Re: Tips for speed reading /listening with screen readers
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Gene
This message is long but it may be quite
helpful.
Maybe someone can tell you what variant they like
and that may help narrow down the ones you try but there response may be
different than yours to different variants.
I don't like e-speak in any variant. Some
variants are a little better than others but you can't make a silk purse from a
sow's ear, as the cliché has it.
Why not try the SAPI 5 Eloquence demo. If you
like Eloquence, in my opinion, it is one of the best synthesizers for
intelligibility at fast speeds, and it pronounces more words correctly than
other synthesizers I've used and tried. That may be the answer.
As for trying different variants of E-Speak, have
you noticed that when you move from variant to variant in the list, speech
changes to that variant when the announcement of the name of the variant is
made? That may help you determine which variants you want to try and which
ones are less harsh and annoying.
When trying different variants, it is important to
know that if you don't close the program while using a different speech
synthesizer or variant or while speed settings are different, then after trying
something, you can immediately return to your original synthesizer, variant, and
other settings by using the command control NVDA key r. You will hear
"configuration applied" spoken.
That means that the configuration you were using
before you changed anything is being used again. If you close the program,
it saves whatever changes you have made and you have lost the old
settings. The settings NVDA is using are the saved configuration.
When you close NVDA, it saves the configuration you are currently
using.
If you don't want this to happen so you don't
accidentally save settings you don't want to make permanent, do the
following:
Issue the command control NVDA key g.
The general settings dialog will open. Tab to
a check box that says save settings on exit or something very similar.
Uncheck it with the space gbar. Tab to and activate the ok button.
The dialog will close. But the setting has been changed, not saved as a
part of the saved configuration. To manually save settings permanently,
issue the command control NVDA key c. Now, you will never accidentally
save settings by closing NVDA or by rebooting, when NVDA is running, which will
close NVDA and thus unintentionally save temporary settings.
You will now only save settings permanently when
you want to.
Suppose you want to change speech settings or any
other settings for a specific use. You can now do so, and when you want to
use the other settings again, the ones you have permanently saved, use the
command I told you about at the outset, control NVDA key r. You don't have
to waste time manually setting things back to how they were before. You
have instantly gone back to all the old settings with one command.
In my strong opinion, automatically save settings
on exit should not be the default command. there is such a thing as too
much automation. People should be expected to learn certain things about
programs they use and how to manually save settings is one of them. It is
very bad practice to have a program assume that someone wants to save settings
any time they reboot or close a program. If I want to read a specific
thing at 400 words a minute and I usually read at 350 words per minute, if I
want punctuation set to most for proofreading one document and want punctuation
off as a general setting, these temporary changes should not be saved if my
computer spontaneously reboots because of a technical problem or I forget and
reboot for some reason.
If I want to use certain browse mode settings on
one web site, I should be able to do so and not run the risk that they will be
unintentionally saved.
Those learning the program should have the freedom
to try any settings they wish without accidentally having them be saved.
For those who are persuaded to an extent by , Gene----- Original
Message -----
----- Original Message -----
From: Sociohack AC
Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2018 4:22 AM
Subject: [nvda] Tips for speed reading /listening with screen
readers Advice me on this. I'm a student and require to read large texts on regular basis. Although, this is something I love doing, it would be very beneficial if I could improve my reading, or shall I say listening speed, with NVDA. I would like to retain the same level of comprehension I have right now at higher speeds. I have gradually moved up my way to 95% without boost in NVDA, so I know it could be done. But, I'm finding it difficult to move forward. Also, beyond 95% and in boost mode Espeak MAx starts to flutter. It is still very comprehensible, but the fluttering voice is annoying. Can you guys suggest me ways to upgrade my listening game? Do I need to switch to a different variant voice of Espeak or shall I change my synthesizer? Is there a cap to how fast can we listen? All suggestions are welcome! Also let me know at what speed rates do you guys read your screen readers on/ Regards
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