[DECtalk] a decent speech synthesizer for primary use

Alex H. linuxx64.bashsh at gmail.com
Sat Aug 30 21:25:23 EDT 2014


Chatterbox has issues and reads numbers as single digits, e.g., 301 as
3 0 1.It also breaks when using the shift key to pause or start
typing. I modified the sapi4 NVDA driver about 2 years ago, but cant
find the file now.

I use Vocalizer or Orpheus or espeak these days, with some Eloquence
in their too. My DEC USB is at home sadly, so I can't use it
currently. I avoid synths with issues, but they're fun to play with
for sure.

On 8/30/14, brandon T via Dectalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I agree with you on that it sounds like Softvoice. Do you think they
> would have intentionally modified the license file to make us think it
> was free?
>
> Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to a response.
>
> Sincerely,
> BRANDON TYSON
>
> On 8/30/14, Jake Gross via Dectalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com> wrote:
>> This synth sounds like softvoice, an abandonware speech
>> synthesizer that wasn't free.
>> I assumed this was a sapi4 version.
>> Maybe chatterbox uses similar speech technology.
>>
>>  ----- Original Message -----
>> From: brandon T via Dectalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>> To: DECtalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>> Date sent: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 18:49:35 -0400
>> Subject: Re: [DECtalk] a decent speech synthesizer for primary
>> use
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> The license.txt file says that we are able to redistribute this
>> freely, and it also says that we got this for free. So, do you
>> mind if
>> I please ask how this is abandonware please?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Brandon
>>
>> On 8/30/14, Jake Gross via Dectalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com>
>> wrote:
>>  To me, Nv speech player sounds similar to Infovox 230 , and
>>  Monologue sounds like Doubletalk.
>>
>>   ----- Original Message -----
>>  From: brandon T via Dectalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>  To: DECtalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>  Date sent: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 00:29:19 -0400
>>  Subject: Re: [DECtalk] a decent speech synthesizer for primary
>>  use
>>
>>  Hi,
>>
>>  So, if I read the license correctly, it said something about I
>>  can
>>  redistribute this software and that it's free, why does it say
>>  that if
>>  it's abandonware? It says that in the license.txt file. How do
>>  you
>>  know that the modified sapi4.py file is legal?
>>
>>  Thanks,
>>
>>  Brandon
>>
>>  On 8/30/14, Jake Gross via Dectalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>  wrote:
>>   It is abandonware.
>>   Speech rate is not supported.
>>   Did you copy the sapi4.py file to your nvda user configuration
>>   directory?
>>   This driver prevents the synth from crashing.
>>
>>    ----- Original Message -----
>>   From: brandon T viaDectalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>   To: DECtalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>   Date sent: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 23:42:52 -0400
>>   Subject: Re: [DECtalk] a decent speech synthesizer for primary
>>   use
>>
>>   Hello,
>>
>>   Is this synthesizer illegal?
>>
>>   Also, it isn't speaking as I change the speed of the voice.
>>  Also,
>>   it
>>   is crashing sometimes.
>>
>>   Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to a
>>   response.
>>
>>   Sincerely,
>>
>>   Brandon Tyson
>>
>>   On 8/29/14, Jake Gross via Dectalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>   wrote:
>>    What part of the installer can't you read.
>>
>>
>>     ----- Original Message -----
>>    From: brandon T via Dectalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>    To: DECtalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>    Date sent: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 23:06:51 -0400
>>    Subject: Re: [DECtalk] a decent speech synthesizer for primary
>>    use
>>
>>    Hi,
>>
>>    Unfortunately I can't read the installer. I am not sure if it
>>  is
>>    in English.
>>
>>    Thanks for telling me about this, I really appreciate it!
>>
>>    Thanks,
>>
>>    Brandon
>>
>>    On 8/29/14, Jake Gross via Dectalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>    wrote:
>>     Have you ever tried chatterbox?
>>     It is a sapi4 english/rushen speech synthesizer.
>>     You can find it at
>>     http://grossgang.com/tts/sapi_voices/chatterbox.zip
>>     Jake
>>
>>
>>      ----- Original Message -----
>>     From: brandon T via Dectalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>     To: DECtalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>     Date sent: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 21:12:00 -0400
>>     Subject: Re: [DECtalk] a decent speech synthesizer for
>> primary
>>     use
>>
>>     Hi,
>>
>>     Thank you for this information. I thought that maybe another
>>     thing
>>     was, with the Microsoft voices, I should try them at a faster
>>     speed.
>>     For now, they are ok.
>>
>>     Thank you very much for your time, I really appreciate it.
>>
>>     I hope that you are having an awesome day!
>>
>>     Thanks,
>>
>>     Brandon
>>
>>     On 8/29/14, Blake Roberts via Dectalk
>>   <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>     wrote:
>>      I know that the AT&T Natural voices were recorded at 16k
>>    instead
>>     of the
>>      typical 22k for recorded speech samples. However, they might
>>    not
>>     work as
>>      your primary synth due to large size of each voice. I
>>   purchased
>>     some AT&T
>>      voices which I use as primary voices within OpenBook, but
>>  they
>>     are used for
>>      short periods. AT&T voices might work as your primary synth
>>  if
>>     you have a
>>      lot of Ram memory in your computer, i.e. more than a gig or
>>    two.
>>      Blake
>>
>>      -----Original Message-----
>>      From: Dectalk [mailto:dectalk-bounces at bluegrasspals.com] On
>>     Behalf Of
>>      brandon T via Dectalk
>>      Sent: Friday, August 29, 2014 8:40 PM
>>      To: DECtalk
>>      Subject: Re: [DECtalk] a decent speech synthesizer for
>>  primary
>>     use
>>
>>      Hi,
>>
>>      I am wondering if maybe the voices are just sounding too
>> real
>>    to
>>     me.
>>      Are there any that are recorded at a lower audio quality
>>    please?
>>
>>      Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to any
>>     assistance
>>      you are willing to provide.
>>
>>      Sincerely,
>>
>>      Brandon Tyson
>>
>>      On 8/29/14, Blake Roberts via Dectalk
>>     <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com> wrote:
>>      Daniel,
>>      Ivona voices are SAPI5. To use them in NVDA I simply changed
>>     from ESpeak
>>      to
>>      SAPI version 5 in the synthesizers list.
>>      Blake
>>
>>      -----Original Message-----
>>      From: Dectalk [mailto:dectalk-bounces at bluegrasspals.com] On
>>     Behalf Of
>>      Daniel
>>      Wolak via Dectalk
>>      Sent: Friday, August 29, 2014 8:07 PM
>>      To: DECtalk
>>      Subject: Re: [DECtalk] a decent speech synthesizer for
>>  primary
>>     use
>>
>>      Hi,
>>      I mostly use eloquence with nvda... A question for you
>> blake:
>>     what do
>>      you use to interface the ivona voices with nvda as I've been
>>     thinking of
>>      trying them?
>>      Thanks,
>>
>>      Daniel
>>      On 29/08/2014 8:00 PM, Blake Roberts via Dectalk wrote:
>>      Brandon,
>>      Although I use Eloquence as my primary synth in Jaws, Ivona
>>     voices are a
>>      close second. They are my primary voices within NVDA. Voices
>>     from Ivona
>>      are
>>      not free but you can trial each voice for 30 days before
>>     purchase is
>>      required. I prefer slow speeds so I'm not sure how Ivona
>>   sounds
>>     at fast
>>      rates. I use Ivona voices because all of the voices sound
>>  very
>>     natural.
>>
>>      Have you tried the Orpheus synth? I purchased Orpheus but
>>   don't
>>     use it
>>      anymore because those voices are too fast for my liking.
>> Like
>>     Ivona, you
>>      can
>>      trial Orpheus for 30 days before purchase is required. The
>>     difference is
>>      with Orpheus you receive all voices, whereas Ivona voices
>> are
>>     downloaded
>>      one
>>      voice at a time.
>>      Blake
>>
>>      -----Original Message-----
>>      From: Dectalk [mailto:dectalk-bounces at bluegrasspals.com] On
>>     Behalf Of
>>      brandon T via Dectalk
>>      Sent: Friday, August 29, 2014 7:48 PM
>>      To: DECtalk Discussions
>>      Subject: [DECtalk] a decent speech synthesizer for primary
>>  use
>>
>>      Hello,
>>
>>      I have been looking at Sapi 4 and Sapi 5 voices today. Also,
>>  I
>>     have
>>      been looking at Speech Player. I am familiar with a lot of
>>     voices,
>>      including Acapela, Eloquence, DecTalk, Microsoft voices like
>>     Sam, the
>>      LH synthesizer, the Digalo voices, Infovox 230 and 330,
>>   eSpeak,
>>      Neospeech and others. Here is my problem. I have been
>> majorly
>>      investigating voices for years. I guess the main problem is
>>    that
>>     all
>>      of the voices do something that I don't like. Eloquence
>> makes
>>   a
>>      clicking sound when it goes really fast. I have trouble
>>     understanding
>>      DecTalk when it goes really fast. The Acapela voices are, in
>>   my
>>      opinion, too hard to use as a primary voice. I have thought
>>     about
>>      Infovox 230 and 330, but I cant do anything legally except
>>  use
>>     the
>>      trial. Also, I can't use Eloquence legally with NVDA. The
>>    Digalo
>>      voices are hard to understand when speaking long amounts of
>>    text
>>      because they stop reading for a few seconds in the middle of
>>  a
>>      sentence. The Microsoft voices are ok, but again, the way
>>  that
>>     they
>>      read is hard for me to get used to. ESpeak sometimes is hard
>>    for
>>     me
>>      because when it goes fast, I hear this sort of interesting
>>    sound
>>     in
>>      the middle of the speech. The LH voices are hard because,
>>   well,
>>     I
>>      unfortunately can't explain it. Do you mind if I please ask,
>>     what
>>      synthesizer do you use primarily, the reasons you use it,
>>  what
>>     is good
>>      about it, and what is not as good please? I am hoping that,
>>    with
>>     input
>>      and suggestions, I can hopefully find something that I will
>>  be
>>     able to
>>      use primarily.
>>
>>      Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to any
>>     assistance
>>      you are willing to provide
>>
>>      .Sincerely,
>>
>>      Brandon Tyson
>>      _______________________________________________
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