Voice Recognition software allows you to transfer your text into a speech component, allowing you to listen back to your lectures, give out content, create strong bonuses for your products, or even just voice your thoughts out loud. It gives you a considerable edge when it comes to working in specific environments and is a handy tool to learn when you are asleep – just play it with earphones on when you are asleep and you will take it all in. Today, we want to look at five different voice recognition software that are out there for you that you can start using today.
1. Zabaware
Zabaware creates an audio file using your text files. This is great for education purposes, turning lectures and tutorials into something you can learn at any given time. Very easy to use User Interface and compatible with a variety of chat clients. You can also convert your text files into an MP3 to burn onto your smartphone/audio player to listen to at any time. Comes with a lot of computerised voices, too, to give you variety in reading tone.
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- Pros: Very simple to use, quick loading and does a good job.
- Cons: Sometimes words are pronounced a little strangely, sounds like it is a computerised voice at times.
- OS: Windows 8 32-bit and 64-bit, Windows 7,95/98/ME/NT 4/2000/XP
2. Text To Wav
Text to Wav is another text-to-speech piece of software, which uses the Microsoft Speech Platform as a base. It can read aloud web content from Internet Explorer, allowing you to read out content online to yourself – this is extremely useful for revising, for example. As well as this, text to wav can also convert any text file into an MP3 or AVI format with lyrics included, which is a great feature. You can also play the message in English or Japanese. It also allows you to preview the word by simply clicking on it, which is great for pronunciation training.
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- Pros: Easy to install and use, has some very unique features.
- Cons: You can only change the voice to the presets which come with, allowing no customisation.
- OS: Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit, 95/98/ME/NT 4/2000/XP
3. TTSReader
One of the main text-to-speech software out there which reads out any text document out loud, and can be converted into a WAV or an MP3 – best of it all, it is completely free. It’s very easy to use and has a very useful but rare feature – an automatic highlight of your text when it is reading that word. It can correct pronunciation problems, supports RTF format, and you can even skip paragraphs. Very simple to use and professional, and one of the most commonly used software due to it’s easy to look at and use User Interface.
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- Pros: Text can be saved in popular audio formats like MP3.
- Cons: Only starts from the beginning of the page, you cannot start at a later date in the document, meaning you have to manually skip down.
- OS: Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista
4. NaturalReader
NaturalReader is a text-to-speech software which has natural, human sounding voices. It has been designed in a manner that people who have accurately recorded thousands of words into the software means the voices are some of the most accurate you will find. It can read just about any other type of document – PDF, E-Mail, online, Word documents – and it can also convert any written document into an MP3 or a WAV. You can even edit the audio when it is completed, and can merge files together, the software promises up to 99% accuracy in both presentation and pronunciation.
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- Pros: Clean and easy to use, very easy on the eyes, not hard to use for long periods.
- Cons: Needs to be purchased at full version for the unique voices – you only get Microsoft voices otherwise.
- OS: Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista
5. SmartRead
SmartRead can read the text through a very easy to make out voice. It can use several different voices that are suitable for Microsoft, and you can even combine the voices to have it as if a group are reading the words. It has received good awards from SmartRead, Softpicks, Softpedia and Microsoft itself. It is also continually updated, allowing improvements time and time again to the quality of the voices and the software, which not enough software gets.
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- Pros: Very simple to use, install, and uninstall should you have to. It’s a great piece of kit and good to pick up, due to its ease of use – some of these voice recognition software can be a bit slow to get used to.
- Cons: It can be a little hard to hear the English words at times, but is being updated regularly.
- OS: Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista
