Best (Free, Maybe?) Software for Computer-ish Voice?
August 25, 2016 11:46 AM Subscribe
I have a video in which I'd like to feature a computer-ish sounding voice. I don't want to spend a bunch of money on software, and anything online that allows you to download an mp3 looks sketchy to me. Anything that people have used? Text to speech is fine, or uploading an audio track to switch would be okay, too.
Response by poster: I use Premiere. I haven't explored the audio capabilities much, I'll admit.
posted by xingcat at 11:50 AM on August 25, 2016
posted by xingcat at 11:50 AM on August 25, 2016
On a Mac you can just use the built in text to speech. In Textedit it should be in the menu under speech, and in many other programs.
If you want it to sound more robot like then put a ring modulator on it.
posted by bongo_x at 12:01 PM on August 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
If you want it to sound more robot like then put a ring modulator on it.
posted by bongo_x at 12:01 PM on August 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
Both Mac and Windows (at least 7 and up, maybe earlier) have speech synthesis that you can use.
On Mac, I know that you can even output the speech synthesis to an audio file from the command line. You can specify an input (plain text, I'm guessing) file. The command is 'say' (type 'man say' in the terminal for the manual for this command).
posted by destructive cactus at 12:16 PM on August 25, 2016
On Mac, I know that you can even output the speech synthesis to an audio file from the command line. You can specify an input (plain text, I'm guessing) file. The command is 'say' (type 'man say' in the terminal for the manual for this command).
posted by destructive cactus at 12:16 PM on August 25, 2016
The text to speech in Mac, Windows or on your phone might do it, but I wonder if it's robotic enough for you.
If you have a pc, or access to a dos emulator, you can try downloading a copy of dr sbaitso and coax it to tell you what you need.
posted by motdiem2 at 12:39 PM on August 25, 2016
If you have a pc, or access to a dos emulator, you can try downloading a copy of dr sbaitso and coax it to tell you what you need.
posted by motdiem2 at 12:39 PM on August 25, 2016
You might be looking for a vocoder. I can't recommend specific software, sorry. I bet it's out there and free, though.
posted by floppyroofing at 1:27 PM on August 25, 2016
posted by floppyroofing at 1:27 PM on August 25, 2016
I have used this Windows software (named Balabolka) to create MP3 files to read text to myself while driving (e.g., studying, motivational, etc.) I like the fact that it allows me to vary the pitch and pauses between words and sentences, etc. However, I caution you that the software is definitely rough around the edges. I am also assuming (???) that with the appropriate changes in pitch, speed and pauses you could end up with a robotic sound. So I'm just mentioning it FYI, that's all.
posted by forthright at 6:29 PM on August 25, 2016
posted by forthright at 6:29 PM on August 25, 2016
Links to some text to speech tutorials: if you're using Windows, this article from The Guardian has a ton of options; if you're on a Mac, you can use an Automator workflow to create an mp3 from text (this is what I use). For Mac, the most human-sounding voice is probably "Alex," and the most robotic-sounding is "Tom."
posted by stellarc at 6:59 PM on August 25, 2016
posted by stellarc at 6:59 PM on August 25, 2016
If you're on Windows, here's one way to use Narrator, the free on-board speech reader:
- Create the text in a new Notepad file and keep it open. Minimize/close any other apps that are open (to reduce the chances Narrator will start reading something else).
- Start Narrator (I saw that there's a keyboard shortcut Win key + Enter to start it, but that didn't work for me for some reason in Win7. I simply searched for "narrator" in the programs. You can also get there from Control Panel --> Ease of Access Center).
- You might have to fiddle with the Narrator settings/options and uncheck a bunch of fields so that Narrator doesn't narrate menus, your keystrokes, etc. You can also change the voice speed, pitch, and possibly (depending on your version of Windows) the voice preset.
- Switch over to the Notepad file and click on the title bar, and Narrator should start reading the name of the file, "Notepad" and then the text in the file.
- If/when you're satisfied with the results, you can then record the audio output.
(Here's a couple of sites with some basic Narrator help: How to use Narrator in Windows 10/8/7 --- How to Use Narrator in Windows 7)
If the text is really short, or only a few short lines, then there's another free, simpler option (at least for Win7, not sure about later versions). I've actually recorded a few snippets this way in the past (personally I found it easier to start/stop compared to the above method):
- Open the Text to Speech settings. In Win7, I can get there from Control Panel --> Speech Recognition --> Text to Speech (text link on left), or by searching the programs for "text to speech settings".
- Under "Use the following text to preview the voice:" replace the text there with the text you want. I just tried it and you can enter a *lot* of text in the field, but the voice only seems to work for about 500 characters.
- (This option doesn't have the ability to alter the voice pitch.)
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 10:05 PM on August 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
- Create the text in a new Notepad file and keep it open. Minimize/close any other apps that are open (to reduce the chances Narrator will start reading something else).
- Start Narrator (I saw that there's a keyboard shortcut Win key + Enter to start it, but that didn't work for me for some reason in Win7. I simply searched for "narrator" in the programs. You can also get there from Control Panel --> Ease of Access Center).
- You might have to fiddle with the Narrator settings/options and uncheck a bunch of fields so that Narrator doesn't narrate menus, your keystrokes, etc. You can also change the voice speed, pitch, and possibly (depending on your version of Windows) the voice preset.
- Switch over to the Notepad file and click on the title bar, and Narrator should start reading the name of the file, "Notepad" and then the text in the file.
- If/when you're satisfied with the results, you can then record the audio output.
(Here's a couple of sites with some basic Narrator help: How to use Narrator in Windows 10/8/7 --- How to Use Narrator in Windows 7)
If the text is really short, or only a few short lines, then there's another free, simpler option (at least for Win7, not sure about later versions). I've actually recorded a few snippets this way in the past (personally I found it easier to start/stop compared to the above method):
- Open the Text to Speech settings. In Win7, I can get there from Control Panel --> Speech Recognition --> Text to Speech (text link on left), or by searching the programs for "text to speech settings".
- Under "Use the following text to preview the voice:" replace the text there with the text you want. I just tried it and you can enter a *lot* of text in the field, but the voice only seems to work for about 500 characters.
- (This option doesn't have the ability to alter the voice pitch.)
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 10:05 PM on August 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Another option might be NVDA which is free screenreader software. You could type the words you need to a document and use the 'speak all' keyboard command to make it read through. It has a range of voices but all of them sound computer-ish.
posted by harriet vane at 3:13 AM on August 26, 2016
posted by harriet vane at 3:13 AM on August 26, 2016
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posted by Lyn Never at 11:49 AM on August 25, 2016 [1 favorite]