Gain Greater Control with VisionStory’s New “Preview Audio” and “Pause” Features

Producing high-quality video content often depends on the finer details—such as accurate pronunciation or the timing of a dramatic pause. We’re delighted to introduce two new features—Preview Audio and Pause—that provide you with enhanced precision and flexibility before you commit credits to generating a full video.

Why Use Preview Audio?

Preview Audio is a breakthrough for anyone wanting to ensure their text-to-speech (TTS) narration sounds just right before using credits to create a video. Previously, you would go straight from writing your script to generating the final video. While convenient, this left little room for fine-tuning—and if you spotted a minor error, your credits were already spent. With Preview Audio, you can:

1. Check Pronunciation & Tone
   Listen to the entire audio generated from your text and confirm it matches your intended style.
2. Save Credits
   Spotting an error in the audio before rendering a video helps you avoid unnecessary credit usage.
3. Avoid Streaming Artifacts
   When audio is generated in real time to sync with video (a “streaming pipeline”), some AI voices may have slight volume inconsistencies at the start or end. By using Preview Audio first, you can avoid these issues and achieve a more polished result.

Common Pitfalls & Text Considerations: While TTS technology has advanced significantly, certain complexities can still present challenges. Pay special attention to:

• Specialised or Technical Terms: Medical, legal, or scientific jargon may require extra punctuation or spelling tweaks.
• Abbreviations: Ensure TTS expands or pronounces them correctly.
• Currencies & Numbers: The narrator might read numbers in an unexpected format or skip over currency symbols.
• Heavy Punctuation: Full stops, commas, and colons can affect how TTS handles intonation and pacing.

If you notice any issues, simply revise your text, run Preview Audio again, and confirm it’s perfect before clicking “Generate Talking Video”.

Introducing the Pause Feature

Sometimes you want to slow things down for dramatic effect, emphasise a phrase, or handle tricky words with precision. Our new Pause option—accessible via the “⏱ +0.5” icon—lets you insert a short break anywhere in your script. If you need a longer pause, simply add multiple pause icons in your text. This manual pause can:

• Improve Clarity: Break up lengthy sentences so the listener can clearly understand each part.
• Enhance Emphasis: Build anticipation before a key statement or punchline.
• Override Default TTS Pausing: If the text-to-speech engine doesn’t pause where you want—or adds an unintended break—manually adding pauses ensures the final narration flows as you intend.

Important Tips

Preview Audio uses a character-based quota, which resets monthly according to your subscription plan. As a general guide, 1 minute of speech is approximately 1,000 characters:

• Free: 500 characters (~0.5 min of audio)
• Lite: 1,000 characters (~1 min of audio)
• Pro: 10,000 characters (~10 min of audio)
• Advanced: 50,000 characters (~50 min of audio)
• Ultra: 100,000 characters (~100 min of audio)

Tips for the Stopwatch Feature:

• Each stopwatch icon represents a 0.5-second pause. You can use them consecutively to create longer pauses, up to a maximum of 3 seconds.
• Reminder: Avoid using more than two consecutive pauses within a single text segment, as this may cause the AI to produce unexpected sounds or artefacts.

Use Cases & Real-World Benefits

• Marketing & Advertising
  Marketers often use short, impactful lines followed by a well-timed pause to spark curiosity. Now you can refine your brand messaging and preview different deliveries without wasting credits.
• E-Learning & Instructional Videos
  Complex terminology or acronyms are common in educational content. Quickly preview how they’re spoken, insert the right pauses, and ensure learners can easily follow along.
• Storytelling & Narration
  Dramatic voiceovers rely on precise pacing. A well-placed pause can convey suspense or emotional nuance—something auto-generated TTS pacing may not always achieve.
• Professional Presentations
  When articulating a point—such as in financial reviews or business pitches—mispronounced names or numbers can undermine credibility. Previewing and adding pauses helps ensure a smooth, professional vocal track.