footswitch2basic Files

footswitch2basic version 8.6.0

A transcribers tool for a USB foot pedal on Linux only
 This python utility allows transcribers on Linux to use a hid device foot pedal
 with the LibVlc Media player python interface, using LibreOffice as the word
 processor.
Note: ** The Vec Infinity in-USB3 ** is known to be non-standard for Linux.
      Although this version of footswitch will attempt to work with it,
      it is NOT recommended for use with Footswitch.
      If you require details, feel free to contact me.

 This is the "BASIC" version stripped of all bells and whistles.
 Only the core functions necessary for transcription are included in this
 version.
 Gone are the complications of Clients, Archives, Invoicing, Statistics,
 Job queues, Speaker input, Alternate pedal sets, etc.
 What remains are the core components, whilst still appearing presentable.
 If you require the functions above please use Footswitch2 instead.
 Footswitch2 despite its name, supports transcribers without a foot pedal.
 Footswitch2 is a media player incorporating both direct calls to Vlc Libraries,
 whilst listening to the physical footpedal and handling external requests for
 information from the provided LibreOffice macros via Tcp.
 Using LibreOffice as the word processor allows you to export your transcription
 in multiple Microsoft Word formats, plus HTML, PDF, Rich text, XML. Your client
 never has to know that you are working on Linux, unless you want them to.
 The LibreOffice python macros provided, enable the transcriber to
 assign  time stamps to function keys within LibreOffice, stamping those codes
 into the transcription directly from the media player.
 The macros allow users without a foot pedal, to use LibreOffice to control
 footswitch via Function keys or a mouse via a toolbar (included).
 Features:
 Control
  - Uses VLC python bindings so will play whatever audio/video media
     VLC can play
  - Common formats explicitly catered for:
        .aac, .aif, .avi, .dts, .flac, .flv, .m4a, .mid, .mka, .mkv, .mov,
        .mp3, .mp4, .mpeg, .mpg, .ogg, .ogv, .opus, .wav, .webm, .wma, .wmv
  - Configuration of 3 pedals for USB footpedals
     Jump Forward, Jump Back, Play/Pause and Disable (pedal)
  - Extendable foot control via foot pedal and modifier key combinations
  - Foot pedals from most manufacturers should be catered for, if it is a HID device.
     (known to work with the Olympus RS28, Vec Infinity in-USB2,
     MicroDia and the AltoEdge foot pedals.
  - Controls Pause, Play, Jump back, Jump Forward, Stop
     Play slower, Play faster, Return to normal speed, Mute
     Adjust Volume
  - Allows for Classic transcriber Play/Pause where Play is pedal held down
     and Pause is when it is released, or standard press to play, press to
     pause
  - Configurable Jump lengths and jump back after pause
  - Configurable default load audio directory
  - LibreOffice macros for control from within LibreOffice via mouse click
     or hot key
  - Fully configurable time stamps sets - design your own
  - Timestamps via hot-key or foot pedal directly into your transcript
  - Recently used file list with timestamps allowing you to pick up exactly
     where you stopped.

 Audio Quality:
  - Support for footswitch2 equaliser a separate 15 band pulseaudio equaliser
  - Support for the vlc equaliser a 10 band equaliser
  - Volume normalisation via a compressor
  - Audio effects via pulseaudio for Mono to Stereo conversion, Stereo to Mono
     conversion, a High-Pass filter for rumble reduction
     and a Low-pass Filter for hiss.
  - Audio Clipping Test
  - Audio Clipping resolution
  - Automated format conversion

 Tools:
  - Pre-loaded LibreOffice drop down menus and menubars
  - Drag and drop of audio files supported
  - Transcription notes for each audio file
  - Continuous playback loop over a difficult piece of Audio
  - Time Difference Calculator
  - Timestamps using the On Screen Display Time Code of a video
  - File format conversion tool / Audio extraction from video.
    primarily aimed at converting .dss files to .mp3
  - Automatic rolling play loop
  - Automated time stamps

 Data:
  - Sqlite3 database for transcription Job details
  - Database browsing and editing
  - Rebuild database facility

footswitch2basic (8.6.0)
 *
 * Update to onoffbutton changing, label text to take account of the windows background colour
 *
 * Fix for Deadlines, which could technically fail setting the background colour
 *
 * Removal of libreoffice-gtk2 from the debian requirements list
 * libreoffice-gtk3 is now the standard
 *
 * Allow for wxpython prior to version 4.1 not having Colour.GetLuminance()
 * plus change the old colour brightness calculation to match Colour.GetLuminance()
 *
 * Fixed the font mess in the Footswitch manual Pdf
 *
 * Transparency has been reinstated - it's a glitch in gtk3
 * If transparency is enabled, it is temporarily removed if the mouse re-enters the footswitch window
 *  and is reinstated on mouse exit, allowing you to see what you are doing.
 * If you are running with a Zoomed Time window and transparency is On, entering the Zoom window will toggle
 *  transparency for that window.
 *  So you can toggle transparency for the Zoom window seperately from the footswitch window.
 *
 * The Zoom window recalculates its size more accurately and hopefully, more efficiently.
 *
 * Added Drag and Drop media from the View Statistics window to Play it
 * Data -> View Statistics and View Archive now allow Drag and Drop of a list item onto the main footswitch panel
 *         like Dragging and Dropping a file from a folder
 *
 * Added Drag and Drop media from the Deadlines window to Play it
 *
Please read the accompanying document

    footswitch2b.pdf or Installation notes below

The package installs itself into Sound and Video Applications and can
be found in that menu.

Install with debian GDebi package installer 'gdebi' or apt or dpkg
(dpkg requires that you pre-install dependencies)
Installation on an Arch OS - see the separate "readme" file.

Dependencies:
python3, python3-gi, python3-configobj, vlc (>=2.1.4), libreoffice-writer (>=4.2), libreoffice-gtk2, python3-uno, libreoffice-script-provider-python, default-jre, sqlite3, pulseaudio (>=11.0), python3-wxgtk4.0 (>=4.0.1), python3-evdev, python3-requests, pulseaudio-utils, python3-notify2

Suggests: libreoffice-gtk3, ffmpeg (>= 3.4), wkhtmltopdf, swh-plugins, cmt, ladspa-sdk, vlevel

- ffmpeg is used to handle media conversions and splitting audio
- wkhtmltopdf is used to create pdf invoices
- swh-plugins, cmt, ladspa-sdk, vlevel are used to apply pulseaudio filters to the Vlc Realtime equaliser

- If you don't use these tools, you don't need to load these programs
- If you wish to use these tools please load the packages separately

Please be aware that at time writing the lateset wxpython 4.1.1 gtk3 is not available from the debian repositories,
 so it has to be installed manually.

sudo pip3 install -U -f https://extras.wxpython.org/wxPython4/extras/linux/gtk3/ubuntu-20.04 wxPython

should sort that out

If this fails, you may have to copy the installation to your local machine and load it from there
 sudo pip3 install download ./ https://extras.wxpython.org/wxPython4/extras/linux/gtk3/ubuntu-20.04 wxPython
 then
 sudo pip3 install ./names_of_packages_downloaded

Works with a complimentary application Fs2_equaliser a 15 band equaliser to adjust
the sound of audio files which can be downloaded from
http://sourceforge.net/projects/footswitch2equaliser/


The installation process:
-------------------------
The installation process will attempt to identify your foot pedal.
If you have a Vec Infinity USB-2 foot pedal everything should be straight forward as that is the default.
If you are using a different foot pedal, the installation will attempt to identify it, from a known list.
If you have no foot pedal, footswitch will allow for this by creating a dummy entry and not worry you about it again.

Once the installation process has run it course, if this is an initial installation and you have an identified foot pedal you should now re-boot your PC.
This will allow for your login to be registered in the linux groups “input” and “plugdev” which permit access to the foot pedal device.
It also registers the just installed files in the 'udev' system which define how your foot pedal should be accessed.

With everything installed and registered, you can finally start footswitch.
It will have been loaded in the 'Sound & Video' entries in your 'Applications' menu.

The installation of the LibreOffice extension
---------------------------------------------
The first time that you run it, it will load the footswitch extension for LibreOffice. Just follow the instructions on the screen and then close down LibreOffice, so that it too can register the new extension.
(The next time that you open LibreOffice Writer, you will be able to see the footswitch menu and the toolbar, the default hot-keys will also have been created.)

With the footswitch LibreOffice extension loaded, you will be reminded to define your foot pedal codes and then footswitch will load.

If you have a foot pedal:
-------------------------
In Footswitch, open the Tools menu and click 'Define foot pedal codes'.
Click into the Left Pedal box.
Press the Left pedal on your foot pedal, it should register the code which that pedal sends and move automatically on to the next box.
Press the Middle pedal on your foot pedal, it should register the code which that pedal sends and move automatically on to the next box.
Press the Right pedal on your foot pedal and then click Save.

Now Close footswitch and restart it to register the foot pedal codes you have just entered.

If your foot pedal doesn't appear to work:
------------------------------------------
In Footswitch, open the Tools menu and click Configure
The pedal device will offer available devices for your foot pedal
select the appropriate device
Now Close footswitch and restart it.

If you don't have a foot pedal:
-------------------------------
Don't worry about it, just carry on.
Ensure the pedal device is set to /dev/input/eventx

Finally
-------
Finally, you can start LibreOffice Writer, load a audio/video file into the foot footswitch program and start to transcribe.


Once the audio file is playing, by using the:
footswitch Tool bar,
footswitch Menu,
the foot pedal if you have one,
or the Hot-Keys,
you should now be able to control the Audio directly from the LibreOffice document.

The foot pedal, if it exists, will default to Left pedal – Jump back, Middle Pedal – Play/Pause and right pedal – Jump forward.

Use Tools → Configure in the footswitch program to alter any settings not to your liking.

If you own a foot pedal that does not appear to work properly after this run through, please refer to the documentation which covers extensively how to trouble shoot foot pedal devices, amongst a host of other things.

Upgrading footswitch:
---------------------
If you upgrade footswitch to a later version, install it as if it were a new installation.

The installation process will, perform any necessary data conversions and leave your existing configuration as it was.

If you have a configured and working foot pedal, you do not need to re-boot your system and you should not need to re-register your foot pedal codes either.

The LibreOffice extension will be reloaded as that may have been altered.
It will replace any existing extension.

Be aware that it will revert the position of the toolbar and the values of the Hot-Keys, if you remapped them. You could say 'No' to reloading the extension. If there is an issue after that, you can load the new extension manually. (See the documentation.)

Removing footswitch:
--------------------
Remove the package with the usual software tool, e.g. the one you used to install it.
In LibreOffice Writer use the Tools-->Extension Manager to remove the footswitch extension
In your $HOME directory remove the fs2b directory

For the full change log see /usr/share/doc/footswitch2basic/changelog.gz