TextAloud With AT&T Natural Voices (Windows Software)

Problem Resolved: I initially reported that the program did not have a registration code with it. I contacted the vendor. They were very apologetic, emailed me the code right away, and promised to check their stock to see if other packages were missing codes. I also contacted Text Aloud, who verified that this company IS an authorized vendor on Amazon. All good now.Program gives a lot of "bang for your buck" - many improvements over previous (but good) versionsI used it years ago to convert my college texts into MP3's so I could do my "reading" while at the gym or doing chores. I loved it then, but there are MANY improvements. You no longer have to manually copy and paste text into the program. Now it has extensions to use in Word, and with various browsers, so you can have it read a document, web page, or highlighted text directly from the program you are using. It still allows you to convert documents to MP3, even Multiple documents in one action.It is very easy to use.You open the document (s), Text Aloud converts them to text. You can rename or edit the text before conversion. Then you can to choose which "voice" you want (previously premium add-on voices now included free), and set the speed and pitch to what sounds best to you. The voices sound surprisingly natural, especially once you dial in those settings to your personal preferences. The conversion process is quite fast.User Tips: Sometimes it "reads" things in an amusing way, like # as "number" when, in context, it would be "hashtag" or per se as "per southeast." There is an easy workaround if it consistently pronounces something, like a name, oddly. You can always edit your text and write out what the symbol (e.g. hashtag) or word SHOULD sound like phonetically before conversion. It is useful to remove periods after abbreviations like "Mr." so it does not pause like you are at the end of a sentence. TextAloud does a good job already, these are just ideas to make your final MP3 a little bit better.Note: I sometimes play my text-aloud MP3's with a podcast app that allows me to tweak the replay speed up or down during playback, for greater flexibility if I get to a complicated portion of a text..

not good voice quality, its waist of many!!

I read all the reviews on this product before I purchased it. It sounded impressive. However, I was disappointed. The AT&T voices, Mike and Crystal, are very mechanically. I think the narrator voice on my computer is better quality than these voices. The other voices that come with the program aren't bad, but are still mechanical. I'm a writer and couldn't wait to use this product during editing. I was left with such disappointment.

Be careful this can only go on 1 computer. So that meant 3 copies. I understand limiting a license but this is almost a con, Look and see what we have. See what a great deal we have. Oh wait buy another 2 copies to have it on laptop as well as desktops at work and home. I must say if I am going to pay $100+ software I like to knew up frontHowever, more importantly, I like getting everything I paid for. Digital version does not have natural voices and I like to get everything I paid for

I have used the heck out of this program for years. I use the Mike voice, though the Crystal voice is pretty good as well. I originally downloaded the reader from textaloud, and purchased Mike and Crystal for something like $50 because Microsoft Sam was so bad as to be very distracting. The version I got let you purchase separate voices from ATT, Invana, etc., and I am assuming this one will as well. The surprising thing to me, was that given this is a fairly old program, I cannot find anything better to replace it. This is ironic, considering the improvements in voices I hear on YouTube videos. The program lets you tweek the heck out of a lot of different settings, which I highly recommend users to do. You can use the pronunciation editor to fix the guesses the program has to make on unfamiliar words, you can control the reading speed, and MP3 file quality to get the files just the way you want them. Also, if you are actively programming it instead of just letting it convert an existing file, it goes pretty quickly is you adjust the clipboard watching feature to the right settings.Example-I have a fairly long commute, and I find it much more rewarding to download classics from Project Gutenberg and listen to them during what would otherwise be wasted time. It also makes painting, housework, and yard work go much quicker, etc. (Earbuds under earmuffs so you don't damage your hearing, BTW.) TextAloud With AT&T Natural Voices (Windows Software) The internet gives you access to ginormous amounts of information and knowledge, but how do you process it without wasting your free time with hours of reading and screen time? Simple, you use what would normally be wasted time and just listen. Also good for helping you sleep if you choose a boring enough subject to drift off to...Bottom Line: I like it, I use it very often, and I think it was one of my best purchases of the last 5 years. The only down side, is that I don't think it has improved over that time, but then again, if it ain't broke...