--- title: Speech Synthesis Manager framework: applicationservices role: collectionGroup role_heading: API Collection path: applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager --- # Speech Synthesis Manager ## Overview Overview The Speech Synthesis Manager, formerly called the Speech Manager, is the part of macOS that provides a standardized method for Mac apps to generate synthesized speech. For example, you may want your application to incorporate the capability to speak its dialog box messages to the user. A word-processing application might use the Speech Synthesis Manager to implement a command that speaks a selected section of a document to the user. Because sound samples can take up large amounts of room on disk, using text in place of sampled sound is extremely efficient. For example, a multimedia application might use the Speech Synthesis Manager to provide a narration of a QuickTime movie instead of including sampled-sound data on a movie track. OS X v10.5 introduces native support for performing speech synthesis tasks using Core Foundation-based objects, such as speaking text represented as CFString objects and managing speech channel properties using a CFDictionary-based property dictionary. You should begin using these Core Foundation-based programming interfaces as soon as it’s convenient, because future synthesizers will accept Core Foundation strings and data structures directly through the speech synthesis framework. In the meantime, existing buffer-based clients and synthesizers will continue to work as before, with strings and other data structures getting automatically converted as necessary. Gestalt Constants You can check for version and feature availability information by using the Speech Synthesis Manager selectors defined in the Gestalt Manager. ## Topics ### Changing Speech Attributes - [SetSpeechProperty(_:_:_:)](applicationservices/1459256-setspeechproperty.md) - [SetSpeechPitch(_:_:)](applicationservices/1462674-setspeechpitch.md) - [SetSpeechRate(_:_:)](applicationservices/1459896-setspeechrate.md) ### Converting Text To Phonemes - [CopyPhonemesFromText(_:_:_:)](applicationservices/1460918-copyphonemesfromtext.md) ### Installing a Pronunciation Dictionary - [UseSpeechDictionary(_:_:)](applicationservices/1463688-usespeechdictionary.md) ### Managing Speech Channels - [DisposeSpeechChannel(_:)](applicationservices/1462081-disposespeechchannel.md) - [NewSpeechChannel(_:_:)](applicationservices/1461367-newspeechchannel.md) ### Obtaining Information About Speech and Speech Channels - [CopySpeechProperty(_:_:_:)](applicationservices/1459075-copyspeechproperty.md) - [GetSpeechPitch(_:_:)](applicationservices/1464774-getspeechpitch.md) - [GetSpeechRate(_:_:)](applicationservices/1460797-getspeechrate.md) - [SpeechBusy()](applicationservices/1464581-speechbusy.md) - [SpeechBusySystemWide()](applicationservices/1460113-speechbusysystemwide.md) - [SpeechManagerVersion()](applicationservices/1462334-speechmanagerversion.md) ### Getting Information About Voices - [CountVoices(_:)](applicationservices/1459947-countvoices.md) - [GetIndVoice(_:_:)](applicationservices/1464595-getindvoice.md) - [GetVoiceDescription(_:_:_:)](applicationservices/1463940-getvoicedescription.md) - [GetVoiceInfo(_:_:_:)](applicationservices/1461410-getvoiceinfo.md) - [MakeVoiceSpec(_:_:_:)](applicationservices/1461446-makevoicespec.md) ### Starting, Stopping, and Pausing Speech - [ContinueSpeech(_:)](applicationservices/1462728-continuespeech.md) - [PauseSpeechAt(_:_:)](applicationservices/1461174-pausespeechat.md) - [SpeakCFString(_:_:_:)](applicationservices/1461621-speakcfstring.md) - [StopSpeech(_:)](applicationservices/1462745-stopspeech.md) - [StopSpeechAt(_:_:)](applicationservices/1459780-stopspeechat.md) ### Registering and Unregistering Synthesizers and Voices - [SpeechSynthesisRegisterModuleURL(_:)](applicationservices/1459624-speechsynthesisregistermoduleurl.md) - [SpeechSynthesisUnregisterModuleURL(_:)](applicationservices/1462511-speechsynthesisunregistermoduleu.md) ### Callbacks - [SpeechDoneProcPtr](applicationservices/speechdoneprocptr.md) - [SpeechErrorProcPtr](applicationservices/speecherrorprocptr.md) - [SpeechErrorCFProcPtr](applicationservices/speecherrorcfprocptr.md) - [SpeechPhonemeProcPtr](applicationservices/speechphonemeprocptr.md) - [SpeechSyncProcPtr](applicationservices/speechsyncprocptr.md) - [SpeechTextDoneProcPtr](applicationservices/speechtextdoneprocptr.md) - [SpeechWordProcPtr](applicationservices/speechwordprocptr.md) - [SpeechWordCFProcPtr](applicationservices/speechwordcfprocptr.md) ### Data Types - [DelimiterInfo](applicationservices/delimiterinfo.md) - [PhonemeDescriptor](applicationservices/phonemedescriptor.md) - [PhonemeInfo](applicationservices/phonemeinfo.md) - [SpeechChannelRecord](applicationservices/speechchannelrecord.md) - [SpeechChannel](applicationservices/speechchannel.md) - [SpeechDoneUPP](applicationservices/speechdoneupp.md) - [SpeechErrorInfo](applicationservices/speecherrorinfo.md) - [SpeechErrorUPP](applicationservices/speecherrorupp.md) - [SpeechPhonemeUPP](applicationservices/speechphonemeupp.md) - [SpeechStatusInfo](applicationservices/speechstatusinfo.md) - [SpeechSyncUPP](applicationservices/speechsyncupp.md) - [SpeechTextDoneUPP](applicationservices/speechtextdoneupp.md) - [SpeechVersionInfo](applicationservices/speechversioninfo.md) - [SpeechWordUPP](applicationservices/speechwordupp.md) - [SpeechXtndData](applicationservices/speechxtnddata.md) - [VoiceDescription](applicationservices/voicedescription.md) - [VoiceFileInfo](applicationservices/voicefileinfo.md) - [VoiceSpec](applicationservices/voicespec.md) ### Constants - [Control Flags Constants](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/1552213-control_flags_constants.md) - [Gender Constants](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/1552246-gender_constants.md) - [Audio Unit Constants](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/1552263-audio_unit_constants.md) - [Stop Speech Locations](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/1552264-stop_speech_locations.md) - [Speech Synthesis Manager Operating System Types](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/1552231-speech_synthesis_manager_operati.md) - [Speech-Channel Modes](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/1552256-speech-channel_modes.md) - [Speech-Channel Modes for Core Foundation-based Functions](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/speech-channel_modes_for_core_foundation-based_functions.md) - [Voice Information Selectors](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/1552254-voice_information_selectors.md) - [Speech-Channel Information Constants](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/1552228-speech-channel_information_constants.md) - [Phoneme Generation Options](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/1552233-phoneme_generation_options.md) - [Speech-Channel Properties](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/speech-channel_properties.md) - [Synthesizer Option Keys](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/synthesizer_option_keys.md) - [Speech Status Keys](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/speech_status_keys.md) - [Speech Error Keys](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/speech_error_keys.md) - [Speech Synthesizer Information Keys](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/speech_synthesizer_information_keys.md) - [Phoneme Symbols Keys](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/phoneme_symbols_keys.md) - [Current Voice Keys](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/current_voice_keys.md) - [Command Delimiter Keys](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/command_delimiter_keys.md) - [Speech Dictionary Keys](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/speech_dictionary_keys.md) - [Error Callback User-Information String](applicationservices/speech_synthesis_manager/error_callback_user-information_string.md) ### Result Codes - [noSynthFound](coreservices/nosynthfound.md) - [synthOpenFailed](coreservices/synthopenfailed.md) - [synthNotReady](coreservices/synthnotready.md) - [bufTooSmall](coreservices/buftoosmall.md) - [voiceNotFound](coreservices/voicenotfound.md) - [incompatibleVoice](coreservices/incompatiblevoice.md) - [badDictFormat](coreservices/baddictformat.md) - [badInputText](coreservices/badinputtext.md) ## See Also ### Managers - [Apple Event Manager](applicationservices/apple_event_manager.md) - [ColorSync Manager](applicationservices/colorsync_manager.md)