Questions about hörbert
Questions about hörbert
Please try the following after starting the hörbert software and inserting the SD card. In the software menu at the top, go to Extras -> Select destination manually. The card should then be selectable there.
If this is not possible, our development department has taken precautions:
You can simply select a file folder on your hard drive – and not your memory card. After that, the hörbert software works on the file folder as if it *were* a memory card. And if your memory card is usable with the card reader under your operating system and mounted correctly, you can simply copy the contents of this folder to the memory card afterwards. This feature is intended for when the memory card’s mount directory still doesn’t work for some reason, and when alternatives like “Sox” also fail.
The microphone is built into the interior of the hörbert model.
This allows you to record your own voice and play it back using hörbert’s colorful buttons. When you order a hörbert, we install the microphone at the factory. It is very small and mounted on a tiny microphone board inside hörbert at the front bottom section. From the outside, only a small opening in the wooden case next to the hörbert logo is visible.
To record voice using the microphone, you first need to make two settings:
1. Choose which of hörbert’s colorful buttons should allow voice recordings.
You may not want to allow recordings on every button — for example, if one button contains a continuous audiobook or story that shouldn’t be interrupted.
You have two options to enable the microphone and define which playlists allow voice recordings:
a. Using the Browser Set Mode, a convenient web interface
You don’t need a computer, SD card reader, or hörbert software.
👉 [Watch the instructional video on how to start Browser Set Mode.]
Note: The Browser Set Mode is only available if your hörbert is running the Butterfly firmware (released in November 2024).
👉 [Go here for the FIRMWARE UPDATE]
b. Using the hörbert software on your computer
You can also use the hörbert software to choose which playlists allow voice recordings.
Open the hörbert software, select the new hörbert model, and read in the card.
Open the button where you want to allow recordings. At the bottom of the window, check “Allow voice recordings here”, then close the button window with the green check mark in the top right corner.
Note: There must be at least one audio file already saved in the playlist for a recording to be successful.
By the way, this is also how you define where recordings from Bluetooth streams or internet radio should be saved.
Always eject the SD card properly before removing it from the computer and reinserting it into hörbert.
2. Activate the microphone via SET mode on your hörbert
Here’s how:
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Turn hörbert on. Press the small SET button inside hörbert. The colorful front buttons are now in SET mode.
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Press the dark green button on the front once to activate the microphone.
The included SET template makes it easy to find the right button.
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Press once: “on” (single beep)
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Press again: “off” (double beep)
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To save the setting, press the SET button inside hörbert again.
hörbert has now saved the setting and the microphone is active. -
Now you can close hörbert and switch it on again.
Starting a recording
If you’re in the allowed playlist, start a recording by pressing and holding the black button (bottom left), and then briefly pressing the dark gray button (bottom right).
You can then release both buttons while speaking.
Stopping a recording
To stop recording, press the black button again.
Discarding a recording
To discard a recording, end it by pressing the power switch and turning hörbert off.
Playing back a microphone recording
After a microphone recording, playback starts immediately.
The recording is placed directly after the track that was playing when the recording started.
👉 Related FAQ: How do voice recordings work with hörbert?
Yes, since 12/2020 the hörbert software is also available for Linux (tested on Ubuntu >16.0.4) for download here:
The publishers of our supplied content offer even more beautiful music and stories – in some cases even free of charge.
You can find the sources here: hörbert’s preregistered contents
In addition there are many contents which you can buy as MP3 download or M4a download and which really belong to you. In Amazon and iTunes you can find them under the category “”Music downloads””. There is not only music, but also stories to download.
You can find even more contents for your hörbert here on our website
The software is included on the memory card of any new hörbert and is available for download on our website.
As we cannot guarantee that the most recent software version is on the memory card, we recommend to download it from our website:
System requirements:
PC or Mac (Intel), operating system: Windows 10 or higher, or Mac OS X from version 10.14, Linux (tested on Ubuntu
>16.0.4)
Screen resolution at least 1024×768 pixels
At least 4 GB free hard disk space
At least 2 GB main memory (RAM)
hörbert’s software accepts audio files of the following formats: .m4a .mp3 .wav .cdda/.cda .ogg .flac. .aiff/.aif
Please note that the hoerbert software can’t transfer copy protected files or audio tracks! However, it even helps you to transfer music and audio books directly from compact disks to hörbert’s memory card, so you don’t have to be a computer nerd to put manager hörbert’s content.
A CD with copy protection can normally be identified by the corresponding IFPI copy protection logo. It’s a black circle with a white triangle. You can find it here: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopierschutz
A tip: It is recommended to read a CD first with a program like iTunes and import it to your computer. Then the transfer to hörbert’s memory card is even faster. ITunes also has a good converter that brings the tracks into the optimal format (m4a or better still mp3). This is similarly convenient under Windows with the Media Player, but you have to set the mp3 format there, because the hörbert software does not read files with the extension.wma. After importing into iTunes, you can drag and drop songs directly from the iTunes library to the corresponding playlist window in the hörbert software using the hörbert software.
A software is necessary to conveniently arrange the tracks in the playlists and in the correct order, because if you would simply copy MP3 files to a memory card, the player would still not know in which order it should play them from which button. Another advantage is that you can also use files in OGG, WAV or FLAC format and directly from audio CDs as source material, or other common formats, which is not possible with most MP3 players. Instead of referring to hörbert as an MP3, Ogg, WAV and FLAC Player, only the term “MP3 Player” can be used as category or generic name. Otherwise you would not find our hörbert in any shop, because there is not even a category for “Audio-Player”, but at most “MP3-Player”. The term “universal audio player for children” would of course be quite correct. But we have to meet the potential customers looking for a player and limit ourselves here to the term “MP3 player” as a generic term, although hörbert can do much more.