A new release of the open-source speech synthesis system RHVoice 1.2.4 has been published. Initially developed to provide quality support for the Russian language, it has since been adapted for other languages, including English, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Kyrgyz, Tatar, and Georgian. The code is written in C++ and is distributed under the LGPL 2.1 license. It supports operation in GNU/Linux, Windows, and Android. The program is compatible with standard TTS interfaces for converting text to speech: SAPI5 (Windows), Speech Dispatcher (GNU/Linux), and Android Text-To-Speech API, but it can also be used in the NVDA screen reader.
The program employs a parametric synthesis method with statistical models (Statistical Parametric Synthesis based on HMM — Hidden Markov Model). A benefit of the statistical model is its low overhead and minimal CPU requirements. All operations are performed locally on the user's system. Three levels of speech quality are supported (the lower the quality, the higher the performance and the lower the response time).
Voice configuration and switching are supported. There are 9 voice options available for Russian and 5 for English. Voices are generated based on recordings of natural speech. Due to the use of a statistical model, pronunciation quality does not reach the level of synthesizers that generate speech based on combinations of fragments of natural speech, but the result is quite intelligible and resembles a broadcast from a loudspeaker.
In the settings, you can adjust the speed, pitch, and volume. The Sonic library can be used to change the tempo. Automatic language detection and switching based on input text analysis is possible (for example, a native synthesis model for that language may be used for words and quotes in another language). Voice profiles are supported to define combinations of voices for different languages.
Source: opennet.ru
