Depending on the intended use both robotic and natural TTS tools have their intended uses, although many people prefer to incorporate (or listen to) natural TTS voices.
Why are natural-sounding TTS tools so popular?
As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, so do consumer demands. Over the last couple of years, people have grown accustomed to natural-sounding narration or voiceovers, even if they are generated by AI, making them a prevalent tool for several uses.
So, what makes natural text-to-speech generators so unique?
Tone of voice
AI voice generators are excellent at replicating a natural-sounding tone of voice, packed with all the nuances that differentiate simple TTS tools from more advanced ones.
Likewise, through a deeper understanding of how humans speak, such tools are an excellent option for avoiding that renowned "monotone" or mechanical voice often associated with earlier TTS models.
Emphasis on words
Particularly useful in marketing-related content or audiobook narration, emphasis on specific words can make a voiceover, while the lack of emphasis can break it. As humans, we tend to emphasize certain words during the speech, which adds further context to the topic being discussed and reflects the speaker's underlying emotions.
The same does not apply to robotic TTS tools since they are not designed to pick up on such nuances.
Appropriate pauses
Another way that sets human speech apart from robotic speech is the inclusion of intentional and unintentional pauses. Intentional pauses are used to change topics, emphasize a particular statement, or invite discussion, while unintentional pauses refer to natural human functions such as breathing or swallowing.
Using tools like ElevenLabs, this can be configured in the VoiceLab, to increase the realism of an AI generated voice, and improve its performance.
Accurate replication
This point encompasses all other aspects of human speech, including tone, accents, volume, and pitch. Not only do these aspects make the speech sound more natural, but they can also effectively convey meaning, emotion, or the speaker's personality through changes.
Natural-sounding TTS tools are designed to consider all these nuances, resulting in a more pleasant and authentic listening experience.
Additional features
Advanced natural-sounding TTS software such as ElevenLabs also incorporates additional features that allow users to experiment with various settings, such as stability, clarity, and style exaggeration.
In addition, such software often allows you to translate your script or voice recording into multiple languages, clone your own voice for narration purposes, and more.
What are AI voice generators used for?
In the current digital landscape, AI voice generators have many uses. In fact, you've probably come across speech generated by AI previously and not even noticed it. That's primarily due to AI tool advancements, allowing artificially generated audio to sound as natural as possible.
AI-powered speech synthesis tools offer a wide range of potential uses, particularly for those involved in digital content creation. Examples include, but are not limited to:
Social media
You'll often find AI-generated audio used for content creation and SMM purposes, such as video voiceovers, product tutorials, and short-form video content, such as YouTube shorts, Instagram reels, and TikToks.
Audiobooks
Instead of narrating an entire book from scratch or hiring voice actors, many authors (or their teams) may implement natural-sounding AI-generated voiceovers for audiobooks or guides.
Podcasts
Often used for translation purposes, AI-generated audio is becoming increasingly popular in the podcast industry.
Educational content
AI voiceovers are often used for educational content, from tutorials to in-depth educational videos, since they provide clear narration, which is occasionally challenging to achieve with a human narrator.
Gaming
AI voiceovers are also used to enhance video game narration, helping enrich instructions, backstories, and character dialogues.