TTS (Text to Speech) Examples - The Sequel

Writing / Datatalk / TTS.

There are many TTS engines, web interfaces, and programs out there. But... some are quite expensive, others have poor voices, and you can't always be sure of what's 'in the tin', because they won't give you a free trial first.

I don't have the money nor the time to do an extensive review (hey, someone willing to sponsor me? 😁) but I needed to do *some* investigation for one of my (writing-related) projects.

Read on for the results, and the samples I recorded.

Balabolka settings

Writing / Datatalk / TTS.

Balabolka is a simple TTS (Text To Speech) tool that can help authors with proofreading and editing their work. Word has such a feature build in, but if you use Google Docs or another editor / word processor you might want to use something like Balabolka.

I have set up Balabolka in such a way that it monitors my clipboard. When I do a larger copy / paste it will start reading my text.

The Edit Loop

Writing + Reference

Every writer has a different approach to writing and editing. Every successful writer is probably going to tell you editing is an essential.

Every great writer without the money to afford an editor has to edit him / herself. It is my firm belief that if you don't edit, then you'll get nowhere. Period.

So, here's my current approach, until I'm rich enough to afford a real editor...

ImmPrep v1.01x / Pandoc / UTF8 & PureBasic

Writing

I've updated immprep.exe, fixing two small bugs, and adding Word (.docx) support. Note that the command line parameters have changed, to allow for more flexibility, and support for other TTS applications (not yet implemented, but it's easier to do now). When working on Word support I ran into a few issues (for the full story and latest version of ImmPrep read on).

It's all for naught... Fake or not? The quest for Lawrence Nault, self-proclaimed hermit

Writing

On https://myindiebookshelf.com/ I ran into Lawrence Nault. Who is... real? Or not? When I see an AI generated or otherwise modified face, I start to doubt. So, just for fun, I looked a little deeper.

Sleuthing on the 'net may also help you to figure out how to present yourself as an author. Learn from the best and the worst, as they say.

Free TTS (Text to Speech) on Windows, better than your regular SAPI5

Writing / Datatalk / TTS.

Windows has a build-in TTS engine which is better than the older SAPI5 engine, but... it's a little hard to get at. And silly enough, any regular program (for example Balabolka) that calls the SAPI5 API routines isn't using the new code in Windows.

But it's actually very easy to use with a little workaround! And the quality is definitely better than, for example, Word's built-in TTS tool.

TTS - Close Encounters of the Third (Eleventh) Kind

Writing / Datatalk / TTS.

Well, it's not really that alien 😇 but I think this is my third post with TTS examples, and this time I've added a longer sample, using a free ElevenLabs account. Now all it needs is pricing to go down.

Here's the first page of Kind's Kiss.

All TTS related posts

TTS Examples

Writing / Datatalk / TTS.

I've added a TTS example for those that want to hear the difference between SAPI5, Windows 11 'Immersive Reader' and Amazon Polly.

It's on YouTube and you can find it here: https://youtu.be/xL8vxo3a2zo. It's also wrong 😇 I'm pretty sure it actually uses Azure Cloud neural... I've added a post with more samples of different sites and engines.

Setting up Amazon Polly on Windows 11 - Step by Step

Datatalk /  TTS.

This is a step-by-step instruction of how to set up Amazon Polly.

Unfortunately, it doesn't solve my real problem: I am looking for a way to use Polly voices with a TTS reader, such as Balabolka. There are some problems...

Well, at least I managed to get Amazon running, in spite of their poor online instructions.

Non-native speakers writing in English

Writing + Reference

A non-native English speaker runs into problems that may not be that obvious to a native speaker. To a native speaker, some of these mistakes may look funny, or stupid, but then I would like to invite the English speaker to try his or her hand at Dutch or Chinese.

The writing process

Column + Writing + Reference + Mindmap

Writing is hard. It's very hard. People have no clue how hard it actually is. Even writers themselves are clueless.

So, I set out to document the writing process. Read on (besides, it was about time I created another mindmap)...

Things to look for whilst editing your story

Writing + Reference

You've finished your novel, and now comes the dreaded part... the editing.

Here are some of the things to look out for (not in any particular order)... I'll add links where I touched upon the subject, or found a better explanation elsewhere.