Speech synthesizers installed on computers or mobile devices no longer seem to be such unusual programs as before. Thanks to modern technology, a regular desktop PC can reproduce the human voice.
How do speech synthesizers work? Where are they used? What is the best speech synthesizer? The answers to these and other questions are presented in this article.
Speech synthesizers are special programs consisting of a number of modules that provide the ability to translate typed texts into sentences spoken by a human voice. You should not think that the entire database of words and phrases was recorded by real people in professional studios. It is physically impossible to complete such a task. A library with such a large number of phrases cannot be installed on any modern computer, let alone mobile phones. For this purpose, the developers created Text-to-Speech technology.
Speech synthesizers are used in learning foreign languages, listening to texts on the pages of books, creating vocal parts, issuing search queries in the form of spoken phrases, etc.
What types of programs are there? Depending on the scope of application, utilities can be divided into 2 types: regular ones that convert typed text into speech, and special vocal modules used in music applications.
At the moment, the computer synthesizes human speech only approximately. In the simplest programs, you can observe problems with sound and the correct placement of stress in various words. Speech synthesizers installed on mobile devices consume a lot of energy. It is often possible to note unauthorized downloading of additional modules.
The advantages include ease of perception. Many users find it much easier to assimilate audio information than any other kind.
The RHVoice program was created by Olga Yakovleva. The standard version of the application includes 3 voices. The settings are very simple. The program can be used both as a stand-alone application, compatible with SAPI5, and as an additional screen module.
The Acapela speech synthesizer differs from its analogues in its ideal text pronunciation. The application supports more than 30 languages of the world. In the free version, only 1 female voice is available.
Vocalizer is often used in call centers. The user can adjust the emphasis, volume and reading speed. Additional dictionaries are loaded if necessary. There is 1 female voice in the application. The speech engine is automatically integrated into programs for reading books in electronic format.
The eSpeak utility supports over 50 languages. The disadvantage of the program is that it saves sound files only in WAV format, which requires a lot of space on your hard drive.
The Festival application is a powerful speech synthesis utility that even supports Finnish and Hindi.
How to use this type of application? First you need to install the program. Computer operating systems use a standard installer, in which the user only has to select the language module supported by the utility. The installer for mobile devices can be downloaded from the official website, Google Play, and the App Store. Installation of the application occurs automatically.
At this stage, the user just needs to set the default language. Sometimes you need to note the sound quality. The standard version implies a sampling frequency of 4410 Hz, a depth of 16 bits and a bit rate of 128 kbps. In mobile OS, the figures may be lower. A specific voice is used as a basis.
Filters and equalizers help you achieve the desired sound. The user has three options for text translation. He can type sentences on the keyboard, turn on the audio of an existing file, or install a browser extension that converts content on web pages into speech. It is enough to note the required course of action, the timbre of the voice and the language in which the text will be spoken. To start the playback process, click on the “Start” button.
In music applications, settings are much more complex. In the speech module of the FL Studio program, the user can select several types of voices, as well as specify the tone and playback speed. Stresses are placed before syllables using the “_” symbol. With the help of such a speech synthesizer, you can only create a robotic voice.
Vocaloid is a professional type application. In addition to the usual parameters, the user can select articulation and glissando. The utility has a database with professional vocals. If desired, you can adjust entire sentences to fit the notes. The library with vocals alone takes up more than 4 GB in compressed form.
In May 2014, the company provided users with the opportunity to try out a new free product. What is Google Speech Synthesizer on Android? This is a program that reads text on the screen of a mobile device or tablet. Now there is no need to install third-party utilities that require a license. "Google Speech Synthesizer" is used when reading e-books, listening to the correct pronunciation of words, and launching the TalkBack application.
The new version of the Google Speech Synthesizer 3.1 program now supports English, Italian, Spanish, Korean, German, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and French. Where can I find voice packs? They are downloaded from the application itself.
The peculiarities of the Russian-speaking female voice are its clear, loud sound and smooth intonation. Playback speed can be adjusted in the program settings. Users using TalkBack and the Russian language localization of the Android OS should exercise caution when switching to the speech synthesizer if the application was previously set to a different voice by default. You may have trouble maintaining auditory control of your mobile device. Almost all voices, except Russian, are unable to process sentences in Cyrillic.
Among the disadvantages, one can note a delayed reaction to reading texts consisting of phrases in different languages. The Russian voice is distinguished by metallic notes of timbre. You may hear a rattling sound at low frequencies. The advantages include the stability of the application and acceptable quality of reading English words.
In order for the utility to work as it should, you need to update it to the latest version. To activate the process of speaking text, you need to open the settings. In the “language and input” section, you need to check the “speech synthesis” box. The line “default system” should also be noted. Don't forget that the voice packages in the program itself also need to be updated.
If necessary, the user can disable the application. In the simplest utilities, the stop button is located in the program itself. Deactivating an extension installed in the browser is done by disabling the add-on or completely removing the plugin. Problems may also arise when using the program on a mobile phone. The fact is that the speech synthesizer automatically starts loading language modules that the user does not need.
This process takes a lot of time and significantly consumes traffic. How can I disable Google Speech Synthesizer on my mobile device and get rid of this problem? First you need to open the application settings. Then you need to select the “language and voice input” section. Next you need to mark the last line.
Having selected voice search, you should click on the cross next to the “offline speech recognition” item. Then it is recommended to delete the application cache. Next you need to restart your mobile phone. To completely disable the utility, you need to open the “applications” section in the settings, select a speech synthesizer from the list and click on the “stop” button.
It happens that the user does not use Google Speech Synthesizer at all. Is it possible to remove the utility from a mobile device? To do this you need to open Google Play. Then you should select the speech synthesizer from the list of installed programs and click on the “delete” button.
Applications with a simple interface are suitable for ordinary users and people with disabilities. This can be either RHVoice or Google Speech Synthesizer. A Russian voice will read the text displayed on the screen. The average user does not need more.
Musicians are recommended to give preference to the professional Vocaloid program. The application has additional voice libraries and many different options. The program will allow you to get a natural sounding voice. After all, it is so important for musicians that computer synthesis is not perceptible to the ear.
In some cases, a notification “Downloading the Russian package” appears on Android smartphones. Today we want to tell you what it is and how to remove this message.
"Plastic bag " Russian”” is a voice control phone component from Google. This file is a dictionary that is used by the Good Corporation application to recognize user requests. A stuck notification about downloading this package indicates a failure either in the Google application itself or in the Android download manager. There are two ways to deal with this problem - reload the problematic file and disable auto-updates of language packs or clear application data.
On some firmware, especially heavily modified ones, the Google search engine may become unstable. Due to modifications made to the system or an unknown failure, the application cannot update the voice module for the selected language. Therefore, it is worth doing it manually.
1. Open " Settings" This can be done, for example, from a curtain.
2. Looking for blocks " Control" or " Additionally", it contains the item " Language and input».
3. In the menu " Language and input" are looking for " Google Voice Typing».
4. Inside this menu, find " Basic Google Features».
Click on the gear icon.
5. Tap on " Offline speech recognition».
Scroll down the list. Find " Russian Russia)" and download it.
7. Now go to the tab Auto updates».
Check the box " Don't update languages».
The problem will be solved - the notification should disappear and not bother you anymore. However, on some firmware versions these actions may not be enough. When faced with this, move on to the next method.
Due to a mismatch between firmware components and Google services, the language pack update may freeze. Rebooting the device in this case is useless - you need to clear the data of both the search application itself and “ Download Manager».
1. Go to " Settings" and look for the item " Applications" (otherwise " Application Manager»).
2. In " Applications» find « Google».
3. Tap on the application. The properties and data management menu will open. Click " Memory management».
In the window that opens, tap “ Delete all data».
In some cases, a notification “Downloading the Russian package” appears on Android smartphones. Today we want to tell you what it is and how to remove this message.
“Package “Russian”” is a component of voice control of a phone from Google. This file is a dictionary that is used by the Good Corporation application to recognize user requests. A stuck notification about downloading this package indicates a failure either in the Google application itself or in the Android download manager. There are two ways to deal with this problem - reload the problematic file and disable auto-updates of language packs or clear application data.
On some firmware, especially heavily modified ones, the Google search engine may become unstable. Due to modifications made to the system or an unknown failure, the application cannot update the voice module for the selected language. Therefore, it is worth doing it manually.
The problem will be solved - the notification should disappear and not bother you anymore. However, on some firmware versions these actions may not be enough. When faced with this, move on to the next method.
Due to a mismatch between firmware components and Google services, the language pack update may freeze. Rebooting the device in this case is useless - you need to clear the data of both the search application itself and "Download Manager".
Be careful! Don't confuse it with Google Play Services!
The set of actions described will help solve the problem once and for all.
To summarize, we note that most often this error occurs on Xiaomi devices with Russified Chinese firmware.
Sometimes a file can get “stuck” in the download block; the reasons for this failure are different, but they are all of a software nature. We will look at the most relevant ways to solve this problem: we will give step-by-step instructions and analyze non-standard cases of this error.
The main problem with Android OS is the presence of a large number of background processes and data. The system passes through a huge number of files and processes them “in the background.” A number of these processes are often not needed at all, so programs that clean the boot manager, thereby cleaning the processor, are gaining popularity. Many people ask the question: how to stop downloading on Android?
The symptoms are usually this: there is some file known to us or completely unknown hanging in the download tray. Nothing really happens to him. In addition to the fact that it strains and torments the system, it can also eat up traffic.
A “hanging” download often appears when there is a connection failure or an error in an application. It may depict a flurry of activity, but it never ends; moreover, rebooting does not always help. You can install a new load to “push” the stuck one: but sometimes we just get two stuck lines. Stopping downloading is usually easy using a simple algorithm:
Glitchy downloads can also provoke certain types of viruses that spread over free wifi hotspots or through Internet pages. Nowadays there are a lot of free and effective antiviruses for Android that can deal with the problem almost instantly.
The algorithm is relevant for system versions starting from 4.0. It has the advantage of saving time: the number of necessary actions is reduced.
The effect is similar, no additional actions are needed.
