ReadSpeaker VoiceLab Powers Sonos Voice Control Custom Voice
17.5.2022 15:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
ReadSpeaker, the most trusted, independent digital voice partner for global businesses, today announced that Sonos, the world’s leading sound experience company, has selected the ReadSpeaker VoiceLab to create a custom voice for Sonos Voice Control, the brand’s voice assistant. Sonos selected VoiceLab, ReadSpeaker’s custom voice production unit, because of the company’s proven experience and expertise in state-of-the-art, AI-driven text-to-speech.
Leading consumer brands are looking to develop their own voice assistants to provide consistently on-brand, personalized and engaged automated customer experiences. Those with a visionary strategy and commitment to consumer privacy, like Sonos, are understanding the broader importance of AI-driven digital voice in helping expand their business and meet consumer needs and expectations, even as they quickly evolve.
The ReadSpeaker VoiceLab managed the development process, including carrying out recordings with Giancarlo Esposito, processing the recorded data, training Deep Neural Networking (DNN) models on that data, and managing quality control, delivery, and all necessary quality assurance steps. Because of the technicality of the voice recordings required to build the custom voice, which requires speech to be delivered in an extremely consistent way that prioritizes precise articulation and style, ReadSpeaker’s VoiceLab experts worked closely with Esposito throughout every stage of the process.
A key challenge in the development of this custom voice was the need for it to comprehend and pronounce non-standard text content that is often found in the music industry. It was also critical that the assistant was able to read artists’ track or album information in numerous languages. The VoiceLab team worked closely with Sonos and Esposito to optimize the speech output for this massively broad domain.
Sonos Voice Control is an entirely new voice experience that delivers fast, accurate hands-free control of your music and your Sonos system with unmatched privacy. Designed with privacy at its core, Sonos Voice Control is the simplest way to control your music, offering complete command of your Sonos system using only your voice. Sonos Voice Control works on every voice-capable Sonos speaker, processing requests entirely on the device. No audio or transcript is sent to the cloud, stored, listened to or read by anyone. Available from June 1 in the US and later this year in France on all voice capable Sonos products, Sonos Voice Control is compatible with Sonos Radio, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Pandora at launch. More services and markets will follow.
“We selected ReadSpeaker to power the custom voice for Sonos Voice Control for a variety of reasons, not least of which was their ability to work closely with us from the development phase all the way through delivery,” said Joseph Dureau, Vice President, Voice Experience, at Sonos. “ReadSpeaker’s approach to custom voice is innovative and extremely thorough – which is exactly what we required for this project – and the company’s dedicated linguistic team has been a critical tool for us throughout this project.”
“As brands become increasingly aware that, much like a visual logo, a custom voice ensures consistently engaging, on-brand interactions across touchpoints, our VoiceLab is developing voices that speak to their brand persona and create unique experiences,” said Roy Lindemann, CMO and CCO EMEA, at ReadSpeaker. “With more consumers leveraging digital voice every day for everything from making purchases to choosing which playlist to listen to, having a custom branded voice is becoming table stakes for delivering a quality, personalized CX in real time. By partnering with Sonos, we are helping to bring yet another brand’s voice to life in an exciting, innovative way.”
Watch the SVC Custom Voice “behind the scenes” video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwJ8Ub10arQ
For more information about the ReadSpeaker VoiceLab, visit www.readspeaker.ai/solutions/custom-text-to-speech-tts-voices/.
About ReadSpeaker:
ReadSpeaker is the most trusted independent digital voice partner for global brands, institutions, and organizations. With over 20 years’ experience, ReadSpeaker’s AI-powered text-to-speech solutions and expert assistance enhance the accessibility of digital content and enable more user-friendly and engaging interactions with technology. The company’s flexible cloud and on-premise solutions bring over 110 expressive, humanlike synthetic voices in more than 35 languages to any application or device. The company consistently maintains its uncompromising commitment to data privacy and has so far speech enabled over 10,000 voice applications worldwide.
ReadSpeaker’s digital voice design brand, readspeaker.ai, helps agencies, integrators, and developers to enhance CX and drive sales through consistently engaging, on-brand interactions across touchpoints. For more information, go to readspeaker.ai and follow the company on Twitter and LinkedIn.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220517005419/en/
Contact information
ReadSpeaker:
Victoria Newell
V2 Communications for ReadSpeaker
readspeaker@v2comms.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
KATE Launches "KABUKE: Break Convention" Kabuki-Inspired International Campaign17.7.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Global cosmetics brand KATE launched “KABUKE: Break Convention,” a new international campaign drawing on elements of Kabuki, the traditional Japanese performing art. The campaign debuted on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. In this campaign, KATE’s shadow enhancing makeup—rooted in Japanese aesthetics—was paired with the Kabuki spirit inherited from traditional Kabuki theater to communicate the value of individuality and self‑expression through makeup on a global scale. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260708829427/en/ KATE international campaign “KABUKE: Break Convention” key visual. Dedicated website: https://www.kate-global.net/my/special/kate_kabuki/ Since its founding, KATE has championed the slogan “NO MORE RULES.,” offering makeup that defies convention and empowers individuals to express their identity and bring out confidence. At the heart of this vision is the brand’s signature shadow enhancing makeup approach
Yoshihiro Shimamura Joins the Marché du Film’s “Investors Circle 2026” as an Invited Investor, Backing a New Feature Film17.7.2026 04:00:00 EEST | Press release
Shimamura Yoshihiro Film Production Co., Ltd. (Head office: Osaka, Japan; Representative Director: Yoshihiro Shimamura), a company active in film production and investment, today announced that Representative Director Yoshihiro Shimamura has decided to invest in an international feature film after being invited to the “Investors Circle 2026” — a distinction that reflects his standing as one of the field’s most highly regarded producers and investors. Hosted by the Marché du Film, the business arm of the Festival de Cannes and one of the world’s largest film markets, the Investors Circle is an invitation-only summit that connects a select group of private investors with high-end feature films during early-stage financing. Held in Cannes, France, May 16-17, 2026, it brings internationally acclaimed directors and producers together with investors around a curated slate of projects in development. During the summit, Shimamura attended private pitching sessions and, after individual meeting
Meiji Seika Pharma: Results from the Global Phase III Trial (Integral-2) of Nacubactam, a Novel β-Lactamase Inhibitor, Highlighted in The Lancet Microbe ’s Coverage of ESCMID Global Congress 202617.7.2026 04:00:00 EEST | Press release
Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President and Representative Director: Toshiaki Nagasato) today announced that results from the global Phase III trial (Integral-2) of nacubactam (Development Code: OP0595), a novel β-lactamase inhibitor, were highlighted in The Lancet Microbe’s coverage of ESCMID Global Congress 2026 (held in Munich, Germany). As highlighted in The Lancet Microbe’s coverage, the key findings presented by Meiji Seika Pharma at ESCMID Global Congress 2026 are as follows: The Integral-2 study (jRCT2031230076) is a global Phase III clinical trial that enrolled patients with complicated urinary tract infections, acute uncomplicated pyelonephritis, hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia, ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia, or complicated intra-abdominal infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (excluding Acinetobacter species). The study has achieved the prespecified study objectives. For the primary endpoint of overall treatme
Takeda’s Zasocitinib Demonstrates Consistent, High Rates of Skin Clearance Across the Body, Including Hard-to-Treat and High-Impact Sites, in Phase 3 Psoriasis Studies17.7.2026 01:00:00 EEST | Press release
Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) announced new data from the two pivotal Phase 3 studies of zasocitinib (TAK-279), a next-generation, highly selective and potent oral tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor, in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (PsO).1 Presented at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Innovation Academy, these secondary endpoint data show that zasocitinib demonstrated consistent and high rates of skin clearance across hard-to-treat, high-impact sites, including the scalp, nails, palms and soles, compared with placebo.1-5 These data build on the topline results from the Phase 3 randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo- and active comparator-controlled LATITUDE PsO 3001 and 3002 studies.2,6 In those studies, about 70% of patients treated with zasocitinib achieved static Physician Global Assessment (sPGA) 0/1 (clear or almost clear skin) at week 16, with a significantly greater Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 75 response rate seen as early as w
Merz Completes Inaugural €450 Million Schuldschein Loan Issuance17.7.2026 00:36:00 EEST | Press release
The Merz Group has successfully completed its first-ever Schuldschein loan issuance, placing a total volume of €450 million in the debt capital market – a multiple of three relating to the launch volume. The debut transaction was significantly oversubscribed and attracted strong interest from all investor groups. The proceeds were settled and paid out today. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260716926041/en/ Dr. Almuth Steinkühler, Chief Financial Officer Merz Group The transaction comprises both fixed- and floating-rate tranches with maturities of three, five, seven, and ten years. Around 50 German and international investors participated, representing a broad range of institutions, including private banks, German federal state-owned banks, public savings banks, cooperative banks, pension funds and occupational pension institutions. With the successful placement, Merz has further diversified its funding base by
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom