Hunaidi

Q: Dictation not working on Mountain Lion?

I enabled dictation on my mac through the System Preferences. First I tried going to notes and pressed the fn key twice, the Siri like mic appeared and I began to say simple words such us "hello" "how are you" and pressed done. The thre dots appeared for a few seconds then the 'three dots' went left to right and nothing appeared. I've tried this on notes, microsoft word, and also while typing this discussion. Any ideas?

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion

Posted on Jul 25, 2012 3:27 PM

Close

Q: Dictation not working on Mountain Lion?

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

first Previous Page 5 of 14 last Next
  • by cloudquinot,

    cloudquinot cloudquinot Jul 27, 2012 1:20 PM in response to Jeff Nitschke
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 27, 2012 1:20 PM in response to Jeff Nitschke

    How could I know the right Build sir? Could it there be a possible way to fix this? Im also having problem on safari. Everytime I'll open the app it crash. could it be the version? I cant find the latest version, Im planning to download and reinstall it.

  • by cloudquinot,

    cloudquinot cloudquinot Jul 27, 2012 1:24 PM in response to Jeff Nitschke
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 27, 2012 1:24 PM in response to Jeff Nitschke

    Here's mine sir. OS X 10.8 (12A128p)

  • by Jeff Nitschke,

    Jeff Nitschke Jeff Nitschke Jul 27, 2012 1:25 PM in response to cloudquinot
    Level 4 (2,655 points)
    Jul 27, 2012 1:25 PM in response to cloudquinot

    In the about this mac window if you click the 10.8 it should give you a build #

  • by Jeff Nitschke,

    Jeff Nitschke Jeff Nitschke Jul 27, 2012 1:27 PM in response to cloudquinot
    Level 4 (2,655 points)
    Jul 27, 2012 1:27 PM in response to cloudquinot

    Did you Get Mountain Lion from the Apple App store because that build is a Developer Preview 1

  • by cloudquinot,

    cloudquinot cloudquinot Jul 27, 2012 1:28 PM in response to Jeff Nitschke
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 27, 2012 1:28 PM in response to Jeff Nitschke

    yah it says Build 12A128p sir. Im also having problem with safari. It crashes everytime I open it. Im using google chrome now.

  • by cloudquinot,

    cloudquinot cloudquinot Jul 27, 2012 1:31 PM in response to Jeff Nitschke
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 27, 2012 1:31 PM in response to Jeff Nitschke

    My friend gave the installer to me and he says that he get it from apple. If I install a new one from apple would this fix my problem?

  • by Jeff Nitschke,

    Jeff Nitschke Jeff Nitschke Jul 27, 2012 1:38 PM in response to cloudquinot
    Level 4 (2,655 points)
    Jul 27, 2012 1:38 PM in response to cloudquinot

    I would suggest spending the $20 & get the software directly though Apple. Your friend would have to be an Apple developer in order to get the preview release & he wouldn't be able to give you a copy due to the Terms of Use aggreement.

  • by cloudquinot,

    cloudquinot cloudquinot Jul 27, 2012 1:41 PM in response to Jeff Nitschke
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 27, 2012 1:41 PM in response to Jeff Nitschke

    Would it be ok to reinstall it again and get the one in app store?

  • by Jeff Nitschke,

    Jeff Nitschke Jeff Nitschke Jul 27, 2012 1:45 PM in response to cloudquinot
    Level 4 (2,655 points)
    Jul 27, 2012 1:45 PM in response to cloudquinot

    I would "assume" that you could install Mountain Lion (from the App store) over your preview version.

  • by cloudquinot,

    cloudquinot cloudquinot Jul 27, 2012 1:47 PM in response to Jeff Nitschke
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 27, 2012 1:47 PM in response to Jeff Nitschke

    Okay sir. Ill buy the installer this week sir. Thank you so much for the help

  • by king_nothing,

    king_nothing king_nothing Jul 27, 2012 10:29 PM in response to Hunaidi
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 27, 2012 10:29 PM in response to Hunaidi

    guess what, suddenly it just started working, i´m posting this from dictation actually, i guess it will stop working randomly anyway but i think it´s a server issue since it works at times and at times it doesn´t.

  • by danbasson,

    danbasson danbasson Jul 28, 2012 10:52 AM in response to Hunaidi
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 28, 2012 10:52 AM in response to Hunaidi

    I have downloaded Mountain Lion.

     

    Ive turned the Dictation on and set the mic to 'Internal Microphone' and I have gone to safari and tried to speak a website. When the microphone graphic appears, I speak but it doesnt pick up a voice (the light doesnt go up and down). And thus I press enter then the three dots appear but then shake.go to

     

    I then sound in the Hardware section in System Preferences.

     

    I select the Input section and highlight the Internal microphone and try and speak into it, I get no response as if it doesnt pick up anything at all, ive turned the volume up to the highest, still nothing.

     

    I try skype and even that cant pick up any sound. Like people before, I have restarted a bunch of times as well as shutdown plenty too.

     

     

    Anyone got the same problem? and if so, any possible help? Thanks

  • by willcapellaro_,

    willcapellaro_ willcapellaro_ Jul 28, 2012 11:43 AM in response to Hunaidi
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 28, 2012 11:43 AM in response to Hunaidi

    I had a very similar problem and solved it. I could get the dictation popup to appear by pressing fn twice, getting the three processing dots afterwards with a negatory shake and no text output. After trying everything else, this was easily solved by selecting "Internal Microphone" from a tiny, nearly hidden dropdown menu in the Dictation Preferences menu. This is below the dictation microphone symbol. When the correct input is selected, you should see the purple fill in the icon respond to sound input.

     

    Following is extra detailed info that may be further helpful diagnostic for everyone who is having similar problems. I had to figure this out on my own, people who have it working don't know the various ways that it can break and how to diagnose what is wrong. The icon gave me a hint that this is a simple input connection problem -- nothing to do with users, login items, or internet connection (which still could be a problem for a small number of people).

     

    To all who are having similar problems with dictation not working, you should be able to diagnose this problem easily:

        - Large picture symptom is that you can call up dictation but not get any text output, despite internet being connected and dictation being turned on.

        - After releasing fn, pressing enter, clicking done, or otherwise signalling that you've completed dictation, you see the three progress dots that indicate server processing. They flash and after a moment the entire dictation popup shakes. No text is produced.

        - Dictation mini-popup (after pressing fn twice) shows the dictation microphone icon, but the purple fill of the icon does not visually respond to sound input. This is a sign that dictation is not listening to you.

     

    Solution: You need to get that icon to respond to audio before dictation will work. This is not a static icon but one that should fluctuate depending on sound levels going to the correct input source.

     

    Input source is set in Dictation Prefs, not in sound input prefs. You could be forgiven if you missed it, it's very subtly placed under the dictation icon.

     

    "Automatic" seems to automatically choose the wrong one for me, a sound editor application. However,  mileage may vary, obviously there are a lot out there that it works fine for. Those who plan to use multiple mics at different times may be pained if they can't use an automatic setting. Anyways, "Internal Mic" worked for me, do whatever you can to get that icon to "come alive" and show some sound levels.

     

        - Similarly to the dictation popup icon, the Dictation preferences microphone icon is a live icon that should show volume level feedback when the correct input source is selected. You can select the source in a hidden dropdown under the icon. Screen Shot 2012-07-28 at 1.15.08 PM.png

  • by danbasson,

    danbasson danbasson Jul 28, 2012 11:51 AM in response to willcapellaro_
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 28, 2012 11:51 AM in response to willcapellaro_

    I had selected 'Internal microphone' before, still.. nothing. Like your picture, I get the quarter filled bar that doesnt move.

  • by Hunaidi,

    Hunaidi Hunaidi Jul 28, 2012 5:13 PM in response to willcapellaro_
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 28, 2012 5:13 PM in response to willcapellaro_

    Thank you for the very well explained response to my problem.

     

    As danbasson said, I also had it selected on 'Internal Microphone' before (also tried 'Automatic'), and still got nothing. I was worried that I had a problem with my mic, but that wasn't the issue as it worked perfectly with  other apps such as Skype and Microsoft Messenger.

     

    I really do hope that worked for others.

first Previous Page 5 of 14 last Next