There’s no denying that text to speech software is huge right now. And it doesn’t matter if it’s free text to speech software, freemium, or outright paid for, tens of thousands of people are actively searching monthly for the best solution.
Why?
There are countless reasons why anyone would be interested in using any text to speech software. But take for instance, YouTube provides an opportunity where videos can be uploaded and monetized, which has basically created a boom industry where individuals from around the world can hopefully make money online.
However, there is a drawback that prevents many people from creating these videos, and that is speaking or voicing the actual videos.
Speaking in front of a camera, doing a video presentation, or maybe even just a voice-over can be challenging for many people. That’s just one reason why people continually search for quality output concerning any type of text to speech software.
What is text to speech software?
Text to speech software basically transforms written text by reading it aloud from computers and cell phones. It is helpful for people who are visually challenged or have reading difficulties, such as dyslexia.
Another example is with software developers, who often use text to speech (TTS) engines for testing the spoken output of their applications. Whether you’re a student or a business professional, there are times when you just need to hear something read aloud rather than spending time reading it yourself.
Many TTS applications also offer different voices and accents depending on the language that you choose. For example, if you choose English, your text to speech software may read with an American accent, British accent, or other accents depending on the language installed with your application.
Here’s another interesting reason that you may not realize, many TTS applications are widely used in education, consumer electronics, electronic toys, and other applications. Text-to-speech technology can convert any digital text into spoken words and audio files for any audio players or devices.
Text to speech software can also be a part of different operating systems, downloaded and installed to your computer, or through cloud-based subscription. There are also free text to speech software that are available for those who want to use the software without buying it. Of course, many of these free text to speech software often have limited features such as customizing the voice, speed, pitch, and more. Some of them may even allow you to download files in MP3 format which can be played on your computer.
So if you think about it, there are literally countless reasons why people would want to use text to speech software. In fact, many people search for TTS options on websites or blogs because of certain vision problems. Others simply choose to use it because they want their computer to read articles, stories, and books for them instead of reading it themselves.
I know, you’ve read this far and just want to know what the hack is, right?
So, what is the free text to speech software hack?
It’s a simple feature that is provided by Google. Yes, Google!
However, in order for this to work properly, you’ll need to use two different applications. Don’t worry, both are free to use and easily available.
1. Cloud Text to Speech by Google
2. Audacity
Visit the Cloud Text to Speech software by Google here: https://cloud.google.com/text-to-speech
Next, download the Audacity software for free here: https://www.audacityteam.org/download/
If you’re not familiar with it, Audacity provides a free, open-source alternative to audio recording and editing. The editor/recording software is easy-to-use, professional grade, and is available for operating systems on both Mac and Windows, and Linux. It is also safe to download and use on your computer without interrupting your current operating system. I also use Audacity and have been for several years without any problems.
Word of caution: Make sure you download Audacity from the site and the link as listed above. This will help to guarantee no corrupt programming or other bad inclusions by downloading from another third-party site.
Also, as demonstrated in the image above, please remember to choose the correct operating system for your computer such as Windows or Mac, and the right specifications such as 32-Bit or 64-Bit.
Okay, now that you’ve downloaded Audacity and installed it on your PC, let’s begin with the hack.
Open the Audacity software
If you haven’t done it already, go ahead and open Audacity. The most up-to-date version should look like the image below.
After opening Audacity and as outlined in the image above, look for the small drop-down menu just below the audio buttons. For this process, make sure to choose the option of “Windows WASAPI” from the drop-down. After that, you are now ready to begin.
For now, just minimize the Audacity screen until it’s needed.
Open the Cloud Text-to-Speech site
Next, make sure Google Cloud Text-to-Speech is open in your browser.
From the site, hover to the left sidebar directly under the Text-to-Speech section. Choose “Demo” and click as shown below.
Add your Text to speak
After clicking on Demo, you’ll notice directly in the center of the screen a small heading labeled “Text to speak”
This is where you will add the text you want.
From the demonstration above, highlight the existing text in the “Text to speak” section and paste in your desired text.
Choose the proper settings
From the image above, you’ll notice the output settings for your text to speak. You basically have six options that you can choose to manipulate the quality of your audio.
Language
Under the language dropdown menu, choose the appropriate language for your text.
Voice type
For the voice type, you only have two choices between basic and Wavenet.
Voice name
The options available for gender and accent will depend on your language choice.
Audio device
For the audio device option, I would leave it at the “Default” setting.
Speed
This will determine the speed at which your text is being read. You can drag the indicator across the bar to speed up or slow down the reading speed.
Pitch
Adjust the pitch according to your requirements for high or low sound.
For this demonstration, I have chosen the following settings which seem to work best for my text.
- Language – English
- Voice type – Wavenet
- Voice name – en-US-Wavenet-G
- Audio device – Default
- Speed – 1.00
- and Pitch – 2.40.
Once you have your settings in place, click the blue “Speak It” button to render your text to speak audio.
When you are satisfied with the output voice you have chosen including any adjustments to text, speed, and pitch, it’s time to download the finished audio file.
Of course, where is the download option?
Try looking around the page for any way to download your audio. You’ll notice that there’s no options available to download a file from the demo version. Bummer!
Although, that’s where this simple hack comes into play!
Record your audio
Keep your settings open on the Cloud Text-to-Speech page. Now enlarge the Audacity screen which you opened earlier by clicking on the icon in your task bar.
From the Audacity screen, click the “Red” dot from the upper audio menu tabs, and immediately click the blue “Replay” button on the text-to-speech page.
Make sure your computer speakers are on and let Audacity record the voice text from the page. When the voice script is finished, click the stop recording button in the audio menu tabs.
Edit your audio recording in Audacity
Your voice file is now in Audacity where you can edit the recording to fit your needs.
Download your audio file
Once you have finished editing your recording of the text-to-speech audio, it’s time to download your file. You have several options regarding the file type that you can download, but the most popular form is MP3.
To download your file, hover over to the file tab on the menu. Scroll down to export and choose “Export as MP3” file.
There you go, an easy and simple free text to speech software hack that you can use now.
