System for tuning synthesized speech

• US 8,849,669 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2013
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Bakis, Raimo, Eide, Ellen Marie, Pieraccini, Roberto, Smith, Maria E., Zeng, Jie Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Godbold, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US13/855,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20140058734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 704258-269
• US Class Current: 704/266
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/033 Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination

Abstract

An embodiment of the invention is a software tool used to convert text, speech synthesis markup language (SSML), and/or extended SSML to synthesized audio. Provisions are provided to create, view, play, and edit the synthesized speech, including editing pitch and duration targets, speaking type, paralinguistic events, and prosody. Prosody can be provided by way of a sample recording. Users can interact with the software tool by way of a graphical user interface (GUI). The software tool can produce synthesized audio file output in many file formats.

Claims

1. A method of tuning synthesized speech, comprising:

synthesizing, by a text-to-speech engine, user supplied text to produce synthesized speech;

receiving, by the text-to-speech engine, a user indication of segments of the user supplied text and/or the synthesized speech to skip during re-synthesis of the speech; and

re-synthesizing, by the text-to-speech engine, the speech based on the user indicated segments to skip.

2. A method of tuning synthesized speech as defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving a user modification of duration cost factors associated with the synthesized speech to change the duration of the synthesized speech, wherein re-synthesizing the speech includes re-synthesizing the speech based on the user modified duration cost factors.

3. A method of tuning synthesized speech as defined in claim 2, wherein receiving a user modification of duration cost factors includes modifying a search of speech units when the user supplied text is re-synthesized to favor shorter speech units in response to user marking of any speech units in the synthesized speech as too long and modifying the search of speech units to favor longer speech units in response to user marking of any speech units in the synthesized speech as too short.

4. A method of tuning synthesized speech as defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving a user modification of pitch cost factors associated with the synthesized speech to change the pitch of the synthesized speech, wherein re-synthesizing the speech includes re-synthesizing the speech based on the user modified pitch cost factors.

5. A method of tuning synthesized speech as defined in claim 1, further comprising displaying a waveform associated with the synthesized speech and receiving a user manipulation of the waveform, wherein re-synthesizing the speech includes re-synthesizing the speech based on the user manipulation of the waveform.

6. A method of tuning synthesized speech as defined in claim 1, wherein the user supplied text includes plain text, speech synthesis mark-up language (SSML), or extended SSML.

7. A method of tuning synthesized speech as defined in claim 1, further comprising adding a paralinguistic event to the user supplied text and/or the synthesized speech.

8. A method of tuning synthesized speech as defined in claim 1, further comprising adding a user-specified speaking style to the user supplied text and/or the synthesized speech, wherein re-synthesizing the speech includes re-synthesizing the speech based on the user-specified speaking style.

9. A method of tuning synthesized speech as defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving a sample recording to provide prosody, wherein re-synthesizing the speech includes re-synthesizing the speech based on the sample recording.

10. A method of tuning synthesized speech as defined in claim 1, further comprising maintaining state information relating to the synthesized speech and receiving a user modification of the state information.

11. A computer-readable storage device encoded with computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing machine, perform a method of tuning synthesized speech comprising:

synthesizing user supplied text to produce synthesized speech;

receiving a user indication of segments of the user supplied text and/or the synthesized speech to skip during re-synthesis of the speech; and

re-synthesizing the speech based on the user indicated segments to skip.

12. A computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises receiving a user modification of duration cost factors associated with the synthesized speech to change the duration of the synthesized speech, wherein re-synthesizing the speech includes re-synthesizing the speech based on the user modified duration cost factors.

13. A computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 12, wherein receiving a user modification of duration cost factors includes modifying a search of speech units when the user supplied text is re-synthesized to favor shorter speech units in response to user marking of any speech units in the synthesized speech as too long and modifying the search of speech units to favor longer speech units in response to user marking of any speech units in the synthesized speech as too short.

14. A computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises receiving a user modification of pitch cost factors associated with the synthesized speech to change the pitch of the synthesized speech, wherein re-synthesizing the speech includes re-synthesizing the speech based on the user modified pitch cost factors.

15. A computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises displaying a waveform associated with the synthesized speech and receiving a user manipulation of the waveform, wherein re-synthesizing the speech includes re-synthesizing the speech based on the user manipulation of the waveform.

16. A computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 11, wherein the user supplied text includes plain text, speech synthesis mark-up language (SSML), or extended SSML.

17. A computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises adding a paralinguistic event to the user supplied text and/or the synthesized speech.

18. A computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises adding a user-specified speaking style to the user supplied text and/or the synthesized speech, wherein re-synthesizing the speech includes re-synthesizing the speech based on the user-specified speaking style.

19. A computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises receiving a sample recording to provide prosody, wherein re-synthesizing the speech includes re-synthesizing the speech based on the sample recording.

20. A computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises maintaining state information relating to the synthesized speech and receiving a user modification of the state information.