eSpeak to convert text to speech

In general, we can say that eSpeak is an application written in open-source C that allows transforming the text into a voice file. In short, it works as a synthesizer.

The application can be installed in multiple operating systems such as Windows, Linux and macOS. However, in Linux there is a fork called eSpeak NG that was born with the aim of facilitating the compilation for unix systems.

eSpeak is quite a wonder. In the first place, because it supports many languages including the most spoken as English, Cantonese, Japanese and others. Also because the audio quality is quite good and is very reliable in its target.

One aspect to keep in mind the application is that it is a tool purely used in the terminal. So you have to get to work on it. But do not worry the community has developed a graphical interface for the program called gespeaker.

So, let us install it.

Install eSpeak on Ubuntu 20.04 / 18.04 / Linux Mint 19/20

A great advantage is that eSpeak is an application that is available in the official repositories of Ubuntu- So to install it, just use the following command:

:~$ sudo apt install espeak

Once installed, it will be ready for action. If you don’t want to use eSpeak from the temrinal, you can install gespeaker which is a graphical interface for the application.

:~$ sudo apt install gespeaker

And now you can use the application.

Install eSpeak on CentOS 7 / CentOS 8

In the case of CentOS 7 and 8, they are also available in the official repositories. So as a root user you run some of these commands depending on which version of CentOS you are running:

For CentOS 7:

:~$ su 
:~# yum install espeak 

But if you use CentOS 8:

:~$ su
:~# dnf install espeak

This way, you will have the application running.

Basic use of eSpeak

The most basic way to use eSpeak through the console is with the following syntax:

:~$ espeak "[text_to_convert]" -w [output_file] -g [x] -p [x] -s [x] -v [language]

I’ll explain briefly. First we invoke the command and pass it the text we want it to “read”. With the -w option we simply point to the path of the output file. The -g option is used to set the pause time between words. -p defines the pitch. To define the reading time we use the option -s and finally we set the language of the reading.

An example would be the following:

:~$ espeak "Hello welcome to osradar" -w /tmp/output.wav -g 10 -p 80 -s 100 -v en-uk

Then, open the file with VLC or another media player.

If you want to use the graphical interface, just install it. This is how it looks.

And enjoy it.

The post How to install eSpeak on CentOS 8 / Ubuntu 20.04 / 18.04? appeared first on Linux Windows and android Tutorials.

The tests of this function began in september. Basically the novelty consists in the use of voice in the text fields. In this way, it would not be necessary to type but to dictate what you want to search. In tools such as the file searcher this function is highly useful.

How would it work?

First, the user grants new permissions to Windows. Specifically the activation of speech recognition. This option can be chosen in configuration in the Voice section. Also by pressing Windows+H combination. Later, in the text spaces a widget will appear. With it you can manage the function of using voice command.

New voice command functions

Certainly, the use of voice commands is an existing function. However, this update would mean an optimization of that function. Because it includes interesting features. Especially 2 stand out:

• Auto Score

With this option the system will place punctuation marks on the text. Only using the intonation of the user’s voice. Goodbye to meaningless and badly written texts. Commas, dots, and following will appear automatically.

• More precise searches

Another novelty that stands out is the search by means of the voice in a more precise way

More permits

Despite the attractiveness of this feature, it has its disadvantages. Particularly with the option of more precise searches. Because building this tool would mean greater Windows access to user data. However, the Redmond people are committed to user confidence.

“Your everyday use of voice typing could make Microsoft’s online speech tech more accurate for everyone who speaks your language. If you decide to contribute your voice clips, some of these clips will be reviewed by Microsoft employees and vendors,” 

Windows Team

It is expected that this novelty will be available soon in more devices. Currently the option is available in some languages and regions. For example, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin. Also, in countries like the United States, Brazil, France, United Kingdom and India. Also, it will probably arrive definitely with the next big update of Windows 10.

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