Resolved by CochranRobotics!
Hey guys.
I have asked this question in another thread, but I decided to create a new "assistance required" thread as my issue relates to Windows 8, where as the other thread was really related to Windows 7, plus I'm still having problems. I really hope someone can help with this.
The issue
I'm in the middle of a transition from moving from a Win 7 to Win 8 laptop, and I'm having a real pain in the butt issue using speech synthesis voices with the new Windows 8 machine and new ARC install.
As Richard may remember, I mentioned in the other thread that I copied the .exe file for a Cepstral voice from my Win 7 machine, reinstalled it on to the Win 8 laptop, and added the activation key. The voice worked on Narrator and other 3rd party apps such as screen readers, but it never worked on ARC so I thought that was the problem. I have since reset the laptop back to the "Out of the box" state, and started again.
My new Windows 8 Toshiba Satellite laptop comes with three pre-installed voices, but only one of them works with ARC. I have installed a fresh version of a trial Cepstral voice and a 30 day trial of an Ivona voice, and neither one works with ARC either.
I have tried each and every variation of the "Speech synthesis" settings for each voice and they have made no difference whatsoever, and keeps using the one Windows voice. The only thing that does change is the "Rate".
Have any of you guy's faced this issue with Windows 8, and/or does anyone know what can be done so I can use the voices I want to use? I really want to get this working and I don't see why I'm having these problems, as using Cepstral with ARC on Windows 7 was no problem at all. Please help. confused
Many thanks.
Steve.
Hmm.. they don't have a trial license. Hate to spend $40 USD just to test, although if it works, the Giles voice is close to what I want for my K9 (1899).
Alan
@Alan.
It's a 64 bit system, as is the Win 7 laptop. I've just got home so I will try reinstalling ARC, but I don't hold out much hope as I think I tried this before, before I reset the laptop.
But thinking about it this goes back to what I said earlier in post #7. Before I installed the two 3rd party voices I tried selecting all three Microsoft voices with various settings and could only use one if them, so I don't see a reinstall making any difference. confused
I agree. I am duplicating this on two different machines, one 32 bit and one 64 bit, and the 32 bit machine is a couple of releases behind in ARC versions, so I am pretty sure this is an ARC issue.
I also tried changing my regional settings to Canada on one of the machines since Richard R says it works for him, and certainly it has worked at least in the past for DJ (he has been on Windows 8 since the tech preview), but that didn't help.
Alan
Ok, did some tests... The only issue I seem to have is that Hazel and Zira have the same voice... I can switch between all the voices, though... So with exception of the Hazel/Zira problem I have no trouble changing voices within ARC... I did notice I have to set the voice as female if using a female voice and male if using a male voice...
And hazel has a british accent for you? for me, when I select Hazel, it is really the female version of David (US English accent) but in Windows Hazel is a UK English accent and Zira is a different US female voice completely.
however this gives some hope that maybe the Cereproc voices work. Need to decide if I want to spend that money on a chance they do, when the Cepstral voices are half the price.
Alan
Thanks for testing and replying guys. Ok, so I have removed and reinstalled ARC, no change. I have also changed the Regonal setting to US (worth a shot), no change. I have also set one of the 3rd party voices to the TTS default voice, yep, you guessed it, no change. It continually uses Hazel and nothing else. This is getting a little frustrating now as you can imagine. mad
No Hazel and Zira seem to have an American accent... This is within ARC... I'll check windows and see if the accent changes...
Ok so Hazel has an English accent outside of ARC, however Hazel has an American accent within ARC (which is the same as Zira's)? So to add to the confusion, Zira's voice is the same inside and outside of ARC (American)... confused David and William (Cereproc) are as normal inside and outside of ARC...