[GUI Plugin] TTS to MP3: Create MP3 audiobook using Windows TTS

[jackie_w]

This update should be available within the next couple of hours via the normal calibre plugin update system.

• Fix: Saving MP3s to a user-selected directory containing unicode characters should now work
• Fix: Converting multiple books to MP3s simultaneously should now work correctly

[Muskillogemi]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

This update should be available within the next couple of hours via the normal calibre plugin update system.

• Fix: Saving MP3s to a user-selected directory containing unicode characters should now work
• Fix: Converting multiple books to MP3s simultaneously should now work correctly

Now everything works perfectly. Thank you very much Jackie. Greetings

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by Muskillogemi

Now everything works perfectly. Thank you very much Jackie. Greetings

I'm glad to hear it

[Vandelante]

Hello I have been using this plugin and now I would like to be able to use another voice but it is not recognised despite being installed, does anybody know how to get the voice
of Microsoft Raul Es_MX to work with this plugin?

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by Vandelante

Hello I have been using this plugin and now I would like to be able to use another voice but it is not recognised despite being installed, does anybody know how to get the voice
of Microsoft Raul Es_MX to work with this plugin?

The problem is that when you install new MS Voices they are not necessarily installed in all the parts of the Windows registry that you might like to have them available. Have a look at post #2 in this thread for some background info and screenshots.

If you're using Windows 10 I might be able to talk you through it but only if you're comfortable using the Windows regedit utility to extract information from your Windows registry. If you think you can do that, I also need to know:

1. can you see any MS Raul es_mx data files somewhere within this directory on your C: drive? See first screenshot in post #2.
   

   C:\Windows\Speech_OneCore\Engines\TTS\

   They are probably in a subdirectory (possibly es-MX ???)
2. are you using calibre 64-bit or calibre 32-bit?

[dunhill]

Since calibre can read aloud on both windows and linux, will it be possible to make your plugin work on linux?

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by dunhill

Since calibre can read aloud on both windows and linux, will it be possible to make your plugin work on linux?

I suppose it's possible that it might now be more technically feasible than it used to be but I'm not a Linux user (nor a Mac user, in case anyone asks) so have no way to experiment/test myself to assess the size of the task. As it stands all the plugin's calls to do the speech basics are using Windows-specific utilities, i.e.

• record speech to WAV and/or speak aloud (calibre's ISpVoice from calibre_extensions.winsapi)
• convert WAV to MP3 (lame.exe is Windows only)

It would need a Linux expert with an interest and with calibre plugin experience to volunteer their time/effort to make any progress at all.

[kovidgoyal]

calibre uses speech dispatcher on linux, and speech dispatcher cannot record speech to files. On macOS however, it can be done.

[Fiat_Lux]

Originally Posted by dunhill

Since calibre can read aloud on both windows and linux, will it be possible to make your plugin work on linux?

At one point I had a shell script that used eBook Reader, and audacity (I think), to convert eBooks to audio books. I ended up having to spend too much time cleaning up the eBook, for the result to be listenable. Even then, the synthetic voice could be aggravating.

The core of the script was something along the lines of

ebookreader $1 > audacity  $1.mp3

called as

sh ebook2audio.sh example.epub

[Vandelante]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

The problem is that when you install new MS Voices they are not necessarily installed in all the parts of the Windows registry that you might like to have them available. Have a look at post #2 in this thread for some background info and screenshots.

If you're using Windows 10 I might be able to talk you through it but only if you're comfortable using the Windows regedit utility to extract information from your Windows registry. If you think you can do that, I also need to know:

1. can you see any MS Raul es_mx data files somewhere within this directory on your C: drive? See first screenshot in post #2.
   

   C:\Windows\Speech_OneCore\Engines\TTS\

   They are probably in a subdirectory (possibly es-MX ???)
2. are you using calibre 64-bit or calibre 32-bit?

Hey there, thanks for your answer, I tried following the directions of post #2 unfortunately I think something is still missing.

I can see the files located there and I'm using calibre 32-bit althought my windows is 64-bit.

[Vandelante]

Originally Posted by Vandelante

Hey there, thanks for your answer, I tried following the directions of post #2 unfortunately I think something is still missing.

I can see the files located there and I'm using calibre 32-bit althought my windows is 64-bit.

UPDATE: I managed to install by adding the registry of the voice to the folder located at:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\ SPEECH\Voices\Tokens

Thanks

[jackie_w]

Sorry, Vandelante, I somehow missed your UPDATE to the original post. Perhaps we cross-posted. Anyway, I'm glad you got it working.

Originally Posted by Vandelante

Hey there, thanks for your answer, I tried following the directions of post #2 unfortunately I think something is still missing.

I can see the files located there and I'm using calibre 32-bit althought my windows is 64-bit.

But you haven't answered the most basic question I asked 11 days ago:

If you're using Windows 10 I might be able to talk you through it but only if you're comfortable using the Windows regedit utility to extract information from your Windows registry. If you think you can do that...

Solving your problem cannot be done without using Windows regedit to export existing registry data about the installed Raul Voice. This export then needs to be manually edited (in a simple text editor) then re-run to add the Raul Voice data to a different part of your Windows registry.

This is Windows registry hacking and should not be done unless you're entirely comfortable with regedit and is not risk-free if you make any mistakes in the manual editing.

I can give step-by-step detail about what needs to be done but it would have to be undertaken at your own risk. I'm not able to guess your technical ability from anything you've posted so far.

By the way, post #2 doesn't contain any directions, it's just background information relevant to your problem.

[b00kiest]

So, first off. Regedit and me are like frenemies I love to mess with it and it mostly goes along to humor me.
Secondly, i dearly miss my Mac Air. So many better voices all included with the OS. No fancy work to get books read to me other than ripping the epub to text.

If you'd kindly post what we need to change in the registry to get the most voices that would be lovely.

If there's any places where one can get more voices that don't require the first born, gold teeth, or soul, I'd be forever grateful.

I have to say when I found this plugin I teared up (happily) as I had mostly given up on listening to most of my books until I could afford to buy another Apple computer. Thanks to the current state of affairs it could be some time.

Anyhow, Happy Monday & MLK day,
Bookiest

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by b00kiest

If you'd kindly post what we need to change in the registry to get the most voices that would be lovely.

It will take a while and it's a bit late tonight. If you check back here in 24 hours I should have posted something.

Originally Posted by b00kiest

If there's any places where one can get more voices that don't require the first born, gold teeth, or soul, I'd be forever grateful.

If the Microsoft Voices aren't what you like, as far as I know the only way of getting more is with cold, hard cash, I'm afraid. Still, as an Apple user you'll probably be used to that. I bought my Ivona, Acapela, Nuance and AT&T Windows Voices via the NextUp company where I'd originally bought the TextAloud app 15 years ago. I like the Ivona Voices best but don't know how they would compare with a Mac's built-in Voices.

[b00kiest]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

It will take a while and it's a bit late tonight. If you check back here in 24 hours I should have posted something.
_____
No rush, I won't have time again until the weekend.
--------

If the Microsoft Voices aren't what you like, as far as I know the only way of getting more is with cold, hard cash, I'm afraid. Still, as an Apple user you'll probably be used to that. I bought my Ivona, Acapela, Nuance and AT&T Windows Voices via the NextUp company where I'd originally bought the TextAloud app 15 years ago. I like the Ivona Voices best but don't know how they would compare with a Mac's built-in Voices.

____

Well yes, Mac can be costlier however in my Mac Air (1st ed). I had builtin if I recall approximately 10 voices to chose and were a far above quality: from British, Irish, Indian, Australian both Male and Female so that I could choose what type of mood to set per book, series etc. The qualityIt was a rude awakening that in windows you have nothing easily set to do TTS and then once you can get it figured out you are left with David and Hazel and even at that often you're stuck with just one or the other for no reasonable explanation other than someone at windows is either thinking someone can cash in on it or are very short sighted.

--

Anyhow, I'll settle for the ones builtin for now and see how things pan out this year with things. I may just replace the HD in my Air since I can't give up the windows computer due to work and compatibility etc.
__
Thanks again,

Bookiest