FAQs

Q:  What can I say to find my music?
A:  We suggest starting with artist name followed by song name. Saying "Rolling Stones, Satisfaction," for example, would typically get you a list of Rolling Stones songs with Satisfaction at or near the top. However, you can actually say anything that you would expect to show up in the list that shows your music. For example, "The Beatles, Monkey" is probably sufficient and easier to say than the full title "The Beatles, Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey." Of course, "monkey" all by itself might work fine if you don't have a lot of monkey songs.
Q:  Where can I go to update to the latest version?
A:  www.talkhouse.com/downloads.html
Q:  What's the difference between artist, album, and song mode?
A:  Mostly, it's just the order of playback. Artist and album mode keep the songs in the original album order. In song mode it's a bit more random. For example, if you ask for an artist when in song mode you'll typically get a random list of that artist's songs.
Q:  Then how are artist and album mode different?
A:  In album mode the album repeats. In artist mode the artist repeats.
Q:  So what's playlist mode?
A:  You can make your own playlists. Just open the playlist editor, name you playlist, and drag songs, artists, and albums into your playlists.
Q:  Can I search playlists with speech too?
A:  Yes.
Q:  Even if I make up a word like "blargh?"
A:  Yes.
Q:  I only have music on my portable player; can I still use the Talkhouse media player?
A:  You can use the Talkhouse Media Player when your player is attached to the computer; just select the player as your music directory.
Q:  Can I use the Talkhouse Media Player with music I have in/bought on iTunes®?
A:  Yes, just add your iTunes® library to the Talkhouse media player by:
  1. Clicking on the setting button
  2. Clicking on the collection button
  3. Add your iTunes® library and any other folder where you have music
  4. Press the build index button and in a couple of minutes the Talkhouse media player will be ready to play your music
Q:  Can I use my AirPort ExpressTM with the Talkhouse media player?
A:  Yes you can do this with the help of Airfoil, which lets you send any audio to AirPort Express. You can find Airfoil at www.rogueamoeba.com/airfoil.
Q:  How can I get optimal recognition accuracy?
A:  If your microphone is working reasonably well you should get excellent recognition accuracy. If you want to be absolutely sure you can record your own voice and see if it sounds clear to you. Different microphones have different characteristics. Some tend to "pop" when you get too close. Some may be faint at a distance. Talkhouse should work well even with cheap microphones, such as those in your laptop. The Talkhouse Media Player will automatically adapt itself to your microphone as you use it. That being said, there are some truly awful microphones out there. Let your own ear be your guide. If it sounds bad, it is bad.

Are you using the space bar correctly? Remember, you need to hold the space bar down while talking. Also, you need to wait for the microphone to turn on. Usually the microphone turns on instantly. However, if music is playing the microphone won't turn on until the music automatically pauses. You can visually tell that the microphone is on by looking for the "microphone on" label that will appear on the VU meter.

Do you have a microphone that works with your sound card? Most microphones require power. Most sound cards automatically supply this power. However, some sound cards do not supply power to the microphone. You can buy an inexpensive USB microphone that doesn't require a sound card at all.
Q:  Can I donate samples of my voice for research?
A:  Please do. Send us an email and we'll give you more information
Q:  Which is more important, a good sound card or a good microphone?
A:  Usually the microphone makes a bigger difference.
Q:  How can I customize the look of the player?
A:  Drag any image file onto it. Or if you want to completely change everything then download one of our skins and drag it onto the player.
Q:  What happens if I drag a song out of The Talkhouse Media Player?
A:  It makes a copy.
Q:  What happens if I drag a song or a directory of songs into The Talkhouse Media Player?
A:  It doesn't make a copy, but it adds the song(s) to it's index. Subdirectories are included.
Q:  Why am I having trouble dragging songs into the playlist editor?
A:  You have to click twice to select a song to drag. First to tell the computer you are in the "player" window and second to select the song.
Q:  I use Linux. How do I stop the space bar from repeating?
A:  Turn "xset r" off.