Vox/README.md

Pocket TTS Discord Bot

A Discord bot that reads messages aloud using Pocket TTS with voice cloning from a reference WAV file.

Features

• 🎤 Voice Cloning: Uses a reference WAV file to clone a voice
• 📝 Auto-read Messages: Automatically reads all messages from a configured text channel
• 🔊 Voice Channel Streaming: Streams generated audio to the voice channel where the message author is
• 📋 Message Queue: Messages are queued and spoken in order
• 🔄 Per-User Voice Selection: Each user can choose their own TTS voice via /voice commands
• 💾 Voice Persistence: User voice preferences are saved and restored on restart
• 🔄 Hot-reload Voices: Add new voices without restarting the bot using /voice refresh
• 🧪 Test Mode: Separate testing configuration for safe development
• 📦 Auto-updates: Automatically checks for and installs dependency updates on startup
• 👂 Voice Preview: Preview voices with /voice preview before committing to them
• 🎵 Audio Effects: 7 different effects to customize your voice (pitch, speed, echo, robot, chorus, tremolo)
• ⚡ Unlimited Effects: Use as many effects as you want (warning shown when >2 active)
• ⏱️ Processing Indicator: Shows when audio processing is taking longer than expected

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• FFmpeg installed and available in PATH
• A Discord bot token
• A reference voice WAV file (3-10 seconds of clear speech recommended)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd PocketTTSBot
   

2. Create a virtual environment:

   python -m venv venv
   
   # Windows
   venv\Scripts\activate
   
   # Linux/macOS
   source venv/bin/activate
   

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

4. Install FFmpeg:

   • Windows: Download from ffmpeg.org and add to PATH
   • Linux: sudo apt install ffmpeg
   • macOS: brew install ffmpeg

Configuration

1. Create a Discord Bot:

   • Go to Discord Developer Portal
   • Create a new application
   • Go to the "Bot" section and create a bot
   • Copy the bot token
   • Enable these Privileged Gateway Intents:
     • Message Content Intent
     • Server Members Intent (optional)

2. Invite the Bot to your server:

   • Go to OAuth2 > URL Generator
   • Select scopes: bot
   • Select permissions: Connect, Speak, Send Messages, Read Message History
   • Use the generated URL to invite the bot

3. Get Channel ID:

   • Enable Developer Mode in Discord (Settings > Advanced > Developer Mode)
   • Right-click the text channel you want to monitor and click "Copy ID"

4. Create .env file:

   cp .env.example .env
   

   Edit .env with your values:

   DISCORD_TOKEN=your_bot_token_here
   TEXT_CHANNEL_ID=123456789012345678
   VOICES_DIR=./voices
   DEFAULT_VOICE=estinien
   

5. Add voice reference files:

   • Create a voices/ directory: mkdir voices
   • Place .wav files in the voices/ directory
   • Each file should contain 3-10 seconds of clear speech
   • File names become voice names (e.g., MasterChief.wav → /voice set masterchief)
   • Higher quality audio = better voice cloning results

Usage

1. Start the bot:

   python bot.py
   

2. Using the bot:

   • Join a voice channel in your Discord server
   • Type a message in the configured text channel
   • The bot will join your voice channel and read your message aloud
   • Messages are queued if the bot is already speaking

3. Voice Commands (Slash Commands):

   • /voice list - Shows all available voices
   • /voice set <name> - Change your personal TTS voice
   • /voice current - Shows your current voice
   • /voice refresh - Re-scan for new voice files (no restart needed)
   • /voice preview <name> - Preview a voice before selecting it

Test Mode

Run the bot in testing mode to use a separate configuration:

python bot.py testing

This loads .env.testing instead of .env, allowing you to:

• Use a different Discord bot token for testing
• Monitor a different text channel
• Test new features without affecting the production bot

Create .env.testing by copying .env.example and configuring it with your testing values.

Audio Effects

Transform your TTS voice with 7 different audio effects:

Available Effects:

🎵 Pitch (/effects set pitch <semitones>)

• Range: -12 to +12 semitones
• Default: 0 (no change)
• Positive = higher/chipmunk voice
• Negative = lower/deeper voice

⚡ Speed (/effects set speed <multiplier>)

• Range: 0.5 to 2.0
• Default: 1.0x (normal speed)
• Higher = faster speech
• Lower = slower speech

🔊 Echo (/effects set echo <percentage>)

• Range: 0-100%
• Default: 0% (off)
• Adds spatial delay and reverb effect
• Higher values = more pronounced echo

🤖 Robot (/effects set robot <percentage>)

• Range: 0-100%
• Default: 0% (off)
• Applies ring modulation for sci-fi robotic voice
• Higher values = more robotic distortion

🎶 Chorus (/effects set chorus <percentage>)

• Range: 0-100%
• Default: 0% (off)
• Creates "multiple voices" effect with slight pitch variations
• Higher values = more voices and depth

〰️ Tremolo Depth (/effects set tremolo_depth <value>)

• Range: 0.0 to 1.0
• Default: 0.0 (off)
• Controls amplitude modulation amount
• Higher = more warble/vintage radio effect

📳 Tremolo Rate (/effects set tremolo_rate <hertz>)

• Range: 0.0 to 10.0 Hz
• Default: 0.0 Hz (off)
• Controls how fast the tremolo warbles
• Requires tremolo_depth > 0 to have effect

Effect Commands:

• /effects list - Show all your current effect settings
• /effects set <effect> <value> - Change an effect value
• /effects reset - Reset all effects to defaults (with confirmation)

Effect Application Order:

Effects are applied in this sequence:

1. Pitch shift
2. Speed change
3. Echo/Reverb
4. Chorus
5. Tremolo
6. Robot voice

Performance Notes:

• No limit on number of active effects
• ⚠️ Warning shown when you have more than 2 active effects
• More effects = longer processing time
• Some effects (like pitch shift and chorus) are more CPU-intensive
• Processing time is logged to console for monitoring

Preview with Effects

Test any combination of voice and effects before committing:

Preview a voice:

• /voice preview <voice_name> - Preview with your current effects

Preview with specific effects:

• /voice preview <voice_name> pitch:5 speed:1.5 - Preview with pitch +5 and 1.5x speed
• All effect parameters are optional and default to your current settings

Example combinations to try:

• Robot voice: /effects set robot 75
• Deep scary voice: /effects set pitch -8
• Fast chipmunk: /effects set pitch 8 speed:1.5
• Radio announcer: /effects set echo 40 tremolo_depth:0.3 tremolo_rate:4

How It Works

┌─────────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│  Text Channel   │ --> │   Pocket TTS     │ --> │  Voice Channel  │
│  (configured)   │     │   (generate)     │     │  (user's VC)    │
└─────────────────┘     └──────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘
                              ▲
                              │
                        ┌─────┴─────┐
                        │  voices/  │
                        │ per-user  │
                        └───────────┘

1. Bot monitors the configured text channel for new messages
2. When a message is received, it's added to the queue
3. The bot generates speech using Pocket TTS with the cloned voice
4. Audio is streamed to the voice channel where the message author is

Troubleshooting

Bot doesn't respond to messages

• Ensure Message Content Intent is enabled in Discord Developer Portal
• Check that the TEXT_CHANNEL_ID is correct
• Verify the bot has permissions to read the channel

No audio in voice channel

• Ensure FFmpeg is installed and in PATH
• Check that the bot has Connect and Speak permissions
• Verify your voice.wav file is valid

Voice quality issues

• Use a higher quality reference WAV file
• Ensure the reference audio is clear with minimal background noise
• Try a longer reference clip (5-10 seconds)

Linux Server Deployment

To run the bot as a service on a Linux server:

Quick Setup (Recommended)

# Make the setup script executable
chmod +x setup_linux.sh

# Run the setup script
./setup_linux.sh

The script will:

• Check system dependencies (Python 3.10+, FFmpeg, pip)
• Create a virtual environment and install dependencies
• Create .env template if needed
• Optionally install and configure the systemd service

Manual Setup

1. Install system dependencies:

   # Ubuntu/Debian
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install python3 python3-pip python3-venv ffmpeg
   
   # Fedora
   sudo dnf install python3 python3-pip ffmpeg
   
   # Arch
   sudo pacman -S python python-pip ffmpeg
   

2. Set up the project:

   cd /path/to/PocketTTSBot
   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate
   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

3. Configure the service:

   Edit pockettts.service and replace:

   • YOUR_USERNAME with your Linux username
   • Update paths if your bot is not in /home/YOUR_USERNAME/PocketTTSBot

4. Install the service:

   sudo cp pockettts.service /etc/systemd/system/
   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
   sudo systemctl enable pockettts  # Start on boot
   sudo systemctl start pockettts   # Start now
   

Service Management

# Check status
sudo systemctl status pockettts

# View logs (live)
journalctl -u pockettts -f

# View recent logs
journalctl -u pockettts --since "1 hour ago"

# Restart after changes
sudo systemctl restart pockettts

# Stop the bot
sudo systemctl stop pockettts

# Disable auto-start
sudo systemctl disable pockettts

Updating the Bot

cd /path/to/PocketTTSBot
git pull  # If using git
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
sudo systemctl restart pockettts

License

MIT License