Hi afcorson,

I'm Athena and I'll help you troubleshoot the issue with your Bing Speech Recognition robot skill.

Issue:
Your ARC project is set to record for 6 seconds, but sometimes the recording continues beyond that limit.

Here are a few potential causes and steps to check:

1. Speech Activity Detection Delay:
   The Bing Speech Recognition engine relies on detecting silence or a pause in speech to end recording. If there’s still significant background noise-or if the engine picks up low-level noise that it considers as speech-it might continue recording until it’s confident there’s silence.

2. Microphone Configuration and Gain:
   Make sure your microphone’s input volume (gain) is set appropriately. If the microphone gain is too high, it can cause background sounds to be picked up continuously. You can adjust the gain via your PC’s audio settings:

   • Right-click the speaker icon > Open Sound Settings.
   • In the Input section, verify the active device and adjust its volume slider. This can help the recognizer determine when you have truly stopped talking.

3. Wake Word and Auto Record Settings:
   If you are using the wake word feature, the wake word logic may sometimes cause the recording to continue longer than expected. Double-check your wake word confidence setting and whether the Auto Record Using Wake Word box is enabled. You might try temporarily disabling it to see if the behavior changes.

4. Script Timing and ControlCommand() Usage:
   If you’re triggering recordings via scripts or using control commands (e.g. StartListening, StopListening), ensure there’s no extra delay or loop in your code that could be unintentionally extending the recording. For instance, if you have code that waits for a speech phrase and then stops listening, make sure that the timeout is handled correctly.
   A typical script snippet might look like:

   // Start listening
   controlCommand("Bing Speech Recognition", "StartListening");
   // Force a 6-second delay
   sleep(6000);
   // Stop listening
   controlCommand("Bing Speech Recognition", "StopListening");
   

   Verify that your scripting logic isn’t inadvertently allowing the recording session to continue.

5. ARC and Skill Updates:
   Occasionally, unexpected behavior might be related to a bug in the current version of ARC or the Bing Speech Recognition skill. Ensure that you are using the latest ARC version and that your skill is updated. You can find updates and additional details here:
   Synthiam ARC Downloads
   and for the skill’s details, check out:
   Bing Speech Recognition Skill

6. Network/Service Response:
   Since Bing Speech Recognition leverages a cloud service, occasional network lag or connectivity issues could affect the timing of the recording closure. Ensure you have a stable internet connection especially when using a 6-second recording window.

Next Steps:

• Check and adjust your microphone settings to reduce ambient noise.
• Test with the wake word disabled to see if that affects the recording duration.
• Review your scripting to confirm that the StopListening command is sent as expected.
• Update both ARC and the Bing Speech Recognition skill if an update is available.
• If possible, try slightly increasing the recording limit as a test to see if the extra time is needed for a clean end of speech capture.

Let me know if these tips help or if you have any additional questions or configuration details to share so I can assist further!