Text Speaker 3.14

Converting Text to Audio

Contents:

• Overview
• Settings
  • WAV
  • MP3
• Background Music
• Converting Multiple Files

Overview

Text Speaker can convert text in documents into either WAV or MP3 files.

To convert text to an audio file, first open the file, then click Speak >> Convert Current File To Audio.  You can also right-click on the file in the Windows Explorer and select Convert to Audio in Text Speaker, or right-click on its name in the list at the bottom of the Text Speaker window and click Convert to Audio. Whichever of these you use, the Audio Properties window appears:

WAV Settings:

• Audio Compressor: You can select one of these audio compressors:
  • PCM: PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) produces the highest possible audio quality.  PCM-compressed WAV files are also very large.
  • CCITT A-Law and µ Law:  These techniques modify speech sounds to make them more understandable when audio quality is low.  They do not affect file size, which is the same as PCM files (very large).
  • ADPCM: ADPCM is a modification of PCM, which produces smaller files while retaining the very high audio quality.

Which compressor should you select?  For most applications, PCM is an excellent choice, giving the highest possible quality.

• Channel Mode: Always pick Stereo unless you have a specific reason to change this setting.
• Audio Frequency: This setting controls how often the recorded sound can be changed.  The higher the number, the higher the audio quality and the larger the file.  Generally, with Text Speaker there is no reason to increase this value above 16KHz.  Values of 8 KHz and below introduce noticeable distortion. 
• Audio Bit Size: This setting controls the accuracy with which sound frequencies are recorded in the file.  For Text Speaker, increasing this value above the default 8 generally does not produce a noticeably better sound quality.  If you are adding a musical background, you may wish to increase this value.  Increasing the Bit Size also increases the file size.

MP3 Settings:

• Audio Setting for Quality: Pick one of Low, Normal, High, and Very High.
• Audio Channels:  Always pick Stereo unless you have a specific reason to choose Mono.
• Audio Frequency: This setting controls how often the recorded sound can be changed.  The higher the number, the higher the audio quality and the larger the file.  Generally, with Text Speaker there is no reason to increase this value above 16KHz.  Values of 8 KHz and below introduce noticeable distortion.
• Constant Bitrate: This is the number of bits used to describe each second of the audio.  The higher this number, the larger the files and the better the quality. Generally, for voice-only, there is no benefit to increasing this above 32 Kbps.  If you would like a musical score to be heard with high fidelity you should increase this number.

Restore Default: If you press Restore Default, the MP3 settings return to the original values set at the time the program was installed.

When an MP3 file is created, Text Speaker automatically adds Title, Artist, and Album information to the file. The Title is the file name, the Artist is Text Speaker, and the date of creation is listed under Album.  This metadata will be displayed when the file is played.

Background Music

Whether creating an MP3 file, you can choose a music file to combine with the spoken text in your audio file.  You can use audio and video files in MP3, WAV, AIFF, WMA, MPA, ASF, MPEG, MPG, or M1V format as background music.  If you choose a video file, the audio portion will be used.

To add background music:

1. Click Speak >> Convert Current File to Audio or Speak >> Convert All Files to Audio.
2. When the Audio Properties window appears, choose to convert to MP3 format. Select Add background music to the output file.
3. Click Browse.
4. Navigate to the music file you would like to use, select it, and click Open.
5. Click Test to hear the background music.  Use the Stop button to stop the playback.
6. You can adjust the relative volume of the music up or down using the Background Volume slider.  If you change the volume while the music is playing, you will not hear a change until you stop the playback and click Test again..

When you have made your selections, click OK to create the audio file.  Depending on the length of the text being spoken, the process may take anywhere from a fraction of a second to several minutes.

To convert all open files, click Speak >>  Convert All Files to Audio.  Each open file will be converted into its own audio file.

After a file has been converted, you can hear the audio file by right-clicking on the file in the list, and clicking Play Audio File in the menu. The Media Player opens:

Converting Multiple Files

You can select and convert multiple files in two ways.

To convert selected files to audio: 

1. Select the files you wish to convert in the File List:
   
2. Click Speak >> Convert Selected Files to Audio.

Text Speaker will open the Audio Properties window as shown above, using the same settings for every file.

To convert all open files to audio:

1. Click File >> Convert All Files to >> 
2. Select either MP3 or WAV.

Text Speaker will open the appropriate Audio Properties window and convert all open files to audio.

Related Topics:

• Speaking Text Aloud
• Changing the Voice
• Adjusting Speed and Pitch
• Adjusting Emphasis
• Adjusting Pronunciation
• Keyboard Shortcuts