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I use TTS to make audiobooks for my commute. I use an open source TTS program for Windows called Balabolka because it can open and read .epub files directly.
I will admit, that even though the quality of small samples is quite impressive, it gets somewhat droning for long passages, requiring extra attention at times (it is easy to begin to ignore it).
Balabolka saved me many times from hassle. There's also a portable version available on the developer's home page or you can get the Portable .paf format from the Portableapps.com.
Balabolka is free, and supports SAPI5 voices, free and commercial.
TextAloud is paid, but a crack is available, and supports the above as well.
You can enable some internal voices within Windows, including MS Eva (Cortana), it just takes a bit of registry tampering. For commercial voices (e.g. Ivona or Nuance) you can find them and their cracks online as well.
I've also found using text-to-speech very helpful. If you don't have a recent version of MS Office and are on Windows, the free Balabolka text-to-speech application works well.
Easy to add/correct pronunciations too (e.g. for odd character and place names) No need for an Internet connection to use it (or worry about a cloud service spying on your work).
If you like me browse the fanfic recommendation thread, you might find that there are a lot of good stories that are just incredibly long. What I like to do with those is turn them into audio books like this using Windows (or even Mac OS') built in Text to Speech software.
Here are the steps.
Download Balabolka
Navigate to your fic of choice, download the .txt of the full fic near the bottom.
Paste fic into Balabolka.
Set pitch and speed of the voice to taste.
G to File>Split/convert audio files.
Fill out output folder, choose file format, uncheck the default checked split method, check "by specific keyword."
Figure out how the fic separates chapters in the .txt file. I normally see them as "> Chapter", and that works. Type that in to the keyword box at the bottom and click split and covert
And finally, uncheck the second box from the top and hit split
Boom, you now have separate file audiobooks of your fic.
Pros:
- Audio book!
- Your eyes won't get tired!
Cons:
- Unless you pay for a good voice, this one can be monotone.
- The cadence of speech can be odd.
How do you pronounce Lulamoon?! (Pronunciation issues)
Context can be difficult and you may have to check the text again.
Quote:
"Balabolka is a Text-To-Speech (TTS) program. All computer voices installed on your system are available to Balabolka. The on-screen text can be saved as a WAV, MP3, MP4, OGG or WMA file. The program can read the clipboard content, view the text from AZW, AZW3, CHM, DjVu, DOC, EPUB, FB2, HTML, LIT, MOBI, ODT, PRC, PDF and RTF files, customize font and background colour, control reading from the system tray or by the global hotkeys."
Balabolka (portable) - TTS - text-to-speech, read aloud (system-wide, customizable global keyboard shortcuts to read any text)
It's not open source AFAIK, but it's free.
For some Windows voices patch is needed to work in Balabolka.
>I'm strongly against limiting the length of comments and replies.
Same. People on Windows might consider using this app:
http://www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm
You can listen to long posts while doing other things :)
Balabolka on desktop and the iPhone narrator on my phone. Also TTS Reader when I'm on a Robart's computer, although it's a bit slow for my taste. I find the iPhone narrator works best for lecture slides (in iBooks).
For me, it's medication, highlighters, and text-to-speech software. Balabolka + Natural Voices = get more of my graduate readings done. I also do a lot of taking notes as I go and I try to make sure I don't get caught up on the details.
Balabolka (portable) - TTS - text-to-speech, read aloud (system-wide, customizable global keyboard shortcuts to read any text)
It can use any installed voice in Windows (10), for some voices patch may be needed.
Balabolka is free text-to-speech software. Can use the regular Microsoft voices; there are more for download, and voice pitch can be adjusted somewhat.
Natural Reader is a browser app with plenty of free voices and paid premium voices. Also has mp3 conversion.
(I flair this as Writing Help because TTS is useful for writers, too. I use it for proofreading.)
It's pretty simple, I used the software Balabolka. It's a text to speech Windows app. You just type in what you want to say, and then save the audio file. And then I removed the audio from certain parts of the clip, and pasted in my audio clips. Here is their website http://www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm
There are loads of different programs, but what matters most is the voice, which is usually bought separately. The software I use is the free and excellent Balabolka.
Second option:
http://www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm
If your PC has the voice (Text to speech in Chinese), this should work. If you don't have such a voice, maybe here:
The best free windows application that I know of is Balabolka which is fairly comprehensive in what it can open and read. The installed voice(s) can make a big difference BTW. There are lots of free voices, mainly on the Microsoft site but some on the web. There are paid voices which tend to be better quality.
http://www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm
There is a portable version available and it is regularly updated.
You can download it from the homesite **Here**
MajorGeeks I personally don't really trust TBH because they host Warez such as the Sergei Strelec's DVD where the archive is password protected. A lot of the software on that DVD is Shareware commercial software and yet MajorGeeks still host it.
I prefer Softpedia for software when I need something.
Hey friend, I'm sorry to hear about your experience and how problematic it has been. Procrastination sucks, I feel you on that. I'm going to tell you something that may help make things easier for you because you've gotten yourself down a rabbit hole, that's for sure.
What I like to do is make a list of the things I'd like to believe/accomplish as if it already happened. Once that's done, I save them onto my Google Keeps and export those things onto a Text To Speech software - like Balabolka.
After I've exported the audio, I open up a Program on my pc called Audacity and drag the audio onto it. Once the audio is there, I drag some relaxing White Noise onto the program and slowly lower the volume of the other audio to the point where I can still hear those words, but I can't make out what they suggest.
Once that's done, I trim the White Noise (Can be relaxing music) and have both audio get exported into one. So when I play the audio, I will hear relaxing waves of water with some occasional whispering here and there.
In your case you can do the same, except you should type down some things like: I love studying. I'm amazing at studying. I'm always focused on my goals. I get things done. I enjoy studying. I focus on my work. It's so easy for me to focus. I'm doing amazing at getting things done.
Take a look at Balabolka which can open many different file types including pdf's and read them out. It can use any Windows voices therefore get the best voice that you can find and install that voice. Microsoft has many different voices but commercial ie paid are meant to be better. There is a portable version or install version.
I purchased this voice, which is very good. All of the Ivona voices are good quality. I use it with this free app, Balabolka, but the voice should work with other Windows programs as well.
Have you checked how much a professional proofreader would charge for that word count? (Hint: it will be a lot.)
Try text-to-speech. Having an AI read your text out loud is a great way to spot the mistakes your eyes glaze over. My favorite tool for windows is balabolka, because it also highlights the text as it reads, karaoke style :)
balabolka's very good with TTS stuff. plus it uses microsoft's [SAPI TTS XML](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/desktop/ms717077(v=vs.85\)), which is every useful for adding <silence msec="500"/> pauses or <emph>emphasis</emph>
tl;dr Maybe try text to speech.
I used to be like you, really enjoy reading but am really slow/bad at it.
So I tried audio books. At the time I tried the first Game Of Thrones book and I noticed the full audio book is something like 32 hours long. I'm slow at reading, but not that slow. 32 hours is absurd, that's so long.
Then I heard about this program called Balabolka. You give it an ebook and it reads it to you with text to speech (TTS), it can do a bunch of useful stuff like make an audio file for you too. But the main point is that after you crank the speed up it can read that same book in about 12 hours, which is faster than I could read it manually.
For clarity's sake this example book is pretty long so 12 hours is pretty reasonable. Most "normal" length books take about 4 hours, short books take 1-2 hours, and short stories like 10-30 minutes.
I find TTS so useful I even have a browser addon that lets me left+right click a paragraph to have the TTS read it to me. It's even how I read your comment.
I use Balabolka (which is free) to convert text to mp3s, then put them on my phone to listen to while on public transport etc. The downside is that you can't mark up the PDF for note-taking this way, so you have to do that in a separate program.
It takes some work. You often need to format the text properly in Balabolka because of how text copies out of PDFs. Then of course you need to put the mp3 onto your phone. I usually do it in batches.
You'll also probably want to find something better than the default voice that comes on your PC, but if you hunt around online you can find something.
I am using a service called voice buddy, a program called Balabolka as well as Microsofts Cortana voice. Voice buddy has both Amazon and google text to speech voices built into it and is available for free here Voicebuddy Balabolka is a free program that can use installed tts voices on your PC. You can download it here Balabolka then I use FL Studio to add better effects and filters to the voices to liven them up and make them more interesting.
I use this free program on my Windows laptop along with the Ivona Amy voice. The voice is paid but there's a 30 day free trial and the Ivona voices are very good. The program will work with the default Windows voice however so you don't need to install another voice if you're happy with that.
You can convert to mp3 on PC. I use this program on my laptop. You'll have to either copy/paste the page or download the fic to use it, however. A browser extension might work as well. I think there's some available for Chrome.
I tried K-Mouth and Evince with different mbrola-Packages (German language) and I'm sorry to say, that the sound was as poor, that without reading the text in parallel, I could not even figure the meaning of the spoken sentences.
I was familiar with Balabolka from former WINDOWS-times and installed it in PlayOnLinux. Works like a charm, available for lots of languages, sound is good. mp3 can be saved. It reads as well PDF as TXT, DOC, ODT and other stuff.
The settings in PlayOnLinux: WINE 3.2 32-bit Configuration: WINDOWS 7 msxml > msxml3 > to be added Installer file BalabolkaPortable_2.15.0.728.paf.exe
Try a Text to Speech program to read your materials out loud to you. Balabolka is my favorite because it can read pdfs. http://www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm If you still have trouble paying attention to the audio, also read along with the voice. And put your phone away. Like physically far away in another room.
May be, it depends on different languages. I'm using it for German and all the mbrola and other voices were absolutely not acceptable: I could not even understand, what the voice was telling me, if I did not read the text in parallel.
Finally I found that the WINDOWS software BALABOLKA is running excellent under WINE, I installed it with PlayOnLinux. I provided a GOLD-status to the WineHQ AppDB, but this is waiting for administration, so not visible. Lots of different languages are available for BALABOLKA and all voices (male or female) are good understandable. Furthermore, you could adjust reading speed,, sound details etc.
Please report here about your test results.
I think there is no Windows shortcut for TTS, just checked the list.
Try some external software, like Balabolka - free, custom global hotkeys and other useful features..
I write with Scrivener on Windows, and when I am editing, I listen to my text with a free program called Balabolka. It has some pitch and tempo controls you can twiddle to make the text-to-speech a little less mechanical sounding. It also uses the Microsoft speech API , so the Windows TTS voices are available. I prefer the David voice. Generally, I keep it open on my desktop and as I'm working a paragraph, cut and paste it into Balabolka and listen. And the OP is right; you'll find problems that you would otherwise miss.
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I have no connection with the product or the website. I find it useful and wanted to pass it on.
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You can think for yourself! Don't allow others to force a religion onto you that you don't believe in!
For starters, I recommend a free copy of the bible :)
Free Text-To-Speech Program, if desired
I highly recommend reading from the New Testament! Many old testament laws are no longer followed.
Remember, Jesus died for YOU. He wants YOU to be saved! Christianity is a free offer from Jesus Christ. You are saved by faith and repentance, not works! :)
In Firefox.. if you see a Book on URL bar, click on that. you'll see TTS option on Left. <--- that way.
If that dosen't work. I use Balabolka. Just copy and past the text and let it read it. You can choose TTS engine that you want. adjust speed and pitch to your liking.
You can also convert the reading to MP3 to read it on the road!
Ah, I gave it another try and it looks like I was just confused by badly constructed web design. :) The source page for Balabolka is http://www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm for anyone who wants to try it out. The various "badware" sites I was encountering in my earlier search apparently just repackage that and wrap the installer in stuff that adds helpful browser toolbars and whatnot.
FanFicFare has an option to add smart quotes to the fanfics it downloads (for Epub output only, but Calibre can convert Epub into HTML or other such output formats. And IIRC Balabolka can handle epub as an input format directly). It uses Calibre's native "smarten punctuation" function that's part of its "book polish" tools. I don't use that option myself so I don't know how well it works but that might be what you're looking for.
an you export the moves to text ?
http://www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm
I just cut and paste what ever I want to read. Adjust pitch and speed to my liking.
There are a lot of setting you can do in there also. Like delay between paragraphs, Read x as y etc all in there.
>as I know I do.
Balabolka is pretty sexy for audiobookifying ebooks once you get comfortable with Microsoft David's (Desktop) voice. He pronounces things really well, unlike many of the more "natural" TTS-engines, and is much more pleasant for long periods of time than even Google's TTS. I've actually used him over a human-read version before.
I use an app called Balabolka. It uses the Microsoft speech API so you'll have to have that installed (I think it's installed in Windows by default).
I'm not sure of the character/word limit on it, but I just tested it with 600 words and it accepted it.
I'm making audiobooks from ebooks for personal use. So I care about the quality of the voice more than anything else - to be able to listen for long periods of time without getting annoyed by the small details.
Right now I use the IVONA Brian voice because it gives consistently good results - lowest % of weird intonations, metallic slips, doesn't end most sentences as if they were a question etc. and it can be clearly understood even against background noise while talking a walk.
I'm using a free program to generate MP3's - Balabolka. I don't need anything more complex than this; it supports SAPI5 and can generate MP3's.
You could try going to a local community college and get checked for learning disabilities. If you just want to "treat" it, you can use something like balabolka to give you multisensory input on reading (it will take a word doc or text doc, and read it back to you, while highlighting each word, etc. Works pretty well for free software, it's similar to the $1500 program Kurzweil 3000.)
Try that and see if it helps. You can probably find some "learning strategies" online if you look around.
Most of all, Don't worry about going into DSPS/Disabled services rooms. They give you extra help when you need it, and really there's no reason to feel stigmatized. Knowing your limits and getting help