- FAQs (Android only)
Can I change the voice used in prompts ?- Yes. Cooking Timer uses your device settings for Language and Text-to-Speech.
Where are the device options located for Language and Text-to-Speech ?- This can vary, but in concept, go to your device Settings --> General Management. There you will find Language and Text-to-speech.
By experimenting with these settings you should be able to achieve what you need.
What is the best Preferred engine ?- Most devices come with a manufacturer built-in speech engine and with the option to use Speech Services by Google.
Google usually provides the most flexible range of voices that can be selected, however Speech Services by Google will require Internet access to download the required files.
How can I select a different voice ?- Within Preferred engine having the Speech Services by Google set, there is a setting button that takes you to Google TTS options where
you can Install voice data.
There, by choosing a google TTS voice data file E.g. English (Australia) you can select from a variety of available voices.
The voice will be played with a sample each time you make a selection.
I notice that there are controls for Pitch and Speed - how should they be used ?- By adjusting these controls you can change the way voice prompts sound and gives you the means to customise the output to suit your preference.
- Pitch. Raises or lowers the pitch of the voice between a growl and squeaky.
Intonation can also be affected depending on the speech engine capabilities.
- Speed. Increases or slows the rate at which the voice is spoken.
- Volume. Raises or lowers the loudness of the voice.
The two volume controls are synchronized. i.e one affects the other when adjusted.
You can adjust these controls while Cooking Timer has been Started.
Cooking Timer does not play any voice prompts- There are two possible causes to investigate ...
- Check that the Cooking Time volume slider is not at 0%
- Check that your device volume for TTS playback is set also.
Take into account that the Cooking Timer volume slider works in conjunction to your device volume for TTS playback.
I.e. if your device volume for TTS playback is set at 40% and the Cooking Timer volume slider is set at 50%
then the actual volume will be 50% of 40% which is 20% when playing the voice prompt.
The layout of the Cooking Timer form does not appear as would be expected.- It would be nice to have a "one fits all" layout, however, given the myriad of mobile device screen sizes and pixel density, this is not always possible.
Currently the layout is based on either 4" or 5" diagonal screen sizes.
In otherwords, any screen between 4" and 4.9" is classed as 4".
Similarly, any screen between 5" and higher is classed as 5".
Optimally designed for Samsung Galaxy J1, J2 and A10 which are 4.32", 4.98" and 5.79" respectively.
If you feel its important, please send a screenshot to support@nexialsoftware.co.nz as a wishlist item.
Saving your settings.-
There are two aspects to saving ...
- Global Settings. Optionally saved on Cook Timer Exit
- Current Schedule Choice.
- Play Duration Voice Prompts.
- Volume Slider.
- Pitch Slider.
- Speed Slider.
- Duration Settings. The Save button.
- Durations 1..5
- Prepstart time and prompt.
- Autostart time and prompt.
Creating a new Timing Schedule.-
This is done by cloning the currently selected schedule.
In the Settings page, simply change the name and click the Add button that appears at the right of the input box.
After confirming your choice,
a New entry will be added to the dropdown list.
You are then free to alter the new schedule to suit your needs.
Removing an existing Timing Schedule.-
In the Settings page, click in the schedule name box and a Trash button will appear.
After clicking the button and confirming your choice, the selected schedule will be removed from the dropdown list.
How can I set the device volume for TTS playback ?- Many mobile devices have a different volume setting for each type of sound - e.g. Ringtones, voice call, music/media etc.
When you use your device physical volume control (buttons up or down) you usually affect only the type of sound you are currently playing.
Therefor to adjust the Text-to-speech volume on your device, you should make the adjustment while TTS is playing a prompt.
You can do this in Cooking Timer Settings by using the headphone button to play the prompt and quickly use your physical volume control (buttons up or down)
When editing Duration, must I use the Up-Dn arrows to traverse from say 0 to 59 ? -
You are free to type directly into the input box if you wish.
You can also use a long-press to select the content of an input box so that whatever you type will replace it.
What are the Duration Hr Min Sec ranges that can be used ?- When setting a Duration time, there are certain constraints that are enforced.
- Hr: 0..11
- Min: 0..59
- Sec: 0..59
In a practical sense, these are all that is necessary for normal use.
There is no automatic adjustment made between each setting - they are all independent from each other. Collectively they make up a number of Hrs/Mins and Seconds that must pass before the next duration is triggered.
|
|
Text Tweaker Editor
