Speedy Shortcut Configurations

One of the easiest ways to speed up your transcription process is to setup shortcuts. You don’t have to be a professional transcriptionist to reap the benefits of quick-access commands. Whether you’re a newbie, a casual user, or aspiring to become InqScribe elite, improving your shortcut (and snippet) setup will help center your focus on the transcript, rather than on controlling media.

To be clear, InqScribe already has some shortcuts pre-loaded. Your operating system also uses designates certain keys for system-wide shortcuts. We’ve listed these in-use shortcuts and suggested some available trigger keys in this Knowledge Base article. To sum it up, here’s what you’ll want to avoid:

• Key combinations that are already in use by your system (system defaults)
• Key combinations that are already in use by InqScribe (InqScribe defaults)
• Keys that you’re likely to type in your transcript.

To help get you started, we’ve created two sample configurations- one simple, one more advanced. These configurations should work on most systems, so you won’t have to worry about any of the conflicts described above.

A Simple Shortcut Configuration

If you don’t have much experience transcribing, here’s a setup that will be easy to learn:

The idea is that these shortcuts are kept simple and are located within your field of vision, unobstructed by your hands. Even for beginners, we recommend using Cue and Review as opposed to Fast Forward and Rewind- it’s simply easier to control. In case you’re not familiar, the “Cue” command is essentially a modified Fast Forward. The media will play forwards at a speed of your choice until the trigger key is released, at which point it will resume playing. The “Review” command functions in the same way as
a Rewind.

An Advanced Shortcut Configuration

After getting more acquainted with InqScribe, you may wish to incorporate more shortcuts and revamp your setup. Here’s a sample configuration for a more advanced user:

Generally, the less you have to take your hands off the keyboard, the faster you can type. This shortcut setup will give you more independence from your mouse. One important addition is the ability to fine-tune the play rate to match your typing speed. The Go To Previous Timecode and Go To Next Timecode shortcuts now allow you to quickly review your timecode placement, which is crucial if you plan on creating subtitles from your transcript.

Note this setup leaves Ctrl/Command-2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 open for custom snippets.

If you use shortcuts with other programs in your workflow, you might try configuring InqScribe to match them. For an example, check out this previous blog entry about adopting Final Cut Pro/Avid shortcuts.

Although the ideal setup will vary from user to user, these shortcut configurations should give you an idea of how to optimize your InqScribe experience. If you have any shortcut tips you’d like to share with other InqScribe users, send an email to support@inqscribe.com.