In March 2017, GoAnimate removed the Eric voice because it was no longer supported by Amazon Polly in its original form, forcing many creators to find workarounds.
In 2013, Amazon recognized the superior quality of Ivona’s technology and acquired the company. Amazon used Ivona’s core research, algorithms, and voice talent to build the foundation for and the speech capabilities of Amazon Alexa.
While users had a range of preferences, the Eric voice often stood out in comparisons. In discussions on developer forums, users noted that for American English, Eric was the preferred choice, as his UK counterpart, Brian, had some “disconnected” or less fluid passages. For many, particularly in professional and assistive contexts, Eric’s commanding and clear delivery made him the benchmark for US English male TTS voices.
Ivona Eric remains a landmark achievement in the evolution of artificial speech—moving technology away from the robotic beep of early computers and closer to the warmth of human conversation. text to speech eric ivona
You can’t buy the original Ivona engine anymore. It’s abandonware. But if you know where to look (abandoned Android APKs from 2014, certain offline reading apps that never updated their licenses), the old Eric still lives.
: It accurately replicated the rhythm and stress patterns of native British English.
Ivona was a Polish-based TTS software company acquired by Amazon in 2013. Renowned for developing exceptionally lifelike, natural-sounding voices, Ivona voices were considered a benchmark in speech synthesis, particularly in the "BrightVoice" category. The technology eventually became the foundation for Amazon Polly. Introducing Eric: The Voice of Authority In March 2017, GoAnimate removed the Eric voice
The versatility of Eric’s voice makes it particularly effective for content that requires a balance of authority and energy:
| Tool/Platform | Description | Key Features | Pricing Model | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | AI-driven software with Eric Ivona voice for professional voiceovers | Adjustable pitch, speed, and emotion | Likely paid software | | SpeechGen | Browser-based generator specializing in the classic Eric voice | Neural engine, pitch/speed adjustment, instant MP3 download | Free preview, no signup required for basic use | | TextAloud | Windows software for listening to text or creating audio files | Works with SAPI 5 voices | Paid software (Eric voice can be purchased) | | Narakeet | Online tool for creating voiceovers and presentations | Cloud-based, AI-powered pronunciation enhancement | Subscription-based | | Readloud | Online converter with free and premium tiers | Adjustable speed/pitch, supports MP3 output | Freemium | | TopMediai | Advanced AI generator that includes Eric Ivona voice | Deep learning, online voice cloning | Likely paid with a free tier |
For millions of people who grew up listening to Ivona Eric on their Kindle Fire or Android phone, that voice represents the first time a computer sounded like a friend. While users had a range of preferences, the
The story of the Eric text-to-speech voice is more than just a technical history. It is a story about the democratization of media creation. By providing a high-quality, free, and easy-to-use voice through platforms like GoAnimate, IVONA inadvertently empowered a new generation of animators and storytellers to bring their ideas to life, no matter their budget or experience. The Eric voice became an integral part of early YouTube culture, a auditory bookmark for a specific era of the internet.
IVONA Software, a Polish tech company founded in 2001, revolutionized speech synthesis by creating voices that sounded remarkably lifelike at a time when most computer speech was robotic and choppy. The company achieved global acclaim by winning multiple international Blizzard Challenge awards for its natural-sounding phrasing, pitch modeling, and dictionary depth.
In the 1990s, the development of concatenative TTS systems marked a significant milestone. These systems used pre-recorded speech units, such as phonemes or syllables, to generate speech. However, they were limited by their dependence on large datasets and complex algorithms.
In , Amazon acquired Ivona Software to integrate its technology into Kindle devices and develop the foundation for what would eventually become Amazon Polly and Alexa .