Text to Speech API in Golang: A Comprehensive Guide

Hey there! If you're looking to create a Text-to-Speech (TTS) application using Golang, you've come to the right place. This tutorial will guide you through the process step-by-step, from setting up your environment to synthesizing speech. We'll leverage Google Cloud's Text-to-Speech API and the Go programming language to achieve this. Let's dive in!

Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure you have the following:

1. Golang installed: You can download it from the official Go website.
2. Google Cloud account: Sign up if you haven't already, and create a new project.
3. API key: Enable the Cloud Text-to-Speech API and generate an API key.

Setting Up Your Project

First, let's set up our Go project. Create a new directory for your project and navigate into it:

bash

mkdir tts-go

cd tts-go

bash

go mod init tts-go

Next, we need to install the necessary client libraries. Run the following command to get the Google Cloud Text-to-Speech client library:

bash

go get -u cloud.google.com/go/texttospeech/apiv1

bash

go get -u google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/cloud/texttospeech/v1

go get -u google.golang.org/grpc

Writing the Code

Now, let's create a file named main.go and start coding. This is where the magic happens!

go

package main

import (

    "context"

    "fmt"

    "io/ioutil"

    "log"

    "os"

    texttospeech "cloud.google.com/go/texttospeech/apiv1"

    texttospeechpb "google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/cloud/texttospeech/v1"

)

func main() {

    ctx := context.Background()

    // Creates a client.

    client, err := texttospeech.NewClient(ctx)

    if err != nil {

        log.Fatal(err)

    }

    defer client.Close()

    // The text input to be synthesized.

    req := &texttospeechpb.SynthesizeSpeechRequest{

        Input: &texttospeechpb.SynthesisInput{

            InputSource: &texttospeechpb.SynthesisInput_Text{Text: "Hello, world!"},

        },

        // Build the voice request; select the language code ("en-US") and the SSML voice gender ("neutral").

        Voice: &texttospeechpb.VoiceSelectionParams{

            LanguageCode: "en-US",

            SsmlGender:   texttospeechpb.SsmlVoiceGender_NEUTRAL,

        },

        // Select the type of audio file you want returned.

        AudioConfig: &texttospeechpb.AudioConfig{

            AudioEncoding: texttospeechpb.AudioEncoding_LINEAR16,

        },

    }

    // Performs the text-to-speech request on the text input with the selected voice parameters and audio file type.

    resp, err := client.SynthesizeSpeech(ctx, req)

    if err != nil {

        log.Fatal(err)

    }

    // The resp's AudioContent is binary.

    filename := "output.wav"

    err = ioutil.WriteFile(filename, resp.AudioContent, 0644)

    if err != nil {

        log.Fatal(err)

    }

    fmt.Printf("Audio content written to file: %v\n", filename)

}

Explanation

1. Imports: We import necessary packages, including the Google Cloud Text-to-Speech client library and context package.
2. Client Initialization: We create a new client using the texttospeech.NewClient(ctx) function.
3. Request Setup: We build the request with the text to be synthesized, voice parameters, and audio configuration.
4. Synthesis: We call client.SynthesizeSpeech(ctx, req) to perform the text-to-speech synthesis.
5. Write Audio: We write the audio content to an output file named output.wav.

Running the Code

Make sure your GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS environment variable is set to the path of your service account key file. Then, run the code:

bash

go run main.go

You should see an output file named output.wav in your project directory containing the synthesized speech.

Additional Resources

If you're interested in more use cases or advanced configurations, check out the official [Google Cloud Text-to-Speech API docs. You can also explore open-source libraries like Hegedustibor for offline TTS capabilities.

Congratulations! You've just created a simple Text-to-Speech application using Golang and Google Cloud's Text-to-Speech API. This is just the beginning—there's so much more you can do with TTS, from building interactive voice applications to generating audio content dynamically. Happy coding!

If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. Until next time, happy coding!

Try Speechify Text to Speech API

The Speechify Text to Speech API is a powerful tool designed to convert written text into spoken words, enhancing accessibility and user experience across various applications. It leverages advanced speech synthesis technology to deliver natural-sounding voices in multiple languages, making it an ideal solution for developers looking to implement audio reading features in apps, websites, and e-learning platforms.

With its easy-to-use API, Speechify enables seamless integration and customization, allowing for a wide range of applications from reading aids for the visually impaired to interactive voice response systems.

Is Google TTS API free?

Google TTS API offers a free tier with limited usage, but for higher usage, pricing applies based on the volume of audio data processed.

Which Text-to-Speech API is realistic?

Google Cloud Text-to-Speech API is highly realistic, utilizing advanced deep learning models to convert text into natural-sounding speech in multiple languages, including English.

How do I create a Text-to-Speech API?

To create a Text-to-Speech API, you need to set up a server that takes text input, uses a TTS SDK or library to convert text to audio data, and returns the audio file.

How to get Google TTS API key?

To get a Google TTS API key, enable the API in Google Cloud Console, go to the API & Services section, and create a new API key under the credentials tab.