Dictation Player

The computer managed to integrate itself in every domain of activity. Even books now come in the electronic format, as well as audio books which only require you to keep a pair of headphones on. However, you might want to write what you’re hearing, and if the audio document of interest is under the WAV format, then Dictation Player can help you out.

Since it requires no installation to function, the application is good to go from the moment download is done. You can store it on a thumb drive in case you need to use it on other computers besides your own. What’s more, it doesn’t put strain on the PC it runs on, neither does it make any changes to system registry entries.

All it has to offer can be found in a minimalistic interface, which doesn’t pose any serious accommodation problems. Different sets of sliders can be used to adjust playback variables like frequency, pan, or volume for better understanding. Although audio files can’t be dropped over the main window to get them ready, using the browse dialog is easy enough to pick a WAV file.

In case it’s a short audio file, playback can be set to repeat so you don’t always hit “play”. Adjusting the frequency level increases or decreases playback speed. Even though this affects quality and pitch, it can be used to either decrease or increase playback speed so you can better analyze and write after dictation.

In case frequency doesn’t help you keep up the pace, there’s a dedicated automatic pausing option. When enabled, sets of sliders let you configure play duration, pause duration, and pause backup so it doesn’t suddenly start.

Bottom line is that Dictation Player is an intuitive, straightforward little app you can use for this exact purpose. It’s easy to carry around wherever you go, while the set of adjustment options make sure you can keep up with audio playback.