Text To Go - How To

Easy Text To Go - Text To Speech

Drew's Text To Go -
Text To Speech Tutorial
The MP3 CD Writer Is An Added Option Of The Advanced Editor Version Only.
Now you can turn most any text you see on your computer screen or any text file into voice files you can take with you to listen to just like you listen to music. Now you can save hours of wasted time and keep up with your emails, reports, news and so much more. Just a couple of clicks and you'll have Text To Go helping you keep up.

OK, this is really an easy program to use. There's not much you have to do, but below I've shown you a number of things you can do if you want to. And some added detail about how to load files, copy text and more. The key to Text to Speech and our improved Text to Go is that it's easy to use and that it doesn't put hooks into your other programs. This program will work flawlessly.

Text to speech is still in its early stages. While it's become very clear and intelligible, it still does tend to sound like a computer. But, you'll quickly find that as you concentrate on the content, you forget the mechanical sound of the speech.

You'll see in just a few minutes that you really can walk around, exercise, clean up your office or drive a car while you listen. It's just like listening to your music. Except that now you can be learning things you have to or want to learn, or enjoying fascinating novels or articles that you might otherwise not have time to read.

So in short, it's not that it sounds like a great orator speaking, but that it lets you listen to text wherever you are, whatever you're doing where without text to go, you'd have to set and read the text and do nothing else. So let's turn wasted time into productive time with DAK's new Text To Go. OK let's get started.

Quick Start 2- Minute Guide

Simply Copy and Paste any text using the Windows Clipboard into the main screen of the program. You can also go to File/Open and load any Text File.

To Listen to text in the Text To Go Program, simply click Play. To make a text to speech recording, Click the Red Record Button, choose Wav, MP3 or WMA for your file type and give it a name.

That's all that's really needed for Text To Go to play and record your text into audio files you can take with you anywhere you go and turn wasted time into productive enjoyable time.

Text To Go, Right Now.

Here's the main users screen. It's ready to use. Just click the Play Button and you'll hear the text read to you right now with nothing else to do. There are a few lines of text when you first load the program, so you can hear it. Now that you've heard some text, let's make it sound the way you want to.

Arrow 1.) Open this little pull down box and you may find more than one voice. If you do, choose one and hit the play button (5) to see which you like best.

Arrow 2.) This is the speed control. You can adjust the speed to suit the subject matter you are listening to. NOTE: you can set the speed and then when you create Wav, MP3 or WMA files they will be at whatever speed you've chosen.

Arrow 3.) This is the pitch control. You can make the voice higher or lower to suite your personal preference. Whatever you choose will be recorded to the files you save.

Arrow 4.) Set your volume. This will control the volume that you record the text to go files. Just try a few one minute tests and you'll find the volume that's just right for whatever you are going to play your Text To Go files on.

Arrow 5.) Click Play to listen to the text you've loaded into the Text To Go screen.

Arrow 6.) Click to record the text loaded in the main screen to convert it to Wav, MP3 or WMA.

Now you really know about all you need to know to use the DAK Text to Go. Below I'll go into much more depth and frankly be sharing more about how to use your Computer than just the Text To Go Program. But it's good stuff and if you have time, read on.

Read Anything Right Now.

I just wanted to show you one more full screen. Here I'm showing a list of quotations that I've been listening to. It's neat to know that I can BOTH see and hear the quotes as they play. Then I just pick the ones I want to use or learn and I'm all set.

The File Menu.

In the upper left hand corner of the Text To Go Interface are the pull down menus. Here I'm going to give you a quick tour of the File Menu.

Load Text File. - This is where you choose which text file you want to open. You'll get a dialog box. Just navigate to the file you want and open it.

Load clipboard text. - When you use the Control-C to copy anything in Windows or use the Copy and Paste buttons in any program, whatever you've copied goes to the Windows Clipboard. Once it's there, just choose this selection to load it into the Text To Go.

Print Loaded Text. - If you write something brilliant in the reading screen that you want to save, just print it out. Click Print.

New - Clears the Text To Go Interface of all text.

Save As - Audio - Saves the loaded text to Wav, MP3 or WMA.

Save As - Text. - OK if you write something you want to save, click this and you're create a text file you can open in any word processor.

The Edit Menu.

Cut - Removes any selected Text

Copy - Copies selected text

Paste - Pastes anything from the Windows Clipboard.

Delete - Deletes selected text.

Select All - Selects everything in the main window so you can copy it and paste it somewhere else.

Find Text - Finds text in the main window.

How Do You Open A File?

Now we're into Basic Windows. If you want to open a text file, just choose Open in the File Menu.

Navigate to where you have the text file you want to open.

Arrow 1.) Click on the text file you want to open.

Arrow 2.) See it appear in the File Name Box.

Arrow 3.) Click Open to load it in your Text To Go Program.

Anyway here you can see that I've put an arrow next to the file I want to open. It's called QuoteMaster1. I can double click it or I can just click it once and then click the open button.

The Only Buttons You Really Need.

Here's another close-up of the main buttons. It's all pretty simple, but just to be sure, let's go over them again.

Select All - Selects all text you've loaded in the program.

Cut - Removes anything that's highlighted

Delete - Deletes any highlighted text.

Clear - Clears the program of all text.

Copy - Copies anything highlighted.

Paste - Pastes anything in the clipboard to the program.

Print - Prints all the text in the program.

Play In Player - Launches the Text Player so you can load a file and play it.

Play Text - Plays the text loaded in the program for you but doesn't make a copy.

Play Selected Text - Plays anything selected but doesn't make a copy.

Pause Play - Pauses the playing of text in the program.

Record Text To Go - This is the main part of the program. It creates the MP3, file of everything loaded in the program. This is your Text To Go creator.

Record Selected Text To Go - This is the main part of the program. It creates the MP3, file of whatever is selected in the program. This is your Text To Go creator.

Stop - Stops all action in the program.

And The Sliders

These are your variable controls.

Speed Rate - Controls the speed of the reading BOTH for listening and recording.

Pitch - Controls the pitch of the reading BOTH for listening and recording.

Audio volume - Controls the volume of the reading for recording only.

Speed Reading - Speed Learning -
No Problem.

Just adjust the speed before you start playing. It's worth playing with this a bit because for learning numbers or spelling words you really do want to slow it down from the normal or default speed. For covering the most text in a limited time, speed it up. You'll see. There is no magic rule except that as you listen you'll find that you can understand faster and faster speech. It's really great to be able to cover a lot of ground fast.

Why Volume Control?

Good Question. For normal listening, you can just use your computer's volume control. When you make Text To Go, this control lets you determine the voice volume level of your recordings. So, all you do is make your first MP3 or Wave Copy. When you play it back if it's fine, forget the volume. If it's too high or too low, then just turn it up or down for next time.

Choosing What Type Of File To Make

It's up to you. When you click on the record button, you'll get this standard windows dialog box. Choose a name for your file, (I've chosen GreatBook). Then click Save.

Your Text To Audio Tools.

When you click the musical note button on the main text to go interface, you bring up this handy little player. Then you can quickly and easily listen to the text files you've made.

Arrow 1.) Click the . . .Button and navigate to the file you want to play.

Arrow 2.) Hit the Play Button.

Your Built-In Audio Player

Your Built-In Free Book Browser.

We've just added a built in text browser to take you right to the free Project Gutenberg site where you can get and download thousands of public domain classics and lots more really great books. Just click the Browser button and you're on your way.

Your Free Books Are Here

Navigate to the author or type of book you want.

Just Download Your Favorites & Listen To Them Wherever You Go.

And click download. Then you can create your own text to speech MP3 files to take with you or listen to on your computer. It's awesome how much great literature and much more you can instantly access. Enjoy.

THIS IS REALLY THE END OF THE TEXT TO GO TUTORIAL. HOWEVER, IF YOU NEED HELP IN FINDING AND COPYING TEXT FROM YOUR PROGRAMS, I'VE ADDED A SECTION HERE TO SHOW YOU HOW TO GET THE TEXT TO READ.

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts.

Below I'm going to show you how to get text from Word, Outlook Express and Web Pages.

But, not everyone knows the easy to use Windows Keyboard Shortcuts that make it all easy.
So here's what you need to know.

Control C
OK, this one is easy. Highlight any text you want to copy and then hold down the Control key (Arrow 1) and hit C (Arrow 2). You're data will be copied to the clipboard.

Control V
This is the corresponding paste command to Ctrl. C. Of course, you can use this even if you used your mouse and drop-down menu for the copy function. And you can paste as many times as you want. Just Hold Down the Ctrl (1) and hit V (3).

Control A
This is a way of highlighting everything on the page. Try it now. When you want to copy a story from a web page, all of a Word Doc, or virtually anything, simply hit Ctrl. A. That highlights everything. Then Use Ctrl. C to copy it and Ctrl V to paste it into your Text to Go Screen and you've got it all.

Detail Of Getting Text From Microsoft Word.

It's easy. Just highlight the text you want to copy and use the Ctrl. C and V commands I just taught you above. Or, use the Copy and paste (see arrows at top) that are part of the program. They are exactly the same and it doesn't matter which you use.

Oh and one thing you can do. If you highlight some text near the top and you want to highlight the text below too, here's one more Windows Secret.

Highlight the text at the top. Then HOLD DOWN THE SHIFT KEY. Then move your mouse down to the bottom of the text you want to add. And , click your mouse. All the copy in-between will be highlighted. Pretty neat.

Finally, you can just save the file as a text file. Oh yes, Word Will do that too. Onward.

How To Save A Text File.

Just go to File/Save As

Saving A Text File In Word.

Same as before. Be sure you are saving to your desktop or somewhere that you won't forget. (We get so many customer service calls that are simply problems with losing files because they are in some forgotten folder) Anyway, choose a name and pull down this menu and choose Text Only. Wasn't that simple?

Oops What's Wrong?

Nothing is wrong. Word is just telling you that you won't have any of your fancy formatting, bolds, colors etc. Text is just that, text. Nothing fancy. Just Click Yes and you're all set.

Here's The Text File

Your ICON might be different, but this is what a text file looks like on My Desktop. Now you can open it with DAK's Text to Go and you're all set.

Saving A Text File From Internet Explorer.

OK here's all you do. Go to File/Save As. It's just like Word. And if you are using some other browser, it should be the same too.

Of course you can highlight and copy and paste as I showed you above too.

Saving A Web Page As A Text File.

Again I think you should save it to the Desktop, but you can save it wherever you will know where it is. Then Choose Text File from the 'Save as TYPE' pull down box, give it a name and Click Save.

Saving A Text File From Your Email (Outlook Express).

This is easy too. Of course you can use any of the keyboard commands I shared with you above or, guess what? Go to the File/Save As and Click.

Saving A Text File From Your Email (Outlook Express) 2.

Yup, you guessed it. Just save it to your Desktop. Choose Text Files from the Pull Down Menu and Click Save.

As you can see, it's pretty much an easy Windows Thing to copy and paste or Save Text files. That's it. Now you're all set.

A Few More Text To Go Ideas.

For years I've had a talking dictionary CD loaded in my computer. I love words and I often put it in to check pronunciations. It's really neat. And it does a great job. Well, now I can check pronunciations any time I want without having to load a CD.

Is it always perfect? No, but I have found the program to be remarkable accurate. So, just type the words you aren't sure of or want to teach to somebody and click Speak. It's really very neat.

Spell Out The words Too.

Here's one quick little tip. If you are making 'flash cards' for your kids or just want a word spelled rather than pronounced, then just put a - (hyphen) in front of it and Text To Go will spell it out rather than pronounce the word. When you do this you will want to slow down the speech so each letter is nice and slow.

I'll bet you find lots more great uses for this powerful Text To Speech DAK Text To Go Program.

Using Notepad - Your Friend.

It's called notepad and it's been on Windows computers since the beginning. It's a very handy Text word processor. It's basic. But it does some very neat things. And Yes it's 100% text, just like DAK's Text to Go.

First I'll show you A) how to find it and B) how to put a shortcut for it (OR ANY PROGRAM) on your Desktop.
OK here's where it is:
Arrow 1.) Click your Start Button (bottom right of your monitor).
Arrow 2.) Choose Programs.
Arrow 3.) Choose Accessories.
Arrow 4.) Choose Notepad. Now once you're here, you can LEFT Click it and it will Launch the Program. Or if you'd like to put a link on your Desktop, (or any program you can do this) RIGHT Click on the Notepad Icon.
Arrow 5.) Choose Send To.
Arrow 6.) Click Desktop (create shortcut) and you'll see a shortcut you can use any time without having to open the Start Menu to get it.

Why do you want Notepad? Well first, you can use the Text To Go just as you would use Notepad. But, If you have any text that has formatting like a Word Doc or a Web page that when you paste it into Text To Go doesn't show up, you can usually paste it into Notepad first.

Then select it again and copy it and then paste it into Text To Go. I use Notepad all the time when I'm writing reviews and I have to copy something from one format to another for several of my programs. So I knew how well it would work for Text to Go too. And it does.

Still have questions? Did I miss something (probably)? I'll add it if you write to me. Let me know.

Enjoy. . . Drew

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