[DECtalk] a decent speech synthesizer for primary use

Jake Gross jake at grossgang.com
Sat Aug 30 19:29:30 EDT 2014


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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