v0.4.9

What's New in v0.4.9

SSML & Speech Markdown via Web Speech API

• PUA sentinel — web apps using Chrome/Firefox Web Speech API can embed SSML or Speech Markdown via Unicode Private Use Area characters:
  • \uE000\uE001\uE002 prefix = SSML mode
  • \uE000\uE001\uE003 prefix = Speech Markdown mode
  • Other SAPI voices ignore the PUA characters harmlessly
• SSML normalization — adapter automatically injects required <speak version="1.0" xmlns="..." xml:lang="..."> attributes when missing, so web apps can send simple <speak><prosody rate="slow">...</prosody></speak>
• Speech Markdown syntax — use (text)[rate:"slow"] format (standard Speech Markdown spec)

Chrome & Edge Support

• Speech_OneCore registration — VoiceGarden voices now appear in Chrome and Edge, not just legacy SAPI applications
• Voices registered in both SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Speech\Voices\Tokens (Firefox, Grid3, Balabolka) and SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Speech_OneCore\Voices\Tokens (Chrome, Edge) when promoted

RustTtsWrapper 0.3.14

• SSML pass-through fixed — tts_speak_ssml() correctly detects and processes <speak> documents
• Speech Markdown converter fixed — produces valid SSML with required Azure attributes (was returning 400 Bad Request)
• Voice selection fixed — tts_set_voice() correctly selects the requested Azure voice
• GetVoices crash fixed — cloud engine voice listing no longer crashes with access violation

Voice Engine Fixes

• Azure voice activation — Azure voice tokens now include EngineType in VoiceGardenConfig, fixing "Invalid VoiceGardenConfig configuration" errors
• Cloud engines off by default — paid cloud engines disabled on fresh install; SherpaOnnx (offline) and Edge (free) remain on

MMS Model Data Fix

• 1143 MMS models now searchable — language metadata was blank due to mismatched JSON field names ("Iso Code" vs "lang_code"). Kurdish, Aceh, Abidji, and 1100+ other languages now appear correctly in the model browser

Localization (36 Languages)

• Full UI translation — all user-facing strings in Strings.resx
• 36 language packs — Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, and more
• Automatic language detection — app language follows OS locale
• RTL support — Arabic, Hebrew, Urdu, and Persian layouts mirror automatically

Credential Management

• Auto-save credentials — API keys entered in Configure Credentials or Configure Voices are saved to registry immediately
• Dual-screen sync — credentials shared between Configure Credentials and Configure Voices
• Phantom back button fixed — About View was nested inside Engine Config template

Installer Fixes

• Error 1721/1722 — Return="ignore" on regsvr32 prevents install/uninstall failure
• Upgrade ghost fix — IgnoreRemoveFailure + Schedule="afterInstallFinalize" allows clean installs over broken previous versions

Onboarding

• 3-page wizard — Welcome (logo + intro), Getting Started (install, models, language tip), Privacy (analytics opt-in)
• Version-gated — bump CurrentOnboardingVersion to force all users to see updated content

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What's New in v0.4.0

Major Architecture Changes

• RustTtsWrapper Integration — complete transition to Rust-based TTS wrapper
  • Removed legacy DotNetTtsWrapper and EngineConfig components
  • Full x86 and x64 support with native rust_tts_wrapper.dll
  • Improved FFI safety and thread safety in callbacks

Stability & Performance Fixes

• Thread safety, memory management, performance, and MSI reliability improvements

Platform Support

• Full x86 (32-bit) and x64 architectures in single MSI installer

Breaking Changes

• Removed Components — DotNetTtsWrapper and EngineConfig no longer supported
• Minimum Requirements — Windows 10+