Choose the Text-to-speech Playback Voice

Text-to-speech (TTS) is the ability of the operating system to play back printed text as spoken words. An internal driver, called a TTS engine, recognizes the text and, using a synthesized voice chosen from several pre–generated voices, speaks the written text. A TTS engine is installed with the Windows XP operating system. Additional engines are also available through third party manufacturers. This procedure tells you how to select a playback voice associated with the TTS engine you use through Speech Properties in Control Panel.

	Mouse actions	Keyboard actions
1	On the Start menu: • Select Control Panel	Display the Start menu by pressing CTRL+ESC (or the Windows logo key ). • Select Control Panel by pressing C.
2	In Control Panel: • Be sure you are in Classic View (all Control Panel icons are showing). • If not, under Control Panel in the left pane, select Switch to Classic View. • Select Speech.	In Control Panel: • Be sure you are in Classic View (all Control Panel icons are showing). • If not, under Control Panel in the left pane, select Switch to Classic View by pressing TAB. • Press ENTER. • Move to Speech by pressing the arrow keys. • Press ENTER.
3	In the Speech Properties dialog box, under Voice Selection: • Select a voice option from the list. • Select OK.	In the Speech Properties dialog box: • Move to Voice Selection by pressing ALT+V. • Select a voice from the list of options by pressing the arrow keys. • Press ENTER.
4	To close Control Panel: • Select the Close button.	To close Control Panel: • Press ALT+F, C.

Control Panel: Speech: Text to Speech tab: Voice selection

Agent 2.0 Add-in: SAPI 4 control panel applet

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1366ee73-200f-49fb-b624-d5de6023aa23&displaylang=en

Changing Windows Narrator's Voice

http://www.webbie.org.uk/changingNarratorToUseADifferentSAPI5Voice.htm