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I’ve been meaning to post this here for a while.
I’ve completed a series of posts over at the ALPB Forum on automating voiceovers using Text To Speech (TTS) software. They can be found in the Programming Section at http:// thealpb.com
Here’s a little preamble. Most Part 15 broadcasters have a staff of exactly one, and it’s difficult enough to find time to fill out your programming schedule with anything, never mind provide voiceovers. So a lot of the time is filled up with music playlists and no over-the-air ID’s (if you stream, you can send metadata to identify songs/artists, etc.).
I wanted to change that. And I did, in an environment using a Windows computer and Zara as the automation software. But the basic techniques can be applied to practically any environment.
The posts break up the topic into several pieces:
1. Finding the appropriate TTS software and voice,
2. Creating a database of ID’s,
3. Preparing your computer environment, and
4. Implementation.
In the implementation piece, I share the code that I use and go through some examples, including potential issues.
With a reasonable voice (probably the most critical component), the results are pretty good; better, at any rate, than just blindly playing music, which you can do with an iPod or mp3 player.
Questions can be directed to me, either here or at the ALPB site, and I’ll make sure that they, and the answers, get propogated to both Forums.
Total posts : 45366Stuff like this goes in the golden stack of ressources. I haven’t experimented with any of it yet, but look forward to it.
Years ago someone had posted something using scripts and text to speech which did something like your talking about about, but it involved Linux, and later same guy provided another method with only windows, but I found it confusing and never really persued it – But his method did take it to the next level, by automating text to speech weather, what movies playing in local cinemas, gas prices, tides, and other web retreived material.. The idea was impressive, but there was something about it that gave me difficulties, and although I had planned to come back to it, I never did.. http://ibmgeek.shacknet.us/ocho/dj.shtml
Total posts : 45366When I was living and broadcasting on Bowen Island, I automated Ferry Updates. That process was a lot more complicated – I had to scrape the BC Ferries website and pass the data along to a C program, which then manipulated it, and finally executed TTS software to create the update.
The method used in the posts I’ve created are a lot simpler, based mainly on batch files. However, you have to have a complete understanding of what is going on during the process to avoid complications, such as race conditions (all explained in the posts).
I hope they’re of some use to people.
I probably will at some point write a C program to replace the batch files (it’s much easier to manipulate strings in C programs), and come up with a more sophisticated method of storing ID’s (such as in a database), but in the meantime, the method I describe does work.
Total posts : 45366Need to avoid complications, such as race conditions.. Ok, I’ll keep that in mind, but really I’m not the predujice kind.
I always wanted to learn programming but never delved into it, but back in the mid 1970s my high school had a big reel to rell computer with it’s own room, and students could reserve time to use one of the four teletypes on the next room. I did do a lot of programming games on that thing, but it was basic type stuff with variables for possiblities of what might happen next in the game based on the players action…
A few years ago I played around with some free jukebox software called DWJukebox, and while putting it together I found it in a way reminicient of when I programmmed the very simple computer games in high school. Designing the operations of my jukebox was easy once I got the feel of what I was doing, it can be tricky but it’s not difficult.
I know it doesn’t compare writing programs in C, as it’s not complex, but it can be fun if anyone want’s to design their own jukebox. I made three of them, one being part 15 themed, but the only one I can point you to right now was the first one I did which I had upload to the forums there, it’s a multi screen, and multi capabilty, album view version, unlike any of the others designed before. For all the details and/or if you want to download it yourself, its fully operational: http://dwjukebox.com/forum/index.php?topic=946.0
This the wide screen version with a christmas theme I modified for someone
But if you don’t want to build your own there are plenty of predesigned ones to download free: http://dwjukebox.com
Wow.. talk about going off topic..
Total posts : 45366Sorry about that.. Now you can download my skins again, apparently Dropbox changed the “public folder” methods, but the links there will work again..
Here’s direct links:
My original version: https://www.dropbox.com/s/fmpimg9drn50l1p/JukeboxMusician.zip?dl=0
wide screen version (Christmas) https://www.dropbox.com/s/upkl8p0pp6w4sfx/JukeboxMusician-skins-16-9ratio-christmas.zip?dl=0
These are only skins, you still have to download the the program
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