Bridging the gap between technology and accessibility

Offline Text-to-Audio Converter.

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by

Tech Assistant for blind Team

coming soon!

Welcome to the user guide for the Offline Text-to-Audio Converter. This fully offline application allows you to convert any text into audio using the SAPI 5 or Microsoft Speech Synthesizer voices. It is compatible with all versions of Windows and does not require an internet connection for its functionality.

By default, Windows 10 and 11 provide two voices: Microsoft David and Microsoft Zira (United States) for English. However, you can install additional voices for your Speech API 5 or convert voices using the SAPI Unifire from Windows Core Voices to SAPI 5.

Table of Contents

  1. Basic Interface of the Application
  2. Launching the Application
  3. Entering the Text
  4. Choosing a Voice
  5. Adjusting the Speed
  6. Listening to a Sample Voice
  7. Converting Text to Audio
  8. Exiting the Application
  9. User Guide Access

Basic Interface of the Application

After reaching the main window of the Offline Text-to-Audio Converter application, you will get a clear and simple interface.

By default, your focus will be on a multiline text box where you can conveniently type your desired text. Towards the top center of the screen, a welcoming message with your name will be displayed. Directly below the text box, you will find several options such as selecting a voice, adjusting the speed, playing a test voice, converting the text to audio, and accessing the user guide.

You can easily navigate through these options using the Tab key with a screen reader.

Launching the Application

  1. Double-click the application icon to launch it.
  2. The application will open a Command Prompt (CMD) window and then in another window. Don’t worry, the CMD window is used to run the program (it will run in the background, and closing the CMD will also close the main window).
  3. The new window will display the Text-to-Audio Converter interface.

Entering the Text

  1. The screen reader will automatically focus on the multiline edit box where you can type the text you want to convert to audio.
  2. Simply type or paste the text which you want to convert to audio. There is no limit on the amount of text you can enter.

Choosing a Voice

  1. Press the Tab key to navigate to the “Select Voice” button.
  2. Press Enter to open the voice selection dialog (it will show all the SAPI 5 voices installed on your computer).
  3. Use the up and down Arrow keys to navigate through the available voices.
  4. Press Enter on the desired voice to select it.
  5. Alternatively, you can use Tab to move to the “OK” button and press Enter to select the currently focused voice (use the Esc key or the Cancel button to close the dialog to remove your selection).

Adjusting the Speed

  1. Press Tab again to navigate to the “Choose Speed” button.
  2. Press Enter to open the speed selection dialog.
  3. Use the up and down Arrow keys to navigate through the five speed options: Very Slow, Slow, Normal, Fast, and Very Fast.
  4. Press Enter on the desired speed to select it.
  5. Alternatively, use Tab to move to the “OK” button and press Enter to select the current speed (use the Esc key or the Cancel button to close the dialog to remove your selection).

Listening to a Sample Voice

  1. Press Tab to navigate to the “Play Test Voice” button.
  2. Press Enter to play a sample voice with the selected settings.
  3. If you wish to change the speed or voice, follow Steps 3 and 4 again to adjust the settings.

Converting Text to Audio

  1. After adjusting the speed and voice, press Tab until you reach the “Convert” button.
  2. Press Enter to initiate the conversion process. A new dialog will appear for the file name.
  3. By default, the name of the audio file will be displayed in an edit box (e.g., audio_2023-06-22-17-59-58).
  4. If you want to change the file name, type the desired name in the provided edit box. Then press Enter to confirm and save the audio.
  5. If you do not wish to change the file name, you can directly press Enter to confirm and save the audio.
  6. To cancel the conversion or editing of the file name, you can press the Escape key or click the “Cancel” button using Tab for navigation.
  7. A dialog box will appear, indicating that the audio has been saved successfully.

Exiting the Application

To close the application, press Alt+F4 or click the cross icon in the top right corner of the screen.

User Guide Access

  1. After the “Convert” button, you will find an option for the user guide.
  2. Press Enter on the “User Guide” option. A dialog box will appear.
  3. You will see two options: “Online” and “Offline.”
    • Selecting “Online” will open the user guide in your default web browser.
    • Selecting “Offline” will open a dialog box displaying a short user guide for the program.

Congratulations! You have successfully learned how to use the Offline Text-to-Audio Converter application. Enjoy converting text to audio with different voices and speeds.

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