Text-to-Speech using JavaScript

Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology converts written text into spoken words, allowing users to listen to digital content such as articles, emails, and eBooks instead of reading them. Text-to-Speech systems can improve accessibility for individuals who are visually impaired, and facilitate multitasking by enabling hands-free consumption of information.

In this article, we'll learn how to automatically synthesize text to speech using Picovoice's Orca Text-to-Speech Web SDK. The SDK runs on all modern browsers.

Setup

Install SDK

Create a project and install the Orca Text-to-Speech SDK:

npm install @picovoice/orca-web

Picovoice Console

Log in to (sign up for) Picovoice Console. It is free, and no credit card is required! Copy your AccessKey to the clipboard.

Usage

Model File

Download the Orca Text-to-Speech model for the voice that you prefer, and add it to the project by:

• Either copying the model file to the project's public directory:

cp ${ORCA_PARAMS_PATH} ${PUBLIC_DIRECTORY}/${ORCA_PARAMS}

(or)

• Create a base64 string of the model using the pvbase64 script included in the package:

npx pvbase64 -i ${ORCA_PARAMS_PATH} -o ${OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}/${MODEL_NAME}.js

Create an object containing the Orca Text-to-Speech model options:

import base64model from '${OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}/${MODEL_NAME}.js'

const orcaModel = {
  publicPath: '${PUBLIC_DIRECTORY}/${ORCA_PARAMS}',
  // or
  base64: base64model,
}

Initialization

Create an instance of OrcaWorker with your Picovoice Console AccessKey and the orcaModel variable from the previous step:

import { OrcaWorker } from "@picovoice/orca-web";

const orca = await OrcaWorker.create(
  "${ACCESS_KEY}",
  orcaModel
);

Text-to-Speech

Synthesize speech by calling the synthesize method:

// returns raw PCM
const pcm = await orca.synthesize("${TEXT}");

Release resources explicitly when done with Orca Text-to-Speech:

await orca.release();

Explore

The Orca Text-to-Speech Web SDK is open-source and available on GitHub. Additionally, an open-source text-to-speech web demo based on Orca Text-to-Speech is available.