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 ]
Audio dominates the shortlists for this year’s prestigious FutureBook Awards, with seven podcasts, and seven audiobooks shortlisted along with the campaign for the launch of the Penguin Classics audiobook series, and start-ups NoisyBook and DeepZen. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-16 15:52:38 UTC ]
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Editor of The Bookseller Philip Jones will interview former indie publisher turned audiobook pioneer Mark Pearson at the Frankfurt Book Fair, ahead of the announcement of the shortlists for this year’s FutureBook Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-16 14:44:34 UTC ]
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The audiobook version of “Catch and Kill” features first-rate reporting and some wince-worthy character work. (You do NOT want to hear him do Trump’s voice.) What: The least necessary vocal inflection in recent memory.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2019-10-16 14:20:58 UTC ]
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The Swedish Company is leading a booming digital audiobook subscription market in Europe. But is the digital subscription business sustainable for publishers? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-10-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Edmund Kemper, audiobook narrator story is sensational. The work of The Blind Project, though, is vital, important, and worth knowing. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-10-14 10:35:39 UTC ]
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Anyone but the people: from voter suppression to foreign intervention, Rebecca Solnit on the Republican party’s attacks on democracy. | Lit Hub Politics When Stephen King is your father, the world is full of monsters: Joe Hill on standing in the shadow (and light) of his famous dad. | Lit Hub... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-12 11:30:14 UTC ]
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We had a new monster every night. I had this book I loved, Bring on the Bad Guys. It was a big, chunky paperback collection of comic-book stories, and as you might guess from the title, it wasn’t much concerned with heroes. It was instead an anthology of tales about the worst of the worst, […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-10 08:49:26 UTC ]
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Exclusive research into the growing audiobook market conducted by Harris Interactive is to presented at FutureBook Live 2019, The Bookseller's publishing conference. The study, along with panels on audiobook recording, commissioning, new technology, retailing, and podcasting will form the basis... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-06 08:41:01 UTC ]
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Actor Anthony Daniels, famed for his role as C-3PO in the “Star Wars” films is reading the audio version of his autobiography – which will also see director J J Abrams narrate his foreword. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-04 15:22:38 UTC ]
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Hodder & Stoughton has announced a new book by Stephen King, If It Bleeds, will be published in May 2020 featuring four brand new long stories. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-04 02:00:34 UTC ]
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In a survey of 1,502 American adults conducted from January 8 to February 7 this year, Pew found that 20% of adults listened to an audiobook in the 12 months prior to the time the survey was conducted. In 2011, only 11% of adults said they listened to an audiobook. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-09-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A federal judge is set to weigh in on whether the controversial audiobook program amounts to copyright infringement—and publishers are feeling good about their chances. But should they? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-09-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Testaments’ and Stephen King’s “The Institute’ are the top-selling books in the country; each moved more than 100,000 print units in its first week on sale. Other new releases include the memoir ‘The Education of an Idealist’ by Samantha Power and ‘She Said’ by... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-09-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Audials AG has released Audials One 2020, a major new version of its comprehensive stream capture suite. The suite brings together all the tools available separately in three other products: Audials Music 2020 (music and audiobook recording), Audials Movie 2020 (video streams) and Audials Radio... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2019-09-16 13:08:51 UTC ]
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Anheuser-Busch InBev is poised to launch Bud Light Seltzer as part of a new product blitz, according to reports from two beer trade publications. Citing sources from the brewer’s distributor meeting this week, Beer Business Daily reported that the brewer was developing a seltzer line extension... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-09-13 13:12:06 UTC ]
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Bonnier Books UK will feature recordings of convicted killers in an audiobook of true crime bestseller Talking with Serial Killers: The World’s Most Evil. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-11 20:04:55 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House has announced a star-studded cast including "Fleabag" and "Game of Thrones" actors to narrate a new series of 50 Penguin Classics audiobooks. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-10 22:34:58 UTC ]
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The book is animated by a central concern that could not be more relevant: the inhumane treatment of children. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2019-09-09 23:55:38 UTC ]
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Paperback Classics, a new audiobook imprint from Oasis Family Media, will bring vintage pulp paperbacks from the 1930s to the 1970s to audio. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-09-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Margaret Atwood’s much-anticipated new novel The Testaments will be turned into a TV show by Hulu and MGM, it has been revealed. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-04 06:45:47 UTC ]
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