OpenAI just announced that it recently conducted a small-scale preview of a new tool called Voice Engine. This is a voice cloning technology that can mimic any speaker by analyzing a 15-second audio sample. The company says it generates “natural-sounding speech” with “emotive and realistic voices.” The technology is based on the company’s pre-existing text-to-speech API and it has been in the works since 2022. OpenAI has already been using a version of the toolset to power the preset voices available in the current text-to-speech API and the Read Aloud feature. There are a bunch of samples on the company’s official blog and they sound eerily close to the real thing. I encourage you to give them a listen and imagine the possibilities, both good and bad. OpenAI says they see this technology being useful for reading assistance, language translation and helping those who suffer from sudden or degenerative speech conditions. The company brought up a Brown University pilot program that helped a patient with speech impairment issues by creating a Voice Engine clone pulled from audio recorded for a school project. Despite the potential benefits, bad actors would certainly abuse this technology to engage in some serious deepfake tomfoolery, which is already a problem. With this in mind, Voice Engine isn’t quite ready for prime time, as there are serious privacy concerns that must be met before a full rollout. OpenAI acknowledges that this tech has “serious risks, which are... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-03-29 19:03:56 UTC ]
So you wanna take a queer road trip (like to every shooting location for both L Words) and are looking for audiobook companions, or—probably more accurately given the current pandemic of it all—you wanna hole up in your house alone for days on end, scouring the queer literary canon for... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-24 08:48:34 UTC ]
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Get ready for hours of listening because we've rounded up some of the very best audiobook series in a variety of genres for readers of all ages. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-23 10:37:15 UTC ]
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One audiobook listener scoured the internet and came up with this list of the best websites offering good audiobook reviews. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-23 10:34:10 UTC ]
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Quercus has announced that actresses Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones will voice the audiobook for Beth O’Leary’s second novel, The Switch. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-22 19:29:39 UTC ]
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Looking for ways to entertain kids and teens at home? Audible has launched Audible Stories, a free service that offers family-friendly educational and entertaining audiobook content. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-19 19:24:21 UTC ]
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As a result of the coronavirus crisis, sales at digital audiobook store Libro.fm and online bookstore Bookshop.org have soared. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. AudioFile’s Josephine Reed spoke with author and National Ambassador for Young People’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-10 08:48:25 UTC ]
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Actress Stephanie Ellyne narrates the audiobook version of Lucy Ellmann's Ducks, Newburyport, which spans 45 hours and 34 minutes. The post Lucy Ellmann’s 45-Hour Audiobook appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2020-03-04 21:30:45 UTC ]
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The publisher of Stephen King, Judy Blume and Hillary Clinton doesn’t fit with the plans of its parent, ViacomCBS, which has placed a big bet on digital video. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-03-04 20:20:26 UTC ]
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The journalist Garrett Graff's 'The Only Plane in the Sky'–on the attacks of 9/11–wins the Audiobook of the Year Audie for Simon & Schuster Audio. The post Audio Publishers Association Names 25th Anniversary Audie Awards appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-03 11:30:57 UTC ]
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At the Audio Publishers Association's annual Audie Awards, which marked a quarter century this year, 'The Only Plane in the Sky' took home the top award and Stephen King received a lifetime achievement as host Mo Rocca and others saluted the progress of the audiobook form over the past 25 years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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In this week’s Dispatches from The Secret Library, Dr Oliver Tearle reviews Stephen King’s early non-fiction book about horror In 1999, the prolific author Stephen King had his own dance with death. One afternoon, he was walking on the shoulder of a road near his home in the US state […] The... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2020-02-28 15:00:22 UTC ]
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Beloved stars of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films will voice the first ever audiobook edition of J.K. Rowling's THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD, with proceeds to benefit the Lumos foundation. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-02-27 16:09:37 UTC ]
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J K Rowling’s The Tales of Beedle the Bard is being released as an audiobook read by Harry Potter stars. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-26 23:45:48 UTC ]
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A roundup of audiobook short story collections, with a single narrator or a full cast, that give listeners an incredible audiobook experience. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-02-25 11:31:17 UTC ]
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To protect your work and expand its reach, understanding film, TV and audiobook rights is a must. Publishing attorney and Grammy-award-winning audiobook producer Jessica Kaye tells how. The post Film and Audiobook Rights 101 by Jessica Kaye appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2020-02-21 11:00:57 UTC ]
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Here are six narrators, who, as of this writing, have each recorded less than five audiobooks. This reader can't wait to listen to them again. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-02-17 11:32:05 UTC ]
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Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. In a story that shifts through time, Ramón de Ocampo is a welcome guide, and his narration is... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-17 09:00:40 UTC ]
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Headline and Dorothy Koomson have launched "Find My Verity", an open casting call designed to bring more black female voices into the world of audiobooks. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-17 06:25:35 UTC ]
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Free agent NFL quarterback and social activist Colin Kaepernick plans to publish a memoir via his own publishing venture and release an audiobook version of the untitled book via an exclusive deal with Audible. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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