Though an e-reader gives you access to a large library of books and periodicals, you might not have as much time as you'd like to read them. The text-to-speech option helps solve this problem, letting you catch a magazine article as you get ready in the morning or during the drive to work. Not all e-readers have the text-to-speech feature; knowing which ones do may help you choose one.
For a traditional audiobook, or 'book on tape,' a person reads the text out loud into an audio recording such as a cassette, CD or MP3 file. Though publishers offer extensive libraries of audiobooks, you might not find a favorite title available in that format. An e-reader with text-to-speech reads printed text from an e-book or Web page and speaks via a speech synthesizer. You retain all the benefits of the original printed document but you don't need to look at it.
Kindle Touch
The Kindle Touch is Amazon's high-end e-reader, offering a text-to-speech reader as a built-in feature. The Touch can read Web content, e-books and magazines. It has controls for the speed of speech and you can select a male or female voice. Amazon's Digital Rights Management, or DRM, gives publishers the option to block text-to-speech, so some e-books may not allow the use of this feature.
iPad and iPhone
Apple's iOS software, which runs on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch mobile devices, can read text selections out loud. To enable this function, tap the 'Settings' app, then 'General' and 'Accessibility.' On the Accessibility screen, turn on the 'Speak Selection' option. From that point, the device will speak any text you select, whether in an e-book reader app, Web page or document. When you select the text, a black button appears; tap the button to hear the selection.
Mantano E-book Reader for Android
The Mantano E-book Reader is an e-reader app available for mobile devices that run Android software. As an e-reader, it supports e-books in the EPUB format as well as Adobe PDFs. When you tap a speaker icon, the reader speaks the text. By default, it speaks the entire document or book unless you select a portion first. As with the Kindle, the Mantano e-reader obeys DRM restrictions for text-to-speech. You can download alternative voices from the Android market to customize the sound of the speech.
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The Complete Guide On Text-To-Speech Software: Why Use It? Where To Get It Free? Plus TTS Support In The Top Authoring Tools
You’re familiar with computer-generated voices. Our phones now talk to us with voices that sound almost human, so much so that we can have simple conversations with them that sound natural. We are now using devices in our homes like Alexa, Cortana, and Google Home, which are doing the same—and we don't seem to mind so much that they're always listening. Even some of our kitchen appliances and our cars seem to have found a voice. And it's certainly easier for me to send an error-free text if I dictate the text to my phone with my voice rather than fumbling with the on-screen keyboard with my big thumbs!
Of course, each of those devices tends to use one voice only and, in most cases, has a limited vocabulary so it’s not difficult to optimize each one to sound its best.
We used to consider computer voices, especially text-to-speech (TTS) voices, useful mostly for those with vision impairments. In eLearning, when we use narration we usually record our own voices or we use expert voiceover artists. The latter make eLearning lessons sound professional and they are usually worth the cost—just like a documentary that is narrated by Morgan Freeman or by David Attenborough can be riveting, whereas the same script read by Gilbert Gottfried can be quite distracting. However, did you know that you can use professional narrators at a much lower cost by adopting TTS? Keep reading.
Why Use TTS Voices Even When You Intend To Use Human Narrators?
Scripts Change
Scripts are never set in stone at the start of a project. They usually are modified quite often before the project is considered complete. One of the reasons is that when we read a script, it may sound quite different in our heads than when we hear it spoken out loud. This alone leads to script changes as we note phrases that sound awkward or that are otherwise not clear.
There are other reasons, of course, such as realizing that there is a need to define acronyms the first time you use them, or determining that the narration is unnecessarily long. As native speakers, we read much faster than we speak, so what may seem reasonable when read may seem very long when heard.
Professional narrators are generally paid by the minute with a minimum number of minutes per session. Each time there is a script change and you must return to the narrator for an update, it will cost you. These costs can add up to a lot more than was originally budgeted. Even if you are recording your own voice, you will find yourself rerecording often. Each time, you will also need to ensure your environment is the same: quiet, same microphone levels, same distance from the microphone, etc.
Therefore, for these and other reasons, I will use TTS voices with the client’s full knowledge of the reasons why. After all the changes to the script are made and before the project is completed, I will let clients choose the professional narrator voice or voices, send the final scripts just once to the narrators, then replace the TTS audio with the narrator audio quickly. The narration will be consistent, correct and at the lowest cost.
Yet Some Clients…
Some of my clients actually like the TTS voices when they hear them, and prefer to continue using them in the final product as well. Certainly, using TTS leads to lower costs and easier updates in the future. In fact, while most of the TTS voices will not be mistaken for a true human, they do sound better than in the past, and much better than those built into our operating systems. Let’s look at those next.
TTS Voices Included In Windows And Macintosh
Modern operating systems include one or more voices that we can use in eLearning. However, they don’t usually sound that great. In Windows 10, for instance, you may find the selection of voices in Figure 1 when you go to the Control Panel > Ease of Access > Narrator > Voice.
You may also find that you can set options for the voice you choose, as seen in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Windows 10 Narration Options
Similarly, on a Macintosh running OS X 10.6.8, you will find options at System Preferences > System > Universal Access > VoiceOver > Voiceover Utility. In later OS X versions, the location may differ slightly. Figure 3 shows the wide variety of system voices on a Mac, though I find only the Vicki voice to be marginally acceptable. Figure 4 shows how you can assign different voices and set parameters for each for different computer features.
Figure 4. Mac OS X Narration Options
The 3 Top Authoring Tools that have the biggest market share are Adobe Captivate 2017, Articulate Storyline 360, and Trivantis Lectora 17.
The 3 tools differ in TTS offerings.
Adobe Captivate has long included TTS features.
Articulate introduced TTS in Storyline 360 past November.
Trivantis Lectora does not yet include TTS. Keep reading, though, because there is a solution for those of you who use Lectora.
Adobe Captivate TTS
Voices Included
Captivate has included TTS voices since version 4 in January 2009. In Captivate 2017, seven voices licensed from NeoSpeech are included, as seen in Figure 5.
British English: Bridget
French: Chloe
Korean: Yumi
US English: James, Julie, Kate, and Paul
Note that if you feed French text to Chloe, she will speak it correctly in French, though she sounds more like Canadian French rather than Parisian. Similarly, if you have Yumi speak text that is written in Korean, she will sound like a native Korean to a Korean speaker. On the other hand, if you have Chloe or Yumi speak English text, they will sound very much like a French person speaking English with a heavy French accent or a Korean person speaking English with a heavy Korean accent, respectively.
Generating The TTS Audio
There are a couple of ways to create TTS-generated narration in Captivate, and they are both easy and fast.
1. Add TTS to any or all slides in one place by choosing Audio > Speech Management. You can paste the scripts from elsewhere or type them directly. See Figure 6.
Figure 6. Speech Management in Captivate
2. For any slide, you can enter a script in its Slide Notes, then check the box to copy it into the text-to-speech location. (You can also check another box to turn the Slide Notes into closed captions.) See Figure 7.
Note in the above two figures that you can format the text using boldface, italics, underline, and colors. Using Captivate’s Export Captions to Word option, the formatting is retained so that if you wanted to hand the Word document later to a professional narrator, the formatting can indicate where to stress certain phrases or words. See Figure 8.
Figure 8. Word Export
Mix And Match Voices
An important feature among Captivate’s TTS abilities is that you can have as many scripts as you like in the order you wish, on any slide. This means that you can have a conversation occur between two or more people, such as the one you see in Figure 9. The result will be one audio track on Slide 1 that contains the conversation in the order shown. You can then edit the track using Captivate's built-in audio editor if you wish. For instance, while Captivate will add a natural pause between different parts of the conversation, you can change the length of the individual pauses if you wish.
You can also use this option to use different voices when there is more than one language used within the same text. For example, see Figure 10.
Figure 10. Mixing Languages in TTS
Using Optional VoiceText Meta Tags
In addition to formatting the text, you can also use VoiceText™ Meta Tags (VTML) to control the voice in many ways, summarized below. For more detail, download this guide.
1. Breaks
Set a break level. <vtml_break = '0'/> read continuously <vtml_break = '1'/> read with minor break <vtml_break = '2'/> read with major break <vtml_break = '3'/> sentence separation
2. Parts Of Speech
Indicate the part of speech for the next word. <vtml_partofsp part = 'unknown' | 'noun' | 'verb' | 'modifier' | 'function' | 'interjection'> text </vtml_partofsp>
There are many words in English that are both a noun and a verb and, in each case, they are pronounced differently. For instance, read this paragraph out loud and you’ll note the differences in pronunciations.
We are going to record a record. We will refuse the refuse. We will progress until we achieve a lot of progress. For the party, we will produce a lot of produce. Do not contest the contest! If you rebel, you're a rebel. We will not subject you to such a boring subject. I will contrast the contrast feature of these different televisions.
Remarkably, NeoSpeech will pronounce each of the nouns and verbs in the sentence above correctly. However, there are many more examples in English of nouns and verbs that are written the same but are pronounced differently. If you ever find that a word isn’t being pronounced correctly due to NeoSpeech not understanding from the sentence structure the part of speech for that word, you can tell it which part of speech it is using this tag.
3. Pause
Pause for the milliseconds indicated. <vtml_pause time='msec'/>
Set the pitch for the text shown. <vtml_pitch value='pitch'> text </vtml_pitch>
6. Say As
(see the PDF for details)
Set the format for the text. <vtml_sayas interpret-as='construct_type' format='string' detail='string'> text </vtml_sayas>
7. Sub
Lets you define alternate text to read for a text passage. <vtml_sub alias='string'> text </vtml_sub>
8. Volume
Set the volume from 0 to 500%. <vtml_volume value='volume'> text </vtml_volume>
Important NeoSpeech Utilities
Besides allowing you to use VTML tags, the NeoSpeech folders that are installed as part of Captivate let you customize in advance how acronyms, or any industry terms you use, should be pronounced. Total war medieval ii cheats. You do this once only, and thereafter the word or phrase will always be pronounced correctly.
In Windows, the Program File folder Adobe Captivate Voices 2017 x64/VT/ is where the voice folders can be found. See Figure 11.
Figure 11. The Location of the NeoSpeech voice fold
Within each of the above folders is a subfolder called M16, which in turn contains three folders. One of those is the bin folder, which contains two executable files:
UserDicEng.exe lets you define exactly how words should be pronounced. See Figure 12.
You can add as many words as you like and in each case define the pronunciation using alphabetic characters, such as in the case of Figure 13, which indicates that ABSlider should be pronounced as AB Slider and not as abslider.
Figure 13. Adding or Modifying a Word
You can also use pronunciation symbols when alphabetic characters don’t suffice, such as in Figure 14.
VTEditor_ENG.exe: Lets you play back whole text passages in the voice you select. See Figure 15. While useful to test whether certain words will be pronounced incorrectly—after which you can take measures to fix that using the Dictionary Engine above—unfortunately, you cannot generate the audio files from this application (the Wave option is disabled.)
Figure 15. The VoiceText Application
In Captivate, the quickest way to swap out the TTS voices for your own voice files or for files sent to you by a professional narrator, is to open the Library Audio section, click each audio file there and click Import to replace the audio with that of the professional. This usually takes just a few minutes, even if you have many audio files.
Articulate Storyline 360 TTS
In November 2017, Articulate added TTS ability to Storyline 360. Storyline 3 does not include this feature at this time. However, you can open Storyline 360 files that contain text-to-speech audio in Storyline 3 without losing the audio, though you cannot create new text-to-speech audio narration or make any changes to the existing narration in Storyline 3.
Voices Included
Storyline uses the Amazon Polly text-to-speech engine, so currently you have access to the languages you see in Figure 16. You can always see the updated list of languages here.
Generating The TTS Audio
You can add TTS to a slide by using Insert > Audio > Text-to-Speech. See Figure 17. Once you have inserted the generated voice audio, do not use this option if you need to modify the script text or change the voice used. The dialog you see will come up empty each time. Instead, right-click the audio track that was generated by the TTS to return to its script.
You can also paste the text from the Slide Notes for the current slide here by clicking a button. There are no options for formatting the text.
Figure 17. Storyline's Text-to-Speech Option
Creating Conversations
You cannot create a conversation between voices directly in the TTS window. However, as Storyline does allow for multiple audio tracks, you could generate three separate audio tracks and concatenate them on the timeline, such as you see in Figure 18. This has the advantage of letting you time the two sides of the conversation with more space between each part if you wish, so as to insert other screen events in between.
Alternatively, you can export the three tracks and then combine them into one track in an external editor or in Storyline’s own audio editor. This can be time-consuming, especially if you have multiple slides where you must have conversations between doctor and patient, attorney and client, or any other situation.
This being a recent addition to Storyline 360, it is understandable that there are other limitations to its text-to-speech abilities when compared to the long-present TTS in Adobe Captivate:
You cannot enter all the narration for every slide in one place. You must create or paste the scripts into each slide, then generate the audio for that slide.
There is no way to preset the pronunciations for words in a voice dictionary. If a word is being pronounced incorrectly, you must modify the script to make it sound the way it should. For instance, in the case of my last name (Ganci), I would need to write it out phonetically (or have an Italian voice say it) to make it sound correct each time I use it rather than just defining its pronunciation once. After trying GHAN-chee, GAN-chee, GAHN-chee, and several other combinations, I gave up on having the US voice pronounce my name correctly because each time it insisted on pronouncing the A in my name as the A in CAN rather than the A in FATHER. However, when I wrote KHAN-chee, it pronounced the A correctly, though—of course—the K is wrong.
While Amazon’s Polly voices do allow for Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) tagging, that is not currently possible in Storyline. Therefore, you cannot change the pitch, volume, or other aspects of your text-to-speech. You will need to edit the generated audio later to introduce these kinds of changes.
In the Storyline TTS dialog, you can preview each voice, in which case you’ll hear the voice introduce itself by name and then say it will read any text. However, you can’t preview the voice reading your script. You must insert it into your timeline before you can hear the voice reading the script.
The above limitations aside, I’m happy to see Storyline 360 now includes text-to-speech features. One feature in which it beats Captivate is in the number of voices available through Amazon Polly. See below for more.
Other Ways To Obtain TTS Audio
Most authoring tools, like Trivantis Lectora, do not include TTS voices. In addition, you may want to have other choices besides those that you find in Adobe Captivate and in Articulate Storyline. You’ll be happy to know that there are other options online for creating and downloading TTS narration, though be aware that this process is more laborious, as you'll need to create the audio files online individually, download them, then insert them into your lesson file.
1. Amazon Polly – Free And Paid
Remember that Articulate Storyline 360 uses the Amazon Polly voices. Figure 16 shows the full list of voices available. However, if you do not use Storyline 360, you can still use these voices.
You can generate up to 5 million characters per month for speech at no cost. That’s 1,640 pages of single-spaced text/90 hours of narration! It’s unlikely that you’ll need even that much. However, if you do, after that it costs $4.00 a month per 1 million characters.
2. From Text To Speech - Free
This site includes the following voices:
US English: Alice, Daisy, George, Jenna, and John British English: Emma and Harry French: Gabriel and Jade Spanish: Isabella and Mateo German: Michael and Nadine Italian: Alessandra and Giovanni Portuguese: Rodrigo Russian: Valentin
In each case, you can choose between Slow, Medium, Fast, and Very Fast speeds.
Type or paste your text in the box provided and click the Create Audio File button. When done, you can download the resulting MP3 file and insert it into your learning.
3. Natural Readers – Free And Paid
Free And Paid For Personal Use
The free version of Natural Readers is for personal use only, and includes up to 20 minutes per day for Premium Voices and no limit to the Free Voices used. You can paste or type your scripts, or upload PDF, DocX, RTF, TXT, and ePub documents. In each case, you can choose between speeds ranging from -4 to 9 and you can download the resulting MP3 files.
Free includes 20 minutes per day. Voices include US English, British English, French (France and Canada), Spanish (Spain, Mexico, Castilian, and US), German, Italian, Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil), Swedish, and Dutch.
For $60 per year, there is no limit to the time, though you are limited to 1 million characters a year, and you have access to 57 Premium Voices. For $72 per year, you can convert up to 5 million characters each year.
Commercial Use
To use TTS audio created on Natural Readers for eLearning, you can try the Commercial version free for a limited time, after which you can license a single user for $588 a year, four users for $948 a year, or you can go month to month for $99 a month for a single user.
The commercial version includes access to 47 high-quality voices from 24 different languages: English (US, Australian, British, Indian, and Welsh), French (France, Canada), Spanish (Castilian, American), Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil), Welsh, Danish, Dutch, German, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Turkish, and Norwegian. These are different voices from those included in the free version. It also includes a Pronunciation Editor, an Audio Editor, and SSML tags.
Natural Readers Software
This site also includes software you can download for Windows and for Macintosh for personal use only. There is a free version and there are paid versions that range from $70 to $200, a one-time fee. See what’s included here.
4. IBM Watson Services – Free And Paid
As part of its Watson services, IBM provides text-to-speech. It builds on the IBM Cloud, which includes many other services, and you can download the resulting MP3 files. Its voices include several languages. Under the Lite plan, which has no cost, the first 100 minutes per month are free. The Standard plan is tiered, ranging from $0.01 to $0.02 US per minute. The Premium plan offers high-end services and you will need to contact IBM for pricing here.
5. iSpeech – Paid
iSpeech offers a number of languages: English (US, UK, Australian, Canada), Mandarin, Hong Kong Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Hungarian, Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil), Spanish, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Finnish, French (France, Canada), Norwegian, Dutch, Polish, Italian, Turkish, Greek, German, Russian, Arabic, and Swedish. This is one of the most costly services but it may be worth it, if you agree that their voices are worth the price. Prices range from $500 for 10,000 words (5 cents per word) to $2,500 for 100,000 words (2 cents per word).
6. NeoSpeech – Paid
NeoSpeech, the engine used by Adobe Captivate that includes unlimited use of seven voices in US and UK English, French, and Korean among others, also offers an online service to convert text to speech separately for you to use where you wish. Pricing is also higher than most: $25 for 400 words (6 cents per word), $50 for 1,000 words (5 cents per word), and $100 for 2,400 words (4 cents per word). There are more than 40 languages available, including English (US and UK), Spanish, French (France and Canada), Portuguese, Italian, German, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese, and Thai.
Convinced?
Are you convinced that TTS can be useful to you? Using the built-in TTS options within Captivate and Storyline may suffice. If not, you can also create TTS voices online, many at no cost. Unless you plan on using high-quality TTS voices for the final version of your eLearning, you probably can do with lesser quality voices for your eLearning drafts until the scripts are finalized, after which you can swap out the TTS voices in favor of the professional narrator or your own voice files.
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Instead of manually transcribing the speech in your videos into text, use an automated tool to perform the transcription. Processing long videos can take hours; it can also be quite difficult if the audio stream is not clear enough. Adobe Premiere Pro's Speech Analysis function enables you to quickly navigate to the times at which words are spoken. This, in turn, allows you to perform accurate edits and position subtitles correctly.
Using the Speech Analysis Function
Open the video you want to transcribe in Adobe Premiere Pro and then select the 'Metadata' tab near the top of the window. Select the 'Speech Analysis' option and then click on your clip in the Project panel. Click the 'Analyze' button to start transcribing the video. Change the 'Language' and 'Quality' options in the Analyze Content window and check the 'Identify Speakers' box, if you want Adobe Premiere to generate different speech metadata for each person in your video. Click 'OK' to start transcribing the video. The text is displayed in the Analysis Text section of the Metadata tab. More language-specific and dialect-specific libraries are available for download from the Adobe website (see link in Resources).
References (1)
Resources (1)
About the Author
Nick Peers has been writing technology-related articles since 2003. His articles have appeared in dozens of technical publications, including MSN UK, CNET, BBC Who Do You Think You Are, LifeHacker UK and TechRadar. He holds a Masters in information technology degree from the University of East London.
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Peers, Nick. 'How to Translate Speech Into Text in Adobe Premiere Pro.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/translate-speech-text-adobe-premiere-pro-77489.html. Accessed 29 June 2019.
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Are you ready to start dictating your documents and text using just your voice? Instead of offering separated dictation or speech-to-text capabilities, Windows 10 conveniently groups its voice commands under Speech Recognition, which interprets the spoken word across the operating system for a variety of tasks. We’ll teach you how to get everything ready, as well as how to enable speech-to-text in Windows 10, so you can start chatting away to your favorite OS and improve Windows’ “ear” for your voice.
Note: Speech recognition is only currently available in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.
Finding a mic
The first step is to make sure you have the right hardware for speech-to-text options. These days, you may not think much about this step — after all, nearly all devices today come with built-in mics.
The problem here is one of quality. While built-in mics work well for more simple tasks — such as Skype conversations and quick voice commands — you have to consider distortion and mic quality if you really want to capitalize on speech-to-text. In the past, Microsoft has warned that its speech-recognition features are best suited for headset microphones that interpret sounds with greater clarity and are less susceptible to ambient noise. If you’re serious about using speech recognition for Windows 10, it’s a good idea to pick up a headset that is compatible with your computer.
If you are going to buy hardware, do it sooner rather than later, as the speech features tend to work best if you don’t switch devices after training. If you do decide to get a new mic, follow these steps to make sure Windows knows you want to use it over any previous microphone you may have had:
Step 1: Using the Windows 10 search box, type in microphone. This will allow you to go directly to the Set up a microphone section of your Control Panel.
Step 2: Windows will ask you what the problem with using Cortana is. Select Cortana can’t hear me.
Step 3: From the list that appears, choose your new microphone. Then select Set up the mic.
Step 4: Follow the on-screen prompts and repeat the spoken phrases to help calibrate your microphone for speech-to-text.
Setting up speech recognition
With your mic ready, it’s time to start configuring your various speech-recognition capabilities. In Windows 10, this is a more seamless process than it has been in the past. These steps and tutorials will affect an array of Windows programs, but you may also want to make sure dictation is enabled in any writing apps that you prefer to use. Begin with the steps below.
Step 1: Open Windows 10’s Control Panel by searching for it in the Windows search box.
Step 2: Click the menu for Ease of Access, and then click Start speech recognition. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your microphone. Dragon ball super broly download.
Step 3: You can set up document review if you want, though it’s worth reading the privacy statement that goes along with it before making that decision.
Step 4: Decide whether you want speech-to-text to be activated with a keyboard or vocal command and click Next. Use the reference sheet to familiarize yourself with commands you can make and continue through the other preferences. You can also run the tutorial to give you an idea of how it all works.
You should now be ready to go. You can enable or disable speech to text by pressing Ctrl + Windows key at any time.
Training your computer and more
At this point, you can venture into Windows docs and use speech-to-text with a variety of Microsoft files. You’re all set! However, you may want to improve Windows’ voice-recognition capabilities even further. Microsoft’s latest software has the ability to learn your voice with a little training, and that can really pay off after a few sessions.
Step 1: Navigate back to the Ease of Access menu and select Speech recognition.
Step 2: Choose Train your computer to better understand you.
Step 3: You will be given the task of reading out extended sequences of text to help Windows better understand your voice. By the end of it, it should have a better grasp of your particular accent and vocal traits.
Also, note the option at the bottom of the speech-recognition menu that allows access to the Speech Reference Card. This gives you all the vocal shortcuts you need to get around in a small side screen/printout. It’s a great tool for beginners who also want to control programs and software commands with their voices.
Editors' Recommendations
Mobile technology is steadily moving towards hands-free operation. Siri, Google Assistant, and Cortana have dominated the portable assistant market. Consequently, development of Windows 10 saw the improvement of such technologies in the operating system.
The trend is becoming more popular with user these days. Using your voice to dictate texts and control your device is more efficient, comfortable, and natural.
Interacting with the computer using voice requires a sophisticated application. Here are five best speech to text software.
5 Best Speech to Text Software -
No#
Name
Best for
Rating
Download
Review
1
LilySpeech
Lightweight Application
2
Braina Pro
Multi - Functional
3
Dragon Naturally Speaking
Professionals
4
Google Docs
Best Cloud Application
5
Windows Speech to Text
Best Ease of Ease
In the past, use of speech to text was regular by transcribing professionals. Thus, they were pricey. Nowadays, prices are much more affordable as users began using the technology for casual functions.
Payment options are becoming easier as well. Some are available for monthly subscription. Others you can pay annually.
LilySpeech is a lightweight speech to text application. It works on Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7. It boasts 99.5 percent accuracy. Additionally, it can recognize custom words which can be names, businesses, and industry-specific words. It also offers canned answers to emails and forms. LilySpeech supports 24 languages including French, Italian, and Spanish.
LilySpeech leverages cloud technology. The application uses Google Chrome's Web Speech API functionality. Your settings, custom words, and canned answers are in the clouds. It allows you to use LilySpeech across different computers. Which means you'll have seamless experience even if you're using multiple computers.
Because it uses Google Chrome's Web Speech API, you need to install Google Chrome on your system. It is not a problem for Chrome users. But, others may not want to download another browser. Moreover, you need to be connected to the Internet while using the application.
Braina Pro is the paid version of the Braina application. It is a multi-functional artificial intelligence software. The app aims to go beyond the speech to text function. It provides control to your computer in a single window.
Braina Pro can take dictations, search the Internet, play the songs and videos on your computer, and search your files. It can even set alarms and reminders. Furthermore, Braina Pro can perform mathematical calculations, read ebooks, and remember your notes. It aims to be an all-around assistant in your operating system.
Braina Lite is available with limited features. Braina Pro is $59 for a year subscription. It includes speech to text function in 40 languages. You can use it in any software or websites. There's also a Braina Pro Lifetime which costs $299.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking is one of the most popular names among speech to text applications. It can capture speech with 99% accuracy. The app allows you to create and edit documents three times faster than typing. You can also use it to send emails and surf the web.
It can open programs on your computer using voice commands. Dragon NaturallySpeaking can also analyze audio files and turn them into text. You can also use the application offline in the Professional version.
The primary application, Dragon Home, is $99 for one computer. There are other versions tailor-fit for specific needs such as Dragon Legal and Dragon Law Enforcement. You can also use Dragon Anywhere on your mobile.
There are free options available if you want to try out speech to text technology. They are perfect for casual use. Being free does not mean low quality as the options below are some of the best performing applications. Follow the steps below to use readily available speech to text programs.
Somewhere in Google Docs hides a robust speech recognition function. Google Docs Voice Typing is one of the most accessible options around. Its technology is same as in Google Assistant, Google Home, and other Google products. It is especially useful if you are already a Google Drive user.
First, log-in to your Google account. Then head over to Google Drive. Create a new document by clicking New, then selecting Google Docs from the drop-down menu. Alternatively, you can go directly to Google Docs.
Click Tools, then choose Voice Typing from the drop-down menu. You can also activate Voice Typing by pressing Ctrl+Shift+S on your keyboard.
A tiny microphone dialog should appear. Click the mic logo and begin speaking clearly.
Adobe Text To Speech Plugin
Google's speech to text dictation technology now recognizes 119 languages. You can even select the localization of some words. It will realize local accents and vocabularies. Google Voice Typing needs continuous access to the Internet. The quality of the dictation depends on your microphone and your speech.
Windows 10 has its speech to text functions. It is an improvement from its earlier versions. You can dictate documents, email, and notes. Also, you can control your computer using voice commands. It works seamlessly, especially with Microsoft products.
Setting-up Speech Recognition is easy. Click Search then type Speech Recognition.
Plug your microphone. It is recommended to use a headset microphone for more precise sounds.
Click Set up the microphone and follow the set-up wizard.
Click Start Speech Recognition when you are ready to use voice dictation and commands.
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The quality and type of your hardware significantly affect the accuracy of the results. As suggested, it is best to use a headset as the microphone sits comfortably near your mouth. You can use a desktop microphone, but it is more likely to catch background noise.
Furthermore, some microphone offers noise canceling options. It reduces ambient sound making it easy for the program to catch your voice.
The Internet connection can also affect the performance of the application. Some of the software in this list requires a constant Internet connection.
You also have to speak openly. Accents differ in various locations, but the software should be able to recognize clear syllables. Additionally, talking in complete sentences during dictation can also help speech recognition.
Speech to text technology can significantly speed up with workflow. Speaking is faster than typing. Also, it is easier to take note of your ideas. Sometimes, your train of thought is more rapid than your fingers. Using speech to text application allows you to jot down ideas rapidly.