Which TTS voices does VocaTalk support?

VocaTalk supports the latest SAPI 5.3 (Microsoft Speech API) as well as the older 5.1 version. This means, you can find many voice engines that are developed by various vendors. High quality AT&T, Acapella InfoVox Desktop and Ivona voices have been tested and confirmed to work with VocaTalk. Here's a 'Guide to voices supported by VocaTalk and their vendors'. If you are not sure if a voice will be supported, we recommend that you download the trial version of the voice(s) before you buy and test if it works with VocaTalk.

Where to buy compatible voices?

We will make a full list of compatible voices and provide their links for your convenience. For now you can just contact the vendors or their resellers directly and purchase them.

Does VocaTalk come with voices?

No, it doesn't. But all new Windows versions (Windows Vista/Windows 7) include a default voice (Microsoft Anna) for you to use for free. VocaTalk also provides some digital effects like voice pitch modulation, so it actually feels like you have more voices on your system than you have installed. But we do recommend using high quality voices like AT&T, Acapella InfoVox Desktop and Ivona voices to enrich your listening experience. Here's a 'Guide to voices supported by VocaTalk and their vendors'. VocaTalk can use all the voices on your system to reduce the monotony of speech.

Does VocaTalk come with background music?

We have prepared a background music album that features different genres of music tracks (ambient, techno, instrumental, movie score etc). The VocaTalk Free Album comes as a separate download here. You can also just rip your own CD music and use with VocaTalk.

Can I use mp3 music in the background?

Yes. Starting with version 1.0.18, VocaTalk supports mp3 music importing feature to use in the background.

What are the OS that VocaTalk runs on?

All versions support Windows Vista and Windows 7. Versions on and after 1.0.20 also supports the Windows XP.

Will there be a MAC version?

A MAC version is not currently in the plan. But this may change in the future based on user demand.

Can I use VocaTalk for commercial media production?

You should not use VocaTalk for any purpose other than personal use for two reasons. The application is really designed for this purpose only, and possibly will not meet your needs for producing commercial media. Secondly, you have to ask for permission or get licenses from voice engine vendors to use their voices for this kind of usage. Not to mention, the same applies to the music that you are planning to use.

What features will VocaTalk support in the release version?

We have a number of interesting features under development now. All are unique to VocaTalk and were never seen in any other text-to-speech application. We will publish those soon and provide for beta testing. Since we are focused on making the release version very robust, some of the upcoming features may not be available in the release version. However, all features that is currently made available in beta 1.0.12-1.0.16 will be in the release version.

Why does VocaTalk not let me choose a specific voice for a text?

This is by design to provide a really rich listening experience. So instead of choosing a single voice, VocaTalk will use all the active voices on your system. However, if that's really what you want to do, you could disable all voices except one to force the use of a single voice. We may revise this design based on user demand.

Why does VocaTalk not open PDF and doc files directly?

VocaTalk is designed to use any content rather than certain file types. The most general way to achieve this goal is to just use copy/paste or drag and drop. However, we are working on providing much more comfortable way of integrating with other applications.