V.5.1.0 (Current)
The Polish & Community Update: Reviews, Coming Soon, sound timing, voice fixes, and quality-of-life improvements.
- Added a Website Reviews panel on the right column — shows community reviews with star ratings. Owner-editable via the source code with an obvious marked section.
- Added an overall rating badge to the reviews panel (top-right of the box), showing an aggregate score out of 5.0 with a visual star bar. Displays "No ratings yet" when set to 0.0.
- Added a "Want to make a review?" banner below the reviews panel, linking to the feedback form.
- Added a Coming Soon section below the owner splash text, owner-editable in the source code.
- Added Alert Sound Timing option to Username Alerts: choose whether the alert sound plays on message arrival (immediately), before TTS speaks, or after TTS finishes.
- Fixed "After their username" alert timing — now correctly splits speech into three parts: username spoken first, then the alert phrase, then the message. Previously the alert played after the full message regardless of the setting.
- Fixed Randomize per user voice mode — voices are now cached by name instead of index, so they survive browser voice list reloads. Also added a guard so voices are only assigned once the voice list is actually populated.
- Improved voice assignment reliability in Web Speech API — now sets
lang alongside voice to prevent browsers from silently ignoring the voice assignment.
- Updated Per-user voice input to support multiple comma-separated usernames in a single entry, consistent with the existing username alerts pattern.
- Removed the YouTube URL field from Username Alerts — replaced with a footnote explaining that YouTube audio playback cannot be reliably triggered due to browser autoplay restrictions. May be revisited in a future update.
V.5.0.0
The Customization Overhaul: Username Alerts, Voice Assignment Modes, Emoji Stripping, Local Storage Management & more.
- Added Delete Local Storage button in the top-right. Requires clicking "Confirm" 10 times to prevent accidents — or click "Nevermind" to cancel.
- Added Username Alerts panel: set one or multiple usernames (comma-separated) from Twitch, YouTube, or TikTok to trigger a custom sound and/or TTS message. Choose whether the alert message plays before their username, after their username, or after their full message.
- Added Blocked Username Handling: if a username contains a word from your blocked list, choose to read it normally, bleep just the blocked part, or skip the username entirely and say "a viewer" instead.
- Added Strip emojis from TTS toggle — not just emoji-only messages, but all emojis removed from spoken text across every message.
- Moved the Test Chat panel to the right column to balance the layout and reduce empty space on the right side.
- Added Voice Assignment Modes to TTS: choose Single voice for all, Randomize per user (consistent per session), Per-user voice (specific voice for specific usernames), or Per-platform voice (Twitch/YouTube/TikTok each get their own). Platform voices and user/random voices are mutually exclusive by design.
- Fixed various bugs including voice dropdown not populating platform-specific voice selects and emoji stripping not applying to commands.
V.4.1.1
The Accountability & Control Update: clearer ToS, cleaner layout, and privacy-focused controls.
- Added a required Terms of Service acknowledgement before the site controls can be used.
- Added NarrationStudio's own Terms of Service beside the Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok policy cards.
- Removed the temporary Live Now and Total Visits counter from the top area.
- Tightened the UI spacing and rebalanced the right column so panels feel more organized while still staying readable.
- Added minimize controls to panels and a hide/unhide toggle for the custom blocked words and phrases list.
- Custom blocked words now stay hidden by default and remain hidden until the Terms of Service acknowledgement is checked.
- Added a sensitive-content warning before revealing a non-empty custom blocked words list.
- Switches now play the same click feedback as buttons, and each custom UI sound can be toggled on or off individually or all at once.
- Added a site-wide BETA badge in the top-right controls to set expectations for upcoming updates.
V.3.1.2
The Transparency Update: Added an Update Log and enhanced community presence.
- Added the Update Log panel so users can track improvements without needing to check the source code.
- Integrated a Live Viewer Count system to show how many creators are currently using the studio, making the app feel like a shared community.
- Implemented a Theme Engine providing "OLED Dark," "Twitch Purple," and "High Contrast" modes to better suit different streaming environments.
- Why this was added: As the site evolves quickly, transparency helps users understand new features. Features like the viewer count and themes move the site from a "simple tool" to a "professional suite" that users can personalize.
V.3.1.0
The "Global" Milestone: Integrated Cloudflare Functions and KV Storage.
- Added the Global Announcement System allowing real-time, worldwide message broadcasting via a secure admin code.
- Optimized backend logic to fetch global news on every page load, ensuring all users stay updated instantly.
- Refined the UI with "Bricolage Grotesque" and "Geist Mono" typography for a modern, high-end studio aesthetic.
- Why this was added: This update moved the site from a static file to a "smart" application with a memory. It allows me to communicate directly with every user at once to announce new features or maintenance.
V.3.0.0
The Studio Overhaul: A complete visual and functional reconstruction.
- Redesigned the entire interface to the current "Dark Studio" layout to reduce eye strain for creators during long night streams.
- Expanded platform support to include YouTube and TikTok alongside the original Twitch integration.
- Introduced the Test Chat panel, giving streamers a way to safely test their TTS and custom commands before going live.
- Implemented Local Storage memory, allowing the site to remember your specific settings, voices, and commands across sessions.
- Why this was added: Most TTS tools feel like basic websites from 2010. This overhaul aimed to make NarrationStudio feel like professional broadcast software that belongs on a creator's second monitor.
V.2.0.0
The Logic Update: Improving interactivity and security.
- Created the Custom Command System, enabling streamers to set up personalized TTS responses like `!lurk`, `!socials`, or `!hello`.
- Switched to Twitch OAuth for more secure, official channel connections that protect user privacy.
- Added TTS Voice Controls, giving users the power to customize the pitch, speed, and volume of the narration to match their stream's personality.
- Why this was added: Users wanted more than just a chat reader; they wanted a tool that added personality to their stream. Security was also prioritized to move away from less secure login methods.
V.1.0.0
The Initial Release: The birth of NarrationStudio.
- Launched the first version with basic Twitch Chat-to-Speech functionality.
- Created the core audio engine to handle incoming chat messages in real-time.
- Established the simple "One-Click Connect" interface.
- Why this was added: The project started as a simple, lightweight alternative to bloated TTS bots, focusing on speed and ease of use for new streamers.
The Vision Behind NarrationStudio
NarrationStudio was born from the realization that most text-to-speech tools for creators are either visually outdated or unnecessarily complex to set up. I built this platform to bridge the gap between high-end studio aesthetics and effortless functionality, creating a centralized hub where Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok creators can manage their community's voice without the "technical friction" of traditional bots. By leveraging modern backend technology and a professional "dark studio" design, NarrationStudio provides a reliable, secure, and streamlined experience that feels like a natural extension of a creator's broadcast setup rather than just another browser tab.