Adjustment of the hardware and the "BreathMaker" software

Hardware protection key

BreathMaker is shipped with the key Fidus dongle for LPT-port or with USB dongle key.

For USB donge key users  

Hardware protection USB dongle key is plugged in the USB port only after the installation of the key driver: the item “Installation of the Key” on the CD! Also, see item “Important!” in this Manual.

After the installation of the key driver and the following plugging of USB dongle key to the PC, Windows will carry out the correct adjustment of the hardware. Cautions of possible incompatibility should be ignored.

At the alert message in Hardware installation window Press the button “Continue anyway” (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Alert screen during the USB donge installation

If you have done everything correctly, the LCD indicator on the USB donge key should get alight.

If BreathMaker does not find the dongle key, the following message appears: “Cannot find specified dongle”. In this case it is necessary to contact the support service.

Don’t try to examine the dongle key with software or hardware devices. Otherwise you are at risk of switching on the hidden defense procedure and you will lose your version and/or individual adjustments without the right to restore it!

Working with the database

It is possible to create the database file on your computer Desktop or to create a new folder for the database file in My Documents or somewhere else on the hard drive.

Click the New database icon (Figure 4).

Figure 4. New database icon

When the database is open the button is active (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Database icon is active

Sound adjustment

The Sound Card

To function properly the program needs a sound card that has a Full duplex operation mode (the feature of simultaneous recording and playback of the sound). Every modern sound card has this property. We recommend the sound cards manufactured by Creative Technology Ltd.

Automatic sound adjustment

For the sound card automatic adjustment use the build-in BreathMaker function (Figure 6):

Figure 6. Automatic sound card setup

If Automatic adjustment does not meet the operating requirements of the training session (see below) because of the specific features of your card, use the Manual sound adjustment performed as a standard function of your operating system.

Manual sound adjustment

For Manual adjustment perform do the following procedures:

Open the Volume Control window for example with this set of commands:

Start – All programs – Accessories – Entertainment – Volume Control .

Adjustment of Volume Control

For adjustment of “Playback” use Options - Properties - Playback.

Select Additional parameters window. Select Adjust volume for Playback and switch on Microphone (Figure 7).

The arrows show important settings.

Figure 7. Sound device properties window

Necessary values of Master out control elements (Figure 8):

Figure 8. Master out control window

Volume (play) 90-100%, Wave (record) 80-90%, Microphone – switched off.

Adjustment of Recording Control

Open Start – Programs – Accessories – Entertainment – Volume Control .

To adjust “Recording Control” volume use Options - Properties - Recording.

Select Microphone.

Be sure that the Microphone is switched on.

Click Advanced button (Figure 9).

Figure 9. Recording Control window

Click in the Advanced Controls for Microphone window select Mic Boost to switch on additional amplification of the microphone, if the sound volume is not high enough (in adjustment software of some types of sound cards the function of additional adjustments is placed in “Volume Control” window) (Figure 10).

Figure 10. Advanced for Microphone window

Final correction of the microphone loudness is made after beginning of the training.

When the training session starts the Record Level window – top left – during the natural speech should look like presented on the picture below (signal level – 20-80% from the window height) (Figure 11).

Figure 11. Record level window of the program

Requirements to headphones and microphone

Headphones

The headphones must have an important property – maximum isolation of hearing from outside to isolate the perception of one’s own speech. It is necessary to provide appropriate loudness of the modified speech that is heard from the headphones. The trainee should be psychologically disposed to apprehend the speech from the headphones and synchronize his speech with the speech from the headphones but not from outside.

While meeting these requirements, the trainee will not be able to speak in his usual tempo, because his/her speech will “follow” that from the headphones. Unintentionally, he will have to drawl words, his/her speech will be flowing which will increase the duration of the exhale.

Microphone

It is recommended to use dynamic microphones with a round head (karaoke type). The optimal microphone is that with the resistance 600 ohm. Microphones by Sony, Panasonic and Aiwa are also suitable. We would not recommend Philips models.

Sound adjustment Summary

1. Microphone amplification corresponds with the picture “Record Level” (20-80% of window height – see above).

2. Headphones intensification provides loud sound at low speech.

3. Microphone is switched off at “Play”.

The check of adjustments of Sound card, Headphones an Microphone

It is necessary to use a standard Windows program – Sound Recorder – in order to make sure that you have adjusted the sound card properly. For this choose

Start – Programs – Accessories – Entertainment – Sound Recorder .

Record your voice by pressing Record button. To hear the result press Seek to Start, then Play. The voice you have recorded should be heard loud enough from the headphones.

Problems with Sound card or its adjustments

1.   There’s no sound in the headphones while hearing standard windows sounds or melodies from other sound appliainces attaches to the computer.

·       Headphones are plugged into a wrong socket;

·       Volume control at “Play” is switched off or is not settled on 90-100%; wave is not set to 80-90% (check the ticks);

·       Headphones malfunction;

·       Sound card output amplifier cascade does not function (not common).

2.   The sound is loud in the headphones at hearing standard windows sounds and melodies; but the sound recorded from the microphone is not heard at all.

· The microphone is plugged into a wrong socket,

· The microphone level at “Record” is switched off or is not set to appropriate volume (check the ticks) (see above “Record Adjustments”,

· The microphone has defects or its local switcher is switched off,

· Sound card input cascade does not function (not common).

3.   At above mentioned adjustments the sound card allows you to hear your own speech very softly while standard windows sounds and melodies sound loudly. at the same time in BreathMaker the signal of Record level – top left window – is less than 20% even at maximum microphone ampliification and the “tick” put on additional boost.

· Low amplification of the output cascade of the sound card. We recommend that you should change the sound card, as with above-mentioned settings the sound must be loud! This problem is in the sound card defect. To hide this defect the sound cards manufacturers or retailers can check the card performance, artificially increasing the speech loudness, e.g. keeping the microphone too close to the lips, or recommending using so-called “PC microphones” with a funnel-shaped head, which is an acoustic intensifier etc. Please note that sound cards of high quality must play and record properly, without any “tricks”, if you use the above-mentioned adjustments and a karaoke-type microphone,

· Nonqualified microphone,

· The mother board does not provide enough power for the sound card – in this case any sound card give a quiet sound (very uncommon).

4.   You hear your own voice with no “delay” or with and without “delay” at the same time.

·       You have forgotten to switch off the microphone at “Play” (see Microphone adjustments at “Play” and “Record”).

5.   At the training you hear “echo” that gradually dies away and disturbs the training.

· Bad quality sound card of (with defects) has transient induction between input and output channels, and at relative synchronization of ‘record’ and ‘play’, occurring in full duplex mode during the training session there happens generation of unwanted self- oscillation of electric schemes that cause the “echo” effect. You’ll have to change the sound card. We recommend the sound cards manufactured by Creative Technology Ltd.

6.   You have checked your sound card but as soon as you start working with BreathMaker (in 1-2 seconds) the program gives you the message about an error

·  Your sound card is outdated. It has no full duplex property (see sound card manual). Change it.

7.   It is impossible to achieve speech reproduction without “breaks” or there comes ‘an error’ message a few minutes after you start the training. this problem demonstrates the lack of the PC’s resources. Single ‘clicks’ that do not impede training can be ignored.

·             For the 3^rd version of BreathMaker it is necessary to gradually increase the time of delay starting from 0.2 adding 0.01 second each time (after each adding you must exit the program – start the program – check it for the breaks. The maximum limit is 0.25 second (see Parameters - Adjustment). Or you should change your sound card,

·             For the 6^th version of BreathMaker it is necessary to use Creative sound cards

8.   During the silence you can hear noise and see background noise of about 50 Hz frequency. At the same time the spectrum and the high formant of the voice sound during the training session are being demonstrated on the BreathMaker program window (Figure 12).

Figure 12. 50 Hz background noise in the program window during silence

· The PC defect (the power unit is not shielded or grounded); the sound card defect (poor amplification between input and output); the microphone defect (microphone works like – antenna). Change the microphone first. You can also try and use an external USB sound card to avoid background noise from computer case.

The maximum fluctuations of “Record level” when silent should not exceed 1 pixel (the line thickness), while the basic line should coincide with the bottom line of a 3D spectrum table (see picture below) (Figure 13).

Figure 13. Normal noise fluctuations when silent in the program window

Important Note: Please do not contact the Support Service without having checked your sound card using Windows standard programs: Sound Recorder etc. and without having fulfilled all recommendations given in the section “Problems with Sound card or its adjustments”.