Text to speech software for animations
malcolmkarpeta_40f9af0b00
Posts: 257
Hi team, doing quite well with my lip syncing in animation but was wondering if anyone uses a text to speech software to script a scene or has any recommendations. Haven't found any discussions on it by searching so maybe it's not something that's usual on here. I don't mind paying so that's not the issue, it's that most of the ones I've looked at are either on line set ups or they sound like Stephen Hawking (No disrespect to the man) and I'm really looking for a programme I can download.
Many thanks
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Check out Screaming Bee Software. I've used it years ago, and it was fun and easy to play with
Thanks ProPose, will do
Hi ProPose, from what I can see, this is a voice changing programme rather than a text to speech one so you you have to already have audio stems. I'm looking for something that will change written text to a voice. But thanks for the response
Script vox That's what it does. It uses it's own built in voices or you can use any tts voice on the market.
https://portableapps.com/apps/accessibility/balabolka-portable
this iClone user has a reg edit file linked on their video to unlock all the Microsoft TTS voices you have installed on Windows 10
(you can download piles of them they also say how)
ProPose, ah I see, I googled Screaming Bee and landed on the wrong page. Script Vox looks excellent so I'm downloading the trial version now.
Wendy, thanks for that info, I'm on a Mac so not sure if it will help. Will look into it though
oh, no it won't
BTW for other Windows users there is plenty of information out there on how to manually edit the registry to enable apps to use Microsoft voices, it's not really a "hack" just not enabled by default, this person just has done it for you.
Thanks Wendy, pretty cool hack
@WendyLuvsCatz Nice find on the hack
I am gonna definitely have to try it
These are some online services that I use for website integration for some of my clients. But they also can be used for videos and narration films.
Personally The one I like a lot & use is Microsoft Azure. Its Microsoft Ai. I think its the most natural sounding and the easiest to customize the voices dialect & voice expressions, with lots of Languages and Accents to work with . its very customizable so you can make screams and moans etc as well. But you will need to know how to code Azure to be able to use it to integrate into your voice recorder. or you will need a desk top recorder or something like i use like H2n Zoom MP3/WAV recorder. But they do have a desktop app for text to speech. making it much easier for people who do not code azure. Azure is free to use to learn and use. and you get like 5 hours fre a month I get MS Azure Services free & I have a license for commercial use because its part of of my website services, https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/cognitive-services/text-to-speech/
Next best one I have used is Note Vibes. they are excellent. great sounding text to voices and it can covert your own voice https://notevibes.com/
Text2 speech is free to use commercially online & downloadable voices. Not very good though in my opinion sounds robotic . But still its free https://www.text2speech.org/
This one is called Overdub by Libebird . it is what most people are using, for interactive media andinteractive online video games. its pretty affordable and very realistic and 100x better than Google cloud voice. . they have a on site demo for you to try but its only free to try the demo . other wise you pay like 5 bucks for 10,000 words something like that, they do have a bunch of pricing options & if I was not using MS Azure I would properly use these guys https://www.descript.com/overdub?lyrebird=true
Another great Text to speech service I have used in the past is NUANCE its has a awesome app for customizing voice expression kind of pricey though.. https://www.nuance.com/omni-channel-customer-engagement/voice-and-ivr/text-to-speech.html#!
This one is pretty cool its called "responsive voice" they have a desk top app or you can use their onsite text to speech. they have many options for accents and languages a little robotic sounding. and expression s are not very customizable . but not as bad as I have seem with some of the TTS online services . an I have used this site a few times for character fill voices. So they do work in a pinch https://responsivevoice.org/
One last thing I would like to mention these service I listed are made for interactive media & they will try to sell you their services, that is how they survive and its not bad to consider supporting them if you like their services. & they all have API services so if you know how to code ASP.NET, C++ or Azure you can integrate these apps to work right in most film and video editors that allow for adding scripts. I use Adobe premiere cs6 & for my film editor and I am pretty sure most of these API 's will work for hit film express as well you have to check the spec requirements on the services websites & your film editor . Other wise I just live record the voices from the desk app with a desk top recorder
Good Luck :)
edited for spelling sorry I am very dyslexic
Adding my 2 cents - to the original request:
talkia ($) - true text-to-speech, much like balabolka (free), mentioned by wendylovescats - multiple voices come with the base and add-on subscriptions are available. Controls for pause/intonation/pitch/emotions - I think the base is ~$40 and very useable as delivered. Subscriptions and/or full-voicepack ($130?) are also options, but not needed. I think it requires an internet connection, but it is a locally installed tool.
speechelo ($) - an online version that's very similar to talkia - base is useable, various intonations/emotion adjustments, add-ons for more voices. ~$50 ?
Note that both of these can be acquired in non-subscription modes, but the main product pages may not offer that option. You may have to poke around via search-engines to find the 'buy once' promos offers.
Wendy has mentioned a google online tool, but I don't do anything that invloves google.
re: voice-change tools (note that nothing stops you from using the above to generate the phrase sound-files and adjusting them with voice changers. These take sound files as well as live recordings:
- screamingbee.com ($) - recommended as well - voice changer
- audio4fun.com diamond ($) - voice changer
- audacity - general sound file editor with voice changing plugin
of note:
- papagayo - sound-file to lip-sync tool. I think it can export to a DAZ-importable format (PZ2?)
- lipsync - built-into the 32 bit versions of DS
- mimic ($) - live, lite, ? - DAZ lipsync tools
- iclone has lipsync tools. Not sure if we can get the morph-based captures back into DS, but bone-based captures probably can via BVH export.
Let us know if you find any others. Everyone is looking for better tools!
best,
--ms
Some great input here team, lots of options to look out for. I have been trying different applications all day and am currently using TextSpeaker from Deskshare. Of all the ones I have tried, this for me, is the most realistic but it doesn't have an emotion or expression options so will continue my quest.
Thanks to all
Personally The one I like a lot & use is Microsoft Azure. Its Microsoft Ai
Hi Ivy, wow Azule is outstanding from what I hear from the test! I'm a bit loathe to use Cloud services though, I'm a bit old fashioned. Is it possible to download the software and use locally on the PC?
I meant, of course, Azure
I have never used it But MS Azure does have a desk top app that you can done load. that does not require any coding . I use VisualBasic myself and they do have awesome support if you need help , its free to use so no contracts. I think you get like 5 hours a week or month something like that and then you buy access to the service by the hour or week. I get 160 hours a week as part of my hosting through godaddy so I can run Jquery and I properly do not use more than 8 hours of the TTS for projects.
here the description on how to build custom voices https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-ai/build-a-natural-custom-voice-for-your-brand/ba-p/2112777
My Karate girl animation I just did was all done with MS Azure and that was like 3 hours worth of cloud time, I think the voices are very natural sounding, .
The system was designed for Interactive media so a client or customer can interact with the Azure Ai Bot this is a great set up for people that need a phone answering service and its being used by hospitals worlds wide for blind and disables people.
I happen to find the TTS part of azure in my website service package I signed up for when i started taking online class to learn it so I use the Azure VisualBasics to actually do my voice programming and record it on my H2n record. So I am sorry I can't tell you how the desk top one works.
But if you watch my video that is what the voices sounds like using MS Azure . All the voices were done with it including the Parental rating message. I like Overdub. But I already had Azure service so I mise well use it.
Fantastic work Ivy, those voice overs are so realistic. I'll look into where I can download the app so hopefully I will be getting somewhere! Many thanks for your indulgence
Hi all,
Just adding https://murf.ai/ to the list. I'm very pleased with those results. Good for voice overs. You can even tease a little expression out of them (with effort). The best thing about it is the range of voices.
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@ProPose Thank you for the link, I did try morphvox and the woman voice is terrible. You can get a similar effect with the pitch filter in audacity, that's poor quality as a voice changer in my opinion. The issue is that changing a male voice to female doesn't only require to change the pitch, there are other relevant factors to account for. Same for female to male.
Didn't find any decent voice changer myself.
Hi team, thanks for the additional comments after my last, been out of the game for a while so a bit late in responding. Thanks again