Speech dictation files uploaded for offshore transcription must be in DSS (Digital Speech Standard) or MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) format.

Multiple MP3 or DSS files should be placed in a single ZIP archive. See our section on Zipping Files.

DO NOT upload waveform files (standard Windows sound files), as these are far too large and will not be accepted for overseas transcription.

Why only these 2 formats?

DSS and MP3 offer high data compression, the files for which are about one-twelfth the size of Windows waveform (.wav) files.

For example, a voice file recorded in DSS Standard Mode requires only 102 Kbytes for a one-minute recording, whereas a waveform file at the same quality level requires 1.3 Mbytes for each minute of recording - a whopping 12 times more.

Similar compression results are achieved when converting Windows waveform (.wav) files to MP3 format.

What is DSS?

DSS is an abbreviation for Digital Speech Standard. It is a standard for digital voice recording set by Olympus, Philips and Grundig. The standard has been widely adopted by other manufacturers, and establishes the following ground rules for the design and manufacturing of digital speech recorders:

• Compression format of data
• File format
• Storage media

Digital voice recorders manufactured by Olympus, Philips and Grundig save voice recordings in DSS format, with Olympus (and perhaps others) offering users the option of converting these to waveform (.wav) files for inclusion on web sites and CD-ROMs, or perhaps as e-mail attachments (you never want to do this).

If your digital voice recorder saves files in a different format, please let us know and we'll add that compression standard to our list of accepted file formats.

The DSS file extension is .dss.

For related information on this topic, see our section on Digitizing Sound.

What is MP3?

MP3 is an abbreviation for MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3. It is a standard for compressing audio or sound sequences and, like DSS, the files are about one-twelfth the size of Windows waveform (.wav) files.

The standard was developed under the sponsorship of the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) and formalized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The MP3 file extension is .mp3.

For related information on this topic, see our section on Creating MP3 Files.