🎵 Speechify - Advanced Text-to-Speech for VS Code

🎉 Version 2.0.1 Released!

New Professional Icon Design | Updated Visual Identity | Enhanced User Experience

📖 中文文档 | English Documentation | Live Demo

Transform your VS Code into a powerful text-to-speech workstation with Speechify! Convert any text into high-quality speech using Microsoft Azure Speech Services, featuring 200+ voices in 60+ languages with advanced customization options.

🎯 Use Cases & Problem Solving

📚 Education & Content Creation

• Course Preparation: Convert lecture notes, code examples, and documentation into audio for teaching materials
• Video Production: Generate professional voiceovers for coding tutorials, software demos, and educational content
• Audio Podcasts: Create programming podcasts by converting written content into natural speech
• Online Learning: Transform technical documentation into accessible audio format for distance learning

🎬 Media & Broadcasting

• Audio Books: Convert technical books, programming guides, and documentation into audiobooks
• Presentation Narration: Generate professional narration for technical presentations and demos
• Multi-language Content: Create the same content in multiple languages using native speakers
• Accessibility: Make written content accessible to visually impaired developers and learners

💼 Professional Development

• Code Review: Listen to code comments and documentation while reviewing code
• Documentation: Convert API documentation, README files, and technical specs into audio
• Meeting Preparation: Transform meeting notes and technical specifications into audio briefs
• Language Learning: Practice pronunciation of technical terms in different languages

🔧 Development Workflow

• Multitasking: Listen to documentation while coding, testing, or debugging
• Code Comments: Convert inline comments and documentation strings into speech
• Error Analysis: Generate audio summaries of error logs and debugging information
• Team Communication: Create audio versions of technical specifications for team sharing

🌐 Accessibility & Inclusion

• Visual Impairment Support: Make development resources accessible to visually impaired programmers
• Learning Disabilities: Support developers with dyslexia or other reading difficulties
• Fatigue Reduction: Reduce eye strain by listening to documentation instead of reading
• Mobile Learning: Continue learning while commuting or exercising

✨ Features

🎤 Professional Speech Synthesis

• High-Quality Audio: Generate crystal-clear MP3 audio files using Azure Neural Voices
• 200+ Voices: Choose from a vast selection of natural-sounding voices in 60+ languages
• Smart Chunking: Automatically handles large documents by splitting them into manageable audio segments
• Real-Time Processing: Live progress feedback during speech generation

🎭 Advanced Voice Customization

• Voice Styles: Choose from speaking styles like friendly, newscast, cheerful, sad, angry, and more
• Roleplay Characters: Select specific character roles for supported voices (narrator, young adult, elderly, etc.)
• Gender Selection: Filter voices by male/female preferences
• Language Support: Full support for multilingual content with automatic locale detection

🌍 Multilingual Interface

• English & Chinese: Native interface support with automatic language detection
• Extensible i18n: Easy to add support for additional languages
• Consistent Terminology: Professionally translated interface elements

🛠️ Developer-Friendly

• TypeScript: Fully written in TypeScript with strict type checking
• VS Code Integration: Seamless integration with VS Code commands and context menus
• Configuration Management: Persistent settings with workspace-level customization
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error handling with user-friendly messages

🚀 Real-World Applications

👨‍🏫 For Educators & Trainers

Scenario: Creating Programming Tutorial Videos

1. Write teaching scripts or course outlines in VS Code
2. Select text content, right-click and choose "Speechify: Convert Text to Speech"
3. Generate professional voiceover files for video post-production
4. Result: Save recording time while achieving consistent voice quality

Practical Uses:

• Create voiceovers for online programming courses
• Generate narration audio for technical demonstrations
• Produce multilingual versions of educational content

🎬 For Content Creators

Scenario: Producing Technical Podcasts

1. Copy technical articles or blog posts into VS Code
2. Use Speechify to convert them into high-quality audio
3. Use directly for podcast publishing or as audio material
4. Result: Quickly generate professional-grade podcast content

Practical Uses:

• Convert technical blogs into audio podcasts
• Create tech news broadcasts
• Generate code explanation audio content

📺 For Video Producers

Scenario: Creating Programming Tutorial Series

1. Prepare scripts for each video episode in VS Code
2. Select different voice roles for different characters
3. Batch generate audio files for video editing
4. Result: Maintain audio consistency throughout the series

Practical Uses:

• YouTube programming tutorial voiceovers
• Software demonstration video narration
• Product introduction video production

🎓 For Online Course Creators

Scenario: Creating Complete Online Courses

1. Import course materials and documentation into VS Code
2. Convert each chapter into audio lessons
3. Select different voice styles for different difficulty levels
4. Result: Quickly produce professional online audio courses

Practical Uses:

• Course creation for Udemy/Coursera platforms
• Corporate training audio materials
• Technical certification training content

🚀 Quick Start

1. Installation

Install from the VS Code Marketplace or search for "Speechify" in VS Code Extensions.

2. Azure Setup

🔒 Security Best Practice: Never commit your Azure subscription keys to version control. Always store them securely in VS Code settings or environment variables.

1. Get your Azure Speech Services subscription key
2. Open VS Code Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
3. Run "Speechify: Configure Azure Settings"
4. Enter your subscription key and region

For Developers:

• Copy test-config.json.example to test-config.json and add your test credentials
• The test-config.json file is automatically ignored by Git for security
• Our CI pipeline includes automated security checks to prevent accidental key exposure

3. Voice Configuration

1. Open Command Palette
2. Run "Speechify: Configure Voice Settings"
3. Select your preferred language, voice, and style

4. Convert Text to Speech

1. Select any text in your editor
2. Right-click and choose "Speechify: Convert Text to Speech"
3. Your audio file will be saved in the same directory as your source file

📖 Usage Examples

Basic Text Conversion

// Select this text and convert to speech
const greeting = "Hello, welcome to VS Code Speechify extension!";

Document Conversion

Convert entire markdown documents, code comments, or any text-based content into speech for:

• Accessibility: Support users with visual impairments or reading difficulties
• Content Review: Listen to your writing while doing other tasks or during commutes
• Language Learning: Hear proper pronunciation of technical terms in multiple languages
• Presentations: Generate audio narration for demos, tutorials, and educational content
• Podcast Creation: Transform written articles into professional podcast episodes
• Course Materials: Convert lecture notes and educational content into audio format

Advanced Voice Features

// When using roleplay-enabled voices, you can select specific characters:
// - Narrator: Professional storytelling voice
// - YoungAdultFemale: Energetic and friendly
// - OlderAdultMale: Authoritative and experienced
// - Child: Playful and enthusiastic

⚙️ Configuration

Azure Speech Services Settings

• Subscription Key: Your Azure Speech Services API key
• Region: Azure region (e.g., eastus, westus2, westeurope)

Voice Customization

• Voice Name: Specific voice model (e.g., en-US-JennyNeural, zh-CN-YunyangNeural)
• Voice Gender: Male or Female preference
• Voice Style: Speaking style (friendly, newscast, cheerful, etc.)
• Voice Role: Character role for roleplay-enabled voices

File Output Settings

• Format: Audio format (MP3, WAV, OGG)
• Quality: Audio quality and bitrate settings
• Naming: Intelligent file naming with timestamps

🎯 Advanced Features

Smart File Management

• Clean Naming: document_speechify_20250713_1430.mp3
• Chunked Files: document_speechify_part01_20250713_1430.mp3 for large texts
• Automatic Organization: Files saved alongside source documents

Voice Role Selection

For voices that support roleplay characters:

1. Right-click selected text
2. Choose "Speechify: Select Voice Role"
3. Pick from available character roles
4. Settings are automatically saved for future use

Batch Processing

• Large Documents: Automatically split long content into multiple audio files
• Progress Tracking: Real-time progress indicators for long operations
• Error Recovery: Robust error handling with retry mechanisms

🔧 Commands

📋 Requirements

• VS Code: Version 1.82.0 or higher
• Azure Account: Active Azure subscription with Speech Services
• Node.js: For extension development (developers only)
• Internet Connection: Required for Azure Speech Services API

🔒 Security & Privacy

• Local Processing: Text is only sent to Azure Speech Services for conversion
• Secure Storage: Azure credentials are stored securely in VS Code settings
• No Data Retention: Microsoft Azure doesn't store your text content
• Open Source: Full source code available for security review

🌟 Supported Languages & Voices

Popular Languages

• English: 20+ neural voices with multiple styles and roles
• Chinese (Simplified): 15+ voices including roleplay characters
• Spanish: 10+ regional variants with natural pronunciation
• French: Professional and conversational voice options
• German: Business and casual speaking styles
• Japanese: Modern and traditional voice characteristics

Voice Styles

• Professional: newscast, customerservice, narration
• Emotional: cheerful, sad, angry, excited, friendly
• Creative: chat, poetry, lyrical, whispering
• Character: assistant, hopeful, shouting, terrified

🎯 Professional Workflows

📚 Academic & Research

• Thesis Writing: Convert research papers and technical documents into audio for review
• Literature Review: Listen to abstracts and summaries while taking notes
• Conference Presentations: Generate consistent narration for academic presentations
• Peer Review: Create audio versions of papers for collaborative review sessions

🏢 Enterprise & Business

• Technical Documentation: Convert API docs, user manuals, and specifications into audio
• Training Materials: Create audio versions of onboarding and training content
• Meeting Summaries: Transform meeting notes into audio briefs for team distribution
• Product Documentation: Generate multilingual audio guides for international teams

🎨 Creative Industries

• Scriptwriting: Convert scripts into audio for voice acting direction
• Game Development: Create placeholder audio for game dialogue and narration
• Animation: Generate temporary voiceovers for animated content
• Marketing: Create audio versions of marketing copy and promotional content

🛠️ Development

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guidelines for details.

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/hddevteam/speechify.git
cd speechify
npm install
npm run compile

Testing

npm run test:integration  # Run all tests
npm run lint             # Check code quality

📝 Changelog

Version 2.0.1 (Latest) 🎨

• ✅ New Professional Icon: Updated with pink-purple gradient design matching brand identity
• ✅ Visual Consistency: Aligned extension icon with GitHub Pages website design
• ✅ Package Optimization: Improved extension packaging and CI/CD pipeline
• ✅ Asset Management: Organized icon assets with multiple sizes (16px, 32px, 128px, 256px)

Version 2.0.0 (Major Release) 🚀

• ✅ Complete TypeScript Migration: Full TypeScript rewrite with strict type checking
• ✅ Voice Role Selection: Support for roleplay-enabled voices with character selection
• ✅ Enhanced File Naming: Clean, intelligent audio file naming system
• ✅ Comprehensive Testing: 54 automated tests with real Azure API integration
• ✅ Improved i18n: Enhanced English and Chinese interface support
• ✅ Performance Optimization: Better memory management and error handling
• ✅ GitHub Pages Website: Interactive demo site with multilingual audio samples
• ✅ Professional Documentation: Complete repository optimization and guides

Previous Versions

• 1.3.0: Enhanced TypeScript architecture and voice settings
• 1.2.0: Enhanced context menu integration and voice settings management
• 1.1.1: Fixed special character handling in text content
• 1.1.0: Simplified voice selection and Azure configuration commands
• 1.0.3: Added extension icon and branding
• 1.0.2: New voice attribute configuration options
• 1.0.1: Fixed audio file naming issues
• 1.0.0: Initial release with basic text-to-speech functionality

🐛 Known Issues

• Large files (>10MB text) may take several minutes to process
• Some Azure regions may have rate limiting during peak hours
• Voice role selection is only available for supported neural voices

📞 Support

• GitHub Issues: Report bugs or request features
• Documentation: Full documentation and guides
• VS Code Marketplace: Extension page and reviews

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Microsoft Azure: For providing excellent Speech Services API
• VS Code Team: For the fantastic extension development platform
• Contributors: All developers who have contributed to this project
• Community: Users who provide feedback and suggestions

Made with ❤️ for the developer community

Transform your coding experience with professional text-to-speech capabilities. Perfect for accessibility, content creation, and multilingual development workflows.