How to add the Speech Synthesis Settings robot skill
- Load the most recent release of ARC (Get ARC).
- Press the Project tab from the top menu bar in ARC.
- Press Add Robot Skill from the button ribbon bar in ARC.
- Choose the Audio category tab.
- Press the Speech Synthesis Settings icon to add the robot skill to your project.
Don't have a robot yet?
Follow the Getting Started Guide to build a robot and use the Speech Synthesis Settings robot skill.
How to use the Speech Synthesis Settings robot skill
Use this robot skill to adjust the speech settings and audio effects for spoken speech synthesis that uses Audio.say() and Audio.sayEZB() commands on EZB index #0.
This robot skill does not affect other speech synthesis robot skills, such as Azure Text To Speech. This robot skill only modifies the built-in Windows Speech Synthesis voices triggered using the scripting Audio.say() or Audio.sayEZB() commands. The audio commands use the built-in Windows speech system, which is quite limited and does not sound natural. It is quite robotic, therefore this speech settings option allows making very robotic voices by adding effects to the already robotic voice. If you want your robot to have a natural human voice, use a robot skill such as the Azure Text-to-Speech. However, if you want your robot to have a robotic voice, use the built-in speech synthesis (Audio.say()) and alter the voice using this robot skill.
Main Window
1. Voice Drop-down
This drop-down contains a selection of installed voices.
2. Emphasis Drop-down
This drop-down contains a selection of speech emphasis levels.
3. Rate Drop-down
This drop-down contains a selection of speeds for the emphasis of speech. Do note that the "Rate" will have no effect unless "Emphasis" is configured to "Not set."
4. Volume Slider
This slider sets the volume percentage for the text-to-speech output (1-100% range).
5. Speed Effect
This uses a bit-stretching algorithm to resample the audio speech, which can speed up or slow it down. This provides some neat effects. A value of 50, for example, will be half of the original speed. A value of 100 is the original speed. A value higher than 100 will increase the speed.
5. Effects
The effects section has several built-in effects for the audio speech. Some effects will alter the pitch, add delay, or even aa dd flanger. You can customize speech voices to have different effects using the effects for the speech synthesis settings robot skill.
6. Copy Values To Script
Creates a script of ControlCommand for every effect parameter that has been modified. Even though the effect settings are saved with a project, this will give you insight into how to adjust the values programmatically. Pressing this button will copy the generated script to your clipboard. Pasting these control commands into an init script allows you to adjust or restore the desired custom speech settings.
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Hi DJ, just wondering why I can't get those extra effect sliders on my speech synthesis settings? I only get a small window with voice select, rate and volume no options at all for effects? Does it only come with subscription plan of Arc?....Edit..No big deal as I tried the Aimlbot skill again just using default david voice but then output that to my Cylonix voice program,sounds very clear and understandable. I see I do have an option to use my Oculus headset microphone and speakers, will try setting that up for the Bing speech.
Hey Robo Rad, What extra sliders are you talking about. Have you tried looking in the other tabs near the top? In DJ's video in one of the other threads he was in the Superpitch tab. That's where he was able to change the pitch.
I haven't tried this skill yet. I was just watching his video and notices all the other setting tabs.
Ya Dave if you see that main window above where it says effects with chorus and all the other effects, I am missing that whole window so I cant do anything except volume ,rate and change personality voice just basic tiny window. I was wondering how did DJ get that cool distortion from the default david voice, LOL! I have never seen that bigger settings part ever.With Chorus and all those sliders I could really do some cool mods to voices, I think I have latest version of arc, says 2022 02.22.00 I think was the version I downloaded a few days ago? as the free version of ARC so I thought it may only be a better one in the Subscription version?
@Athena volume is not adjustable. The numeric value changes but the volume remains at 100. Hardware EZ-B IoTiny. Causes and how to fix the problem?
@FANT0MAS, I apologize for any confusion. The volume slider in the Speech Synthesis Settings skill should adjust the volume of the text-to-speech output. If you're experiencing an issue where the volume remains at 100 regardless of the numeric value, there could be a few potential causes.
First, please ensure that you have the latest version of ARC installed. You mentioned that you have version 2022 02.22.00, which should be the latest version as of now.
If you're still experiencing the issue, it's possible that there may be a bug or compatibility issue with your specific hardware (EZ-B IoTiny). In this case, I recommend reaching out to the Synthiam support team directly for further assistance. They can help troubleshoot the issue and provide any necessary updates or fixes. You can contact them through the support section on the Synthiam website.
I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, and I hope you're able to resolve the volume adjustment issue soon.
I am a customer support GPT-powered AI and still learning. If you have doubts about my response, please use the support documentation to verify my answer.
@Athena how can I change the default speed parameter? 100 is to slow for my computer
@pardilav, you can adjust the speed of the speech synthesis in the Speech Synthesis Settings skill in ARC. The "Speed Effect" slider allows you to adjust the speed of the speech. A value of 50, for example, will be half of the original speed. A value of 100 is the original speed. A value higher than 100 will increase the speed.
Please note that this uses a bit stretching algorithm to resample the audio speech, which can speed up or slow it down. Using this provides some neat effects.
If you need further assistance, you can refer to the support section on the Synthiam website.
I am a customer support GPT-powered AI and still learning. If you have doubts about my response, please use the support documentation to verify my answer.
Hi, how can I change the default speed parameter? 100 is to slow for my computer and always I need to change it manually. Thanks in advance.
Two things about that...
You can adjust the "rate" which will change the speed. This can be set using a controlcommand
You can adjust the speed but it doesn't seem to save. And i noticed there isn't a ControlCommand for it. So, i'll have to put that in for an update. Stay tuned
Thanks DJ for the prompt reply.
I should add there is a difference between the speed and rate setting.
The speed uses an algorithm to stretch or compress audio without changing the pitch. It’s done as an effect and not native to the speech synthesis engine
the rate is a parameter built into the speech synthesis engine. Some voices may be produced differently because it’ll be part of the synthesis.