Book Wizard Producer by APH is full-featured production software that provides options for both original recording and import of existing audio and HTML text files. When you create a digital talking book with Book Wizard Producer, the program uses the DAISY/NISO Z39.86-2002 format. Book Wizard Producer provides options for both original recording and import of existing audio and HTML text files.
A CSS stylesheet that may be used with DTBook documents is located at www.daisy.org/z3986/2005/dtbook.2005.basic.css. This CSS is supported and maintained by the Z39.86 committee. You may modify and redistribute it, but please consider donating enhancements back to the source.
The DAISY Regenerator is a software tool designed to enable organizations to repair and upgrade existing DAISY 2.0 and 2.02 DTBs.
The tool takes a DAISY 2.0 or 2.02 DTB as input, and performs a series of operations on it in order to output a valid DAISY 2.02 DTB.
Features include:
Why use the Regenerator?
The Regenerator works together with the DAISY 2.02 Validator. After regeneration has been done, the DTB can be automatically validated, to ensure that no errors or inconsistencies remain.
DAISY Training Manual for DAISY Members using LpStudioPro & SigtunaDAR.
Note: The download link only appears if you are logged in and are associated with a DAISY Member Organization.
DAISY Producer was developed by Christian Egli from the Swiss Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired. It is a system for managing the production process of accessible media. It assumes that users are transforming the content from hard copy or any electronic format to DTBook XML. Once users have the DTBook XML, the DAISY Pipeline and liblouis can be used to generate DAISY Talking Books, Large Print and Braille in a fully automated way. Documentation and download are available on the DAISY Producer website.
The optional features described in the DAISY 2.02, have not yet been implemented in all production tools or in playback systems. Several Members of the DAISY Consortium serving students have been extremely vocal about the need for this feature.
These technical individuals in collaboration with the technical DAISY staff have developed a strategy to implement these features that is completely independent of LpStudio/Pro or Sigtuna DAR.
Organizations who wish to implement these features would be required to include additional markup in their source files and to use a post processing tool - The Skippability Tweaker - on the completed project to add this functionality.
The Skippability Tweaker supports adding these features to both NCC-Only and Full Text DTBs. Supported skippable structures are pagenumbers, sidebars, producer notes and footnotes.
Dolphin Publisher is the premier tool for creating professional DAISY digital talking books with human narration or synthetic voices.
SaySo highlights the words as they are spoken, helping users to focus and build their understanding of the text. Sit back, read and absorb an entire report or just hear a tricky sentence while researching online. SaySo will also read your emails.
In v1.03, Dolphin has changed the way audio-only DAISY books are displayed in Bookshelf, making it clearer to users that the book does not contain any text. A full list of improvements is available on the Dolphin Computer Access website.
DTB Splitter/Merger is a tool for handling (splitting/merging) multi-volume DTBooks (Digital Talking Books) in DAISY 2.02 or DAISY 3 format.
DTBMaker is a set of open source cross-platform tools for the production of DAISY 2.02 and DAISY 3 titles either locally or by using our free online production site.
DTB2iTunes is a program used to combine all of the audio files of DAISY DTB into a single MP3 file or iTune Audiobook format and upload it to your iTunes or other MP3 application.
It is assumed that the DAISY DTB MP3 files are named in such a way that they will come together in order, are in MP3 format and are not encrypted in any way.
DAISY DTBs produced by DTBMaker 2.0 will be named in this way. Other DAISY DTBs may be this way as well. DAISY DTB MP3 files produced by Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic and the National Library Service are not in page order and this program will not work for them.
A new feature in DTB2iTunes is that it will now attempt to read a chaptertool.xml file if one is included with the book. If one is found, DTB2iTunes will use it to mark all the navigation points in the book in the audio book created. The current version of DTBMaker for Macintosh will create a chaptertool.xml file each time it produces a book. This permits users to jump to any navigation point in the audiobook file when used on an iPod.
DTB2iTunes is a program used to combine all of the audio files of a DAISY DTB into a single MP3 file or iTune Audiobook format and upload it to your iTunes or other MP3 application.
Duxbury Braille Translator™ (DBT) Version 10.7 (Released June 2008) includes support for direct import of Microsoft Word documents containing mathematical equations created with MathType™. This improvement will allow users to author math with MathType in MS Word and then translate those materials to braille via DBT for Windows.
Duxbury Systems, Inc. and Design Science, Inc. collaborated on Duxbury Braille Translator™ (DBT) version 10.7 with support for direct import of Microsoft Word documents containing mathematical equations created with MathType™.
For more information, see the Design Science Press Release.
(Formerly Dolphin Producer)
Dolphin's EasyProducer converts standard Word files into DAISY digital talking books (synchronised audio and text) that can be searched and navigated.
LpStudio/Pro is available to Members of the DAISY Consortium. The software is typically used in larger organizations with text production departments and audio recording departments. It is also usable in a singular context as a stand-alone tool, using the included Structure Editor to create NCC-only structures.
The software provides extensive features when producing full text Digital Talking Books using external source documents. The user has extensive functionality and flexibility when working in recording windows. Two recording screen options are available -- Advanced and Simple.
For more information, please use the Contact Us form, selecting the General category.
Microsoft Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform implementation of the .NET Framework for building and delivering the next generation of media experiences and rich interactive applications (RIA) for the Web. Silverlight unifies the capabilities of the server, the Web, and the desktop, of managed code and dynamic languages, of declarative and traditional programming, and the power of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). Accessibility concepts in Silverlight programming and development can be divided into two areas: accessibility for Silverlight application authors who are using existing controls in their application UI, and accessibility for custom control authors. Read more: Silverlight Accessibility Overview.
This new release of MyStudio PC includes fixes and improvements. A license is required for MyStudio PC. DAISY Member organizations may place a request for a license from the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (JSRPD), see below.
This software is very easy to learn and operate. Additional features include generating synthesized speech from text.
MyStudio PC is typically used in organizations where the structure documents (NCCs) are not created before recording begins. It is also typically used by volunteers producing DAISY Digital Talking Books at home or in a studio.
For more general information about MyStudio PC, please use the Contact Us form (General Category) on the DAISY Web site.
MyStudio PC is available to Members of the DAISY Consortium at no cost. Full Members may request up to 50 licenses, Associate Members may request up to 10 licenses. If your organization is a Member of the DAISY Consortium and needs a license, please use the Email Contact link (available immediately below on this page). For this link to display, you must be logged in to the DAISY website using a valid Member login. Your request will be directed to JSRPD.
The Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (JSRPD) has just released Version 2.05.02.00 of MyStudio PC, the DAISY 2.02 structure and audio production tool which is available to DAISY Member organizations at no cost.
Obi is a free software application - audio production tool. Obi brings the benefits of DAISY technology to a broader range of consumers. In situations where time and cost constraints limit the use of sophisticated synchronized multimedia production tools (e.g. classroom environment, people and organizations in developing countries), Obi can unlock the potential of producers and consumers (e.g. teachers and students).
Obi is available for download at the Obi project site.
odt2daisy is an OpenOffice.org Writer extension, enabling Export as DAISY output in DAISY 3 format, including support of mathematical content.
This release includes numerous improvements.
PLEXTALK PTR2 replaced the PTR1 and is designed to be a high quality recorder with the ability to create DAISY 2.02 books with audio, headings and pages, as well as music CDs. It can also play DAISY books, music CDs, Audio File CDs and CF cards. It can be used as a CD-RW or memory card drive when connected to a computer. For quicker and easier editing of DAISY content, the PTR2 is supplied with the PLEXTALK Recording Software (PRS). This package provides all the necessary tools to record, edit and finalize audio DAISY 2.02 books. This portable unit has a built-in microphone and an optional external microphone, providing recording versatility.
PLEXTALK Recording Software Pro is very similar to the software bundled with the Plextalk PTR2. Designed for Windows PCs, it is a simple to use editing and recording tool with voice guidance to support use by individuals who have a visual handicapped. PRS Pro is available from Plextor in packages of five (5) copies.
Microsoft's Word Save as DAISY add-in translates Microsoft Word 2003, 2007 and 2010 documents into DAISY.
The Save as DAISY - Microsoft project area provides current information and related communications about the Microsoft Word add-in, as well as links for downloading the latest version. The new version that supports Microsoft Office Word 2010 was released December 15, 2011.
"Save as DAISY" add-in for Microsoft Office Word incorporates a "Lite" version of the DAISY Pipeline. You can select to generate the DAISY XML for further processing, or you can generate a fully conforming DAISY file set with full navigation and full text synchronized with audio. The audio is generated by the default text-to-speech (TTS) engine on your Windows computer. Download is available on the Save as DAISY Microsoft project page.
The source document in Microsoft Word has to be well structured, created using styles and saved before it can be converted to fully conforming DAISY book.
The DAISY Consortium wishes to thank the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, JSRPD, for making Sigtuna DAR 3 available to DAISY Consortium Members.
The final release of Sigtuna DAR 3 was made available February 2008.
The user has the ability to create, edit, and/or remove NCC headings and pages during the recording process (when in "ToC-only mode"). In addition, a user can add full text segments to an NCC-only Digital Talking Book using the ATAU mode.
The software is typically used in larger organizations as well as in stand-alone settings.
For more general information, please use the Contact Us form, selecting the General category.
Sigtuna DAR 3 is available to Members of the DAISY Consortium at no cost. A license is required. If your organization is a Member of the DAISY Consortium and needs a license, please use the Email Contact link (available immediately below on this page). For this link to display, you must be logged in to the DAISY website using a valid Member login. Your request will be directed to JSRPD. Please include the information about your organization and name of the representative in your email.
The final release of Sigtuna DAR 3, version 3.0.22, has just been made available. This DAISY 2.02 production tools supports the production of DAISY books with audio and structure, as well as full text/audio DAISY books. It is made available to DAISY Members by the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, JSRPD. A license is required.
Studio Recorder from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is a digital recording software package with support for conversion to DAISY 3, ANSI/NISO Z39.86 2002 content. Studio Recorder should be used with APH's Book Wizard Producer when working on conversion.
"Originally created by APH to serve as an internal tool for creating direct-to-digital audio recordings, Studio RecorderTM contains many features that make recording, editing, and proof reading audio books easy. It is a powerful digital recording and editing software package geared specifically to making recordings of the spoken word and includes features not found in similar programs primarily designed for music production."
Tobi is an authoring tool geared towards re-purposing published material, for example: to add audio narration to a text-only document, to synchronize a podcast with a structured script, or to review and improve an existing Digital Talking Book publication. To create text from scratch, we recommend popular editors such as Microsoft Word or Open-Office, which can both produce DTBook markup thanks to their respective Save as DAISY add-ins. More information is available in the Tobi project area. Support for EPUB 3 has been added.
