How to Change the VoiceOver Voices on Mac OS X Leopard

VoiceOver is a built-in accessibility application in Mac OS 10.5+ that helps the visually impaired and those with some learning disabilities interact with their Mac computers. VoiceOver can read documents and web pages as well as give users audible prompts as to what's happening on their computers--both on the desktop and within programs. The updated MacBook speakers are powerful enough to offer clear sound, but if you prefer, make sure you have a set of good computer speakers in order to get the full benefit of the audio cues. Here's how to set up the voices that VoiceOver will use.

Things You'll Need

• Apple Mac Computer running OS 10.5+ (aka Leopard)

Instructions

1. 

   Launch the VoiceOver Utility. It's located in Applications > Utilities.

2. 

   Click "Speech" on the left-hand side to change the voice.

3. 

   "Alex" is selected by default and it's one of the better options. Each time you select a new voice, a sample will play over your speakers. Try a few until you find the one you like.

4. 

   Change the "Rate" if the voice is speaking too slow or too fast. Higher numbers make the voice speak faster, and lower will slow down the speed. Change the rate by either typing in a number or by clicking the up and down arrows.

5. 

   Adjust the "Pitch" or tone of the voice by adjusting the number in the "Pitch" field.

6. 

   Increase or decrease the "Volume" until the voice sounds just right to you.

7. 

   Click the arrow to the left of "Default Voice" to bring up some more options. You can now specify different voices for different functions. For example, if you want a female voice to speak the content of websites or documents, select Agnes, Kathy, Princess or Victoria.

8. You can also specify voices for Content, Status, Type and even a specific voice when you access VoiceOver Utilities.