kevintuncer/backgroundreader

Text to Speech (TTS) running in the background for everything you copy

BackgroundReader

Text to Speech (TTS) running in the background for everything you copy with Ctrl + C.

Features

✅ Operates entirely offline.
✅ Predicts the language of the copied text and changes the voice accordingly.
✅ Optionally run on system start and completely in the background.

Recommended

The offline voices from ivona are pretty good, like Hans and Marlene for German and Salli for american English.

Experience	Speed level
Beginner	+ 2
Intermediate	+ 4
Expert	+ 6
Guru	+ 8

Short cuts

Shortcut	Function
Ctrl + C	Read text
Ctrl + Alt	Pause playback
Ctrl + Alt + P	Resume playback from pause
Ctrl + Alt + U	Translate a word with dict
Ctrl + Alt + G	Paste into Google
Ctrl + Alt + M	Hide/reveal settings window and save settings
Ctrl + Alt + N	Switch to the next voice
Ctrl + Alt + B	Switch to the last voice
Ctrl + Alt + NumPad	Select voice by number
Ctrl + Alt + +	Increase playback speed
Ctrl + Alt + -	Decrease playback speed
Ctrl + Alt + .	Increase volume
Ctrl + Alt + ,	Decrease volume
Ctrl + Alt + H	Open Help menu

Author's Note

I developed this program during my teenage years, and it has become an integral part of my daily life. Once you become accustomed to it, you'll find it indispensable. Pretty much like a second monitor.

License

Released under the MIT license. Contributions are welcome and encouraged.