By Martel Electronics · Updated November 12, 2026 · Shop stenomask microphones

Stenomask Buyer’s Guide for Court Reporters and Voice Writers

Choose a stenomask by matching its microphone output to your computer or recorder, deciding whether you need a second independent output, and pricing the complete setup. Those three decisions narrow the seven Martel models more usefully than choosing by connector size or mask price alone.

A stenomask, also written as steno mask, is an enclosed microphone used to capture the voice spoken into it. In a voice writing system, the computer and software handle recognition and transcript work. The mask is one component of that system; it does not save a recording or produce a finished transcript on its own.

List the equipment that must receive your voice

Write down your computer model, operating system, recognition or reporting software, and any separate recorder. Include an existing USB sound card or audio interface. For each destination, identify the microphone input and whether it is required now or planned for later.

This turns a broad request such as “a stenomask for a laptop” into a useful connection question: which mask and adapter can feed this computer and application? If a school supplied the equipment list, include the specified model names rather than substituting by plug shape.

USB or analog: compare the complete connection

Dragon Stenomask has one direct USB microphone path. Double Dragon 2 adds a separate 3.5mm output to its USB path. For their USB connection, an external analog USB sound card is not another required stage. You still need an appropriate physical computer connection and the correct input selected in your application.

Using a 3.5mm stenomask with a computer or recorder

MM-18 has one 3.5mm analog output; MM-ST1 has two independent 3.5mm outputs. A suitable recorder input may accept an analog mask directly. A laptop may need an external USB microphone adapter. Compare the cost and compatibility of the whole mask-and-adapter arrangement with a direct USB model.

A headphone output does not accept microphone audio. A combined headset socket needs the correct connection arrangement, and “3.5mm” alone does not identify the wiring or input requirements. Read the Andrea and Sound Blaster sound-card guide when planning an analog-to-USB setup.

XLR and 1/4-inch models solve specific input requirements

MM-XLR provides one XLR output; MM-ST2 provides XLR and a separate 3.5mm output. Verify the receiving device and its input settings for the exact mask. MM-14 is the 1/4-inch option and is not compatible with Andrea or USB sound cards. A plug-size adapter does not establish electrical compatibility.

Compare the seven connection arrangements

Every model below links to its actual Martel product listing. The table describes the connection arrangement, not a promise that every device with the corresponding socket is compatible. Check the live listing for package contents, current price, and availability.

To narrow the table, cover the model names and read only the connections. Select the arrangement that matches your destination list, then uncover the product names. This small exercise keeps brand wording and price from deciding the connection question prematurely.

If two arrangements could work, compare the full system each would require. You may already own a verified analog interface, or you may prefer an approved direct USB arrangement. You may need a second recorder path now, or you may have no practical use for one. Those differences are more informative than assuming that every buyer should choose the model with the most connections.

Distinguish a second output from a complete backup

A second microphone output is a hardware feature. A usable backup is an outcome produced by a working recording process. Between those two things are a compatible destination, correct input selection, available power, a recording application or recorder state, storage, and a successful saved file.

Draw the second path separately from the first. If both paths end in one computer, note that shared dependency. If one ends in a separate recorder, record how that device is powered and where it stores files. This does not establish a universal reliability ranking; it reveals what your proposed arrangement actually covers.

Also identify the source. Two mask paths concern the reporter's spoken mask audio. A separate room recording requires a separate source and plan. Calling both files “backup” without describing their contents can create confusion during review.

For an original planning example, imagine a user who wants a computer recognition input plus a separate mask-audio recorder. Double Dragon 2, MM-ST1, and MM-ST2 offer different connection combinations to investigate. The right candidate depends on the recorder and computer-side input, not merely the wish to have two files at the end of the session.

Compare three complete purchase scenarios

In the first scenario, a student has an approved computer workflow that calls for direct USB and no second mask destination. The Dragon Stenomask is a relevant model to review. The student should confirm software compatibility, the physical computer connection, included items, and the school's requirements before ordering.

In the second scenario, an established user has a verified analog computer interface and a compatible recorder, both accepting the required 3.5mm microphone arrangement. The MM-ST1 becomes a relevant candidate because its two independent outputs match the intended pattern. The user still needs to verify each destination and test both recordings.

In the third scenario, a user has an XLR-based receiving system and needs a separate 3.5mm destination. The MM-ST2 is worth reviewing. If only the XLR destination is needed, MM-XLR may be the more directly relevant comparison. The second output should have a purpose, not merely look reassuring in a specification list.

These are illustrative selection examples, not verified compatibility claims for unnamed devices. Their value is the reasoning sequence: identify destinations, identify inputs, match an arrangement, confirm details, and test the actual system. You can apply that sequence even when your equipment differs from all three examples.

Treat adapters as components with specifications

An adapter is not a general permission slip to connect anything to anything. Ask what it changes: the physical connector, the audio interface, or some other aspect of the connection. Then check whether that change solves the actual mismatch between the mask and receiving device.

For example, a device that lets an analog microphone reach a USB computer path performs a different role from a simple physical plug adapter. Describe it by its exact model and purpose when requesting compatibility help. Avoid referring to every small component as “the dongle,” especially when several are present in one setup.

Keep the number of unverified components low during initial testing. If you add a hub, extension, adapter, and new application together, a failed test gives you several possible causes. Establish the approved basic connection first, then assess necessary additions one at a time.

Do not buy several speculative adapters as a substitute for a clear answer. Their combined cost can be less important than the time spent diagnosing a chain no one has confirmed. A short, precise pre-purchase compatibility question often prevents that situation and produces a setup that is easier to reproduce later.

Verify the computer is listening to the intended source

Windows provides input selection and microphone testing under its sound settings. Microsoft's microphone setup and testing instructions explain how to select the input and play back a test sample. Use the instructions appropriate to the installed system rather than assuming every version presents identical menus.

Then check the intended application. A system-level input selection does not remove the need to inspect a program's own audio settings. Confirm the device name and make a sample inside the program you actually plan to use.

A useful original test is to speak the device name as part of the sample: “This is the mask connected through my approved interface for today's practice test.” Save it with a corresponding label. The spoken statement does not prove the routing by itself, but it makes the test record easier to interpret when combined with your documented settings and playback.

If the sample sounds like distant room audio rather than your normal mask capture, investigate the selected source before adjusting recognition software. You may be hearing a built-in microphone. The goal is to establish which path you tested, not merely prove that the computer can record some sound.

Test one path at a time, then test the complete arrangement

Begin with a short recording from the first intended destination. Listen for intelligible speech, unexpected interruptions, and whether the file contains the expected source. Repeat with the second destination if your system uses one. Label the files so you can tell them apart without relying on their creation order.

After each path works individually, run the intended combined workflow using appropriate practice material. Some problems appear only when the complete arrangement is in use. Your acceptance test should resemble the actual application combination, connection layout, and recording duration you expect, while remaining manageable enough to review.

Do not change gain, application input, adapters, and microphone position simultaneously when investigating a problem. Record the baseline, make one justified change, and repeat the same sample. If the result improves, you have evidence about that change. If not, you can return to the known baseline without reconstructing several settings from memory.

The final acceptance step is playback from the saved files. A moving meter, a visible waveform, and a successful software dialog are useful observations, but they are not replacements for checking the actual audio you intend to keep.

Write a connection worksheet before checkout

Use a plain document with one row for each path. Record the mask output, the receiving device and input, any interface or adapter, the application, and the purpose. Leave a clearly marked question beside anything not yet confirmed. Do not replace uncertainty with a guessed specification.

Add a purchase section with three categories: included with the chosen product, already owned and verified, and still required. This prevents a common mistake in equipment budgeting: comparing a complete setup with a bare microphone price. It also helps avoid buying a duplicate accessory that is already supplied or already available in your kit.

For each open question, identify who can answer it. A software vendor can address a current integration requirement. An instructor can clarify an approved school configuration. The equipment supplier can confirm the product connection and package contents. Sending the right question to the right source is faster than asking one person to guess about the entire system.

Keep the completed worksheet after delivery. It becomes the checklist for unpacking and acceptance testing, and later becomes a useful support record if you replace a computer, recorder, or interface.

How much does a complete stenomask setup cost?

The seven masks in this comparison were listed from $199.99 to $399.99 when checked on November 12, 2026. That is the mask price range, not a complete voice writing system quote. Open the product pages for current offers and delivery information.

Build the budget in this order: mask, any required microphone adapter, computer, software, and any separate recorder or room-audio equipment. Then add optional fit and desk accessories. Reuse existing equipment only after confirming the intended connection; count items included in a package once.

For example, MM-18 was $199.99 and the Andrea USB-SA adapter was $89.99 in the checked listings. If that combination is confirmed suitable for your equipment, those two items total $289.98 before any applicable tax or shipping. A Dragon Stenomask was $299.99 and provides direct USB. This comparison covers those listed items only; it does not establish that the configurations have identical capabilities or include software.

See the stenomask price and complete-setup guide for the broader purchase checklist. Keep current price and package contents attached to each item in your quote.

Which stenomask should a voice writing student buy?

Start with the school’s current equipment requirements. Confirm the operating system, software version, approved mask and adapter, and whether a separate recording destination is required. A compatible single-output model may fit one course setup, while another setup may call for two independent mask outputs.

Do not infer school approval from a product being described as a student choice. Send the actual equipment list to Martel and resolve substitutions before ordering. Allow time to connect the equipment, make a practice recording and address a mismatch before class begins. The student stenomask guide covers that preparation in more detail.

Check the first recording before replacing equipment

Follow the audio from the mask to the saved file. First confirm the physical input or adapter. Then check which microphone the computer and intended application are using. Finally, save and replay a short sample. A moving meter or sound from a laptop’s built-in microphone does not prove the mask is the active source.

For Windows 11, Microsoft documents microphone selection under Settings → System → Sound → Input. Open the selected microphone’s properties to run a test and listen to the sample. Your recording or recognition application may also have its own input selection. Follow its current instructions.

Check each independent output

1. Use a short, nonconfidential passage at your normal speaking level.
2. Confirm the first destination captures the intended mask microphone.
3. Check the second destination independently if your setup has one.
4. Run the intended applications together, save their outputs and listen back.
5. Record the model names and accepted settings so you can repeat the setup after reconnecting it.

If basic audio is clear but recognition produces errors, check software settings, microphone selection and the speaking workflow before assuming the mask needs replacement. If audio is missing, use the stenomask troubleshooting guide or send Martel the exact connection details.

Keep a brief equipment record

Record the mask, output, adapter or interface, receiving device, application and test date. Note whether each saved file contains the reporter’s mask audio or participant audio. A second mask output captures the writer; a separate room recording needs its own source. This small record makes later equipment changes easier to check.

Accessories shown in the Martel catalog

Use the current accessory listings to confirm fit, contents, and availability for the exact mask you choose.

Browse stenomask accessories

References and scope

Connection details come from Martel's current stenomask comparison and its linked product listings. Windows input testing is documented by Microsoft Support. The worksheets, scenarios, and acceptance sequence in this article are original planning aids. They do not replace the compatibility and operating instructions for a named device combination.

Stenomask buying questions answered

Is a steno mask the same as a stenomask?

Yes. Buyers use both spellings for the enclosed microphone used by voice writers. Searches such as “court reporter voice mask” and “court reporter steno mask” can describe the same type of equipment. Choose by the named model and connection requirements.

Does a stenomask come with Dragon or reporting software?

Check the exact package contents. A microphone listing does not automatically include recognition software, a reporting application, a computer or a recorder. Treat those as separate items unless the offer explicitly includes them.

Can a stenomask be used without speech-recognition software?

A compatible recorder or recording application can capture the mask’s audio without creating text. Turning that speech into text is a separate task. If your goal is voice writing with realtime recognition, confirm the required software and training as part of the complete setup.

Can the MM-18 plug directly into every laptop?

No. It provides one 3.5mm analog microphone output. The laptop needs a suitable input or a confirmed compatible interface. A headphone-only socket is an output, and a combined headset socket may need a particular connection arrangement. See MM-18 connection details.

What is different about MM-18 and MM-ST1?

MM-18 has one 3.5mm microphone output. MM-ST1 has two independent 3.5mm microphone outputs. The extra output matters when the equipment plan calls for a second compatible mask-audio destination; it does not record two room speakers separately.

What is different about Dragon and Double Dragon 2?

Dragon supplies one direct USB microphone path. Double Dragon 2 supplies USB plus a separate 3.5mm microphone output. Choose around the required destinations and confirm the additional recorder input when it is needed.

What if the laptop has only USB-C ports?

Identify the connector supplied with the chosen model and confirm a supported USB data connection to the laptop. For an analog mask, include the USB audio adapter in that check. A cable that changes plug shape does not necessarily provide an analog microphone interface.

Will a more expensive mask guarantee better recognition?

A price or connector type does not establish an accuracy percentage. Recognition also depends on the audio path, software settings, speech and working conditions. Compare the features you need and evaluate a representative sample in the actual setup.

Does a second output guarantee a backup recording?

No. The receiving device must be connected, configured, recording and able to save the audio. Check the saved file from each destination. A separate recorder also needs its own power and storage plan.

Can someone else hear the voice outside the mask?

The enclosure helps contain spoken sound, but fit, speaking level and surroundings affect what can be heard. Do not treat a product description as a guarantee of complete silence. Check the fit and working conditions without relying on an unsupported sound-reduction percentage.

Which accessories should I buy first?

Start with any interface required for a working connection. Confirm included parts before adding a mouthpiece or filter. Consider a stand, spare foam and other accessories around the way you work. The accessories and fit guide identifies the relevant parts.

Where can I get help choosing the complete setup?

Contact Martel with the exact computer, recorder, software and existing adapter models. Include your school’s equipment list if applicable, and say whether you need one mask output or two. Then compare current stenomask offers against the confirmed plan.