What is great about the software is it can read your news, sports and weather, just as you have written it out loud in a voice other than your own.
You can choose the voice, male or female and can control the pitch or speed to which it is read.
I have used it to read artilces I have created with text borrowed from wikipedia that tells stories about various rock group's history.
I have edited texts regarding the Beatles rise to fame and their demise when John and Paul started having control issues and thus the break up of the band. I always credited those who I borrowed information from, but also added my own personal wording to make most of the story my own words.
Software like Balabolka makes it sound like you have a woman on the team, or if you prefer, a male. And Hey, they work for nothing. Ain't that an added bonus?
The program can read a text file over the air, or it can create an audio file of it in several formats, such as an MP3 file.
I'll create a topic over at the ALPB when I can get Bob to host my files for public download for the time and weather, the files take up a lot of space and would be a big download for email servers. Having them zipped up at an FTP server is the best way to share them.
Bruce.
I would like to set up both methods... MrBruce's method and Artisan Radio's method, and have two different voice simulators so the station sounds like it has an entire staff.
Man oh man, Part 15 is a great peacetime tool while the losers in high government are blowing things up with their old system. I'm not sure why I brought that into it.
I'll have to look into it, but there was a program I tried as a trial program that worked along with zara radio and automatically updated the weather mp3 file with new weather from weather underground for your chosen location.
I think you mean "Weather Watcher" http://www.singerscreations.com/WeatherWatcherLive/ .. they now charge $19 a year for it, however you can still use one of their earlier versions for free, the only difference I've noticed is that the newer version incorperates more individual weather stations for a given area, whereas with the earlier free versions, you might have to utlize the weather data from a station 30 miles from you.
Mram has a link to the earlier free version at his website: http://mram.50webs.com/index_files/page4.htm
Rich Powers many thanks to you for saving me on this one. You have the correct name, I believe I deleted the email from the program publisher, because at a quick glance, I did not see it but then again I have thousands of old emails I really need to delete.
The program is called "Weather Watcher"
The publisher emailed me asking why I did not purchase his program after running the trial, I told him my station was in hiatus (now defuncted) and I had not had a chance to actually use it on air.
He seemed concerned and I took that as if he cared if I liked it or not and why.
Bruce.
Thinking about digital voices, I've heard some pretty realistic ones on the air lately, and as speech on phones and computers. There's a radio station that has an auto DJ that's a sexy sounding Brit female voice, and you have to listen kind of close to tell she's a robot.
When listening to a TIS traveler station today, it was running a NOAA, National Weather Service feed, which sounded like it was using some very old speech software, that I've heard on 25 year old weather recordings on youtube and things. I couldn't believe they were still using those old programs, the speech was all choppy, and hard to understand some of the native place names.
I can put together something for an upcoming ALPB meeting.
The FCC says this is not permitted: "When listening to a TIS traveler station today, it was running a NOAA, National Weather Service feed, which sounded like it was using some very old speech software..."
I thought TIS was allowed to rebroadcast NOAA? Thats literally all I've ever heard a TIS do. (In North Texas / Oklahoma thats ALL they do is NOAA 24/7)
ONLY if there is a threat to life and property.
LINK: http://www.theradiosource.com/resources/permitted-content.htm
Now that's interesting wdcx.. I was using an analogue radio in the back yard and couldn't tell what frequency it was, just upper band. I get great pickup out there away from the computer and power lines, so I was "dxing". It was weak, but I could clearly hear every word.
I thought it was a TIS, and remembered when our local TIS had run the same weather feed at times, maybe when during weather events, so I just assumed it was that. I listened for over 10 minutes and never heard an ID. There were no known weather events in my area.
I'll have to check today and see if it's still there and see if I can catch an ID, maybe we have a Parth 15 station in the area and they're running it as a PSA, which I'd heard of stations doing on the off hours. It would be great if it was a p15, I haven't heard one since our outdoor movie theater had an am station for their movie audio.
Well, I guess this is another thing the FCC doesn't enforce. The TIS I can hear is NOAA 24/7 with an occasional and rare ID.
I think your all reading something wrong..
I read it to specifically be permitted content to air.. I see nothing saying it's only in inimate danger circumstances
I'm almost certain it's a TIS, the signal is penetrating and strong enough in the area, and it's on a frequency that had been a TIS in the past, and it had been off for a while I think. I haven't heard an ID so far, but haven't listened for too long.
I'm wondering why other road dept. TIS'ses in the area aren't all running the weather? That would be more useful than the test loops and to stay tuned during road work for related information and an ID. Outside I can get for 2 miles well, out to about 3.5 miles and then they're toast, in and out going under power lines and bridges. It would be nice to have a weather station in the car, and wish this kind of service was allowed for community broadcasting with 10 watts or an individual, family or org, that's a 5 mile circle.
Sorry if that's way off target for the thread, I'll bring it back home, it kind of is, in that it's about permitted content on the air. I think it's a good idea to play old recordings, there's so much unheard and good old stuff out there.
A part 15 follower and correspondent from Hratford Connecticut informed the KDX Newsroom they were listening to the newly re-launched Artisan Radio and said, "It sounds very good, I like the music and the synthetic voice is really good."
When it's good people find it.
I'm adding songs to the playlist every day. It's probably at 10-20% of where it will be when I'm finished. And then, it's on to figuring out how to produce the classical shows.