= MARY TTS 4.1.0: Release notes = [http://mary.dfki.de/download/4.1.0/openmary-standalone-install-4.1.0.jar Download MARY TTS 4.1.0] This is a feature release, adding new features while maintaining compatibility with existing 4.0 voices. == New features for expressive TTS == * '''Prosody control for HMM-based voices'''. Using the SSML [http://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#edef_prosody tag], it is now possible to control the intonation generated for HMM-based voices from markup. Of particular interest is the "contour" attribute, which allows you to change the shape of the intonation curve. For details and examples, see ProsodySpecificationSupport. * '''Expressive vocalizations''' in certain unit selection voices. MaryXML now supports a new tag, with which you can request the generation of non-verbal or para-verbal expressions as they are often produced by the listener in a conversation, such as "yeah", "m-hm", laughter, sigh, etc. For details and examples, see VocalizationSynthesis. == New voices == * For British English, we release HMM-based versions of the four voices Poppy, Spike, Obadiah and Prudence. * Updated versions of many of the previously existing voices, with improved quality. == Bugfixes and other improvements == * Faster startup times. MARY 4.1.0 starts nearly twice as fast and needs about 30% less physical memory compared to MARY 4.0.0, due to the use of memory mapping for unit selection voices. * Quality of German and English components improved. A number of bugs were fixed which had degraded the quality of the synthesis results in MARY 4.0.0: * [http://mary.opendfki.de/ticket/297 #297] [http://mary.opendfki.de/ticket/297 German words spelled out when they shouldn't] * [http://mary.opendfki.de/ticket/273 #273] [http://mary.opendfki.de/ticket/273 Several problems with abbreviations in German] * [http://mary.opendfki.de/ticket/308 #308] [http://mary.opendfki.de/ticket/308 German compound analysis over-active] * [http://mary.opendfki.de/ticket/287 #287] [http://mary.opendfki.de/ticket/287 Abbreviations in German trigger major boundary insertion] * [http://mary.opendfki.de/ticket/304 #304] [http://mary.opendfki.de/ticket/304 English support for apostrophies is broken] * Multiple bugs were also fixed under the surface. For a full list, see [[BR]]http://mary.opendfki.de/query?status=closed&group=resolution&milestone=4.1 == More info == For more background information, please also refer to the [wiki:4.0.0 Release notes of MARY 4.0.0].