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5.1.5 Text to Speech (TTS)

Last Version: 11/09/2025

Overview​

This chapter introduces the basic functionality and usage of Text-to-Speech (TTS) on SpacemiT platforms.

One-Click Deployment (Optional)​

A prebuilt installation Deb package is available for quick setup.

Install Deb Package​

sudo apt update
sudo apt install asr-llm-tts

Restart the device after installation to activate the system service. Then check service logs:

journalctl --user -u demo_serve -f

Observe the system log until the following information:

When the log displays 'All models init successfully!', it indicates that the TTS service is running.

Run TTS​

tts

Press Enter to start using the text-to-speech function.

Manual Setup​

If you prefer to run from source, follow these steps:

Clone Repository​

git clone https://gitee.com/bianbu/spacemit-demo.git

Install Environment​

sudo apt install python3-venv

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

pip install -r requirements

Search System Playback Devices​

Method 1: Using aplay​

root@bianbu:~# aplay -l
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: sndhdmi [snd-hdmi], device 0: SSPA2-dummy_codec dummy_codec-0 []
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: sndes8326 [snd-es8326], device 0: i2s-dai0-ES8326 HiFi ES8326 HiFi-0 []
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

Identify the playback device index from the output results, and update the code with this index.

Method 2: Using pactl Tool to Query Default Playback Device​

Install tool:

sudo apt install pulseaudio-utils

List playback devices:

root@bianbu:~# pactl list short sinks
64	alsa_output.platform-snd-card_1.stereo-fallback	PipeWire	s16le 2ch 48000Hz	SUSPENDED
66	alsa_output.platform-c0900100.udc.stereo-fallback	PipeWire	s16le 2ch 48000Hz	SUSPENDED
252	alsa_output.platform-snd-card_0.stereo-fallback	PipeWire	s16le 2ch 48000Hz	SUSPENDED
321	alsa_output.usb-C-Media_Electronics_Inc._USB_Audio_Device-00.analog-stereo	PipeWire	s16le 2ch 48000Hz	SUSPENDED

Test audio output for each device to verify which playback devices are working:

# A. Test playback to card_0
pw-play --target alsa_output.platform-snd-card_1.stereo-fallback /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav

# B. Test playback to card_1
pw-play --target alsa_output.platform-c0900100.udc.stereo-fallback /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav

# C. Test playback to card_3
pw-play --target alsa_output.platform-snd-card_0.stereo-fallback /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav

# D. Test playback to card_4 (external USB speaker)
pw-play --target alsa_output.usb-C-Media_Electronics_Inc._USB_Audio_Device-00.analog-stereo /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav

After confirming which device works, set it as the default playback device:

pactl set-default-sink alsa_output.usb-C-Media_Electronics_Inc._USB_Audio_Device-00.analog-stereo

Use the system’s graphical interface to quickly switch the default playback device by selecting it from the list.

Select the desired device directly from the GUI to switch the default playback device.

Run TTS Program​

python 07_tts_demo.py

Enter text in the terminal, and the program will convert it to speech and play the result.