CNIB Library of Toronto selects Loquendo

Loquendo text-to-speech was selected by the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) Library of Toronto. The Loquendo software will enable the Library's Audio and Electronic Publishing units to explore the potential for clear, human-like speech, eventually allowing clients to access material in talking book format. The library anticipates that all material will ultimately become full-text, allowing clients to search and display text in large print with a computer DAISY reader.

"Loquendo's synthetic speech engine will significantly increase our production capacity for digital talking books," says Brandon Nelson, technical lead of electronic publishing at the CNIB Library. "Less-frequently used material like the index in a non-fiction book can be recorded synthetically, increasing booth time for narration of other books for CNIB Library clients".

The Loquendo text-to-speech synthesis engine uses the "Unit Selection" concatenative technique on a wide range of sound samples.