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Better TTS on Linux (shkspr.mobi)

submitted 1 week ago by mesamunefire@piefed.social to c/linux@programming.dev

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The venerable eSpeak is a mainstay of Linux distributions. It is a clever Text-To-Speech (TTS) program which will read aloud the written word using a phenomenally wide variety of languages and accents. The only problem is that it sounds robotic. It has the same vocal fidelity as a 1980s Speak 'n' Spell toy. Monotonous, clipped, and painful to listen to. For some people, this is a feature, not a…

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[–] insomniac_lemon@lemmy.cafe 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I just listened to the samples and it seems a bit hit-or-miss. Some of them still stumble over words, have stilted pacing, or just sound off in some other way (raspy-ness, speed). It seems to vary more voice-to-voice than by the quality setting.

I mean I'm sure some of these voices are fine and probably better than other AI models in terms of performance... though they are a bit uncanny valley and I still think a voice meant to sound robotic (while still having personality) is probably an easier target. I didn't notice anything like that in the samples, though I did see a couple of YT videos with a GlaDOS voice (sounding fairly accurate) that mention Piper (though I know such a thing likely wouldn't be front-and-center due to licensing).