The Microsoft text-to-speech voices are speech synthesizers provided for use
with applications that use the Microsoft Speech API or the Microsoft Speech
Server Platform. There are client, server, and mobile versions of Microsoft
text-to-speech voices. Client voices are shipped with Windows operating systems;
server voices are available for download for use with server applications such as
Speech Server, Lync etc. for both Windows client and server platforms, and
mobile voices are often shipped with more recent versions of Windows Phone.
Microsoft Sam is the default text-to-speech male voice in Microsoft
Windows 2000 and Windows XP. It is used by Narrator, the screen reader program
built into the operating system. Microsoft Mike and Microsoft Mary are
optional male and female voices respectively, available for download
from the Microsoft website. Michael and Michelle are also optional male and
female voices licensed by Microsoft from Lernout & Hauspie, and available through
Microsoft Office XP and Microsoft Office 2003 or Microsoft Reader.
There are both SAPI 4 and SAPI 5 versions of these text-to-speech voices.
SAPI 5 voices are only available on Windows 2000 and later Windows NT-based
operating systems. While SAPI 5 versions of Microsoft Mike and Microsoft Mary are
downloadable only as a Merge Module, the installable versions may be installed on
end users' systems by speech applications such as Microsoft Reader.
SAPI 4 redistributable versions are downloadable for Windows 9x, although no
longer from the Microsoft website. Microsoft Sam, Microsoft Mike and
Microsoft Mary do not work on Windows Vista and later unless a third-party
program is installed on the machine that supports these operating systems,
however, the speech patterns differ from the Windows XP versions of these voices.
In addition, LH Michael and LH Michelle do not work in Windows 7 and later
unless you download speakonia and the SAPI 4 version of the voices in British
English. However, there has been some proof that these voices are secretly
named LH Carol and LH Peter. Microsoft Sam is the default voice for Windows
2000 and XP. Beginning with Windows Vista and Windows 7, Microsoft Anna is
the default English voice. It is a SAPI5-only female voice and is designed
to sound more natural than Microsoft Sam. Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006 and
later install the Microsoft Anna voice on Windows XP systems for the
voice-prompt direction feature. There is no male voice shipping with Windows
Vista and later. A voice called Microsoft Lili that replaces the earlier
male SAPI5 voice "Microsoft Simplified Chinese" is available in Chinese
versions of Windows Vista and later. It can also be obtained in non-Chinese
versions of Windows 7 or Vista if the Ultimate Edition is used. Audio samples
of both these voices can be heard on MDBG's site.
The Microsoft text-to-speech voices even caught popular culture via internet by
videos of a voice, particularly Microsoft Sam reading error messages.
They were either funny or out of the ordinary from a particular error
message. In 2010, Microsoft also released the
newer Speech Platform compatible voices for Speech Recognition and
Text-to-Speech for use with client and server applications. These voices are
available in 26 languages. and can be installed on Windows client and server
operating systems. Speech Platform voices unlike SAPI 5 voices, are
female-only, no male voices are released publicly yet.
In Windows 8, there are three new client voices - Microsoft David and Hazel and
Zira which sound more natural than the now-eliminated Microsoft Anna. The
server versions of these voices are available via above mentioned Speech
Platform for operating systems earlier than Windows 8. Unlike Windows 7 or
Vista, you are unable to use any third-party program because there is no
Anna Voice API for download. In Windows 8 language packs include more voices and
8.1 includes even more language pack voices. In Spanish versions of Windows
8.0, Microsoft Helena is the default text-to-speech voice and only selectable
voice, unless upgrading to 8.1 then you have Microsoft Sabina. Installing the UK
edition of WIndows 8.1 does not include Microsoft David but adds Microsoft
Heera. In Windows French 8 and 8.1 Microsoft Hortense is included. In
Windows German 8 and 8.1 Microsoft Hedda is included. In Windows Japanese
Microsoft Haruka is included. In Windows Korean 8 and 8.1 Microsoft Heami is
included. In Windows Chinese Simplified Microsoft Hanhan and Microsoft Huihui
are included. In Windows Chinese Traditional only for 8.1 Microsoft Tracy
is included. In Windows Italian 8.1 Microsoft Elsa is included. In Windows
Polish 8.1 only Microsoft Paulina is included. In Windows Portuguese 8.1 only
Microsoft Maria is included. And finally in Windows Russian 8.1 only Microsoft
Irina is included. These are all voices available for download on language
packs, excluding in Windows 8.0 in which the Polish, Chinese traditional,
Portuguese, Italian, English, Indian, Russian and Spanish Mexico voices can
not be installed. In Windows 10, Microsoft Hazel was
removed from the US English Language Pack and the Microsoft voices for Mobile
are available. These are the same voices found on Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone
8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile. Alongside these voices language packs are also
available for a variety of voices similar to that of Windows 8 and Windows
8.1. None of these voices match the Microsoft Cortana Text-to-speech voice
which can be found on Windows Phone 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 10 Mobile. Since
Microsoft is trying to make things universal with Windows 10, they decided
to use all current text-to-speech voices cross-platform except for Microsoft
David on the phone, and a few other absences; but normally just for Desktop
voices. For Mobile voices, all voices have been universal and any user who
downloads the language pack of that choice will have one extra male and
female voice per that package. For example, if a user decided to download
the English package, they will get a female voice, and another male voice.
Every mobile voice package always has the combination of male/female, while
most of the desktop voice packages have only female voices.
See also Speech synthesis
Comparison of speech synthesizers References
External links Vista Watch: New Chinese features in
Windows Vista anguage.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396