I think it would be hard to create a vocabulary that's broad enough to make it useful.

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I assume the market base is too small for someone to take this on, but there are games that use human voices that interpret text input by the user and the voice speaks the text.

I would like to see a program that operates in the following:
A voice actor records multiple common phrases and sentences in several different emotional tones.

Records single words, names, and sounds.

Reference the phrases words and sounds into a software engine that will speak the words based on what the user types.

The technology for this exists currently and is already used in certain video games albeit on a much smaller scale than would be needed for these purposes.

Here is the link: http://youtu.be/YY3Xfv1Dnek.

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rampart, I checked the website and you can either buy a version at 39.95 with two ATT voice (Mike and Chrystal) or a version without voices, so you can make your own selection at 29.95 per voice. They sell Inova, which isn't bad.

To answer your other question, I use acapela box, mentioned in my earlier post, which is an online service. It's probably not the cheapest solution, but I like the quality and I don't have to worry about license issues.

I just completed a short film that uses quite a selection of acapela-box voices. I will post a link here when it's published so people can get an idea.

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casperbrown

Here is a software I use for text reader function - http://www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm It works very well, is free. I've never had a problem with it. Wendyluvcats recommended it several months back.

I have been using the voices you can buy here at RL. They are very good for most part.

Since there are only 4 English speaking voices it is limiting. I inquired about the latest male voice from neospeech (RL version) and they want $60 for the additional one voice. Doesn't make alot of sense to pay that much for one voice for videos you produce for free.

You mentioned a voice text software I've not heard of before.

As part of the package do you get voices?

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I would be interested to read from other members about free or low priced voices that are good quality.


A note to other readers - It is interesting how people expect natural human voices, but we are using animations. I really think it is off the chart problem. The big movie studios don't use synthesized voices, because using known actor voices helps promote their movies.

Many times I have had people complain about animated videos with computer voices. I blame this on a standard that has been set by the movie industry.

So, yes... I do think we should get as natural voices as possible. Yet, I think most computer synthesized voices should be acceptable in videos. The animations and the information have to be spot on. I always write scripts for my videos and test read them carefully to assure good content presentation on a timely basis.

It is not even a contest between real human voices and computer synthesized voices. The biggest problem using human voices is... free actors don't know what you expect, they don't have good equipment and basically will produce files that aren't that good. There are some sites where you can pay for good quality voice overs.

If you can get your voice actors to come to you and use your equipment, and you have good audio equipment and software that is another story.

Text Speaker is one of the best Text to Speech software available. The available professional voices are some of the most natural human sounding voices available.

Roberto,

The Acapela voices (if you want to buy them) are distributed through third-party vendors. One of them is Nextup for use in their Textaload software.

I use Acapela Box, where you create the sound files with the voices on-line. These sound files don't have the kind of restrictions that come with using the voices outright.

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Hi Animagic,

nice... nice!! I like the tone of the voices on Acapela!
It is also easy to produce non-native English speakers by changing the text with the right phoneme (e.g. instead of Hi or I => type AI, otherwise an Italian/Spanish voice will pronounce it like you pronounce "E" in English) .

But.... why they do not show the prices and the characteristics of the SW ?
Also they mention about the NDA to be signed in order to get these "super-secret" information...
That's the most ridiculous thing I have seen about a SW house...

Honestly, they can only scare people away instead of understanding that they have a very good technology and just openly show what their SW can do and at what price.

My PC:
OS: Windows 10 Pro English 64-bit / CPU: Intel i7-9700 3.6GHz / MB: ASUS ROG Strix Z390  RAM: 32GB DDR4 2.6GHz / HD: 2TB+3TB  /  SSD: 2x512GB Samsung 860 EVO + 1x2TB Samsung
VB: Palit GTX2080 TI GamingPro 11GB / AB: embedded in the MB and VB (audio from the MOTU M4 I/F) / DirectX: 12

It's a challenge, just like animation... It would be easier to just have a bunch of real people talking, but not as much fun...:D

Apart from Pinhead, who sounds like Pinhead (Australian Lee), the voices in my Breezaway commercial were done with Acapela Box.

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@swoop, yes, thats exactly how I feel about some 3D functions. ;)

I could spend every waking moment insisting you learn about audio production in extreme detail and calling you names when you don't want to though, you just got to take it reaally slow, I'll learnz ya!!. :p

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