135 lines
5.2 KiB
Markdown
135 lines
5.2 KiB
Markdown
# Audiobook Creator — Windows 11 Setup Guide
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This guide is written for someone who has never used Python or the command line.
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Follow the steps in order and you will be generating audiobook chapters with your gaming GPU.
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---
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## What you will need
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| Requirement | Why |
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|---|---|
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| Windows 11 PC with a modern NVIDIA GPU | Fast audio generation using CUDA |
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| ~5 GB free disk space | Python, PyTorch, and the AI voice model |
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| Internet connection (first-time only) | Downloads packages and the Kokoro voice model |
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---
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## Step 1 — Install Python
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1. Go to **https://www.python.org/downloads/**
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2. Click the big yellow **"Download Python 3.12.x"** button
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3. Run the installer
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4. **IMPORTANT:** On the very first screen of the installer, tick the checkbox that says **"Add Python to PATH"** before clicking Install Now
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> If you missed that checkbox, uninstall Python from Windows Settings and reinstall it with the box ticked.
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---
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## Step 2 — Get the project files
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You should have a folder called `audiobook_creator` (or similar) containing the project files. Make sure it includes these files:
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```
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setup_windows.bat
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run_gui.bat
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run_audiobook.bat
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requirements.txt
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gui_proper_noun_player.py
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create_audiobook_lightbringer.py
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Audio Text for Novel Lightbringer\ ← your chapter text files go here
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```
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If you received a ZIP file, extract it first so the folder is not inside another folder.
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---
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## Step 3 — Run Setup (one time only)
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1. Open the project folder in File Explorer
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2. Double-click **`setup_windows.bat`**
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3. A black terminal window opens and runs through these steps automatically:
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- Checks Python is installed
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- Creates a private Python environment (`.venv` folder)
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- Downloads PyTorch with GPU (CUDA) support — **about 2.5 GB, this takes several minutes**
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- Installs the remaining packages (kokoro, spaCy, etc.)
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- Downloads the spaCy English language model
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- Downloads the Kokoro AI voice model — **about 330 MB**
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4. When it says **"Setup complete!"**, press any key to close the window
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You only need to do this once. If you run it again it will safely skip anything already installed.
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---
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## Step 4 — Review Proper Noun Pronunciations (GUI)
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Before generating the audiobook, it helps to check how unusual names are pronounced.
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1. Double-click **`run_gui.bat`**
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2. The Proper Noun Pronunciation Auditor window opens
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3. Select your book from the dropdown at the top
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4. Click **⚙ Extract & Generate Audio** — this scans the text and creates a short audio clip for every proper noun found (takes a few minutes the first time)
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5. Click any word in the **To Review** list to hear how it sounds
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6. If it sounds wrong, type the phonetic spelling in the box at the bottom and press **Enter** to save a fix
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- Example: type `Kneephi` instead of `Nephi`
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7. If it sounds correct, just press **Enter** without changing anything
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8. When you are done reviewing, click **⇄ Apply Fixes to Text** to save a corrected copy of the source text
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**Keyboard shortcuts:**
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| Key | Action |
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| Space | Replay current word |
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| Enter | Mark correct (or save fix if text was changed) |
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| Escape | Reset the fix box, go back to word list |
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| s | Stop audio |
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| ↑ / ↓ | Navigate the word list from the fix box |
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| Delete | Move a word back to Review from Correct or Fixes |
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---
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## Step 5 — Generate the Audiobook
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1. Double-click **`run_audiobook.bat`**
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2. A menu appears — type the number of your choice and press Enter:
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| Option | What it does |
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| 1 | Generate **all chapters** — can take many hours, safe to leave running overnight |
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| 2 | **List** detected chapters only — instant, nothing is generated |
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| 3 | Generate a short **preview clip** of each chapter — quick sanity check |
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| 4 | Generate **specific chapters** — enter chapter numbers separated by spaces |
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3. When finished, `.wav` files will be in the `output_audiobook_lightbringer` folder
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---
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## Troubleshooting
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**"Python was not found"**
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→ Python is not installed, or you forgot to tick "Add Python to PATH" during installation. Uninstall and reinstall Python from https://www.python.org/downloads/ making sure to tick that box.
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**The black window opens and immediately closes**
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→ There was an error. To see it: press `Win + R`, type `cmd`, press Enter, then drag the `.bat` file into that black window and press Enter. The error message will stay visible.
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**Audio generation is very slow (taking hours per chapter)**
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→ The GPU version of PyTorch may not have installed correctly. Re-run `setup_windows.bat` — it will reinstall just that part.
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**"No .txt files found in Audio Text for Novel Lightbringer"**
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→ Make sure your chapter `.txt` files are inside the `Audio Text for Novel Lightbringer` subfolder, not loose in the main project folder.
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**The GUI says "No manifest yet"**
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→ You need to click **⚙ Extract & Generate Audio** first for that book.
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**Antivirus blocks the .bat files**
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→ Right-click the `.bat` file, choose Properties, and click "Unblock" at the bottom. Then try again.
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---
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## Output files
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| Folder | Contents |
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| `output_audiobook_lightbringer\` | One `.wav` file per chapter |
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| `output_proper_nouns\<book>\` | Pronunciation data (JSON files) |
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| `proper_nouns_audio\<book>\` | Cached word audio clips |
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