Audiobooks discussion
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This is not strictly an audiobook question but an audiobook/ebook question
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Hi Julie! Thank you for your answer. I have not tried Kindle so I can't really tell how that is. However, it still answers my question on your experiences reading with TTS. So Thanks again! :)Julie wrote: "HI Leonora and welcome to our group !I haven't tried the Apple text to speech system , but I have used the Kindle version of possibly the same type of thing. It's where the Kindle reads to you wi..."
Hi Leonora, I'm also blind and am generally addicted to narrated audiobooks over text to speech. But, before Audible came into my life, I used to scan books into my computer or get a text version from the Guttenberg Project and then let my computer read it to me... believe me, you have to really want to read a book in order to scan Les Miserables page by page into a computer! I've also tried the Kindle text to speech program, but it developed some technical glitches I haven't resolved and abandoned it in favor of other already available audiobooks... plus the quality was far less than my computer's voice so I haven't been motivated to overcome the tech problem. It aggravates me that Amazon doesn't make Kindle books compatible with screen readers and forces the use of their text to speech program--although this may have changed with the most recent screen-reader updates... I haven't checked.
Now, of course audiobooks are better in almost every way than a computer voice, but I have to admit that the books I've read with my computer live in my memory with all the emotional content and individual character voices I could want--obviously my mind supplied that. I think the mind gets used to the voice and supplies what is needed. If you listen to an audiobook at higher speeds you find your brain accustoms itself to this unnatural rate quite quickly and nothing of the experience is lost to you. I find my current computer voice is quite good and it is able to inflect sentences to indicate questions and even exclamations so, if punctuated correctly, text sounds nearly natural. It has spoiled me for some other text to speech programs.
Do you use a computer with screen reader? I use JAWS and the voice's name is Daniel... he's the Brit with a slightly ironic tone when he reads... love it.
My computer is a Mac and it uses the same accessibility as my iPhone. It's built into the system and called VoiceOver. It's really much better than JAWS. I don't really care that much for Windows since I bought my Mac. The system itself is much simpler and you don't need to install any additional software so that is great! I have used Daniel but I didn't really like that voice so much. On my iPhone there is a British voice for Siri that is much better. I don't know why, but I find I like the female voices much better. How is JAWS working today? I haven't used it for years and I thought it was more trouble than it was worth.
I admire you for scanning books. I have been desperate enough, but was discouraged by that much tedious work. I tried it once or twice but after a few pages I just gave up.
That's why I can't help loving iBooks. It's easy to manage, the voice is not too awful and you don't need any extra software for the accessibility.
I have just been questioning whether it's a good idea to continue reading with iBooks due to the lack of a real person narrating.
I suppose you are right though. You get used to the voice. :)
I strongly advice you to convert to mac!
Leonora wrote: "My computer is a Mac and it uses the same accessibility as my iPhone. It's built into the system and called VoiceOver. It's really much better than JAWS. I don't really care that much for Windows s..."I had to teach myself how to use a computer and a screen reader at the same time without any outside help--most challenging experience of my life. Then I had to teach myself how to use Windows... second most challenging experience of my life. I don't think I'm up to teaching myself a third computer operating system. I've used JAWS for years and like how it functions so I'm not really motivated to change, but I'm glad you have something that you like and meets your needs. Who knows, if Windows keeps getting it wrong with its new versions, maybe one day I'll feel motivated to switch!
I did try out the IPad text to speech, it was quite comical really.I hope there are better options for those who need it
I'm an avid reader. I love audiobooks, but sometimes books are not made into audio versions which is sort of a big loss for me. i'm blind. But aside from that, I would always prefer the audio version of a books regardless of my lack of sight. So except from audiobooks I also use iBooks. I read with the in-built speech synthesizer called VoiceOver that comes with all Apple Devices. I mostly read fiction so this is what this is about.
My question is if anyone here has used text to speech in any way while reading an ebook and how you have found the experience to be?
I know a live narrator always makes it easier to get pulled into a story. But how does it feel when reading with text to speech. I don't just mean do you understand the book in a practical sense. I mean do you get the same emotions, the same gutt feeling you get when reading an audiobook?
I have struggled with this a bit. I love reading, and I'm not sure I'd give a book up just because it's not in the right format. Yet I feel like i'm missing out on some emotional aspects while reading in iBooks with VoiceOver.
I guess it's more paranoia than anything else. :D I figure it's the same as reading with your eyes. You just have to make the voices up in your head as you go.
I have tried talking books, but some of the narrations are awful and I'd rather have VoiceOver where the voice is all the same than a bad narrator. I don't want to choose a book by the format, nor do I want to choose a book by it's narrator. I'm not that picky with audiobook narrators, because most of them are great. But if I stumble on a bad audiobook narrator I stick with the ebook.
Sorry for the novel, but I needed to send this question out and it looks better in writing than it sounds in my head. So I'm hoping anyone will be willing to discuss this with me.
/Leonora