General questions
Q: What is Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA?
A: The Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA product is an add-on that adds more high quality voices from Acapela Group to the NVDA screen reader. The pleasant voices from Acapela Group enrich the screen reading experience.
Q: What is NVDA screen reader?
NVDA is a free open-source screen reader for Windows. Please visit the NV-Access homepage to know more about the NVDA screen reader.
Make sure that you have the latest version of NVDA installed. The latest version of the NVDA screen reader can be downloaded here
Q: How do I install it and get started?
A: To use the Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA product with NVDA you need to download the Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA engine and at least one voice.
Then you can install the download packages in two ways:
From the NVDA menu:
- Open the Manage add-ons box from the Tool menu.
- Use the import feature to import the Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA engine and voices that you have downloaded.
From Windows Explorer:
- Click or press enter on the downloaded package.
- Answer yes, or press alt Y, when prompted if you want to install this add-on.
Q: How to instruct NVDA to use the Acapela TTS Voices
Once the Acapela TTS voice add-ons are installed, you need to make sure that you select the Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA synthesiser. To do this open the Preferences->Synthesizers dialog box in NVDA, and select Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA synthesiser.
At this point you can open the Preferences->Voice Settings dialog box and select the voice that you want to use.
Q: What languages are available?
A: To access the full list of languages and voices available, please go to the ‘download page’ and select the NVDA version you are using.
Q: Is the GUI localized?
A: Yes the GUI is localized in several languages:
- Arabic
- English
- Catalan
- French
- Spanish
- Italian
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Polish
Q: What is the difference between Colibri and HQ voices?
A: The High-Quality version of the voice have a clearer and more pleasant timbre.
The Colibri version of a voice is slightly more robotic but much smoother, which results in more intelligibility at higher speech rate.
Listen to some samples of High-Quality and Colibri voices here.
Q: What are the terms and conditions for acquiring an Acapela TTS for NVDA license?
A: Acapela TTS for NVDA is a software product exclusively designed for and restricted to personal or private use. The Acapela TTS for NVDA license does not include the right to use the software in a corporate or professional environment. Acapela TTS for NVDA cannot be sold, leased or distributed without prior written consent from Acapela Group.
For more information, please contact : contact@acapela-nvda.com
Q: Can I use Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA with Jaws or other screen readers?
A: No, the voices provide with Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA can only be used via the NVDA screen reader.
Q: Is there an evaluation version?
A: Yes, when you download and install Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA you can use it for 15 days for free before you need to purchase a license.
Q: I have got the activation key, how do I activate the license?
A: Once you have installed Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA and purchased a license you get an evaluation key via email. To activate your license start NVDA and select “Activate a new license” from the “Acapela TTS for NVDA” menu while connected to the internet. A message box will appear, paste the activation key and press Activate.
Q: I have several computers, can I install the product on all of them?
A: Each purchase give rights to 3 installations per personal usage (meaning that installations cannot be shared among different users). So you can use the same activation key on 3 computers.
Q: I am switching to a new PC, can I move the license?
A: Yes, you can easily remove the license from your old computer and then activate the same license on the new computer.
Q: How do I remove a license from a computer?
A: To remove your license and put it back to the server for reuse on another computer, start NVDA and select “License management” from the “Acapela TTS for NVDA” menu while connected to the internet. A message box will appear, paste the activation key and press Deactivate.
Q: Does installation or uninstallation of voices and engine affect the license?
No, the license is not affected by installation or uninstallation of engine or voices. To activate or remove a license you need to explicitly use the license commands in the “Acapela TTS for NVDA” menu.
Q: Can I create a portable version of NVDA including the Acapela voices?
A: Yes. When you create a portable copy with NVDA, the Acapela plug-ins are copied over. But when you take the portable copy to a new computer, you would need to activate the license on the new computer. However, if you take the portable copy to a computer that never had Acapela TTS for NVDA installed, you will be automatically granted a 15-days evaluation, allowing you to get started before activating it.
Q: Do I need to be connected to the internet to use the product?
A: You only need to be connected to the internet when activating or removing a license.
Purchase and PayPal questions
Q: How much does it cost?
A: Prices are available on the Buy page.
Q: How do I purchase it?
A: Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA can only be purchased online here.
Q: How do you support NV-Access and the NVDA screen reader project?
A: Acapela Group donates 10€ for each purchase of the Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA product.
Q: I do not have a PayPal account, how can I purchase?
A: PayPal rules are slightly different for different Countries, but in many Countries you can purchase with your credit card without creating an account. Otherwise you will need to create a PayPal account to purchase the Acapela TTS Voices for NVDA product.
Q: I purchased the Basic license, can I upgrade to Premium license?
A: Yes, please use the “Upgrade” option from the Buy page.
Q: Can I check the status of my license?
A: Yes, please use the My Account page and provide your activation code.
Q: I got an error message “cannot find dkc32.dll” when activating the license
Please download again the engine from the home page, this message was generated by an earlier version of our engine, the error is now fixed.
Error messages and troubleshooting
Message “could not connect to the activation server” when activating a key
We had a couple of cases when this message appeared for users using the “Windows 10 insider preview” version of Windows. The issue was solved when the user upgraded to the final version of Windows 10.
NVDA cannot load Acapela for NVDA synthesizer
This error could occur with versions prior to v1.2.1 after the temporary evaluation license had expired. This issue was fixed in v1.2.1 so please update your engine by downloading the latest version in the download page.