Step 1: Preliminary

In this section I will describe a little about how TomTom voices work, as well as explain what software you will need.  Basically this step will get you to a stage where your ready to hit record!

     a) Get to know how it all works.

I think to start it's important, especially if your new to this, to explain how this all works, so here it goes:

A voice profile is created in three steps, firstly the 59 individual voice commands are recorded ("Go straight on", "After", "Keep Left" etc.), then the standard sound format is encoded into the OGG Vorbis format used by TomTom, and lastly all the individually encoded files get compacted into two files specially named so that TomTom can use it.

Each voice profile contains either two or three files; the voice data (.chk), the index file ( .vif), and possibly the image ( .bmp, TomTom5+ only).

In order for TomTom to recognise your voice, it must be properly named in the format "data[number].chk". Each official voice released by TomTom has a unique file number, for example data04.chk is Tim UK, and data15.chk is Eva - Nederland's.  As far as I am aware you cannot change this, however data61.chk to data99.chk (TomTom 5) and data71.chk to data99.chk (Pre TomTom 5), are recognised as 'Special Voices' by TomTom, I would always recommend using the special range instead of overwriting the official ones to avoid confusion.

If your using TomTom5, the voice files are stored in the folder 'Voices' under the tomtom directory (the location of this folder depends on your device and where you installed tomtom in the first place!), if your not using TomTom 5, get your credit card out and buy it now, your missing out!  Of course until then, you can find the voices in the 'TomTom' folder.  I'm fairly sure this is the same whatever type of TomTom you are using, but please correct me if I'm wrong!

OK, hopefully by now you have a rough idea, now read on to learn how to create your own voices.

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     b) Get and install the software, and create the folder structure.

For this guide, create a folder 'Tomtom voices' in the root of your 'C Drive'.  To do this navigate to the 'C Drive' through 'My Computer', double click on the 'C Drive', then expand the 'file' menu, then choose 'new' > 'folder'.

For this guide to work, you will also need three crucial bits of software; Audacity, win:viftool2 (created by ME), plus my template OGG files (this will save you the hassle of naming each file).

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Audacity  (2.31 mb)   - 

 MAIN LINK  

Author: Audacity Developer Team

- I have chosen audacity purely and simply because I have been using it for quite a while, and I still can't get over how absolutely FANTASTIC it is, oh yeah and did I mention it's FREE?  This is a great piece of software for any use, however the three major benefits of using audacity to create TomTom voices are:

1. You can create all of your 59 voice file in the same project window quickly and easily, then you can tinker with all your files at the same time.
2. It has a fantastic tool that lets you remove background noises and any static you might have, particularly if you are using a cheap microphone, full credit to Dominic Mazzoni for creating this tool!
3. It can export the file directly to the OGG Vorbis format that TomTom uses, saving you so much time!

Install Audacity but do not change any of the default settings just yet, I'll tell you exactly what to change later.

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win:viftool2 (2315kb)   -  

  MAIN LINK 
 

Author: Graeme Lucas (That's Me!)

- win:viftool2 is a windows GUI Wizard application that I wrote in VB. win:viftool2 makes the final section far more easy than traditional methods as it avoids the need of using the command prompt.  Download the setup program using the above link, and then install it using the included wizard.  The program MUST be installed to c:\winviftool, so please DO NOT MOVE IT once it's installed otherwise it may crash!

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Template OGG File Names (32kb)  - 

MAIN LINK   -   MIRROR #1 (Thanks Mark for hosting this mirror!)

Author: Graeme Lucas (That's Me!)

- Download and extract the files into a folder named 'templates' under the 'Tomtom voices' folder you just created (C:\TomTom Voices\Templates). This archive contains the 59 ready named OGG files, all empty.  This is not an essential step but will save you time when it comes to saving the files later in step 3!

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     c)- Choose and set up your microphone.

PLEASE,  use a good quality microphone if you can help it, it will create a much better quality result.  Of course if you can't get one, don't worry too much, Audacity is absolutely brilliant at making the most of a crap microphone!

If you can help it, the best type of microphone would be a telescopic microphone, this will minimise any background noise you may get, but again it won't matter too much!

Obviously the quieter and flatter the room (flatter meaning not echoing for those non techy people!) the better.  Also try and do this when people aren't banging things around or talking on the telephone in the next room!

Getting the balance between the voice being too quiet, and clipping (distorting) is going to be tricky.  It's important for the voice-ee to be close to the microphone, but not too close however it's better from a quality point of view to be close and turn down the input level, than far away and amplifying the sound afterwards.  Start with the voice-ee being about 10-12 inches away from the microphone, that is a good place to start, but it's a trial and error thing, so practice makes perfect!

Once you've got Audacity, win:viftool2 and the template OGG tiles installed and extracted, and the room/microphone set up, and you've even bribed the voice-ee to be your guinea pig, your ready to set up audacity!

     d)- Set up audacity.

For the following steps I have provided screenshots, these may take some time to load, so please be patient!

1.) Load audacity, the screen should look like this ->

2.) Change sample rate of the recording.  Audacity calls this the 'project rate' as it can relate to multiple clips. You can change this by clicking on the current project rate (by default 44100) on the bottom left  side of the screen, and choosing your desired project rate.  IMPORTANT: The required rate will depend entirely on what device you are using.  This may be a trial and error things, as certain devices have different audio decoder hardware and may not accept certain types.  Typically for PDA and TTGo systems, use 22, 050Hz where other devices such as TTMobile may require a lower project rate.  Typical symptoms that your project rate was incorrect would be that when your being directed, the clips stop before they are complete, or play incorrectly.  I would like to create a more definitive list, so please get in touch and let me know your TT device setup and which rate worked for you, cheers!

3.) Next you need to make sure that you are only recording in mono, not stereo.  To do this, go into 'Preferences' by choosing File > Preferences, or by pressing CTRL+P.  Under the 'recording' section, ensure the number of channels reads 1 (Mono). TIP: If you are using headphones, check the 'Software Playthrough' option, this will allow you to hear the sound as it's playing. Click OK to close the preferences window.

4.) When back onto the main window, ensure 'Microphone' is selected for the input.  TIP: the 'input volume' slider is directly to the left of the input select combo box.  I would recommend you always start with this all the way up, and move it down if necessary after completing some test records.

5.) The second last thing to do is to change the 'OGG Export Setup' setting in Audacity.  To change this go back into the Audacity preferences (File > Preferences of my pressing CTRL+P), go to the 'File Formats' tab and drag the slider to '9', then click okay.

6.) Last but not least you will need a 'script' for the voice-ee to read from. Click here to download my recommendation script, each line shows the file name, and  a description of what to say.  This is listed in alphabetical order of the file name you will be saving them as. Believe me, doing it this way makes life a lot easier later on! Print two copies, one for you and one for the voice-ee, again it just makes things easier. Just make sure they do not rustle the paper or move back and forth when speaking!  If you cannot download the file, here it is in plain text: # '2ndLeft.ogg' => 'Take the second left' # '2ndRight.ogg' => 'Take the second right' # '3rdLeft.ogg' => 'Take the third left' # '3rdRight.ogg' => 'Take the third right' # '50.ogg' => '50' # '80.ogg' => '80' # '100.ogg' => '100' # '200.ogg' => '200' # '300.ogg' => '300' # '400.ogg' => '400' # '500.ogg' => '500' # '600.ogg' => '600' # '700.ogg' => '700' # '800.ogg' => '800' # 'After.ogg' => 'After' # 'AhExit.ogg' => 'Exit ahead' # 'AhExitLeft.ogg' => 'ahead, Exit left' # 'AhExitRight.ogg' => 'ahead, Exit right' # 'AhFerry.ogg' => 'Ferry ahead' # 'AhKeepLeft.ogg' => 'Ahead, keep left' # 'AhKeepRight.ogg' => 'Ahead, keep right' # 'AhLeftTurn.ogg' => 'Left turn ahead' # 'AhRightTurn.ogg' => 'Right turn ahead' # 'AhUTurn.ogg' => 'U-turn ahead' # 'Arrive.ogg' => 'You have reached your destination' # 'BearLeft.ogg' => 'Bear left' # 'BearRight.ogg' => 'Bear right' # 'Charge.ogg' => 'Congestion charge' # 'Depart.ogg' => 'Depart' # 'KeepLeft.ogg' => 'Keep left' # 'KeepRight.ogg' => 'Keep right' # 'LnLeft.ogg' => 'Stay in the left lane' # 'LnRight.ogg' => 'Stay in the right lane' # 'Meters.ogg' => 'Metres' < Note the American spelling of Metres! # 'MwEnter.ogg' => 'Take the motorway' # 'MwExit.ogg' => 'Leave the motorway' # 'MwExitLeft.ogg' => 'Leave the motorway at the exit on the left' # 'MwExitRight.ogg' => 'Leave the motorway at the exit on the right' # 'RbBack.ogg' => 'Go around the roundabout' # 'RbCross.ogg' => 'Cross the roundabout' # 'RbExit1.ogg' => 'First exit' # 'RbExit2.ogg' => 'Second exit' # 'RbExit3.ogg' => 'Third exit' # 'RbExit4.ogg' => 'Fourth exit' # 'RbExit5.ogg' => 'Fifth exit' # 'RbExit6.ogg' => 'Sixth exit' # 'RbLeft.ogg' => 'Go left on the roundabout' # 'RbRight.ogg' => 'Go right on the roundabout' # 'RoadEnd.ogg' => 'At the end of the road' # 'SharpLeft.ogg' => 'Sharp left' # 'SharpRight.ogg' => 'Sharp right' # 'Straight.ogg' => 'Go straight on' # 'TakeFerry.ogg' => 'Take the ferry' # 'Then.ogg' => 'Then' # 'TryUTurn.ogg' => 'Turn around when possible' # 'TurnLeft.ogg' => 'Turn left' # 'TurnRight.ogg' => 'Turn Right' # 'UTurn.ogg' => 'Make a U-turn' # 'Yards.ogg' => 'Yards' Of course, and I can't stress this enough, this is only a recommendation of what you should say, feel free to reword anything, after all, it is a 'custom' voice!  I guess all I would recommend against is saying left instead of right, or go straight on, instead of bear left, as this could potentially be extremely dangerous!!

6.) You are now ready to start recording, try and position the voice-ee comfortably as they will be there for a few minutes, and ensure they always speak in the same position in roughly the same manner and amplitude, this will ensure clarity.  If you can get hold of and use a microphone stand or desk stand this will help, anything but actually holding the microphone would be ideal, although not essential.  One more thing, I would recommend they speak as clear a possible, but make sure it's natural, the whole idea is to get a representation of them actually directing you on the road, so it's not good getting them to speak like a newsreader or robot!

Click on the following link to get you to the next step!

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