Text to Speech software

Joel, I can certainly appreciate your intent and the time and effort you've put into Speechover. Absolutely. I've just listened to the samples in the website video and, my apologies, but while Speechover may well be a solution for those whose only concern is cost, this is still far from impactful or compelling speech.

The biggest misunderstanding in the hiring of voice talent is that it is not at all the SOUND of the voice that is most important. Many people have "nice" voices. The most important facet of speech is the articulation; the way words flow naturally out of the speaker's mouth, with the correct amount of emphasis on only the words and syllables it belongs... and not where it does not belong. In many cases, emphasis placed on the wrong words can change the very meaning of a statement. And, at the very least, naturally articulated speech imparts confidence in the listener. They feel that the speaker knows intimately what he or she is talking about. Anything short of that and the listener is left with reservation over the authenticity of what is being presented.

So, while the "speakers" in the samples I heard had pleasant-sounding voices, not only was emphasis unnatural in many areas, the rhythm of their words still sounds mechanical. There are places where syllables whiz by almost unintelligibly. Learners should not have to replay portions in order to understand them.

eLearning shares one very important basic goal with radio and TV commercials: to motivate people to action. Commercials are successful when they are responsible for sales going up. eLearning is successful when those taking the courses not only remember but are able to apply what they've learned. And those whose task it is to instruct others (especially at the corporate level, where employee performance is everything) better be engaging enough to make people want to listen, and should sound absolutely convincing.

The #1 quality sought in the casting of voices for practically all genres of voice-over is to find the person who is best able to connect with the subject matter so as to convince the listener that what they're hearing is the real deal. We want to have a voice that is pleasant to listen to, yes, but first and foremost we must trust implicitly that what we are hearing is genuine.

Again, my apologies, but my opinion is that only human speech can be regarded as genuine because there is a mixture of emotion and point of view behind it. TTS – software – is not innately capable of emotion or point of view. And even as diction, inflection and phrasing may be adjustable, will someone be willing to spend the time and money to listen to and evaluate every word and then adjust these qualities as necessary in lessons of considerable length? By the time these adjustments are completed, total expenditure would probably equal the fee of a talented professional who would have a finished and more compelling product in less time.

I would suggest to any company preparing to enter into eLearning that they conduct a test with perhaps six minutes of typical training content. Enter the first three minutes of the text into any TTS application and give the remainder to a professional narrator. When each have completed the audio, randomly select a small group of employees to listen; first to the TTS portion of the lesson and, then, without any break or discussion, the professionally spoken portion of the lesson. Then ask the employees their impressions; specifically with the intent on discovering which they would choose to listen to (especially for extended periods) and have more trust in what they were hearing.

Because the success of any eLearning content hinges solely on what employees are able to remember and later apply, I have a very difficult time understanding why any company would even consider cutting costs in the very area that has the power to make employees and, ultimately, their company the best they can be.

Suggested reading: http://www.scilearn.com/blog/prosody-matters-reading-aloud-with-expression