XTTS-2-UI: A User Interface for Text-Based Voice Cloning
XTTS-2-UI is an exciting tool designed for the cloning of voices using text and a short audio sample. Imagine being able to recreate someone's voice with just a 10-second sample and some written words! This capability is central to what XTTS-2-UI offers, making it accessible and straightforward to set up and use.
Model at the Core
The magic behind XTTS-2-UI lies in its model – tts_models/multilingual/multi-dataset/xtts_v2. This model, developed by Coqui, powers the voice cloning capabilities across multiple languages. For those curious about the technical details, the model can be explored further on the Hugging Face platform and its version 2.0.2.
Setting Up the Project
Getting started with XTTS-2-UI involves a few simple steps:
- Clone the Repository: This involves copying the project from GitHub onto your computer.
- Create a Virtual Environment: This step ensures that you have a separate space to manage project dependencies without affecting other projects.
- Install PyTorch: Depending on your computer's setup, especially if you have a CUDA-enabled GPU, you'll install this essential deep learning library.
- Install Other Packages: Ensure all other necessary software packages are installed to help the project run smoothly.
After these steps, the project is set up, and models will be automatically downloaded as needed, making it ready for use.
Running Voice Cloning
To activate the XTTS-2-UI application, you can use a few different commands. You might choose to run the app via a basic command, or employ a terminal command, which allows you to input sample texts and generate audio with various voices. Initially, you will need to agree to the terms of service associated with the voice cloning model.
Building a Voice Dataset
If you wish to expand your collection of target voices beyond the defaults provided, you can add your own samples. Simply acquire or record a 24KHz WAV file that is around 10 seconds long and place it in the designated targets folder. Tools like yt-dlp can help you grab audio snippets from platforms like YouTube for cloning purposes.
Language Support
One of the strengths of XTTS-2-UI is its ability to operate in 16 different languages, including English, Chinese, French, and Arabic, among others. This broad language support means you can clone voices in a variety of linguistic contexts.
Special Notes
For those interested in using Japanese, the setup requires an additional step of installing a dictionary to process the language effectively. There are both lite and full versions of this dictionary available, depending on your needs.
Acknowledgments
The inspiration and foundation for XTTS-2-UI come significantly from another project, which you can find on GitHub.
With XTTS-2-UI, the world of text-based voice cloning is brought closer to enthusiasts and professionals alike, offering an exciting glimpse into the future of voice technology.