VSA G3 User Guide - Operation Manual What follows, is the quick start user guide - instruction manual for the Voice Stress Analyzer, Generation 3. The VSA has been engineered to operate in a simple and effective manner, provided the operator follows the recommendations in this user guide. Unlike a standard polygraph, the VSA measures people in situations that are unlikely to be beaten (unless the subject being interviewed whispers, and if somebody is whispering, you - the interviewer - will notice it instantaneously. What does the VSA specifically measure? Sub-audible involuntary micro motor muscle modulation - which means the readings will be below the range of hearing. These modulations in a person s voice are not controllable. It s the modulation of the human voice through the micro-motor muscles that give the VSA the audio results in a numerical form (and a printed output). Simply explained, the VSA machine will count the peaks and valleys in the human voice and will assign them a number. Match that number with a set of pre-thought out set of questions, and a valid assessment may be made when interviewing or interrogating a subject. These assessments can help determine if a subject is telling the truth or lying. For support, send your questions to support@secintel.com 2014-2018 Copyright HSS Development Inc All rights reserved worldwide
Diagram Index Numbers of the VSA Operating Panel 14 13 19 12 7 8 1 2 17 15 3 10 18 6 4 9 11 16 5 1) Line Input 2) Sensitivity Dial 3) Smoothing Dial 4) Threshold Dial 5) Monitor Dial 6) Analyze Button 7) Mode Dial 8) Audio Level Meter 9) Print Hold Button 10) Result Display Window 11) Print Button 12) Internal Speaker 13) Power Switch 14) Power Input 15) Professional Digital Recorder 16) Earphone Output 17) Line Output 18) Recorder DC Power Input 19) Thermal Printer
Opening the VSA Case The VSA is equipped with an air pressure release valve. With Pelican hard cases, the air pressure may build up inside, either from normal atmospheric pressure or from air travel. This valve is automatic and permits an airlock to allow the case to purge the air pressure so that it will be easier to open. This dial turns both left and right. Power Connection for the VSA To turn the system on, first connect the system to a power source using the supplied cable (See Diagram 14). The system is equipped with an internal changing power supply, so you may apply 90 Volts to 240 Volts. Make sure the connection of the supplied cable fit or interface with your country s outlet type. Note that the power input on the panel is equipped with a fuse. In the event of a power surge, the fuse should work to protect the system. Should the fuse have been shorted out, disconnect the power and replace the fuse with the same type (indicated on the fuse compartment). Power Up Once properly connected to power, turn the red switch to the ON position (pushing down on 1 is ON, pushing down on 0 is OFF) (See Diagram 13).
Printer Paper Roll Installation for the VSA The Thermal Printer (See Diagram 14) Open the lid of the top of the printer by pulling gently the flap as shown. Place a roll of paper in the chamber as shown. The Thermal Printer Open. Note how the paper rolls to the front of the chamber. Bring some paper out of the printer. Now gently close the cover.
Recorder Instructions The VSA is equipped with a Marantz Professional Digital Audio Recorder. This recorder is integrated with the VSA for capturing sound for the purpose of Voice Stress Analysis. The recorder can be directly connected to the system, or removed for use without the system [as a portable Voice Stress interviewing recorder]. Power the recorder on here To open and close the SD Card compartment, push here Diagram 15 - The Digital Recorder Marantz Model # PMD MKii series The VSA comes with an SD Card (SD HC type). This card has a VSA Test saved on to it. Do not erase this Test. This is a live test recording is used to demonstrate the VSA
Recorder Instructions (continued) To remove the professional recorder from the VSA [ portable audio recording for interviewing prior to analyzing with the VSA ] follow these procedures. After disconnecting these 2 cables, close the power cover. Diagram 17 - Remove the Line Out Cable Diagram 18 - Remove the DC Power Cable Close the power cover (Cover should be flat with the recorder) Gently slide the recorder out of the housing. When putting the recorder back, follow these steps in reverse. Push the bottom of the recorder up
Operating the System (The 3 modes continued) The controls of the system offer 3 modes of operation: Manual Mode Synchro Mode Conversational Mode [ see diagram 7 ] Manual Mode Manual means you will push the the analyze button when you want to analyze a word. During an interview or interrogation, we stress the fact that the best possible interrogation is the words Yes or No because the subject has made a commitment to his answer. He or she doesn't say I don t know, I don t recall... He / she simply provides a Yes or No answer. You, the operator of the system, must ask for a Yes or No answer. When the subject says the answer, we push the Analyze button [ diagram 6 ] and the VSA will analyze that word and put a number on that word ; This result is viewable as a numeric output value on the number, which you will read in this window [ Diagram 10 ]. Therefore, the Manual Mode will analyze every word coming through. Synchro Mode The Synchro Mode is used to synchronize the spoken voice with the printer and with the output. Most users of the VSA do not use the Synchro Mode because it requires a fast action procedure that requires a lot of practice. For your convenience, the system is able to employ the Manual Mode and the Conversational Mode in a manner that is easier to work with.
Operating the System (The 3 modes continued) Conversational Mode Conversational mode is when you are talking to somebody in a non-formal manner. Instead of asking each question in a question answer format, you would interrogate a subject by creatively placing questions in your conversation. Examples include the user of a discreet digital voice recorder, or the recording of a telephone call. When operating in Conversational Mode, you are able to covertly collect information that can be analyzed. In essence, you are able to give a covert test without the subjects knowledge. How? You are talking to him / her and you are asking questions. You are not going to get individual specific answers. However, the VSA is going to analyze every word it hears. Normally, if you call someone up and you say You know there is a $1000 dollars missing from the drawer, do you know about it?... The response could possibly be: Yeah I heard that it was stolen. And you, the interrogator, would then counter to this answer in the Conversational Mode: OK, I have to ask you this question Did you steal any or all of that money? Now the subject might say Yes or he might say No, but normally in a covert situation of this type, he / she will say, Why would you ask me that question, don t you trust me? In an interrogation, you, the operator of the VSA will learn that there are always follow up questions to ask during a Conversation Mode Interrogation / Interview. These follow up questions - specifically in this - would consist of something such as: Of course I trust you but just so we are clear, just say to me that you did not steal the money, Just say yes or no. Once you have the person give you a Yes or No answer, you can then utilize this by allowing the VSA to work on measuring the truth value of the answer. The system will analyze, you did not steal the money - and the subsequent reply using the word: No... and that will be an answer you are looking to analyze.
Voice Quality: Level Indication & Compensation Level Window At times, the quality of the sound you are measuring, be it in real time or upon playback from a recording, will be of poor quality. The subjects you interview may not be clear enough in their Yes or No answers. The Level Window is a graphic display of the sound quality that the VSA receives. Now if you were giving a overt test, the first thing you re going to do is say to the subject, Please state your name, your address, or something about yourself, and then you would play it back to see if the lights in this window elevate to a mid-point on the graphic display. You can use this level Window to understand that if you only see 1 bar or 2 bar illuminate (on the bar-diodes from the Minimum diode level at the bottom to the Maximum diode level at the top), it probably means you are unable to obtain a good analysis. At this point, you will have to amplify the signal and put it through to get a better analysis (this comes when you take secondary training with an Authorized VSA instructor). What you are searching for is to see 3, 4, or 5 diodes (bars) illuminate here. This will indicate that you have a good voice quality (in real time or a good recording of voice quality). The factory preset on the Sensitivity dial [ Diagram 2 ] and the factory preset on the Threshold dial [ Diagram 4 ] is to keep the dial between 4 & 6. You should keep the Sensitivity and Threshold dials between 4 & 6. The system s processor is configured to recognize the voice quality responses and to work optimally at these levels. However, at specific times you might need more Sensitivity in the voice so you can pull more sensitivity, but you have to watch it when playing with these dials because you can blank out a lot of the tremors in the voice by putting on too much Threshold or too much Sensitivity. The Smoothing dial [ Diagram 3 ] is used if you had a noise in the background when a recording was made. If there was a buzz in the background or perhaps the sound of wind or vibrations, interfering audio segments may create too much disturbance, leading to the disqualification of the Voice Stress Analysis Test. With the Smoothing dial, you can take out minor noises by turning up the Smoothing. What it does is - it Smoothes the recording on playback for you. Smoothing will usually run on the setting for 0, While the Sensitivity and Threshold are set between 4 & 6.
Printing Voice Stress Values Printing Buttons, Print Timing, Result Window The printer is made to print out individual numbers as seen on the Result Window [ Diagram 10 ]. When the Result Window shows you a 032 as one of the responses to a question, 032 will be printed on the printer and that is the living record if you wanted a print out copy of the answers to the questions you ask. Questions & Printing Interview Answers. There are two ways to use the printer. One is in the Manual Mode to Analyze and Print. That is for individual words. In the Syncro or Conversational Mode, the printer will be active with every word. The paper will fill itself up with numbers as speech is received by the system, however, the numbers after time will become immaterial because you do not know which numbers belong to which questions... This means you will need to have your questions prepared, in advance, in order to associate the values of the Printer with the answers to your questions. This also means that you will hold the Print Hold button [ Diagram 9 ] and then when the answer that you want comes up on the Result Window, you will quickly release the button. The next sound through the machine is going to be processed through the system. That sound (the answer by your subject) will show up in the Result Window as a number. That number will be printed on the thermal paper. The paper itself is heat treated paper. What the printer will do is use its heat pen technology to embed the details on the paper, so there is no ink required for this printer. NOTE on Interpreting Values of the Result Window: Low values are associated with Truthful Answers. High Values are associated with High Stress (Answers that may be False). The VSA has to be able to process answers when they are given, and only Yes or No answers. During your training and your practice, you will be required to recognize the stressful answers by looking at the higher values the system shows, and adjusting / compensating for the variables that increase or decrease the interpretation of those stress values (using the adjustment dials) [ Sensitivity, Smoothing, and Threshhold] NOTE: If you are miss the answer when listening through the playback of the Digital Recorder, you can always press the 3 Second Replay Button. This button will jump back by 3 seconds in order to rewind the conversation. In that way, you will be able to analyze the Subject s Answer to the Question asked without rewinding the file.
The Marantz Professional Digital Recorder PMD620 MKii Audio Recording & Supplementary Audio Features The Digital Recorder that comes with the VSA is a high quality recording device that has the ability to provide the proper sound level to the processor of the VSA. The Recorder will come factory preset to work with the VSA. While the Recorder s instruction manual may offer several alternative settings, it is strongly recommended to keep the Recorder set to the VSA settings. An SD Card comes with the recorder, and the VSA should be plug and play ready for use, based on the settings the system comes with. On the SD Card is the Test Recording to be used to review the how the system settings will appear in the Result Window based on a real world test. About the different adjustments on your recorder: The recorder manual will explain the advanced adjustment abilities that the recorder is capable of making. However, it should be stressed (again) that HSS Development initiates a factory setting so there are no conflicts in analyzing the voice conversations. Should you make a change in the Recorder s settings, be sure you read your Recorder manual because you can actually take out highs and lows necessary for the VSA to perform well. Line input: The Line Input [ Diagram 1 ] is an alternate source for running Voice Stress Analysis. If you do not want to use the supplied recorder for any reason, you may import your conversations into the system s processor for analysis. Reasons involve: Using another digital recorder or analog cassette recorder for playback. Using a Laptop or Desktop Computer (speaker patchcord) for playback analysis. Using a phone (landline or cellular) for direct input to the processor of the VSA. Earphone The Earphone Jack [ Diagram 16 ] enables you to listen discretely to a recorded conversation during playback. Monitor The Monitor Dial [ Diagram 5 ] enables you to increase or decrease the volume of the audio speaker. For support, send your questions to support@secintel.com 2018 Copyright HSS Development Inc All rights reserved worldwide