What does Aurora need to talk?
Do you support Microsoft Speech API 4?
Do you support Microsoft Speech API 5.x?
Do you support Dec Access 32?
Which synthesizers do you include drivers for?
How do I get more volume from my laptop?
Why doesn't speech synthesis work when I use speech recognition?

What does Aurora need to talk?

Aurora needs a sound card supported by windows to use the included Microsoft Speech API speech synthesis software.

Do you support Microsoft Speech API 4?

Aurora Suite 2005 for Windows includes Microsoft Speech API (SAPI) 4 drivers that we have tested with the Microsoft Speech Synthesizers and the L&H Speech synthesizers. If you are going to use SAPI 4 we strongly recommend you upgrade to SAPI 4.0a included in the MSSAPI directory of the CD. Previous versions of SAPI had severe stability problems and crashed Aurora on a regular basis.

Do you support Microsoft Speech API 5.x?

Speech API 5.x which is included in Windows XP is supported in Aurora Suite 2005.

Do you support Dec Access 32?

We don't recommend users choose Dec Access 32. In some cases, Dec Access 32 is a SAPI speech synthesizer so it is supported by the SAPI 4 driver in Aurora Suite for Windows. Unfortunately the Dec Access software has some problems when run as a SAPI synthesizer so if you have a slower computer (Pentium 120) you may experience problems with it producing static when it speaks, especially when the computer is under load. The only solution to this problem is to get a faster computer or try to get Dec to fix their software. Some users have reported that this problem goes away if they install SAPI 4.0a.

Dec Access 32 also sometimes contains licensing restrictions which prevents it from working with SAPI programs it isn't specifically licensed for. If you have Dec Access 32 installed and it doesn't show up as a synthesizer in the list on the Voice Options dialog, you likely have a limited license for Dec Access 32. Some programs that are bundled with Dec Access 32 will authorize it for use by Aurora if they are started before Aurora. Dec Access from GW Micro will not work as it has a DAPI not SAPI interface.

Which synthesizers do you include drivers for?

Any Microsoft Speech API version 4 or 5 synthesizer is supported.

Microsoft Speech API (SAPI) (32-bit only)

Note for Windows XP Users - You need to install Microsoft Speech API 4.0a (spchapi.exe) from the Aurora CD before these voices will work. Windows XP ships with Speech API 5.x which is unfortunately not backwards compatible with 4.0a.

Microsoft Speech Synthesizer (Mary, Mike, Robosoft, Sam.)
Lernout & Hauspie (Adult Female, Adult Male, American English (1M) British English (2.7M), French (2.3M), Spanish (2.4M), Russian (3M), Portugese (2.5M), Korean (3.1M), Japanese (3.1M), Italian (2.0M), German (2.3M), Dutch (2.7M). )

How do I get more volume from my laptop?

Consider purchasing a pair of battery powered amplified speakers and rechargeable batteries since portable computers cannot usually generate a lot of volume. Speakers can generally be found for under $20.

Why doesn't speech synthesis work when I use speech recognition?

Most Windows sound cards do not support speaker output and microphone input simultaneously. Because of this, software speech systems which rely on the sound card for output, will not work when you are using speech recognition. You should check with your sound card manufacturer to see if there are "full duplex" sound card drivers available for your sound card.