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How to Fix Voice Assistant Issues in Flip PDF Plus (Pro/Corp) on Mac

Table of Contents

If you’re experiencing issues with Flip PDF Plus for Mac where the voice assistant fails to convert text to speech and generate MP3 files, this could be due to voice pack settings or system-related problems.

This tutorial will guide you through solving the problem step by step in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

Step 1: Check and Update Voice Packs #

Mac’s built-in speech functionality (called say) requires voice packs to convert text to speech. If text-to-speech synthesis fails, it might be because the voice packs aren’t configured properly or need updating. Follow these steps:

1. Open System Settings

a. Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and select [System Settings] (or [System Preferences] depending on your macOS version).

2. Navigate to Accessibility

a. In System Settings, scroll down to find [Accessibility] 

b. Click on [Spoken Content]

3. Check Voice Settings

a. On the [Spoken Content] page, locate the [System Voice] dropdown menu.

b. Click the dropdown to see which voice is currently selected (such as Ava, Siri, or Sin-ji).

c. Click [Customize] on the dropdown menu.

4. Customize Voice Packs

a. In the popup window, you’ll see a list of available voice packs (such as English voices like Ava, Chinese voices like Sin-ji, etc.).

b. Check the voice packs you want to use (we recommend selecting Sin-ji or other Chinese voice packs).

c. Click OK, and the system will begin downloading these voice packs (requires internet connection; download time depends on your network speed).

5. Confirm Download Completion

a. After downloading is complete, return to the [Spoken Content] page and select the voice pack you just downloaded from the dropdown menu.

b. Click the play button next to it to test if you can hear the voice.

6. Retry Flip PDF Plus

a. Open Flip PDF Plus, go to the voice assistant feature, and try converting text to speech again.

b. If there’s an option to select voices, make sure you choose the voice pack you just downloaded (like Sin-ji).

If this step resolved the issue, congratulations! You can continue using the voice feature. If it still doesn’t work, continue with the steps below!

Step 2: Test Mac's Speech Function Using Terminalt Here #

If updating the voice packs still doesn’t enable speech conversion, there might be an issue with Mac’s speech functionality. We can test this using Mac’s built-in say command. Don’t worry—it’s simple to do!

1. Open Terminal

a. Find [Terminal] in your Mac’s [Applications] > [Utilities] folder and double-click to open it.

b. Or use Spotlight search (press Command + Space and type “Terminal”).

2. List Available Voice Packs

a. In Terminal, enter the following command and press Enter:

				
					say -v "?"

● This will display a list of voice packs installed on your Mac

● Note down the name of the voice pack you want to use (like Sin-ji or Ting-Ting).

 3.  Test Speech: Enter the following command to have Mac speak a sentence:
				
					say -v Sin-ji "Hello, this is a test"
 

● This will make the Sin-ji voice pack say “Hello, this is a test.” If you hear sound, the voice pack is working fine!

 

● If you want to try saving it as an audio file, enter:

				
					say -v Sin-ji -o test.aiff "Hello, this is a test"
 

● Then open [Finder], look for “test.aiff” in your Home folder (usually your username folder), and double-click to play it.

 

4.  Try Different Voice Packs: If Sin-ji doesn’t produce sound, try other voice packs, such as:

				
					say -v Ting-Ting "Hello, this is a test"
 

● Or use an English voice:

				
					say -v Ava "Hello, this is a test"

If the Terminal test produces sound, Mac’s speech function is working normally, and the issue might be with the Flip PDF Plus software—skip to Step 3. 

If there’s no sound at all, it could be a voice pack or Mac system issue—skip to Step 4.

Step 3: Check Flip PDF Plus Settings #

If the Terminal say command works normally but Flip PDF Plus still doesn’t work, there might be a software configuration issue:

  1. Check Voice Selection
    a. Open Flip PDF Plus and find the voice assistant settings interface.
    b. Look for options that let you select voices (such as Sin-ji, Ting-Ting, or Ava).
    c. Choose a voice pack that you’ve tested and confirmed works in Terminal.
  2. Check Save Path
    a. Ensure the folder where the software saves MP3 files (such as Desktop or Documents) has enough space.
    b. If possible, try changing to a different folder (like directly selecting “Desktop”).
  3. Update Software
    a. Open Flip PDF Plus and check for update notifications.
    b. Or visit the official website to see if there’s a newer version available for download and installation.
  4. Contact Support
    a.     If it still doesn’t work, reply to your support ticket.
    b. Tell our support team: You’ve updated the voice packs and the Terminal say command works (if it does).
      i. Specific error messages in the software (such as any error popups).
      ii. Your system and software versions.

Step 4: If Terminal Also Has No Sound #

If you can’t hear sound even when using the say command in Terminal, or no audio files are generated, there might be an issue with Mac’s voice packs or system:

  1. Check System Settings
    a. Return to [System Settings] > [Accessibility] > [Spoken Content] and ensure [System Voice] has a valid voice pack selected.
    b. Try using the default Siri voice or Ava voice to see if they work.
  2. Restart Mac
    a. Sometimes restarting can resolve minor system issues. After restarting, try the Terminal command again:
				
					say -v Sin-ji "Hello, this is a test"
  1. Check Permissions:
    1. Go to [System Settings] > [ Security & Privacy] > [Files and Folders] and ensure both Flip PDF Plus and Terminal have permission to access your folders.
  1. Contact Apple Support:
    a. If the Terminal say command doesn’t respond at all, there might be an issue with macOS Sonoma 14.6.1’s speech functionality.
    b. Visit Apple’s official support website and submit an issue, explaining that you’re getting no sound with the say command on system Sonoma 14.6.1.

Summary #

  1. First, go to [System Settings] > [Accessibility] > [Spoken Content] to update or download voice packs (like Sin-ji or Ting-Ting), then retry in Flip PDF Plus.
  2. If that doesn’t work, test with Terminal using the say command, such as:
				
					say -v Sin-ji "Hello, this is a test"

Or save audio as *.wav format:

				
					say -v "Sin-ji" -o "filename.wav" --data-format=LEI16 "hello,this is a test"
  1. If Terminal works, check Flip PDF Plus voice settings or contact support.
  2. If Terminal also has no sound, check system settings, restart Mac, or contact Apple support.
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