Eleven for what it offers … nine for the actual “narration”. 😉
With all the hoopla revolving around AI and a gentle give-it-a-go nudge from a friend, I thought I’d check it out—it being a software company that “specializes in developing natural-sounding speech synthesis and test-to-speech software, using artificial intelligence”.
You can sign up for free. Who doesn’t like “free”? It allows you 10,000 characters per month, 29 languages to select from, 1000s of custom voices (you can create three), and a few other fun options.
There are more extensive packages. Starter or Creator would likely be something I’d opt for (both are very reasonably priced too). Then you’ve got Independent Publisher, Growing Business, and Enterprise. My interest’s certainly piqued.
Mathilda—my voice choice—sounds okay. She comes across as real but doesn’t deliver as “consistently smoothly” as I’d like; there are fleeting pauses that don’t sound quite natural (to my ears). But I’m sure if I spent some time with her—or one of the other voices—I might figure out how to perfect the delivery, as well as go beyond a simple “sound byte”.
As time allows, I’ll do some intensive investigating (also known as playing around). In the meanwhile, here’s the brief AI-generated narration for the [super condensed] prologue to Disco’s Dead and so is Mo-Mo.
Please have a listen (and feel free to let me know what you think) …
The Writer's Grab-Bag 