Commands Over Loud Music / Noise

[pmdaniels73]

Just starting using VC yesterday. Thanks for James and the others in the group for all your help. One thing I am trying to figure out is how when I am playing music at a pretty high volume can I issue commands? The music blends with my voice and VC gets mixed commands.

Thanks again folks for all your help!

[nime5ter]

I can start by recommending the same FAQ wiki link as the last time: http://voxcommando.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=FAQ#Why_doesn.27t_VC_understand_me_all_the_time.3F.

The most popular solution is to use some kind of ducking, where the system volume is reduced temporarily while you speak. If you search for "ducking" on the forum you should find a number of threads about this.

If you want more specific help to implement a solution and can't find it after reviewing the forum, maybe consider the various options that the FAQ mentions and share your preferred method so that someone can explain how to accomplish that.

[pmdaniels73]

Thanks for the reply. Since I don't have the amulet remote or an android device it seems that using "ducking" via prefix mode would be my ticket. Is there a tutorial on how to set this up. One problem I see that I am going to have with it though is that every time I turn on prefix mode and restart VC it defaults to prefix mode being turned off.

[nime5ter]

One problem I see that I am going to have with it though is that every time I turn on prefix mode and restart VC it defaults to prefix mode being turned off.

Actually, I think it defaults to being in the green "listen" mode. The prefix works in standby mode. You can change the settings so that when you open the program it immediately switches into "automatic standby" mode via the Options menu under the General tab. It's set to "0", but you can change that. [Edit: what this actually does is to automatically switch VC from "listen" to "standb"y mode after a period of inactivity (i.e., a period of time in which no commands are recognized), so a better solution for starting up in standby is the command line option mentioned below.]

James and other users share their own custom command groups on the forum as xml files. You'll find it helpful to watch the tutorial on importing groups into VoxCommando: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6NNvKGtbOU, so that when you find stuff on the forum that you want to try, you'll be able to import it.

[jitterjames]

One problem I see that I am going to have with it though is that every time I turn on prefix mode and restart VC it defaults to prefix mode being turned off.

Enabling a prefix is done in options.  Once you enable it and save the options it will remain set.

Perhaps you are talking about standby mode (yellow) in which most commands require a prefix in order to execute.  In order for VC to start in standby mode you can add the command line parameter -standby when starting voxcommando.exe

http://voxcommando.com/forum/index.php?topic=53.0

[pmdaniels73]

I guess James. I am really too new at this and just now trying to learn. I went into options and checked the box to turn prefix mode on then entered the word I wanted to use. I am sure I will figure it out eventually.

[nime5ter]

I went into options and checked the box to turn prefix mode on then entered the word I wanted to use. I am sure I will figure it out eventually.

Yes, that's right. Once you've done that, the prefix will remain set, so you're on track. The reason that it seemed like it was turning off when you closed and re-opened the program is because the prefix works specifically when the program is in "standby" (yellow) mode, not when it is in full "listen" (green) mode. When you re-opened the program it was in green mode, so the prefix was irrelevant.

The wiki has a lot of information that will help to explain how the prefix works and what the different options settings do. Reading through the "Getting Started" and "Options" sections of the documentation should clear up a fair bit of your confusion.

[Kalle]

I guess James. I am really too new at this and just now trying to learn. I went into options and checked the box to turn prefix mode on then entered the word I wanted to use. I am sure I will figure it out eventually.

Ok, I think this is for what you search - we call it "prefix as intercom funktion"
This command group is actual configured to use with XBMC, but you can edit and use it with other programms like MediaMonkey.

A short explanation for this command:
To work with this command, it is important you have activate in VC-Options  "Use Prefix" and set a "Idle-Timeout" to a couple of seconds (5-10).

What does the command? If you speak your "prefix", VC activate a partial mute and reduce the volume of XBMC with a softmute to a preset level, switch VC from standby (yellow) to ON-mode (green) and start the timer for idle timeout and wait for a command.
Now two scenarios are possible:

1. If VC recognized a command: execute the command, switch back to standby mode (yellow) and unmute XBMC to normal volume level

2. If VC doesn't recognized any command within 10 seconds after your spoken prefix - it switch back from ON to standby mode and unmute XBMC back to normal volume level.

this all is possible since VC generate events for the most things, in this example for ON and standby and also for end prefix - take a look in the VC history window and you will realize a calendar icon with VC.On, VC.Standby, VC.Prefix.Start and VC.Prefix.End -  we call this events and "events" can trigger any action in VC.
Take also a look in this command group with the "command editor" and it gives you some information how it works.

I hope this wiil help you a bit to understand the function of this command group - you can search in this forum for "intercom" and find some results.
 

[pmdaniels73]

Ok. I figured out the problem with the settings not saving. I also spent hours building some simple launch url commands that got deleted also. I know what the problem is but no clue on how to fix it. I use VC for itunes and xbmc. I built all of my commands while in the itunes eula. Then I switched to xbmc eula. Went back to the itunes eula and every single thing i done was gone. Even the prefix word was back to "eye tunes." So do I have to change eula every time I want to switch between itunes and xbmc? If not (and I did look at the wiki for this) how do I or can I combine the two (itunes and xbmc) into one single eula?

Once again guys thanks for all your help!

[Kalle]

Ok. I figured out the problem with the settings not saving. I also spent hours building some simple launch url commands that got deleted also. I know what the problem is but no clue on how to fix it. I use VC for itunes and xbmc. I built all of my commands while in the itunes eula. Then I switched to xbmc eula. Went back to the itunes eula and every single thing i done was gone. Even the prefix word was back to "eye tunes." So do I have to change eula every time I want to switch between itunes and xbmc? If not (and I did look at the wiki for this) how do I or can I combine the two (itunes and xbmc) into one single eula?

Once again guys thanks for all your help!

sorry if I misunderstand you - at the moment you use to different instances of VC, one with commands for iTunes and a other one with commands for XBMC, is this right?

If you want to combine groups from different instances of VoxCommando, open in one of them the editor window. In the menu bar of the editor you can choose "Open" and go to the folder where is your other instance of VC installed and select the voicecommands.xml and open it. So you have two windows side by side in the editor - press and hold the control button on your keyboard, select a group which you want with the mouse and then drag and drop it in the command tree. Don't forget to save your work.
I hope it helps

[pmdaniels73]

Hello Kalle and thanks once again for your time and help. You are correct. I thought that if i wanted to go from using xbmc to itunes i had to click file then choose "apply standard configuration" then in the "EULA" choose itunes? So what I am trying to do is use the same instance / EULA for both itunes and xbmc. Sorry if I am not being to clear.

[Kalle]

Hello Kalle and thanks once again for your time and help. You are correct. I thought that if i wanted to go from using xbmc to itunes i had to click file then choose "apply standard configuration" then in the "EULA" choose itunes? So what I am trying to do is use the same instance / EULA for both itunes and xbmc. Sorry if I am not being to clear.

open "apply standard configuration" open always a standard (pre-configured ) VoxCommando - this will not add commands in your configuration it override it and you will lost your old config.

ok, step by step - and please follow exact this steps:

1. install VC with your preferred config setup first (like XBMC frodo or what else), open VC, make your settings which you need, save it and close VC.

2 run VCsetup.exe again and install it in a different folder from the first folder. Open it and select your second preferred setup (like iTunes).

3 if this is done, you must have two VoxCommando Main folders and both have the whole program inside (voxcommando.exe, some dll's and so on)

4 start the VC with the XBMC commands and click on edit (you must see the command groups from XBMC)

5 click on the menu bar to "Open", so a file browser is open and then search the folder where the VC with iTunes config is in and select the voicecommands.xml and press - open

6 You can see there are to windows in the command editor open - drag and drop the command groups from the "iTunes" windows in the "XBMC" windows how I it explain in the post above - don't forget to save when you close the editor.

7 Make a full restart of VC and a take a look in the editor again if all commands available - that is all

It is important that you copy also the folder with the payloads for iTunes to your VC folder with the combined commands.

I hope you understand me, english is not my native language  

[Kalle]

A simpler way is to run multiple instances of VC togther - to do this, install two VC's in different folders and create for each a d, open the properties for each link and type at the end of the command line -new, this allowed you to open more then one VC at the same time.

[pmdaniels73]

Kalle you are awesome! I done the drag and drop procedure. I did get some error message when i chose "voicecommands" from the itunes folder like albums.xml could not be found and they were hilighted in yellow after clicking ok through all the error pop ups. However when i closed and re-opened VC it seemed to be fine. Now this is where I am. How will VC know when I issue a command like "play artist Jack Johnson" if it should play in itunes or xbmc?

[jitterjames]

I recommend you just stick with two folders, one for each configuration, and switch between them depending on what program you want to control.  Follow Kalle's directions but stop after step 3.

By the way, EULA stands for "end user licence agreement"