It's a monotone reading, but usable. More recent versions (i.e. FC3) seem to sound smoother (less computerized) than earlier ones (i.e. RH9). Don't know if this is because of the Linux or the festival versions. Comes standard with most recent RedHat and Fedora Core Linux installs, and probably others.
My old Macintosh (OS 7.5-8) had different "voices" to choose from. One called "Cellos" was definitely not monotone--it sang the words in the melody of "Hall of the Mountain King". I wrote a little poem that fit the meter/rhythm and recorded it as my voice-mail answer--I still use it. The funniest part is that I occasionally receive messages that people have left, sung in the same melody (those are "keepers"!). Call me up for a demo. William J. Flis DE Technologies, Inc. 3620 Horizon Drive King of Prussia, PA 19406 610-270-9700 x130