Speechelo, a Text-to-Speech Software that….sounds like text-to-speech software.
Those voiceover actors who could not help but bite their nails with nervousness upon learning of Speechelo by Stoica should breathe a little easier. The text-to-speech software claimed to be virtually indistinguishable from the human voice does not live up to its hype. Its limited selection of voices, while perhaps an improvement over previous iterations of text-to-speech software, have a definite robotic quality to them. The degree of artificiality may be debatable, but it is disingenuous to claim these voices are indistinguishable from the real thing.
Speechelo offers 30 unique voices….really?
Ah yes, and I did mention limited selection of voices… Although the promotional reading talks about the 30 unique voices you’ll receive when you purchase the standard version of this cloudware, the reality is that the only way to count 30 voices available for use is if you count EVERY voice speaking every available language. So unless you consider the ability to create voiceovers both in Icelandic and Vietnamese using distinct voices as an essential asset, the 30 voice claim is deceptive advertising at its finest. A person seeking a US English voiceover has four options to choose from in the standard version: two adult males, one adult female, and a male child.
An excellent product…according to Speechelo’s marketing affiliates.
Upon your introduction to this product on the Internet, you might have done a search seeking an honest review to determine if the product is worth its own hype. If you did, you were confronted with a plethora of so-called “reviews” — some straight forward positive ones and others with deceptive headlines that mention a scam, only to be 100% positive infomercials once the headline is clicked. And all of these reviews turn out to include affiliate links where the “reviewer” is going to make money if you buy the product. How honest of a review could it be?
Many amazing features…if you upgrade to PRO…maybe…
To be fair, I purchased the standard version of this product hastily and have not used it thoroughly. But my brief first impression experience, from discovery of the product to seeking out the reviews to purchasing the standard version and trying out the features, is that the standard program gets you a handful of higher quality yet still robotic text-to-speech voices and significant pressure to upgrade to “PRO” to receive most features. This is high pressure marketing of a product that does not live up to its hype, but still could be better than nothing.
Quality, affordable human voiceovers do exist.
Whether you use this software to voiceover your content or not, I can write your professional content for your business. I even offer to create an audio file of your content using the Speechelo software as a gig extra, if you don’t mind your text sounding like it is being read by the weather radio. If you are in need of a high-quality professional human voiceover, I also offer this service on the Fiverr freelancing platform, as do several other talented individuals who also will not be charging you anywhere near the estimated $100 an hour Speechelo suggests it might cost to have a human voiceover actor bring your text to life.