Text to Speech with Descript: How to Use Overdub and Clone Your Voice with AI

Introduction

Descript is a powerful audio and video editing tool that offers a range of features, including the ability to convert text into spoken audio using either stock voices or your own voice with the help of artificial intelligence. In this article, we will explore how to use Descript's overdub and AI features to generate voices that sound like you or someone else.

Step 1: Converting Text to Spoken Audio with Descript

To convert text into spoken audio using Descript, follow these steps:

Open Descript and create a new composition.
Switch to the Write mode by clicking on the right quill icon or navigating to Write mode.
Start typing out the text that you want to convert into audio. This could be narration, voiceover, or temporary text that you want to add value to your video or audio clips.
Assign a speaker label to the text by clicking the speaker icon and typing in the speaker's name (e.g., "narration").
Exit the Write mode to see the text appear in blue, indicating that it has not been converted into audio yet.
Click on the narration and go to the settings icon, then navigate to the Speakers panel.
In the Speaker panel, you can assign stock voices to the speaker label or create a model based on your own voice.
If you choose stock voices, select the desired voice from the available options.
Hit render audio to convert your text into spoken audio using the chosen voice.
The rendered audio will now appear as waveform in the timeline.

Step 2: Creating a Voice Model Based on Your Voice

If you want to use your own voice or clone someone else's voice, you can create a voice model using Descript's AI technology. Follow these steps:

Import audio or video files that contain your voice or the voice you want to clone.
Make sure the speaker labels are properly assigned to distinguish between different voices in the recordings.
Go to the Speaker Label Model section in the Speaker panel and click on "Create from voice" > "New voice".
Enter a name for the voice model and give the necessary permissions as per the guidelines.
Provide sufficient training data, ideally around 10-30 minutes of voice recordings, to train the AI model.
Submit the training data and wait for a few hours for the model to generate and the voice to be created.
Once the voice model is ready, you can select it from the speaker label dropdown and type out text to generate audio that sounds like your voice.

Keywords:

Descript, text to speech, overdub, AI, voice cloning, stock voices, speaker label, voice model, training data, audio recordings.

Step 3: Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use Descript to clone any voice, including celebrities? A: No, Descript requires your permission or the person's permission to train a voice model. It cannot clone any voice without proper consent.

Q: Can I alter the AI-generated voice using Descript? A: Yes, you can easily modify the AI-generated voice by adjusting the text, adding or removing words, or using overdub to change specific sections of the audio.

Q: How natural does the AI-generated voice sound? A: The AI-generated voice can sound quite natural, especially if you have provided sufficient training data. However, the intonation and delivery may not be fully controllable, and some tweaks may be required for perfect pronunciation.

Q: Can I use overdub with video clips in Descript? A: Yes, you can use overdub to modify the audio of video clips in Descript. However, if you change the words being spoken, you will need to cover it with b-roll or other visuals to match the altered audio.

Q: Are there any limitations when using Descript's AI voice cloning feature? A: Descript works best with clear and high-quality audio recordings. Noisy or low-quality recordings may not yield optimal results. Additionally, the AI-generated voice may not perfectly match the original voice, but it can provide a close approximation.

Conclusion

Descript's overdub and AI capabilities provide users with powerful tools to convert text into spoken audio and clone their own voices or those of others. Whether you need to add narration, fix audio mistakes, or experiment with voice cloning, Descript offers an intuitive interface and flexible features to achieve your desired results.