computer generated text-to-speech
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Does it comply with the Librivox mission statement for someone to run Gutenberg (or any PD) texts through a Text-to-Speech program and upload them to Librivox? Or do sections have to be recorded by an actual person? I ask this because some sections I have listened to definitely sound computer generated. Is there any way to test this?
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Hope is patience with the lamp lit.
-- Tertullian
Hope is patience with the lamp lit.
-- Tertullian
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No, it is not LV's mission to use computer generated voices. We use real people, even some that speak somewhat robotically. 

We're MARCHing to the finish line! Join our project cleanup month initiative. Details HERE
But it is a good question. Can a suspicious file be tested to see if it is a text-to-speech generated file? It would be tragic if all our personal efforts could be thwarted by computer generated audio files. Is there anything in our mission statement deterring that?
Michele Fry, CC
"There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away, Nor any coursers like a page of prancing poetry." ~ Emily Dickinson
Love Stories #4
Coffee Break Collection #30 - Mythical Creatures
"There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away, Nor any coursers like a page of prancing poetry." ~ Emily Dickinson
Love Stories #4
Coffee Break Collection #30 - Mythical Creatures
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I am delighted to hear that LV does not condone computer generated files.
Suppose that some files are found whose contents *ARE* convincingly "synthetic".
What would be done about them? And with the person who tried to pawn them off a "real" voice recordings?
Is there a policy for that situation?
-- just curious
Suppose that some files are found whose contents *ARE* convincingly "synthetic".
What would be done about them? And with the person who tried to pawn them off a "real" voice recordings?
Is there a policy for that situation?
-- just curious
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Hope is patience with the lamp lit.
-- Tertullian
Hope is patience with the lamp lit.
-- Tertullian
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I can envision an unfortunate soul of diminished self-worth who would like to brag that he has had over 400 items accepted on LibriVox. "His ego makes him do it!"
Or, more kindly, I can envision a throat cancer survivor who is able to "talk" only with the use of an electronic larynx. These devices work by emitting a square-wave "carrier" tone (a buzz sound) and then modulating it with what's left of any vocal chords. That ever present monotone BUZZ tone is one give away that an electronic device is producing the words.
Lastly, I can envision a reader who is bored silly by the proofing and editing process for their recorded files. If he let's the computer do it, then it will be "word perfect" every time, you see. A lot of meaning of the text normally imparted thru intonation and inflection will be totally lost; the rhyming of poems would be hardly noticeable, but every single word will have been included as written.
A last comment: I asked Mr. Google what free programs or websites were available to produce speech files from text files (Text-to-Speech).
I found 84 of them. And, these were the FREE sources.
I am delighted that a friend turned me on to Librivox. I am spreading the word like crazy among all my friends. Keep up the good work!
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Hope is patience with the lamp lit.
-- Tertullian
Hope is patience with the lamp lit.
-- Tertullian
Does LibriVox discriminate against zombies?

Be kind. Be interesting. Be useful. Morality ain't hard.--Jack Butler, Living in Little Rock with Miss Little Rock
Well... But then again, PP & Zombies won't be PD for a long time to come. Would make a great DR, I'm sure.


Text-to-speech programs don't always pronounce everything correctly (especially names, but also words with multiple pronunciations like 'read'). Most of them have a very similar rhythm, too (they're not necessarily monotone, though). Unless they have some expensive commercial text-to-speech software, it should be easy to identify which ones are really text-to-speech (by recognizing whichever voice is used). I've personally never heard a LibriVox recording that sounded like text-to-speech to me (and although I've listened to many of them, it's been some few years since I did that). Also, they would probably mispronounce LibriVox. They also don't handle some strange characters in texts very well.williamjones wrote: ↑July 25th, 2018, 6:59 pm… Lastly, I can envision a reader who is bored silly by the proofing and editing process for their recorded files. If he let's the computer do it, then it will be "word perfect" every time, you see. A lot of meaning of the text normally imparted thru intonation and inflection will be totally lost; the rhyming of poems would be hardly noticeable, but every single word will have been included as written.
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You could prove that recordings are text-to-speech by reproducing the exact same text-to-speech audio files.
I listen to text-to-speech regularly for some things with the voices available on the Kindle Fire HD 8 (6th edition).
Last edited by Lushnam on January 18th, 2019, 1:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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We have a Prime Minister that some have described as a Zombie ... (Not that i necessarily agree).
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once upon a time my husband and I tried to listen to a free audiobook of Frankenstein that he'd found on Spotify, and it was obviously recorded by a machine-- the cadence and timing were all wonky and it was insufferable to listen to. I told husband that we should've gone to LV first! (and we did ultimately listen to one of our versions)Lushnam wrote: ↑January 18th, 2019, 5:40 amText-to-speech programs don't always pronounce everything correctly (especially names, but also words with multiple pronunciations like 'read'). Most of them have a very similar rhythm, too (they're not necessarily monotone, though). Unless they have some expensive commercial text-to-speech software, it should be easy to identify which ones are really text-to-speech (by recognizing whichever voice is used).
as DPL for some poetry a while back, I once had one reader on the project raise suspicions about whether another's recording was human or not. I'm sure it will get harder and harder to always be able to tell. it is good to know that there is at least some method of proving it. but does anyone at LV really have the time to vet suspicious recordings and find proof by trying to replicate them? that sounds impractical.
'whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong.' -Oscar Wilde
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