If you have been looking for ways to add personality to the projects that you are working on. Or if you only want a unique voice, synthetic voice creation is something that will interest you. This is the process of converting texts into audio clips that sound like real human beings. In this post, we are going to share with you some of the best ways that you can use artificial intelligence to create synthetic technology. Without further ado, let’s get started!
Meaning and history of synthetic voice
As we said earlier, a synthetic voice is a voice that has been created artificially by using sophisticated technology. The voice does not exist in reality. A computer does its magic and you get an audio clip from your texts. While you might think that this is a new technology, synthetic voice creation has been here for the longest time. The first speech synthesizers were created back in the 1800s. While they did the conversion task well, the voices were robotic, mechanical, and unrealistic. Over the years, technology experts have done a lot to take it where it is right now. Today you can use an essay reader out loud to save time when reading an essay in college. Back in the 50s, the first computer that generated the speech system was developed by Bell Labs. And it could create voices that were quite realistic. This technology created the first synthetic voice popularly known as the computer.
Since that day, this technology has been evolving at a rapid rate. Today, there are many ways of creating these voices. One of the most popular methods is the use of artificial intelligence to create a persona. It involves creating a copy of a real human’s voice and using it to generate other voices.
How does this process work?
In the speech synthesis process, there are three main stages namely:
1. Text to words
This is the first stage of the speech synthesis process. Most people refer to it as normalization or preprocessing. It involves eliminating ambiguity by focusing on the many ways that the individual can read a piece. This process involves going through the text and cleaning it up so that the computer makes fewer mistakes when it reads it. Elements such as dates, abbreviations, numbers, and special characters have to be turned into words. This process is not as easy as it sounds. But thanks to technological experts, it happens seamlessly.
2. Words to phonemes
After figuring out the words that will be spoken, the speech synthesizer is supposed to come up with sounds that make up the words. Every gadget needs an alphabetical list and information on how to pronounce words. Every word has a list of phonemes that make it up. If the computer has a word dictionary and phonemes, all it has to do is read the word, look it up on the list and read the corresponding phonemes.
3. Phonemes to sound
The third stage involves converting phonemes into sound. So, how does the computer find phonemes that it reads aloud as it turns text into speech? There are a few approaches:
- Use recordings of a real human being to say the phonemes
- The computer generates phonemes by coming up with sound frequencies
- Imitation of the human voice technique
Benefits of synthesized speech
Imagine this:
You have a pile of papers on your desk that need to be read. You have been thinking of recording an audiobook for some time now. However, you don’t seem to have the time to go through everything. It can be frustrating because you can do an amazing job reading it. You know that your work will help thousands of people across the world. However, the one precious asset that is not on your side is time. You wonder if there is an easier way to do this. And then you come across an artificial intelligence-powered software that can clone your voice. All you have to do is read a couple of sentences. That sounds like a great solution to your problem, right? You can create audio of the book without reading it from beginning to end. And then you can release your audiobook on iTunes or Amazon.
From this scenario, we can come up with the following conclusions about the benefits of synthetic voice creation:
- You’ll save a lot of time and create lots of audiobooks without having to read the material
- You can easily create audio files of you speaking about anything
- It’s possible to create natural and realistic voices using artificial intelligence
Here are some of the benefits that you’ll enjoy in the synthetic voice creation process:
1. It is fast
You can create synthetic voice faster compared to using traditional methods of voice recording. You don’t have to spend a lot of time recording yourself as you read the entire text. All you have to do is read a couple of sentences to provide the software with a sample of your voice. And it will do everything else.
2. It is inexpensive
Back in the day, the process of creating a synthetic voice used to be complex and expensive. However, thanks to technological advances in the area of artificial intelligence, you can easily create a high-quality synthetic voice using a sample of your recording. Therefore, it’s more affordable compared to traditional methods of voice recording. You don’t have to pay for equipment or a professional studio. All you need is a technological gadget such as a computer or tablet and a stable internet connection.
3. It is realistic
One of the main benefits of synthetic voice is how wonderfully it can create voices that sound natural. This is because artificial intelligence technology creates voice skins. Using this technology, you can create a digital version of a person’s voice and copy it to create new content. Therefore, if you’ve been looking for a fast, cost-effective, and realistic way to create synthetic voices, you should consider using artificial intelligence technology.
Uses of artificial intelligence speech synthesizers
Speech synthesis software has been growing quite rapidly over the years due to the number of ways that it can be used. More people can afford it. And this makes it appropriate for regular use. It is for:
1. Helping blind people
This technology is used to help blind people read and communicate with each other. Since a blind individual cannot see the length of text when they start listening to the synthesizer, it can be extremely helpful. An underlined or bold text can be given with a change of loudness or intonation.
2. In the education sector
The technology can also be used in the education sector to read an essay out loud. It can be used for a wide range of tasks such as spelling, learning, and pronunciation. Tutors and college students can integrate it with an educational app.
3. Telecommunication and multimedia
For some time now, this technology has been used in various types of telephone inquiry systems. While its application in this field is new, it has saved millions of people a lot of time and energy over the years.
Conclusion
When artificial intelligence is combined with speech synthesis technology, the results are remarkable. You can easily personalize your work and promote your business. As a college student, you can use this technology to study lots of material and stay ahead of others.
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