Recording your own Garmin "Voice"

 

I want to use our family voices for the GPS announcements. I've done a cursory search on the web using obvious keywords, but I cannot find information specific on this particular pursuit. Seems to me, one needs two things to accomplish this: a script listing all the necessary phrases the GPS device requires; and 2) software to convert and consolidate the individual "phrase" audio files into .VMP (Garmin Voice file) format.

I'm interested in learning from others who have successfully done this.

.

Does this help?

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/10169

could use your camera equipped with a recording feature for a mic then DL it to puter.

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Garmin nuvi 350 Lifetime Map Updates NT 2018.10

TTS vs Non-TTS

Assuming a Garmin Nuvi, it seems to me that this would be easier with one using the non-TTS, since (using NonTTSVoiceEditor) you can replace any individual word/sound in any particular voice with (pretty much) whatever wav file you like.

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"Stop Global Whining" [Nuvi 250W, Nuvi 265WT] [Mercury, NV]

Voice files

daman wrote:

Does this help?

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/10169

could use your camera equipped with a recording feature for a mic then DL it to puter.

I think he wants to replace phrases like "Recalculating" with a phrase of his own using the voice of a family member. Your link tells how to make your own POI alert but that won't work for GPS navigation announcements.

I've never heard of anyone doing this. It is obviously possible, Garmin makes them, but I suspect that the program is propriety and we can't get it.

Jack j

oooh!

Now this would be cool...

But you're right, it's probably a no go due to price/licencing.

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Roleplaying Canuck Gamer with: Nuvi 760 & 2595 LMT (Map Ver.: 2019.30) 2012 RAM 1500 4x4 Big Horn Quad

Voice files

Non TTS files are fairly simple to make, as stated above and in many past threads. TTS voices on the other hand are another story.

Voices

I read somewhere that one person spent 40 hours in the studio, doing his/her voice for the GPS. I can imagine it might take that long, if done right.

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NUVI 680, NUVI 5000, MS S&T,

Your Own Voice

One of the Experts on doing something like this is "RetiredTech".

He helped me out in doing some special things with voices.

Perhaps if you seek him out on the board, he will respond with some help and guidance on how to do what you want.

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jackj180 wrote:
daman wrote:

Does this help?

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/10169

could use your camera equipped with a recording feature for a mic then DL it to puter.

I think he wants to replace phrases like "Recalculating" with a phrase of his own using the voice of a family member. Your link tells how to make your own POI alert but that won't work for GPS navigation announcements.

I've never heard of anyone doing this. It is obviously possible, Garmin makes them, but I suspect that the program is propriety and we can't get it.

Jack j

Ahh probably right

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Garmin nuvi 350 Lifetime Map Updates NT 2018.10

Phonetic Alphabet

Ah, TTS uses phonetic alphabet voices to convert the phrases to speech. (Your TTS Garmin doesn't have a file of an actor saying every word or phrase in the English (or French, etc) language.

Using a phonetic alphabet recording allows users (like us) using the proper software to change the phrases at will and still get the TTS voices to pronounce them ... sometimes with weird sounding result.

However, having a family member record a phonetic alphabet wouldn't be a simple matter of recording A, B, C .... you would have to include all the nuances of a particular language. Depending on the word construction, for example, A would be pronouced "a" or "ah."

Not an easy task, even for an English major.

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Garmin 205, 260W, 1450LMT, 2460LMT, HEREwego for iPhone ... all still mapping strong.

ahhh would be interesting!

ahhh would be interesting!

I like it

That will be a neat idea.

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Val - Nuvi 785t and Streetpilot C340

"ahhh"

"A" "huh" "huh" "huh"

Ha!

Like I said, you have to phonetically account for each and every nuance in the English language ... which isn't an easy language to learn in the first place .... just ask any first generation immigrant.

Dockster ... pretty funny. Makes me wonder how many other words and expressions we could come up with and how my Australian girlfriend Karen would pronounce them. (Garmin Karen is my girlfriend, atleast I think so. My wife thinks otherwise, however)

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Garmin 205, 260W, 1450LMT, 2460LMT, HEREwego for iPhone ... all still mapping strong.