Word to DAISY audio Conversion Guide

Word to DAISY audio Conversion Guide

The DAISY Pipeline app can be used to record text in high quality natural sounding text-to-speech voices and prepare different formats often required by persons with disabilities.

If you have the content in Microsoft Word, you can create the following formats using the process described in this guide.

  • DAISY 2.02 full text full audio: This digital talking book has all the text, images of the document with its recording in text-to-speech voice. This book can be read in DAISY reading apps like Dolphin EasyReader on the computer and Smart Phone and also on portable DAISY players available in the market. During playback, text is highlighted and its narration in TTS voice is played, giving a multi-sensory multimedia experience.
  • DAISY 3 full text full audio: It is similar to DAISY 2.02, there are minor differences in the file structure but that does not impact on the user experience. Generally the users will ask for either DAISY 2.02 or DAISY 3 version depending upon the reading apps or devices they have.
  • MP3 audio book: If there is a demand for this, the MP3 files in the DAISY 2.02 or DAISY 3 book folder can be copied and distributed as an audio book in MP3 format. The MP3 files are already numbered to preserve the reading order.

Tools required

  • WordToEPUB: You need this free tool from DAISY Consortium to convert the Word document to EPUB. If you already have an EPUB which has been tested and verified for accessibility, then this tool is not needed.
  • DAISY Pipeline App: This free tool from DAISY Consortium has scripts for many format conversions and validation. Download and install this tool. Checkout the DAISY Pipeline App Quick Start Guide.
  • Subscription to Microsoft Azure or Google TTS cloud service(highly recommended): DAISY Pipeline can use the Microsoft OneCore voices by default. But you may want to make use of the high quality natural sounding voices available from Microsoft and Google. Read the article Using Azure and Google TTS in DAISY Pipeline and configure DAISY Pipeline with the TTS voices of your choice.

Step 1: Prepare accessible Word

Skip this step if you already have an accessible Word document

The Word document should be prepared in compliance with the accessibility guidelines and best practices. You can take the Accessible Word Documents online course available free of cost on the DAISY Consortium Learning site to learn to create Word documents that are easy to read and navigate for everyone and suitable for conversion to other formats.

Step 2: Convert the Word document to EPUB

Skip this step if you already have an accessible EPUB.

If not, you need to convert Word document to EPUB with the WordToEPUB. The use of WordToEPUB is explained in the WordToEPUB Guidance articles.

Step 3: Use the EPUB to DAISY (TTS enhanced) script in DAISY Pipeline

  1. Open DAISY Pipeline
  2. In File menu click on Settings. Now click on Voices and add TTS voices suitable to read the content you are going to convert to audio book and click Close button.
  3. In “Select a script” choose EPUB to DAISY (TTS enhanced).
  4. Click the Browse button under “EPUB publication” and select the EPUB file you want to convert to other formats.
  5. Under “Perform text-to-speech” make sure you select “Yes” or “If publication has no media overlays yet”.
  6. Mostly you would like to keep the “Speak alt text” checkbox checked so that image descriptions given as alt text in the EPUB are included in the resulting formats
  7. Lexicon and Style sheet inclusion is optional
  8. Click on Run button and monitor the conversion status.

Soon DAISY Pipeline will display the status as “Complete”. Click on the results folder to locate the DAISY 2.03 and DAISY 3 versions. You can rename these folders for distribution. However, nothing inside the folder should be changed, do not delete any file or rename them. DAISY 2.02 or DAISY 3 folder can be distributed for reading.

A folder “Intermediary EPUB with media overlay” is also created, it should not be distributed as is because it is not in a packaged format.

Practice files

If you want to test the conversion, you can use the sample files listed below.

  • Sample accessible Word document: This document has been formatted according to the accessibility guidelines. Check how headings, image alt text, table, lists and hyperlinks are handled.
  • Accessible EPUB: The sample accessible Word document has been converted to EPUB using the WordToEPUB tool. You can use this file as input to understand how the EPUB to DAISY (TTS enhanced) script works in DAISY Pipeline app.
  • DAISY Pipeline output: The files created by the EPUB to DAISY (TTS enhanced script are contained in this ZIP file. You can convert your own documents, the output will be similar. You should choose TTS voices and dialect appropriate to your content and region.
Tags: Pipeline App