v0.3.0 — C# Rewrite with Kokoro Local Neural TTS

Herald v0.3.0 — C# Rewrite

Complete rewrite from Python to C# (.NET 8 WinForms). Now runs offline-first with local neural TTS.

What's New

• Kokoro TTS Engine (default) — Studio-quality local neural voices via KokoroSharp. 27 voices, runs completely offline. ~320MB model auto-downloads on first use.
• 3 TTS Engines — Kokoro (local neural), Edge TTS (cloud neural), SAPI (Windows built-in). Switch freely via tray menu.
• Self-contained executable — No Python or .NET runtime required. Single portable exe.
• Verbal error alerts — Errors are spoken aloud via SAPI fallback so you're never left with silence.
• 105 automated tests — Full xUnit test suite covering all TTS engines.
• Speed transparency — Kokoro speed labels show actual multiplier. Clamping warnings when exceeding engine limits.

Installation

1. Download Herald-v0.3.0.zip below
2. Extract anywhere
3. Run Herald.exe as Administrator
4. On first launch, Kokoro downloads its ONNX model (~320MB) automatically

TTS Engines

Engine	Type	Internet	Voices	Best For
Kokoro (default)	Local neural	No	27	Privacy, offline use, best quality at normal speed
Edge TTS	Cloud neural	Yes	4	Fast reading (up to 900 wpm)
SAPI	Windows built-in	No	2	Maximum speed (up to 1500 wpm)

System Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• Run as Administrator (for global hotkeys)
• No internet required (Kokoro runs locally)

Notes

• Edge TTS uses Microsoft Edge neural voices for personal/educational use only
• The Python version (v0.2.1) remains available for users who prefer it
• Settings format (config/settings.json) is shared between Python and C# versions

Herald v0.2.1

What's New

Text Filtering

• Filter out code-like lines, URLs, file paths, and shell prompts for cleaner speech
• Normalize markdown formatting, snake_case, and camelCase for natural speech
• Remove ANSI escape codes and box-drawing characters

OCR Improvements

• Visual "OCR Active" label on overlay borders when persistent OCR region is enabled
• Better visual feedback when monitoring PDF/video regions

Error Handling

• Verbal error alerts when TTS fails (network issues, engine problems)
• Diagnostic logging for TTS failures to help troubleshoot

Bug Fixes

• Thread safety: Added lock for pygame mixer operations to prevent audio glitches
• Prefetch cache eviction to prevent memory buildup

Developer Experience

• Pre-commit hooks with ruff linting and security scanning
• GitHub Actions CI pipeline
• Improved documentation with error handling and troubleshooting guides

SHA256 Checksum

4982F944E9CA973D46916E49F2291DC7E2F6E85A5EA68EB5F7FE4CC52BBFEB5C  Herald-v0.2.1-win64.zip

Installation

1. Download Herald-v0.2.1-win64.zip
2. Extract to any location
3. Run Herald.exe (will request admin for global hotkeys)

Full Changelog: v0.2.0...v0.2.1

v0.2.0 - OCR & Persistent Region

What's New

OCR Features

• Persistent OCR region (Alt+M) - Set a screen region with visible green border for continuous reading
• Auto-read mode - Automatically reads when text changes in the persistent region
• One-time OCR region (Alt+O) - Draw a box on screen to OCR and read immediately
• Screenshot OCR - Win+Shift+S screenshots are automatically OCR'd

New Controls

• Line-by-line navigation (Alt+N next, Alt+B back)
• Copy OCR to Clipboard toggle
• Grab & Speak Selection toggle
• Line delay and read mode settings

Technical

• Standalone executable now includes OCR overlay tools
• Fixed keyboard hook and DPI issues
• Suppressed pygame deprecation warning

Download

Download Herald.zip, extract, and run Herald.exe as Administrator.

Full Changelog: v0.1.0...v0.2.0

v0.1.0 - Initial Release

Initial release of Herald text-to-speech utility.

Features

• Neural voices (Aria, Jenny, Guy, Christopher) via edge-tts
• Offline fallback (Zira, David) via Windows SAPI
• Global hotkeys (Alt+S to speak, Alt+P to pause)
• Line-by-line navigation (Alt+N/B)
• Adjustable speed (150-1500 wpm)
• System tray controls

Installation

Download Herald.zip, extract, and run Herald.exe as Administrator.