first time w/ Pilot2ATC - mic not recording?

[molleh 451]

i'm giving pilot2atc a shot for the first time, and am following along with the included pdf docs (doing the ifr tutorial.) however, the app doesn't seem to be able to "hear" me. my mic is definitely set up properly as my default recording device in the Windows sound control panel, and i hear myself perfectly clearly when testing it there. when i go into the "grammar help" window in Pilot2ATC, i click "Practice" and get a popup window shortly thereafter that says "Speech Recognition Information" and lists the microphone and some info about the recognition engine. i click OK,  and the button now says "practicing." then i click "PTT" and "Full Txt:" appears in the Practice Speech box - but no matter what i say or how slowly/loudly i speak, nothing happens. when i click "Replay" i don't see or hear anything.

i tried going into the Windows speech recognition settings and it is able to hear and understand me there.

any help would be greatly appreciated, while i still have trial period access 😉thank you!

Edited May 21, 2022 by molleh

[Dave-Pilot2ATC 871]

Sounds like the Mic is not getting through to P2A since the Replay didn't have your speech in it.  Here are the most likely things that might help:

• SOUND DRIVERS AND ADD ON PROGRAMS - Many PCs come with Sound Add On programs from the manufacturer that are run at startup.  Some of these programs may "Capture" the microphone and prevent Pilot2ATC from hearing it.  Also, some addons may have such features.  Check to be sure there are not other sound programs running.  Also be sure that you have the latest Audio Drivers for your Microphone installed.
• REMOVE SONIC SUITE Check your PC for a program named Sonic Suite and remove it.  It prevents the Speech Recognition from working.  This is common on new PCs from ASUS and other manufacturers.
• Sound Bar or Other Sound Hardware AddOns Some users have reported that disconnecting sound hardware equipment like a Sound Bar or external speakers resolved the problem of a Mic not working.
• STERO MIX: Be sure that you have this turned off if it is an option.
• HEADSET AS DEFAULT PLAYBACK AND RECORDING DEVICE: If you have a headset mic set as the default Recording/Audio Input device, be sure and set the Headset as the Default Playback/Audio Output device.  Some users have had their microphone not working because  they set their Speakers as the Playback device.  
•  NOISE CANCELLING HEADSET: If you have a noise cancelling headset like used in real aircraft to reduce engine noise, these may not work with the Speech Recognition.  Try using a standard PC headset.
• DEFAULT COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE: If using a headset as the default Playback/Recording device, be sure it is not also being used as the Default Communications Device.  This assignment of multiple duties seems to cause a problem.  Likewise, be sure the microphone is not assigned to any other duties besides the default audio input device.
• MICROPHONE LEVEL: Be sure the Mic volume and boost level are turned up.  In Windows Sound settings you can Listen to your Mic through the headset.  It should be loud and clear, and not distorted.

Dave
 

 

[molleh 451]

thanks Dave, i got it working - i'm not sure why but the second time i tried, i could hear myself on the "replay" of the grammar help window. it still couldn't understand me, so i went back into the windows speech recognition settings and realized it wasn't actually understanding me all that well either. i have a Soundblaster Z which runs an app called "Soundblaster Command" and has some microphone enhancement features like noise cancellation. even though to my ears the noise cancellation helps, apparently the speech recognition hates it. with that turned off, it recognizes everything i say easily.

by the way, i've been curious to try Pilot2ATC for quite some time, but the user interface that i saw in screenshots/documentation and Youtube videos seemed daunting, but in actual use, it's very simple. i'm looking forward to seeing what it can do.... but i definitely need to figure out the whole "voices" situation because the two default Windows 11 ones are way too robotic.

[Dave-Pilot2ATC 871]

Speeding up the voices makes them less robotic.  You can do this in P2A Config.

Also, here's a  thread that will give you ideas how to get more voices: