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Forum: General Discussion

Topic: How to use VirtualDJ with JAWS (for blind people) - Page: 1

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Hi! we ve tried to help our freind, but its hard to understand - how use VDJ with Jaws to play mixes (if you are blind)
 
Posted Sun 11 Dec 16 @ 5:03 pm
To be honest, I don't know if this software is compatible with JAWS. Are you getting any feedback from the software? Is your friend a DJ or is he or she just trying to learn?
 
Unfortunately the way the skinning system works, means that VDJ is not compatible with any screen readers.

But there are possible work arounds, setting scripts for keyboard shortcuts etc. and it's also possible (if your any good at programming). to create a plugin that can receive strings passed by vdj script, this could use TTS to read the passed string through the earphones.

So something like 'effect_string' could in theory pass any vdj parameter such as 'deck 1 remaing', 'bpm' or 'loaded song' etc to the plugin to read out.

Perhaps one of the plugin experts could elaborate more on this.

I am visually impaired, and have setup a lot of keyboard shortcut scripts, and have created a midi device to receive the 'text' commands for midi, but this is a complex setup, that uses a virtual midi driver and a soft synth I created to receive midi data and then use tts to read it to me.

I would think a plugin would be a lot easier to setup, if one was created.

pete
 
Opps, Lots of cockups in the last message lol.

i'm sure you can translate what I put .. doh.

Seems my keyboard, doesn't like typing some letters lol. the joys of blindness and visual impairment.

:-)
 
hello ,sorry,I don't know how to program. help some one to write me this script, which was written about MallMuzik, please.
 
thanks for noticing. will take into account.because I'm still learning to write in the forums.please do not judgest rictly.but I have another question for you: there sitye programmers, because I really want to writethis script. answer somebody, please. before hand thank you.
 
sorry, I just alteredthe message. looking forward to your answers. thankyou.
 
Just to be clear from the start, I am not saying I'll do this.

I'm just trying to understand what would be involved.
I have no idea how JAWS works, would it read a basic console program? can JAWS read windows that are not the focus of the desktop

What vdj information would you want written by the program?

How do you imagine it would work? Please try to go into full detail,

I can imagine some bits like;
if you change the selected deck, the console will write "deck 1 selected".
press a button it will write the tracks time remaining.

Some stuff I'm really not sure if I can be done currently, stuff like reading the current folder of the folder tree,
Stuff like browsing generally I can imagine a few ways but it's best to know what you think should happen.

Again, just to be clear. I am not saying I'll do this.
 
I would think that using a controller makes more sense for working with VDJ than software that "talks" to you.

I mean, how would the speech be output clearly when music is playing?

With a controller it's tactile. You can feel where everything is. All the essential functions have a button or a knob. Plus no one has to code anything. Controllers are supported.
 
@locodog would it be possible to create a plugin that receives passed strings via 'effect_string' for example, that would just use the text to speech to repeat the passed string to the headphone stream?

then vdj scripts can be used for example "effect_string 'deck one active'" etc.. I believe you can retrieve information about most things in vdj including current folder etc, which could be passed using a similar method...

I did look into the sdk at one time, as a method of doing this, but could not find much example source code. I assume it must be done with 'ParameterString' or something.

It would be a very useful function to have for the blind/visually impaired users.

anyway just a thought, probably way off with them tho. lol

pete
 
as I said before, I don't think a screen reader would actually work with VDJ.

Just a quick note, if you want to check if the screen reader route is possible, you can also use other screen readers. There is 'narrator' built into windows 10, or even the free 'nvda' screen reader (which has a portable version, so you don't even have to install it.)

Pete
 
MallMuzik wrote :
@locodog would it be possible to create a plugin that receives passed strings via 'effect_string' for example, that would just use the text to speech to repeat the passed string to the headphone stream?

A plugin could take any "get_" script used in vdj and write it to a text file or a console app, the question is can the TTS program read it? because you have to remember the desktop focus needs to be on vdj for keyboard commands to work, so the TTS app needs to be able to read something that isn't the decktop focus.

 
I Suppose you don't have to use a screen reader, but have your own TTS built into the plugin. So you could speak the string rather than write it to a text file or console app.

I have written a simple command line app that takes a string as a parameter and speaks it, you could try that rather than write to a text file, I could send you this to try if you like.

Pete
 
thank yyou, pete. send to my mail: you're the only one here I even write that was sent,just in case,so I know. before hand thank you.

EDIT: I'm sorry but contact information is not allowed by home users, thank you. AMAHM
 
@Nvsvoboda. Sorry you must have misunderstood my post, I was talking to locodog about sending him a small app of mine to take a command line string and read it out via TTS.

As far as I can tell at the moment, there is no way of using VDJ with a screen reader. We was discussing a way of at least getting speech feedback for various states and conditions, using a plugin and vdjscript. it would at least let a blind/low vision user get some feedback, although only for basic use.

Could even be useful for any DJ to get feedback instead of checking the screen..

Anyway Sorry we couldn't help at the moment.

Pete
 
then what do i do?
 
sorry. I mean:what will be your actions? thankyou.
 
you are going to write some plugin?come in, please! and tell me again about this plugin, please.
 
Not to be rude but, why don't YOU involve in this and start making something instead of asking and asking ?

I don't want to break your hopes but in my humble opinion, the only way vdj can fully and properly integrate readers like jaws is atomix productions handling this from the very low end of it. Plugins will always be average, uncomplete and cheap handlings of that kind of development.

All this has already been discussed in the french forum :
https://fr.virtualdj.com/forums/12519/French_Forum/Adaptation_Virutal_Dj_Pour_Personnes_Non_Et_Malvoyantes.html?search=jaws&page=1

As you can see, it was in 2005. Not to mention what you have to conclude.
 
Yes, @fruit94, thanks for a similar theme (topick), only on the French forum, but I did not understand: were you able then to help SuperDjStephy? and how to contact him? sorry, I often ask questions, I just want to act, not to judge orberateme,pleasefruit.
 
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