[access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic speech trial
- From: "Steve Nutt" <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2005 17:55:30 +0100
Hi Ray,
Out of interest, the only concatinated speech I have heard that is anywhere
near good, is A T & T Natural voices, and also Neospeech. The others,
including Rhetorical, don't come near them. Especially with Natural Voices,
you can crank them up quite fast, but nothing like Doubletalk. But if you
want human-sounding speech, I think A T & T and Neospeech have it for me.
Trouble is, any decent concatinated speech needs quite a beast of a PC.
All the best
--
Computer Room Services: the long cane for blind computer users.
Telephone Voice: +44(0)1438 742286, Fax/BBS: +44(0)1438 759589
mobile: +44(0)7956 334938,
Email: Steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Web site: http://www.comproom.co.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Ray's Home
Sent: 06 July 2005 16:29
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic speech
trial
I am sorry, but I just don't know where people are coming from if they say
synthetic speech has improved over the last five years.
Dectalk has remained the same for me. Eloquence, little difference, except
the various voices and accents, like UK English.
Others I've only heard via Main Menu, so maybe its not fair to judge them.
Suffice it to say that sometimes they're going to fast for me to understand.
Dolphins orphious I find much too monotone and it bores a hole in my ear
after listening to it for any length of Time. I still like the Apollo 2,
which I am using now, though it won't stand too much winding up in speed.
One thing I always liked about the older Dolphin synths was the 'prosody
parameter which gave variation to the pitch and made it easier on the ear.
I guess Double talk is quite good at fast speeds, and I believe Dolphin are
trying to combine clarity and intelligibility, along with responsiveness in
the latest versions of their concatenated speech.
Ray
Personal emails: Email me at
mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony Cretney" <rac@xxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 2:53 PM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic speech
trial
>
> I think I probably agree with you about eth sound from speech synthesisers
> about five years ago. However, I think that in modern times they are much
> better tha\than they were then. I'm using Zoom Text 9.0 beta screen
reader
> and that seems to be excellent and also quite fast and clear. I suspect
that
> you may well be right in regard to older people who have no experience of
> these things on computers, it could well be quite difficult fro them to
get
> into the habit of listening to one of these. I have not been using a
screen
> reader for very long and can only imagine what they might have been like
> five years ago.
>
> Tony
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "James O'Dell" <jamesodell@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 12:04 PM
> Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic speech
> trial
>
>
>>
>> well now that we have listenable synthesised speech that isn't too
>> intrusive I'd agree with you, but five years ago I don't think it was
>> really of an acceptable quality for reading literature. Also remember
>> that a lot of older blind people have hearing difficulties, and might
>> never have used a computer with a speech synthesiser before.
>>
>> James
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Angel" <angel238@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 10:18 AM
>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic
speech
>> trial
>>
>>
>>>I think we blind people are spoiled in that we don't want to tolerate
>>> synthetic speech for reading. Sighted people have to use their own
>>> skills
>>> to read unless they are reading an audio book. If they read well or not
>>> they have to tolerate their failings as readers but they do get the job
>>> done, and we seem to just have to have human speech.
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Ray's Home" <rays-home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 5:18 PM
>>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic
>>> speech
>>> trial
>>>
>>>
>>>> Nice to have your thoughts Maggie and others on books read using text
to
>>> speech in DAISY format proposed by NLB.
>>>>
>>>> I should say that I was reminded of this experiment by someone I've
>>>> known
>>> for a long time who much prefers Braille as a medium for reading novels,
>>> though he is of an older generation. He realises, however, that Braille
>>> simply is not an option for the many of the present and up-coming
>>> generations and, that if NLB is to survive, then it has to move with the
>>> times.
>>>>
>>>> My own feeling is that I much prefer reading of books, especially
>>>> fiction,
>>> to be done by human readers, and preferably those who can put some
>>> expression and drama into an involved reading of the text. We have to
>>> realise though that synthetic, or stitched together human speech, is
>>> being
>>> tried out for reasons of quickness and economy, so if a significant
>>> number
>>> of readers will accept it, then its one way to go.Let us hope that it
>>> will
>>> get better with time; but we can never hope that it will be the
>>> equivalent
>>> of human readings.
>>>>
>>>> I use synthetic speech a good deal of course with my computer, and can
>>> withstand a good deal of factual reading this way. What I cannot bend
my
>>> ears to is the greatly accelerated rate at which many use, and even
>>> prefer,
>>> to use synthetic speech. Sometimes I wonder if such hypersonic rates of
>>> reading serve more as a virility symbol on the part of some: 'Look how
>>> fast
>>> I can go!' Do they (really enjoy it! Well, I can't. And what's so
good
>>> about reading so fast? Sure you get through a lot of stuff, but its
>>> hardly
>>> enjoyment to my ears. Maybe its age on my part, but I prefer life, or
>>> reading, in the slow lane, thanks very much.
>>>> Ray
>>>>
>>>> Personal emails: Email me at
>>>> mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Maggie norton" <maggie.norton@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 5:12 PM
>>>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic
>>>> speech
>>> trial
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> > Hi Ray,
>>>> > I took part in the trial and found the synthetic voices very hard
>>>> > work!
>>>> > I think they were pleased with the feedback they received!
>>>> > Personally, if it meant I could have faster access to newly published
>>> books,
>>>> > I would suffer it!
>>>> > Maggie
>>>> >
>>>> > I can be contacted on:-
>>>> > MSN Messenger;
>>>> > Skype (vipmags);
>>>> > TAFN (Ventrilo)
>>>> > Mobile 07773 562 085;
>>>> >
>>>> > or maggie.norton@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>> > ----- Original Message -----
>>>> > From: "Ray's Home" <rays-home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>> > To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>> > Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 2:51 PM
>>>> > Subject: [access-uk] National Library: Audio books in synthetic
speech
>>> trial
>>>> >
>>>> >
>>>> >> Wondered if anyone on list took part in the NLB trial of books read
>>>> >> in
>>>> >> synthetic, or rather, concatonated speech? If you have, how have
you
>>>> >> found it?
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Question is prompted by James O'Dell's mentioning just now of the
>>>> >> alternative of a DAISY Harry Potter in Synth speech.
>>>> >> Ray
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Personal emails: Email me at
>>>> >> mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx
>>>> >>
>>>> >>
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