A small utility function to quickly convert a text file into a spoken track

tts.sh

# TTS COMMAND
#
# This command is a handy utility that allows you to quickly convert
# a text file into a speech recording.
#
# NOTE: This will only work on macOS, since it relies on the `say`
# command which utilizes Apple's speech synthesis system.
#
# REQUIRED: ffmpeg. You can easily install this using `brew install ffmpeg`
#
# HOW TO: Put the below function into your .zshrc or .bashrc so that
# it is loaded when you start the terminal.
# Then, you will have the command `tts` at your disposal.
#
# Simply execute `tts infile.txt outfile.mp3`
# You can also use a different format, if you like.

function tts () {
  # Require two arguments
	if [ "$#" -ne 2 ]
	then
		echo "Usage: $0 infile.txt outfile.mp3" >&2
		exit 1
	fi
  
  # Echo a little bit of info
	echo "Running text-to-speech ..."
	echo ""
	echo "    - Input text file: $1"
	echo "    - Output audio:    $2"
	echo ""

	TEMPFILE="/Users/$USER/temp.aiff"
	echo "Using $TEMPFILE as temporary file."

  # First run `say` and put the output into temp.aiff
	say -f "$1" -o "$TEMPFILE" --progress

	# Then, run `ffmpeg` to confert the aiff into mp3
	ffmpeg -i "$TEMPFILE" "$2"
  
  # Lastly, remove the tempfile as a convenience
	echo "Removing $TEMPFILE ..."
	rm "$TEMPFILE"
  
  # Always end with something nice to say!
	echo "Done! Have a good day."
}