nice, clean, simple. I do love storylines text-to-speech feature. I haven't used it yet in a course because I've been working on a 6-10 hour course program and think the feature would work best in shorter courses and/or micro learning samples
I am working on a new module and can use this feature. Thanks for sharing. I am all about finding ways to save time and still deliver a quality training.
Hi Alice! There are voices for almost 30 languages (including several dialects) and each of those languages comes in multiple voice styles, some sound older, younger, some are male, female. I invite you to try them out in the 60-day free trial of Storyline 360: https://360.articulate.com/
Hi Nicole. I've found that there are only 3 voices that are available for the English (United Kingdom) option. They are very monotone and make the course sound dull. Are there any other options available or do you know of any free sites that offer text to speech that are compatible with Storyline 360? Thanks
I use Storyline 3 and find that the recording voice and simple editing tools are quick and easy to use in my interactives. It also means I am using voices of the SMEs and they are recognised by the users so this adds authenticity to the work.
The biggest task in using voice is getting the SMEs to script what they want to say first so the recording is very quick to do. You cannot do this without the words written down, a lesson well learnt.
Scenarios are a great way to learn and staff like them as well.
Thanks for sharing.
Personally, I don't prefer a robotic voice and I suspect it could turn off learners. If you're on a tight budget and have a decent ability to read with good inflection and tone, invest in a $50 mic like a Blue Snowball, and be the voice over talent yourself.
I, too, do my own recordings and use a Blue Snowball. Here's the fun part: for the best sound quality, I use a Rubbermaid box, padded with foam that I think is really sold for a bed, I stick the Blue Snowball inside it, put my head in to record...and the pièce de ré·sis·tance: I do all my recordings in my walk-in closet. I tell the folks in the office I'm doing recordings at home, but they have no idea what I do when I get there. :o)
I use TTS all the time for my courses; however, I find that I have to manipulate TTS to get the desired results. Case in point: Course heading 275. TTS calls it two-hundred seventy-five so I type in two-seven-five to get the desired result. The same is true for certain acronyms like AWEA (American Wind Energy Association), which is pronounced aWEEah. The TTS voice of Matthew doesn't sound as robotic as the other voices. I still think this is one neat feature and will continue to use it.
Thanks for your comment and insights! That's a good point that sometimes you need to manipulate the text a bit to get the speech to sound exactly how you want it to. That would be a great topic for an article! Thanks for the idea! :)
Most TTS generators have a tool for customizing pronunciation without altering spelling
I’m not sure where it is in SL
Maybe someone from Articulate can chime in
Sent from my iPhone
Chuckle. I use TTS as a first step. I also use phonetics to make the pronunciation correct. In one scenario on obesity, I said the character was eating peanut M&Ms. I had to write it as M and emz (in order to get the sound correct).
I'd like to learn better, so, is that an automated voice? it is becoming more natural. Cool! Also, is it available only in English, I guess. About the pictures (I mean the patients and the nurse) are they part of a picture bank is it included in Storyline?
Hi Vitor! Thanks for your questions.
Yes, it is an automated voice, it's done using Storyline's Text-to-Speech feature. There are voices for almost 30 languages (including several dialects) and each of those languages comes in both male/female voices.
Yes those photographic characters are part of the Articulate 360 subscription, in our Content Library (which is a library of 3 million assets including photos, characters, videos, and more)
I invite you to try the TTS feature and the characters using a 60-day free trial of Storyline 360: https://360.articulate.com/
Personally I find the voice to text application too artificial and mechanical. They have their use in non-native languages but language options are limited. Sound if the most important aspect of video presentation. I'd rather take the time to narrate a presentation.
The thing about the voice to text.. you have that to use when you don't have someone willing to record for you. I'm fortunate in that I can use voice to text to build the basics. Then when showing the scene/slides to my team - they have something to work with and we have time to get the recordings done in house or through a service.
Nicole,
Thanks for sharing this. I was looking for more ways to design scenarios and I really like this presentation. I will be using it as a model for an upcoming CBL. Keep the medical examples coming!
Mike
Hello, is it possible to share this template with me? I love this! Prime example of impactful learning without all the onscreen text! Less is more in many instances!
I'm really liking the TTS for the review process on a course I'm currently working on. I don't want to take the time to record narration that will have to be re-done if my reviewers want different verbiage. But I just don't know if I can get past the robotic tone for the final product. I purchased the Samson Go mic after reading reviews that it was a good mic for the price and used it for another course, but I wasn't impressed. Sounds like I should have gotten the Blue Snowball!
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