I used to rely on edge-tts for voiceovers, and it worked flawlessly. Unfortunately, since late last year, it started throwing 403 errors frequently. Initially, it only happened in China, and using a foreign IP address was a workaround, but now the error occurs globally. It seems even a tech giant like Microsoft can't withstand the excessive "free usage."

If you still want to use edge-tts, be cautious and use it sparingly, especially avoid frequent operations from the same IP. Otherwise, Microsoft's server will directly return a 403 error. For clarity, the software will display a "rate limit error." Here are two solutions:

• Try deploying the API to Cloudflare, leveraging its dynamic nature to reduce 403 errors. Refer to this document for specific instructions: https://pvt9.com/edgettscf
• Alternatively, continue using it locally, but with dynamic proxies to change the IP address for each request. Check out this article for details: https://pvt9.com/edgetts-proxy

Using Local Voiceover Models

Besides edge-tts, you can also use some open-source local voiceover models, such as GPT-SoVITS, ChatTTS-ui, Fish-TTS, F5-TTS, CosyVoice, Clone-voice, KokoroTTS, and more. These are free and can be used after deploying them on your computer. However, this requires extra configuration time and demands certain computer hardware and technical skills.

If you want to give it a try, refer to this tutorial: https://pvt9.com/gptsovits. You can find more instructions in the left sidebar of the page.

Using Online Voiceover APIs Instead

If your hardware isn't powerful enough, or you don't want to bother with local deployment, you can choose online voiceover APIs, such as OpenAI TTS, Azure TTS, ByteDance Volcano Engine TTS, etc.

However, using OpenAI TTS or Azure TTS directly in China requires bypassing the Great Firewall, and the free quota is very limited. Paying for them requires a foreign phone number and credit card, which can be quite troublesome. It's recommended to use a domestically accessible OpenAI TTS proxy service or an Azure TTS proxy service, which will be much more convenient.

To use the official OpenAI TTS, simply open Menu--TTS Settings--OpenAI TTS API in the software and fill in your SK in the SK text box. No further settings are needed. But remember, you need to bypass the Great Firewall to use it in China.

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Below are step-by-step instructions on how to use third-party proxy OpenAI TTS, Azure TTS, and ByteDance voice synthesis.

Using OpenAI TTS Proxy API from 302.AI or Other Third Parties

Registration and login address (get $1 credit): https://share.302.ai/pyvideo

The steps are simple:

1. In the software's Menu--TTS Settings--OpenAI TTS API, fill in the API URL with https://api.302.ai/v1. If you are using a proxy API from another provider, fill in the address they provide, usually ending with /v1.
2. In the SK text box, fill in the API Key you created on 302.AI. If it's another third-party service, fill in the Key they provided.

Test it. If the voiceover audio plays automatically, the settings are successful. Then select OpenAI TTS in the voiceover channel on the software's main interface. The supported voices are: alloy, ash, coral, echo, fable, onyx, nova, sage, shimmer.

Using Azure TTS proxied by 302.AI

Registration and login address (get $1 credit): https://share.302.ai/pyvideo

OpenAI TTS only has 9 voices, and the Chinese pronunciation is a bit "lispy." If you don't like it, you can try Azure TTS. This is a Microsoft product with more voices and better quality than edge-tts. However, using it directly in China requires a foreign credit card. If it's inconvenient, you can use the proxy API provided by 302.AI.

Instructions:

1. Create a Key on 302.AI.
2. Open the software's Menu--Translation Settings--302.AI and fill in the Key. Note that this time you need to fill it in the "302.AI" option under the "Translation Settings" menu. After filling it in, you can use all the voiceover roles of Azure TTS. Moreover, 302.AI also proxies ByteDance voice synthesis, so you can directly use ByteDance's voices as well.

Using ByteDance Voice Synthesis Separately

There is already a detailed tutorial for ByteDance voice synthesis. Check it out: https://pvt9.com/volcenginetts.

However, note that only the general male and female voices are available by default. If you want other voices, you need to purchase them separately from the ByteDance official website, which is charged monthly. If you only use it occasionally, it's not cost-effective. It's recommended to directly use the 302.AI mentioned above, which allows you to directly use various ByteDance voices more conveniently.