Category: technology

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AI Voice-Over Tools Have Matured. The Workflow Still Matters.

When I first wrote about AI text-to-speech tools in early 2023, the technology was moving quickly enough to feel experimental from month to month. The core idea was simple: instructional designers and training teams could write a script, generate narration, and produce audio without booking studio time, hiring voice talent, or recording multiple takes.

AI voice-over is no longer just a stand-alone audio capability. It is becoming part of a broader training media workflow. The same platforms now help generate scripts, record screens, create captions, translate content, produce avatars, edit video, and package content for delivery. The question is no longer whether AI text-to-speech is good enough for internal training. Often, it is. The better question is how training teams should use these tools without creating a messy, expensive production process.

The most important lesson may be this: fewer tools are often better.

Training teams have always been tempted by tool sprawl. One application for script writing. Another for voice-over. Another for screen recording, editing, animation, or captions. Each tool may be useful on its own, but the total workflow can become harder to manage than the content itself.

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Airline Industry Introduction Training Video

Here’s an example of a training video I created using Vyond for the animated video and Audacity for the voice-over. It is the first video in a series of videos that cover the system and processes airlines use to manage booking, ticketing, and passenger management activities.


If you like this, please share.

(I’m bringing some content over from an old platform.)

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An Intro to SaaS Architecture

As technology continues to shape our world, more and more businesses are turning to Software as a Service (SaaS) applications to manage their operations. But what exactly is a SaaS application, and how does it work?

At its core, a SaaS application is simply a software application that runs on the internet, rather than on a user’s computer. This means that users can access the application from anywhere with an internet connection, using a web browser or a dedicated app.

But the technology behind a SaaS application is much more complex than that. To understand how it works, we need to dive deeper into the layers of technology that make up a modern SaaS application.

At the top of the stack is the User Interface layer. This is the part of the application that users see and interact with. It’s responsible for presenting information and allowing users to perform tasks, such as creating and editing data. The UI layer is typically created using tools like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and popular frontend frameworks like React or Angular.

Beneath the UI layer is the Application layer. This is where the “brain” of the application lives, handling business logic and data processing. The application layer is typically built using server-side programming languages like Python or Ruby, and popular frameworks like Django or Ruby on Rails.

The Data Access layer is next, handling interactions with the SaaS application’s database or other persistent data storage. This layer often involves tools like SQLalchemy or ActiveRecord to handle queries, data validation, and data transformations.

The Infrastructure layer manages the underlying computing resources needed to run the SaaS application, such as servers, storage, and network infrastructure. This layer often uses cloud-based services like Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure, along with Infrastructure as Code tools like Terraform or CloudFormation.

The Integration layer connects the SaaS application to other systems or services, such as payment gateways or messaging platforms. This layer often involves the use of APIs or message queues to exchange data between systems.

Finally, the Security layer is responsible for protecting the SaaS application from various security threats, such as unauthorized access, data breaches, and denial-of-service attacks. This layer often involves the use of firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, and other security monitoring tools.

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