Are you looking for some ways to generate a robotic sounding voice? Whether for a game, a movie, accessibility, or just for fun, you can use these quick tips to help you find the right electronic voice for your project.
TTS Generators on the Web
There are several online apps that can generate audio in seconds:
- Software Automatic Mouth (SAM) for the Commodore 64 – useful if imitating a creepy approach like Killer7’s Travis and Iwazaru
- Text to Speech Robot
- Festival – this site does not allow direct usage, but can be a good start to find the sound you’re looking for
- TTSTool.com
- Microsoft Sam – helpful if you’re a fan of YTMND
Dr. Sbaitso Emulation (with customization)
I learned about this one on a Reddit post after diving into 86Box emulation:
- Open a Dr. Sbaitso emulator, for example Classic Reload.
- Enter any name, and wait for your prompt.
- Type ‘say’ followed by any text you want the doc to read out loud.
>say This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it._Bonus tip: if you type .param, followed by a 4-digit number, you can modify the sound of the voice. Try using ‘0931’ or ‘1880’ for some interesting starting points.
>.param
Current Speech Parameters settings are :
Tone= 0 Volume= 6 Pitch= 5 Speed= 5
Enter 4 digits for: Tone(0/1), Volume(0-9), Pitch(0-9), Speed(0-9)
Type: <D> for default settings or <Enter> for no change
Enter Parameters now >_Siri using Terminal (MacOS) or a Shortcut
Would you like to use Siri’s voice to narrate your typed text? Open the Terminal app and use the say command:
rickdeckard@Ricks-Macbook-Pro ~ % say "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."If you’re using an iPhone, you can instead create a shortcut in the Shortcuts app by using ‘Ask for Input’ followed by ‘Speak Text’.
When you run the shortcut, you’ll be able to type anything you want Siri to say. Try changing the voice in Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri > Voice > Select.
MacOS Spoken Content
Another MacOS feature is using Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content, then turn on ‘Speak selection’. You can then highlight any text on the screen and press the default shortcut combination (option + escape) to have it read aloud.
In conclusion, these free TTS generators make it easy to add a voice to your projects, whether for fun, productivity, or accessibility. Give them a try and find the one that speaks to you – literally!