Text to Speech API

The Speech Synthesis API has been integrated into Ozeki 10, so you can use it as a connection. It can receive messages from other Ozeki 10 connections and convert it to a male or female voice. The 'Text to Speech' connection can convert texts written in different kind of languages.

how text to speech works
Figure 1 - How text to speech works with the Speech Synthesis API

The Speech Synthesis API is built into the Ozeki 10 browser GUI. JavaScript codes can run on all browsers, although Chrome is highly recommended due to better experience and functionality. The JS class can convert any text to speech by using the speakers it has connect to. Ozeki 10 can separate browser clients, so if you wish you can use multiple speakers in multiple locations. Choose from multiple computer generated voices to read the texts.

Follow these steps:

STEP 1: Start Ozeki 10's Control Panel
STEP 2: Create a Text to Speech connection
STEP 3: Route another connection to it

Prerequisites

  • A speaker or headphone
  • Ozeki 10 installed on your computer
  • A webbrowser (best on Chrome)

On Figure 2 you can see a few JavaScript based browser applications activated in Ozeki 10. Google chrome is the perfect browser to run these JS codes and detect the devices. It provides perfect performance for all Ozeki 10 browser connections. On other browsers all this is not guaranteed.

see the example javascript api running
Figure 2 - See some example JavaScript APIs running in your Ozeki 10 GUI

STEP 1: Start Ozeki 10's Control Panel

Run Ozeki 10 from any webbrowser you prefer, although Google Chrome is suggested.

Log into the Ozeki GUI by using your user credentials and run the 'Control Panel' from Ozeki 10's start menu (Figure 3).

click on control panel from ozeki 10
Figure 3 - Click on 'Control Panel' from Ozeki 10's start menu

STEP 2: Create a Text to Speech connection

On the following figures you can see how to create your new text to speech connection.

First you should see a table full of the current connection. Above the table you can see a wide blue 'Create New Connection' button. Click on it and a new panel will appear on the right side. Select 'Audio' on the panel (Figure 4).

click the big blue create new connection and select audio
Figure 4 - Click the big blue 'Create New Connection' button and select 'Audio'

Here you can find multiple audio connections. All of them use either your speaker or microphone.

Select the 'Text to Speech' icon, so you can continue (Figure 5).

select the text to speech icon
Figure 5 - Select the 'Text to Speech' icon

Now you have to choose the connection type of the text to speech converter.

Select 'Browser' since this is a JavaScript connection running in your browser (Figure 6).

select browser from the two options
Figure 6 - Select 'Browser' from the two options

Finally you can choose from multiple computer generated voices. Choose the language of the voice depending on the language of the text message that should be spoken out loud by the computer. If finished, click 'Ok' (Figure 7).

setup the details of the text to speech
Figure 7 - Setup the details of the Text to Speech connection

STEP 3: Route another connection to it

Here you can see how simple it is to route connections together. The message flow between connection can simply travel through any routed direction. In this example a 'Speech to Text' browser API is added to Ozeki 10's connection list. The Speech to Text and Text to Speech API's are routed together, so every word sensed by the microphone will be converted to a computer voice generated through the speakers. Click on 'Routes' to head towards on creating the routing (Figure 8).

click route after adding one more connection
Figure 8 - Click 'Route' after adding one more connection (e.g. Speech to Text API) besides Text to Speech

Click 'Create new Route' to set the route. Choose the connection to route from and the other connection to route to. Use the dropdown menus to do this. You can see these menus next to step 2 of figure 9.

click create new route
Figure 9 - Click 'Create new Route' to route the connections

If you create the same route seen in this example, all outgoing messages from the 'Speech to Text' connection will reach the 'Text to Speech' connection. This means that all words detected by the microphone will be transformed to text messages and read out loud from your speakers or headphones.

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