Upgrading and deprecating 70 lower quality voices

We’re planning to upgrade 70 lower quality voices on 5 December 2024. The upgraded voices may sound differently, so we are deprecating the existing versions to avoid issues with inconsistent recordings.

Read the details below to learn which voices are being removed, and what you can use instead.

Which voices are affected?

The following voices will be removed on 5 December 2024:

VoiceLanguage – Accent
AlainFrench – Metropolitan
AndersDanish
AndrzejPolish
AslakNorwegian
CarolEnglish – British
CharlesEnglish – British
DanielEnglish – British
DavidEnglish – British
DorothyEnglish – British
EleniGreek
ElisabethEnglish – British
EmmaEnglish – British
EsmeraldaSpanish – Castilian
EstelleFrench – Metropolitan
FlorianGerman – Standard
FrankaGerman – Standard
GijsbertDutch
GustafSwedish
HansGerman – Standard
HarryEnglish – British
HelmutGerman – Standard
HendrikaDutch
IngerDanish
IngridSwedish
IoanaRomanian
IvanaSlovak
JamesEnglish – British
JeanFrench – Metropolitan
JoaquimPortuguese – European
JulioSpanish – Castilian
JustynaPolish
KatarzynaPolish
KjerstiNorwegian
KrisztinaHungarian
LauraItalian
LeonorPortuguese – European
LindseyEnglish – British
LivNorwegian
LuciaSpanish – Castilian
LunaSpanish – Castilian
MaaikeDutch – Flemish
MaartjeDutch
MalinSwedish
ManuelSpanish – Castilian
MargaridaPortuguese – European
MargotFrench – Metropolitan
MarioItalian
MarleneGerman – Standard
MarzenaPolish
MonikaGerman – Standard
OleNorwegian
OlenaUkrainian
OrnellaItalian
PetraCzech
PilarSpanish – Castilian
RebeccaEnglish – British
RobertoItalian
RogerioPortuguese – European
SidseDanish
SigridNorwegian
SophieFrench – Metropolitan
StellanSwedish
TiinaFinnish
TomaszPolish
TrineDanish
VendelaSwedish
WillekeDutch
WillemDutch
WilliamEnglish – British
WimDutch – Flemish

Why are the voices being removed?

We are upgrading all those voices from an older technology stack to a more modern version. This will improve the quality of the voices in general, but the new versions may sound significantly different from the old ones. To avoid inconsistent voice recordings, especially for people that work on longer-term projects, we are deprecating and removing the old versions, instead of just upgrading the voices under the same names.

When are the voices being removed?

On 5 December 2024 the voices will longer be available for web or API usage.

What you should do if you are currently using one of these voices

You should finish up any longer-term projects using these voices before 5 December 2024, and you should not count on those voices being available after that date.

The voices will remain active until 5 December 2024, so you do not have to update your materials immediately.

If you are using one of the affected voices to create audio or video materials using the Narakeet web site, we recommend selecting an alternative voice over the next month and then switching to the new voice before the changeover date.

If you are using one of the affected voices in automated conversions, through the API or command line tools, you should update the source code and materials before 5 December 2024 to use an alternative voice.

Will there be a replacement for the voices?

Yes, and the replacements will sound more natural and produce higher quality audio. However, the replacements will not sound the same as the old voices.

We already offer plenty of good replacements for all affected languages, mostly with much better quality. Check out the Text to Speech Voice List to listen to alternative voices and choose a good replacement.

Need more information?

If you need assistance choosing an alternative voice, need more information about this change or want to discuss your options, please get in touch with contact@narakeet.com. We’d be happy to help.

Narakeet helps you create text to speech voiceovers, turn Powerpoint presentations and Markdown scripts into engaging videos. It is under active development, so things change frequently. Keep up to date: RSS, Slack, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok