their names differ between models, so check your manual.

Some SpeechMike models have a slide switch for recording

Models with a slide switch do not record the same way as the button models. On a SpeechMike with a slide switch, you start recording by moving the switch to REC ⁶. Philips' SpeechExec guide describes that switch, so check it first if your model has one.

A SpeechMike depends on its docking station and USB power

Two causes in Philips' troubleshooting table are worth checking first, and both concern the connection rather than the microphone.

The first is power. Some computers limit USB output to 100 mA, which Philips says may not be enough for a SpeechMike to function properly ⁷. The table recommends the supplied power supply unit or a self-powered hub ⁸.

The second is the connection order for the foot control. If the computer cannot detect the foot control, Philips says to reconnect it to the docking station first and then connect the docking station to the computer ⁹. The foot pedal question covers the foot control in more detail.

If the SpeechMike does not record sound because the input level is too low, Philips' table says to select it as the default recording device in the Windows sound settings ¹⁰.

Philips presents the SpeechMike as the PowerMic's replacement

The move from PowerMic to SpeechMike matters if you have used the older Nuance device. Philips' page says the SpeechMike is the official successor to the PowerMic 3 and 4 ². That is Philips' claim about its own product. We did not check it against Nuance or Microsoft, and it says nothing about how accurate the device is.

Choosing a SpeechMike

Philips sells several SpeechMike models, including the Premium Air and the Premium Touch. Compare the buttons and the software for the model you are considering, using the Philips product page and the manual for that model. For the microphone itself, read the dictation microphone guide. The question on microphone distance explains where to hold it.

A SpeechMike is one choice among several. If you only need to dictate into a document, the built-in tools described in is there a device that types what you say may be enough. The digital dictation entry explains the wider category.

For the whole subject, see the dictation overview.