Comments on: Convert eBooks to MP3 Audio With Spesoft Text to Speech Software http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-make-your-own-audiobooks/ Cool Websites, Software and Internet Tips Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:43:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: sample007 http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-make-your-own-audiobooks/#comment-426392 sample007 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:26:22 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=21640#comment-426392 QUOTE: "If you’d prefer a real person reading the text, then try Librivox. The books there are all read by real people." You don't need real people to do the legwork anymore! The natural voices text-to-speech engines today ARE real people, not robotic sounding. They sound just like a real person (especially the Neospeech engine), with very little distinction. You can test them out by going to www.Neospeech.com Try typing in something and see how it sounds! . QUOTE: “If you’d prefer a real person reading the text, then try Librivox. The books there are all read by real people.”

You don’t need real people to do the legwork anymore! The natural voices text-to-speech engines today ARE real people, not robotic sounding. They sound just like a real person (especially the Neospeech engine), with very little distinction. You can test them out by going to

http://www.Neospeech.com

Try typing in something and see how it sounds!

.

]]> By: sample007 http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-make-your-own-audiobooks/#comment-426237 sample007 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:36:52 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=21640#comment-426237 Great idea! Just so you are aware, there is a company that scans books and converts them to mp3 audiobook using "Neospeech", which is one of the best text-to-speech engines on the market, even better than AT&T's Natural Voices. For a small fee, this company will do all the work for you, and send you the mp3 files. And their prices are fairly cheap; http://www.blueleaf-book-scanning.com They advertise $0.04/page, starting at $14.95. Check them out. Their great! Cheers. Great idea! Just so you are aware, there is a company that scans books and converts them to mp3 audiobook using “Neospeech”, which is one of the best text-to-speech engines on the market, even better than AT&T’s Natural Voices. For a small fee, this company will do all the work for you, and send you the mp3 files. And their prices are fairly cheap;

http://www.blueleaf-book-scanning.com

They advertise $0.04/page, starting at $14.95.

Check them out. Their great!

Cheers.

]]> By: NomDeGuerre http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-make-your-own-audiobooks/#comment-396109 NomDeGuerre Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:48:40 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=21640#comment-396109 Unfortunately, the audiobooks on librivox are read by volunteers, so you will rarely find the quality of recording to be on par with retail audiobooks recorded by professional narrators or voice actors. Although you can't argue with the price, I've had to stop listening to more than one classic from librivox because the reader for a given chapter was either so - monotone - an unintentional parody of themselves - speaking with an incomprehensible accent or - functionally illiterate that it was impossible to enjoy the reading. In some cases, I'd actually prefer the cold, monotone but consistent attempts of AI text-to-speech. Unfortunately, the audiobooks on librivox are read by volunteers, so you will rarely find the quality of recording to be on par with retail audiobooks recorded by professional narrators or voice actors.

Although you can’t argue with the price, I’ve had to stop listening to more than one classic from librivox because the reader for a given chapter was either so
– monotone
– an unintentional parody of themselves
– speaking with an incomprehensible accent or
– functionally illiterate
that it was impossible to enjoy the reading. In some cases, I’d actually prefer the cold, monotone but consistent attempts of AI text-to-speech.

]]> By: Israel Nicolas http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-make-your-own-audiobooks/#comment-395630 Israel Nicolas Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:44:16 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=21640#comment-395630 I use this for proofreading and editing... Good tool! I use this for proofreading and editing… Good tool!

]]> By: Ibrahim http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-make-your-own-audiobooks/#comment-395441 Ibrahim Sun, 26 Jul 2009 22:54:08 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=21640#comment-395441 Thanks for the Librivox pointer - but I will try both anyways (only Librivox for poetry). Thank you guys also for doing the work for us to keep us update on all the wonderful freewares popping up. Thanks for the Librivox pointer – but I will try both anyways (only Librivox for poetry). Thank you guys also for doing the work for us to keep us update on all the wonderful freewares popping up.

]]> By: Guy McDowell http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-make-your-own-audiobooks/#comment-395378 Guy McDowell Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:24:07 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=21640#comment-395378 The process does lose that emotional connection. I agree that the oral tradition is a wonderful component of the human experience, that we seem to be losing. However if we were to take a book, read it out loud to make the audiobook, then there is no time savings there for ourselves. Librivox is a very good fix for that problem though. The process does lose that emotional connection. I agree that the oral tradition is a wonderful component of the human experience, that we seem to be losing.

However if we were to take a book, read it out loud to make the audiobook, then there is no time savings there for ourselves.

Librivox is a very good fix for that problem though.

]]> By: Guy McDowell http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-make-your-own-audiobooks/#comment-395377 Guy McDowell Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:21:23 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=21640#comment-395377 None of my textbooks are in the public domain. However, in writing the article, to explain how to convert a book that isn't already in digital format, I would have had to go through the process of Optical Character Recognition (OCR). That was a bit beyond the scope of the article. None of my textbooks are in the public domain. However, in writing the article, to explain how to convert a book that isn’t already in digital format, I would have had to go through the process of Optical Character Recognition (OCR). That was a bit beyond the scope of the article.

]]> By: Mark O'Neill http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-make-your-own-audiobooks/#comment-395366 Mark O'Neill Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:51:51 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=21640#comment-395366 If you'd prefer a real person reading the text, then try <a href="http://librivox.org" rel="nofollow">Librivox</a>. The books there are all read by real people. If you’d prefer a real person reading the text, then try Librivox. The books there are all read by real people.

]]> By: Ibrahim http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-make-your-own-audiobooks/#comment-395326 Ibrahim Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:12:21 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=21640#comment-395326 What happens to all the emotions, intonations, pauses, duration and pitch variations expressed by humans when reading a story loud and closely portraying the given human interaction/situation in the story. Even humans have to acquire a skill in narration - our ancient oral tradition - to bring the great art into life. I hope it does not produce plain and boring mechanical or robot like sound. What happens to all the emotions, intonations, pauses, duration and pitch variations expressed by humans when reading a story loud and closely portraying the given human interaction/situation in the story. Even humans have to acquire a skill in narration – our ancient oral tradition – to bring the great art into life. I hope it does not produce plain and boring mechanical or robot like sound.

]]> By: Ken http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-make-your-own-audiobooks/#comment-395309 Ken Sat, 25 Jul 2009 20:30:24 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=21640#comment-395309 Hi, Somehow you got lost going from "convert my text books into MP3’s" to "get a good book". How many of the textbooks for your course are on Gutenburg or in the public domain? Ken Hi,
Somehow you got lost going from “convert my text books into MP3’s” to “get a good book”. How many of the textbooks for your course are on Gutenburg or in the public domain?
Ken

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