The Voice Settings task enables you to select a voice from those available for the synthesizer you selected and adjust the voice parameters. It can be started from the Manager Main menu. Go to the Main menu by pressing the 'Menu' [Alt] (9) key. Select the Global Settings > Voice Settings menu item and the Voice Settings task will start.
There are ten different settings implemented in various controls as explained below. Note that any setting you select does not become permanent until you confirm your selection in the Main menu as described at the foot of this page.
The following settings are available:
This is available using the 'Available voices' list control. This control displays all available English voices for your selected synthesizer.
Navigate to the voice you want to select by pressing the 'Up' [up arrow] (8) or 'Down' [down arrow] (2) keys. The voices change as you scroll down the list.
The Volume slider allows you to adjust the speech volume when SpeakOn starts. The volume range is 0 to 100% and you can adjust the volume in 5% increments by pressing the Up and Down keys.
Note that in Windows Vista, Seven and Eight the maximum speech volume is proportional to the audio volume of SpeakOn as adjusted by the audio volume [F7] and [F8] keys in the Manager and as appears in the Windows audio mixer. In Windows XP the volume is independent of any other setting.
The Rate slider allow you to adjust the speech rate when SpeakOn starts. The rate range is -100% to 100% where 0 is the default rate. You can adjust the rate in 5% increments by pressing the Up and Down keys.
The Rate Boost check box allows switching of rate boost On and Off by pressing the 'Select' [Enter] (5) key.
Rate boost is achieved by a software called Sonic which is built into SpeakOn. It allows much higher speech rate than is possible with simple rate adjustment while maintaining clarity at high rates. The effectiveness of rate boost can be subjective and depends on the synthesizer and voice used.
The Pitch slider allow you to adjust the speech pitch when SpeakOn starts. The pitch range is -100% to 100% where 0 is the default pitch. You can adjust the pitch in 5% increments by pressing the Up and Down keys. Note that pitch adjustment is not available in all voices.
The Punctuation Level list allow you to select a punctuation level by pressing the Up and Down keys. The punctuation levels available are 'None', 'Some', 'Most' and 'All'. The punctuation levels included in each category are similar to those used by screen readers.
The Capital indicator list allows you to select a type capital indication by pressing the Up and Down keys. The indicators are 'No capital indication', 'Capital with increased pitch' and 'Say cap before capital'. Capital indication is applied during a single character press or navigation similar to the practice in screen readers.
The Capital Indicator Pitch list control allows you to adjust the pitch level by pressing the Up and Down keys. The capital pitch level is the level above the voice background pitch when a capital letter is encountered. The pitch range is 0 to 100% where 0 means no increased pitch level. This pitch level is only applicable when 'Capital with increased pitch' is selected in the control above. Note that pitch adjustment is not available in all voices.
After you have selected the voice settings you want, bring up the Main menu by pressing the 'Menu' key and select the 'OK' menu item to confirm your selection or the 'Cancel' menu item to cancel the operation. The Speech task ends and you are placed back in the Manager task.
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