Mac OS 8 text to speech?

[RedCroissant]

Hello all,

I was wondering if there was a way to get a Powerbook G3 to say what I type into an application. I was just hoping to have it say something fun upon startup. Thanks in advance for any assistance! The OS is Mac OS 8.6 and it's running on a Powerbook G3 circa 1998.

[Macman45]

Originally Posted by RedCroissant

Hello all,

I was wondering if there was a way to get a Powerbook G3 to say what I type into an application. I was just hoping to have it say something fun upon startup. Thanks in advance for any assistance! The OS is Mac OS 8.6 and it's running on a Powerbook G3 circa 1998.

It's been so long, but I wonder if you could add a custom sound file of your choice to your startup items? i THINK that's how we did it back in the days before it was all built in..Someone should know..

[GimmeSlack12]

From what I remember you would want to use SimpleText (boy it's been a long time since I've thought of that app!) and then connect your audio out, to your audio in. Then make a recording. Use that recording as a startupsound.aiff and put it anywhere in the System Folder. The recording should speak when "Welcome to Mac OS" loads up.

I can't say I'm exactly right on this process, but think I'm fairly close.

[RedCroissant]

Originally Posted by Macman45

It's been so long, but I wonder if you could add a custom sound file of your choice to your startup items? i THINK that's how we did it back in the days before it was all built in..Someone should know..

Hi Macman45. The thing is that I don't have a microphone for this machine and I was hoping that there was a way to make it read a text file upon startup. The thing is I only know how to make it open the application upon startup, but don't know anything about scripting to make it read the text.

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Originally Posted by GimmeSlack12

From what I remember you would want to use SimpleText (boy it's been a long time since I've thought of that app!) and then connect your audio out, to your audio in. Then make a recording. Use that recording as a startupsound.aiff and put it anywhere in the System Folder. The recording should speak when "Welcome to Mac OS" loads up.

I can't say I'm exactly right on this process, but think I'm fairly close.

Is there a way to record speech from my iMac, save that to the proper file format, burn that to a cd, import that to the Powerbook, and then save it, set it up to work?

[GimmeSlack12]

Originally Posted by RedCroissant

Is there a way to record speech from my iMac, save that to the proper file format, burn that to a cd, import that to the Powerbook, and then save it, set it up to work?

Yes. Just do what I posted before but with your iMac and use TextEdit (connect output to input), or try WireTap by Ambrosia. The speaking ability is in Edit>Speaking menu. Then just transfer the file via email or something, no need to burn CD's.

Or use the Terminal and just type "say ....." and it'll speak that out for you.

Oh and when you put the file on your Powerbook, name it "startup movie" and put it anywhere in the System Folder.

[RedCroissant]

Originally Posted by GimmeSlack12

Yes. Just do what I posted before but with your iMac and use TextEdit (connect output to input), or try WireTap by Ambrosia. The speaking ability is in Edit>Speaking menu. Then just transfer the file via email or something, no need to burn CD's.

Or use the Terminal and just type "say ....." and it'll speak that out for you.

Oh and when you put the file on your Powerbook, name it "startup movie" and put it anywhere in the System Folder.

How do I connect the output to the input? That might seem like a silly question, but I don't know what you mean. The PB does not have: WiFi, usb, firewire. It has ethernet but only 10baseT.

[GimmeSlack12]

Originally Posted by RedCroissant

How do I connect the output to the input? That might seem like a silly question, but I don't know what you mean. The PB does not have: WiFi, usb, firewire. It has ethernet but only 10baseT.

Plug the headphone jack into the speaker jack. You'll need a 1/8" male to 1/8" male cable.

[chrfr]

Originally Posted by RedCroissant

Hello all,

I was wondering if there was a way to get a Powerbook G3 to say what I type into an application. I was just hoping to have it say something fun upon startup. Thanks in advance for any assistance! The OS is Mac OS 8.6 and it's running on a Powerbook G3 circa 1998.

Apple had speech functionality in the OS way back in 7. If I'm not mistaken your Powerbook has a built in microphone. The speech to text and vice versa didn't work well because it was just too complex for the computers of the time; I believe the speech functionality was a separate install/download but I don't really remember in much detail.

[RedCroissant]

Originally Posted by GimmeSlack12

Plug the headphone jack into the speaker jack. You'll need a 1/8" male to 1/8" male cable.

Well, it worked! Sort of. I typed out a nice message using SimpleText, had Mac read the text, and also made a recording of that audio all on the PB actually. The only problem I have now is that the audio that I saved as "startup sound.aiff" and placed in the Startup Items folder, does not open automatically and start speaking. The application opens and the file is selectable, but it has to be manually performed. Any ideas?

[GimmeSlack12]

Originally Posted by RedCroissant

Well, it worked! Sort of. I typed out a nice message using SimpleText, had Mac read the text, and also made a recording of that audio all on the PB actually. The only problem I have now is that the audio that I saved as "startup sound.aiff" and placed in the Startup Items folder, does not open automatically and start speaking. The application opens and the file is selectable, but it has to be manually performed. Any ideas?

Read my 2nd post. You need to name the file "startup movie" and put it loosely in the System Folder. Don't put it in the startup items.

From experience though, having a startup sound is cool at first but the you realize it just makes your bootup time take longer. To each their own though.

[RedCroissant]

Originally Posted by GimmeSlack12

Read my 2nd post. You need to name the file "startup movie" and put it loosely in the System Folder. Don't put it in the startup items.

From experience though, having a startup sound is cool at first but the you realize it just makes your bootup time take longer. To each their own though.

I am only doing this for fun so that the person I'm giving it to will have a nice greeting and then they can feel free to delete it afterwards.

Ha HA! It works!!!! I tried that initially with the system folder but it didn't work! Now it is working! Thank you very much!