Text to Speech: Find the Perfect Voice for Your Text
Published in IVR (Interactive voice response)
Text to Speech: Find the Perfect Voice for Your Welcome Message and Menu Options
These days, we frequently hear about various artificial intelligence platforms: ChatGPT, Microsoft, Google, and Apple are all competing to have the smartest platform. From our telecommunications background, we're particularly interested in how these platforms handle text-to-speech (TTS): in the past, computer-generated speech sounded very robotic and it was obvious it was a computer speaking. This was not ideal for using as a welcome message for a professional company.
With the new text-to-speech technology, you can hardly tell the difference between artificial and real speech: perfect for having your welcome message, voicemail, or phone menu read out loud!
Especially if you frequently change messages or need to provide timely updates, such as during a service outage, this method allows you to quickly deliver an up-to-date message to anyone calling you. (Without needing to ask a colleague with a good phone voice to record a new message.) Imagine this: you type a text and with just one click, it comes to life. Artificial intelligence converts text into natural-sounding speech, enabling you to listen to anything written - from books to news articles.
Behind the Scenes at TTS
Behind the scenes of a text-to-speech service, a complex process takes place where text is analyzed and converted into audio recordings. This magic happens in two steps: first, the text is analyzed to understand its meaning, and then it is read out by a synthesized voice. Thanks to advances in AI, we can now listen to artificial speech that is almost indistinguishable from a real human voice! Text-to-speech is more than just a handy tool; it makes information and entertainment more accessible to everyone. People with visual impairments or reading difficulties, or those learning a new language, benefit greatly from this technology. Everything can now be spoken and therefore listened to! TTS also extends to the entertainment industry, where it is used to create lifelike voices for animations, video games, and even dynamic voice-overs in advertisements. And now at Belfabriek, you can enjoy free text-to-speech for all your welcome messages, menu options, and voicemails! Choosing the Right Text-to-Speech Platform for Belfabriek
We have tested all major platforms and made multiple integrations so we can easily switch between TTS platforms when converting text to speech. For example, Google's TTS has more voices, while Microsoft's TTS is slightly better at the moment of writing (June 2024). We have these platforms read the text, and the generated TTS file is then converted to a format that works best with telephony (uLaw), and we make it a mono recording since phones do not support stereo. As you can see, a lot of programming work goes into our text-to-speech assistant, but by automating it, it saves everyone a lot of effort in converting text to speech!
How to Easily Use Our Text-to-Speech Assistant
Text to Speech Steps Instructions
Go to the online text-to-speech assistant.
Type in the text you want to be read out loud.
Select the voice you want to use.
Press play to generate the text.
Press play again to hear the generated text read out loud.
You will now see a code of 5 letters. Note this code so you can easily paste it into your portal for voicemail, welcome messages, or menu options. You can see how easy it has become. And the best part is that this text-to-speech service is included for free with your phone number, so you don’t have to pay anything extra. No need to hire a voice-over artist to make audio recordings anymore!
Important Tips for TTS:
The adventure begins with your text. Make sure it is carefully written and free of errors, as any typo can affect the TTS output. Unnecessary formatting is also redundant; the TTS engine needs clean, unformatted text to produce the best results.
You can insert pauses by adding a space. This is often useful when having phone numbers read out loud; for example, you might want to add a space after the area code.
We wish you lots of fun and success using our text-to-speech assistant to create your menu options, welcome messages, and voicemails!
Frequently asked questions:
Text to speech technology converts written text into spoken words using artificial intelligence for natural-sounding speech.
Yes, we offer a range of languages and accents, allowing you to create personalized and accessible speech for diverse applications.
Innovations in AI, such as GPT-4, positively influence the development of text to speech by improving quality and versatility, resulting in more natural voices and broader applications across various industries.
Yes, you can adjust the speaking speed and volume to enhance the output and make the chosen voice read better.
We currently support the top-30 spoken languages, including English, Spanish, German, Dutch, Italian, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and French. All these languages are offered in one or more natural voices.
Do you want to record audio for your podcast or video? You can use our service for various purposes. Contact our support department and let us know which text to speech audio files you need (provide us with the codes).
Start with our free text to speech service and let your favorite voice read all the files again. Email us the codes (or enter them in your portal) and you now have the same TTS voice for all your functions. You can have this voice read out every time.
Activate a demo phone number immediately.
Create your phone team.
And start receiving calls within 10 minutes!
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