How to make a free museum audio guide! AI audio guide for small museums and permanent exhibitions
Sept. 24, 2024
Museum audio guides have already become commonplace in large-scale special exhibitions and large museums with many visitors.
Have you given up because you think it's difficult to implement?
In fact, audio guides are easy to implement!
The key is to use a text-to-speech service that uses the latest AI .
Any type of museum, whether it's a small museum, a private museum, or a local city or town museum, can easily create audio guides using AI.
Why not use this article as a reference and consider introducing audio guides to the museum you manage or work at?
Recommended AI reading services for museum audio guides
"Ondoku" is an AI reading service recommended for creating audio guides for museums .
This is a proven service that has also been adopted by the National Museum of Ethnology (click here for more information on the adoption case), so you can use it with confidence.
Its greatest feature is its ability to generate realistic, easy-to-listen audio .
Moreover,
- No registration: 1,000 characters
- Registered: 5,000 characters
You can read up to 1000 characters for free !
It would cost a lot of money to have a professional record an audio guide, but with "Ondoku" you don't have to worry about that.
Even museums that had given up on introducing audio guides due to the cost can now do so!
Would you like to create a free audio guide with "Ondoku" ?
Would you like to introduce audio guides to your museum?
There are many benefits to introducing audio guides to museums.
First, I will explain the features and key points of the audio guide.
What are museum audio guides?
Audio guides have become commonplace in large museums and tourist attractions.
By playing an audio guide in front of an exhibit, the contents of the exhibit can be explained more effectively to visitors.
Museum audio guides have many benefits.
Can convey more information
As a curator, I want to convey as much information about the exhibition as possible.
However, it is often impossible to include sufficient content due to exhibition space limitations and the standards of captions and exhibition panels .
In such cases, we recommend using the audio guide!
By providing more detailed explanations and trivia through audio, you can convey the appeal of the exhibits on a deeper level.
Improved accessibility
The introduction of audio guides also has benefits for seniors and visitors with visual impairments .
The text on captions and exhibition panels tends to be small , which can make it difficult for senior visitors to read.
Introducing audio guides will eliminate barriers for senior and visually impaired visitors and improve accessibility .
It also prevents damage to exhibits , as visitors no longer have to get close to read the captions .
Supports foreign tourists with multilingual reading
By providing audio guidance in multiple languages, it is also possible to provide guidance to inbound tourists .
Large museums are increasingly installing captions in Chinese and Korean in addition to English, but smaller museums can't afford that , right?
In such cases, we recommend starting with multilingual voice guidance in foreign languages, which is easy to implement .
For example , "Ondoku" is available in 48 languages.
AI reading services can read foreign languages with easy-to-understand native pronunciation .
Audio guides in foreign languages can be easily created using AI translation and AI reading services , so if you run a museum that receives a lot of inbound visitors, why not give it a try?
Increase customer satisfaction and gain repeat customers
And the biggest benefit of introducing audio guides to museums is that visitors can enjoy the exhibits to their satisfaction .
Regardless of whether it is a special exhibition or a permanent exhibition, there are usually more first-time visitors than repeat visitors .
By introducing exhibits in a more understandable and friendly manner using museum audio guides, it is possible to appeal to their appeal and encourage repeat visitors .
Recommended ways to create museum audio guides
In the past, museum audio guides were expensive to implement, making them difficult for small or privately owned museums to adopt.
But that's no longer the case!
By using the latest AI text-to-speech service, it is now possible to create audio for free !
If you want to create an audio guide for a museum, we recommend an AI reading service.
In the past, to create an audio guide for a museum, it was necessary to have a professional narrator or voice actor record the audio, which was very expensive.
However, with advances in AI, it is now possible to create high-quality audio for free!
This text-to-speech service uses the latest AI to read text and read it out loud in an easy-to-listen, realistic voice .
The cost is also very low, and there are even services like "Ondoku" that can be used for free .
If you are creating an audio guide for a museum, we recommend using an AI reading service .
Audio guides can be installed in small-scale facilities too
By using the AI reading service, audio guides can be introduced at low cost even in relatively small museums, such as local city and town museums and private museums !
One of the museum's main objectives is to educate and spread knowledge through its exhibits.
By introducing audio guides, we can convey the appeal of the exhibition to demographics that we have not reached before, encouraging them to return repeatedly .
Why not introduce audio guides to your facility using an AI reading service?
Recommended AI reading service "Ondoku"
"Ondoku" is an AI reading service recommended for creating audio for museum audio guides !
Using the latest AI, it can read out loud in a realistic, easy-to-listen voice .
There are 17 types of Japanese voices!
It is also possible for the system to read out foreign languages , and as it supports 48 languages , it is possible to create audio guides for foreign visitors, including English.
We can also accommodate regional specialties such as Chinese and Portuguese .
Also introduced at the National Museum of Ethnology
This is a proven AI reading service, so you can use it with confidence to read audio guides.
What's more, ``Ondoku'' is free to use!
- No registration: 1,000 characters
- Registered: 5,000 characters
This allows you to create audio for one special exhibition or a permanent exhibition for free !
Why not try using "Ondoku" to introduce an audio guide to your facility?
How to create audio guides for free
Specifically, we will show you how to create an audio file for a museum audio guide!
1. Write a script
First, I write a script for a museum audio guide.
You can write your essay using any word processing software, text editor, or any other program that allows you to select and copy text later .
Tips for writing audio guide text
How do I write text for audio guide?
Writing the text for the audio guides is a very difficult task amidst a busy curatorial schedule.
Here we will introduce some tips for writing efficient and accurate audio guide text (script).
No explanation of all exhibits is necessary
Many people have probably listened to an audio guide at a special exhibition in a large museum by entering the number next to the exhibit.
As you can see, there is no need to include audio guides for all explanations.
It's enough to just add audio commentary to the most important exhibits .
However, if the number is too small, there will be no point in introducing audio guides, so we recommend providing audio commentary in at least 15 places , depending on the size of the museum.
It is recommended to expand the book based on the explanations in the catalogue.
The speed at which text is read aloud is actually much slower than the speed at which text is read with the eyes .
For accessibility reasons, a guideline is around 300 characters per minute.
If you already have text for your catalogue, try expanding on it.
If you write based on the amount of text in the catalog, you can quickly create a 300-character explanation.
Don’t be too afraid of jargon
It's important to be careful not to make the content too difficult for visitors, but at the same time, it's also not good to avoid using technical terminology too much.
Even if it is your first time visiting, borrowing an audio guide is a sure sign that you are deeply interested in the exhibits.
By providing annotations for content that is too difficult and explaining even more niche topics , you can increase visitor satisfaction.
It is also recommended to make one for adults and one for children.
We also recommend creating separate voices for adults and children .
Writing special scripts is especially effective during periods when the number of family visitors increases, such as Golden Week, summer vacation, and spring vacation .
2. Reading aloud using "Ondoku"
Click here to open the Ondoku homepage and read it aloud.
First, paste and enter your text into the text box.
At this time, we recommend that you paste up the exhibit explanations separately for each area and read them out loud.
When you download the reading files, they are split into separate files for each exhibit, which is convenient for using them later as audio guides.
Select the voice you want to use.
Sample audio files are available on this page .
When you're ready , press "Read Aloud" to start reading .
It only takes a few seconds to create an audio file.
3. Check the reading result and download it
Once the text-to-speech file is created, the display will change to show an audio player and a download button .
Listen to the audio using the audio player and check for errors.
When it comes to museum audio guides, be sure to check carefully for any errors, especially with proper nouns .
If there are no problems , click "Download" to download the file .
The file can be saved as an MP3 file.
If you save the file and then rename it to a sequential number, it will be convenient for using it as an audio guide later .
As you can see, the process of creating audio for a museum audio guide using Ondoku is very simple.
Why not try introducing audio guides using "Ondoku" to your facility?
Points to consider when choosing audio guide playback equipment
Finally, we will explain how to play the museum audio guide.
There are three main ways:
1. Use dedicated audio guide equipment
The first thing that comes to mind is to introduce dedicated audio guide equipment , such as that used in large museums.
They have a long history of use, and in the unlikely event of any trouble, they have the advantage of being guaranteed by the manufacturer or leasing company .
However, the cost is higher whether you buy or lease.
2. Use a simple MP3 player
For smaller venues, we recommend using a simple consumer MP3 player .
An inexpensive, simple MP3 player with only play, stop, forward and reverse buttons can serve as a substitute for audio guide equipment.
Installation is very easy; all you need to do is put consecutive MP3 files onto a microSD card .
The disadvantage is that you have to prepare for breakdowns and theft .
3. Put the audio on your website
Another option is to post the audio guide on the museum's website so visitors can listen to it on their smartphones .
The biggest advantage is that no special equipment is required .
However, visitors will need to provide earphones.
In this way, museum audio guides can be introduced at no cost!
Why not try using the AI reading service "Ondoku" to introduce audio guides?
■ AI voice synthesis software "Ondoku"
"Ondoku" is an online text-to-speech tool that can be used with no initial costs.
- Supports approximately 50 languages, including Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French, and German
- Available from both PC and smartphone
- Suitable for business, education, entertainment, etc.
- No installation required, can be used immediately from your browser
- Supports reading from images
To use it, simply enter text or upload a file on the site. A natural-sounding audio file will be generated within seconds. You can use voice synthesis up to 5,000 characters for free, so please give it a try.
Email: ondoku3.com@gmail.com
"Ondoku" is a Text-to-Speech service that anyone can use for free without installation. If you register for free, you can get up to 5000 characters for free each month. Register now for free