FujimiLover Posted May 24, 2009 Posted May 24, 2009 Hello there. I've been with Window's XP for the longest time and my Sony computer was on it's last legg last week. So, for my 35th b-day present, I got a freaking awesome new Imac computer with a 1 TB hard drive, and a big, wide, screen. I absolutely love it! My Dad has no expereince with Mac's, but he is very well experienced with computers since day one! I've had some expereince with the Mac system since I was studying Graphic Design in college we used Mac systems. That was five years ago. Back then, I had alot of fun with a Mac-only program that I nearly 100% beleive was called Simple Text. It was a text-editing software that allowed you to hear your text. In other words, the computer would speak what you typed. What was special about it, is it had alot of really cool voices and most of those voices I hear in the music I listen too and I had fun playing with it. Unfortunetly, being that I was a Window's user, I was never able to get that software. Now that I have a Mac, I was hoping it would come with it, but it does not. It has some sort of text to speech program, but not the one I remember. Does any of you know what I'm talking about and where I can find the software for my new Mac system? I am totally in love with my new computer!
vizio93 Posted May 24, 2009 Posted May 24, 2009 i too have a mac and absolutley love it. i gave up on PC's a long time ago when i got my first mac. i think i know what program you are talking about. i googled it and found out that you were right it is called simple text. i don't know were to buy it or even download it, but if i were you i would do some research. it sounds pretty cool. if you find out can you tell me were?
FujimiLover Posted May 24, 2009 Author Posted May 24, 2009 I've tried googling it and I dont' seem to be coming up with what I'm looking for. I wonder if it's an old program that is no longer available for the new stuff? I can't imagine you can NOT run an old program on the latest computer.
vizio93 Posted May 24, 2009 Posted May 24, 2009 hey i think i found it go to google and type in "simple text mac" and go to the third result down. It says "How to get simple text for Mac OS X". It might not be it, but that's all i could find on it.
MrObsessive Posted May 24, 2009 Posted May 24, 2009 Well unless I've got Internet II I googled it and come up with this.
vizio93 Posted May 24, 2009 Posted May 24, 2009 MrObsessive said: Well unless I've got Internet II I googled it and come up with this. i saw that too, but i don't think its what he's lookin 4
FujimiLover Posted May 24, 2009 Author Posted May 24, 2009 Nope, that's the same stuff I've been coming up with. If you ever listen to a song called "I'm a disco Dancer, and a Sweet Romancer," I believe it's lyrics were done using Simple Text as I recognize the voices from the program. It was a very simple, very basic text to speech program only associated with Mac's. The layout was very similar to Word Pad, but you had the option of about 20-25 different voices ranging from aliens, to robots, to comic-type voices. Very cool to play with, very annoying to the person next to you! LOL! It was one of my favorite "toy's" that I wish I had when using Window's, but again, now that I'm a Mac'er, I'd love to have the program if I can find it! Googling seems to get me no where!
FujimiLover Posted May 24, 2009 Author Posted May 24, 2009 Another question. Does anybody play with their Mac's program called Garage Band? It's a very cool music creating program, probably one of the best I've seen so far. I'm wondering if there is a way to record the Simple Text "speech" and save as a file that Garage Band can use? I wonder if I have/need a microphone input for the computer to record.
vizio93 Posted May 24, 2009 Posted May 24, 2009 FujimiLover said: Another question. Does anybody play with their Mac's program called Garage Band? Yes i have played around with that program a little. eventually i get mad at it though because i try to put more than one intrument together to make a decent sounding song and then the beats get off. you might be able to plug a microphone into it and record a sound, but as far as it recognizing what you said i don't think it would. One program i really love is Photobooth. If you have that you will be amused for days. your monitor hast to have a camera though.
coopdad Posted May 24, 2009 Posted May 24, 2009 I am not totally sure but I believe they now call the Simple Text software TextEdit. And the text stuff is built into the system... Go to the software's main pull down and look for "Services". Then select "Speech". It will have options to start speaking and stop. Not sure which softwares speech works in but I know it works in TextEdit. John
FujimiLover Posted May 24, 2009 Author Posted May 24, 2009 I have been searching through my computer and I did discover that it has the same voices in it that I remember. But, I can not find the text field to where I can THEN select the voices that I want to playback the text I just typed. It does not seem to be as easy as it was five years ago. But at least I know the voices are there. They range from Fred, to Vicky. to bubbles, to Sad News, Good News, alot of very recognizable robotic voices. Pretty cool sounding stuff. Some funny ones are called histerical and/or deranged, can't remember which where it sounds like somebody is laughing while trying to talk at the same time. So, I know I'm close, but I can't find out how to type, select voice, and have it speak what I just typed!
Gregg Posted May 25, 2009 Posted May 25, 2009 Simple Text was only for the old OS 9.0 system. OSX 10 up to 10.4 could boot in 9.0, and you could run the old programs. Most of the programs for 9.0 were updated, some were lost. Simple Text was one of them. Text Edit is close, but no Cuban Adobe will do text reading from a PDF file. There are other programs that will read text Garage Band is cool, best thing to do is go through all the tutorials. I have been on a Mac since the first Plastic Fanatic, couldn't do the mag without them! Even talk with Woz once in a while :-)
Harry P. Posted May 25, 2009 Posted May 25, 2009 It's true what they say... Once you go Mac... you can't go back...
vizio93 Posted May 25, 2009 Posted May 25, 2009 harrypri said: It's true what they say... Once you go Mac... you can't go back... ain't that the truth
Harry P. Posted May 25, 2009 Posted May 25, 2009 BTW... the world's best model car magazine is created entirely on a Mac...
vizio93 Posted May 25, 2009 Posted May 25, 2009 harrypri said: BTW... the world's best model car magazine is created entirely on a Mac... Ha take that Bill Gates !!!
FujimiLover Posted May 25, 2009 Author Posted May 25, 2009 No thrill with Bill! Is it possible to find this older software and run it on my computer? I have found those voices I'm after in my system, but I can't find that same Simple Text software. The only thing that works for me right now, is I can go into the systems folder, open speech, and choose my voice. Then, I can choose it to speak highlighted text. But, that's not what I want. I want what was available a few years ago. Like I said, it looked like a simple word-pad layout that just had an option for voices right in front of you. You just selected the voice, and I think you hit enter or something and it'll play back what you typed. Maybe you had to highlight it first, I can't recall. I've googled Simple Text and get a bunch of other junk that I dont' think is even near what I want. I dont' want to download something unless I know exactly what it is.
FujimiLover Posted May 25, 2009 Author Posted May 25, 2009 Okay, I found what I was looking for. Well, not exactly but in fact better. I went into the Mac store, you know like what you do with Itunes, and I searched in their application's under audio. They have a program called Verbalize. It will speak what you type in your choice of voice. AND what's more, it will save the audio! So, it's possible to put your spoken text into your music compositions!
FujimiLover Posted May 25, 2009 Author Posted May 25, 2009 Well, found out you can not save the audio in the format I was hoping for. It only allows you to save it for use with Itunes audio-book thingy which I have no use for. I deleted Garage Band cause I don't like a lot of things about it, it's not as intuitive as Sonic Foundries Acid programs and I just don't see my self spending hours playing with it. I am really enjoying the heck out of my computer. I can't believe how fast the processor is, I can't believe how gorgeous the screen is. Photos of my red Porsche just really pop out at yea like real life almost. My movies playback so silky smooth and such gorgeous video quality. It's amazing! Also, my desk is a lot less cluttered with junk. Only thing I'm not used to yet is the fact that the mouse has no right-click. So all my copy, past, cut commands are slightly different. I used to do everything with the right click! LOL! The Verbilizer program is still fun to play with though!
vizio93 Posted May 25, 2009 Posted May 25, 2009 FujimiLover said: Only thing I'm not used to yet is the fact that the mouse has no right-click. So all my copy, past, cut commands are slightly different. I used to do everything with the right click! LOL! yeah i had that problem for a while then i found out that i can get an universal mouse and plug it in and have a regular mouse back. the right click wil still work so you won't have to go to edit; copy and all that nonsense
FujimiLover Posted May 25, 2009 Author Posted May 25, 2009 Been trying to set up my printer. I've gotten it to where I can scan an image from the the scanner and onto the computer, but some reason i can't get it to print. I believe I've downloaded the print-driver for it. Are there any really good visualizers out there that can plug-in to Itunes? The visualizer that comes with Itunes is pretty cool already, but one likes to have choices! I've been searching through the Apple store, and a lot of what I like are demo's or pay-for items.
Gregg Posted May 25, 2009 Posted May 25, 2009 Mac's can Right Click, have been able to for years, just need to buy an aftermarket mouse I use the Logitech Wireless. Any PC mouse will work, usually. Have you added the printer? From the Apple top left logo, System Preferences, Printers, then add the printer. It should be automatic. Any questions on the Mac, email me off board, or call.
FujimiLover Posted May 25, 2009 Author Posted May 25, 2009 I have an Epson Stylus Photo RX680, a wonderful high-def printer. I thought I had downloaded all the appropiate Mac-drivers for it from Epson, but I can't get the stupid thing to print. The computer recognizes it, it sais printer is ready, but it don't do jack.I can get it to scan successfully, but no print. When I thought I had the right printer/driver for it, it started printing but all the pages were blank and I couldn't get it to stop! I had to empty the paper-tray to get it to stop and turn it off! I've just been trying all morning to get the stupid printer to print one image! I dont' know what I'm doing wrong here. The one frusterating aspect of a new computer is getting EVERYTHING to work together! I need to be able to print my documents!
Gregg Posted May 25, 2009 Posted May 25, 2009 There are a few tricks. Restart the Mac If no work, go to Applications, Utilities, Disk Repair. Click on Repair Permissions, bottom left bottom near center. If no work: Remove the printer from System Preferences Then, add again. If that don't work, click on the printers, select the printer, then click Printer Setup. From there, the file menu, you can reset printer system. Hope this helps
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