Improved Install Instructions

[tomodachi94]

As discussed here, I have added instructions for using with venv.

(Required for automation: Fix #640)

(Mentions: @blue-fish)

[tomodachi94]

blue-fish, let me know if anything needs changing!

[ghost]

@tomodachi94 Thank you for submitting the PR. Your style is helpful and explanatory while the rest of the setup instructions is rather minimal. And this makes me think that we should be writing with a different audience in mind.

The typical user doesn't have enough computer experience to use the README effectively, turning a 5-step process into a nightmare that lasts hours. Maybe we should rewrite it to be more like:

1. Windows users follow these friendly step-by-step instructions to set up the repo
2. Everyone else go to Issue 615 or see the wiki.

But it may not be possible to make Windows instructions that are robust like what we have for Ubuntu: #615 (comment)

[ghost]

I think #639 is a less common situation where the person uses Python for multiple projects, but doesn't already utilize virtual environments. Usually users seem to fall into one of two categories:

1. Experienced enough with python to use virtualenv
2. Installing python for the first time to run this project only

So now I'm questioning if the README needs to include instructions on setting up the virtual environment. Eventually, we'll have a binary release (.exe) that will greatly simplify setup. Considering everything here, I think we don't need the pull request. What do you think?

[tomodachi94]

...the rest of the setup instructions is rather minimal.

This is sad but true. I wouldn’t mind adding more details to the existing documentation.

————————————————————

And this makes me think that we should be writing with a different audience in mind. The typical user doesn't have enough computer experience to use the README effectively, turning a 5-step process into a nightmare that lasts hours.

This is true. Most people are used to a GUI, and find the Command Line scary and hard to use without experience.

————————————————————

Maybe we should rewrite it to be more like: Windows users follow these friendly step-by-step instructions to set up the repo
Everyone else go to Issue 615 or see the wiki.

I disagree. Shouldn’t all instructions be in one place (file), perhaps an INSTALL.md?

————————————————————

But it may not be possible to make Windows instructions that are robust like what we have for Ubuntu.

Most commands on Ubuntu have some variation on Windows (a major exception being Git).

Apologies for the long comment!

[tomodachi94]

I think # 639 is a less common situation where the person uses Python for multiple projects, but doesn't already utilize virtual environments. Usually users seem to fall into one of two categories:
Experienced enough with python to use virtualenv
Installing python for the first time to run this project only

This is true.

So now I'm questioning if the README needs to include instructions on setting up the virtual environment. Eventually, we'll have a binary release (.exe) that will greatly simplify setup. Considering everything here, I think we don't need the pull request. What do you think?

I personally think we should move install instructions to another file (as stated in my previous comment) but I think it should be merged as the install instructions should be current and working, not for the future or the past.

Again, apologies for the lengthly reply.

[ghost]

I personally think we should move install instructions to another file

Excellent suggestion! Let's replace the minimal instructions in the readme with a link to INSTALL.md. Are you willing to help write the instructions for Windows? I can provide feedback and testing.

[tomodachi94]

@blue-fish I would be pleased to help you with this.

I have access to both Windows and Ubuntu (via WSL), however testing on multiple environments will prevent error, so testing would be helpful.

TLDR: Yes, I am willing to help write instructions for Windows and could help with Ubuntu instructions if needed.

Thank you for taking the time to respond!

[tomodachi94]

Whoops, meant to commit "Remove Installation Instructions from README.md" not "Remove insta".

[ghost]

Awesome, thanks for helping write the install guide! This code gets downloaded a lot (over 1000 times/week) so any improvement to the install process will have a big impact.

If it would make the guide easier to write, I have the power to do things that simplify the install process. For example: we can publish a "release" zip file that bundles the code along with the model checkpoints and a standalone ffmpeg.exe. That eliminates the need to "install ffmpeg" or "download pretrained models". Let me know if interested.

[tomodachi94]

@blue-fish most certainly publish "releases" in GitHub for every stable release.

Not sure about the legality of distributing the executable file though.

And don't worry about the install instructions too much, I'll get it mostly taken care of, I'll let you know if I need your assistance.

[tomodachi94]

Can someone contribute some Mac OSX instructions?

[ghost]

Can someone contribute some MacOS X instructions?

The basic outline is:

1. Install Python 3.7 from https://www.python.org/downloads/mac-osx/
2. Install homebrew
3. brew install ffmpeg
4. Everything else is almost identical to Linux after that

[ghost]

Let's write the install guides for the repo in its current state. Releases will come later.

[tomodachi94]

Completed, @blue-fish.

[tomodachi94]

I'll work on improving the Windows install instructions.

[likith1337]

Please Mention it as Python 3.7 and below
As tensorflow=1.15 is not supported in 3.8 and higher

[tomodachi94]

Please Mention it as Python 3.7 and below
As tensorflow=1.15 is not supported in 3.8 and higher

@likith1337 done. Anything else?

[ghost]

Windows setup instructions are now maintained here: #647 (comment)

[ghost]

@apv96 The webrtcvad message is a warning, not an error. The toolbox is able to work without it. Installing webrtcvad on Windows can be difficult so we make it optional.

If a toolbox window is not appearing, then that's caused by something else.

[Daikath]

@apv96 The webrtcvad message is a warning, not an error. The toolbox is able to work without it. Installing webrtcvad on Windows can be difficult so we make it optional.

If a toolbox window is not appearing, then that's caused by something else.

Why do programmers keep smoking despite all the health warnings on the packaging??

They are warnings. Not errors.

[apv96]

@apv96 The webrtcvad message is a warning, not an error. The toolbox is able to work without it. Installing webrtcvad on Windows can be difficult so we make it optional.

If a toolbox window is not appearing, then that's caused by something else.

Thanks a lot, I thought the toolbox wasnt appearing cause of that warning. It must be something else wrong but I don't get any error message. Sorry for asking something that was already explained and thanks again

[Daikath]

@apv96 A problem I had. Was that it opened the toolbox. But that windows didnt select it so I didn't see it.

After clicking on it on the taskbar I got to work with it.

It may be a very simple thing. But if I missed it. Maybe it could be it.

[apv96]

@Daikath thanks for help, i found the python task suspended in the task manager but i'm not sure how to change its state. Luckily i did the setup on my secondary laptop and it works perfectly. I will try to fix the task problem to execute it on my main pc.

[pacifist-dev]

i also have the same problem apv96 is having. no errors are logged other than the webrtcvad one but the process doesnt start either, making it hard to troubleshoot

[tomodachi94]

Hey @pacifist-dev @blue-fish @apv96 ,
Sorry for my extended absence.

Perhaps the error is created by a try/except block with pass?

[apv96]

i also have the same problem apv96 is having. no errors are logged other than the webrtcvad one but the process doesnt start either, making it hard to troubleshoot

I think the problem is caused by the task appearing as suspended in the the taskbar, i don't know how to solve it so i can't help more.

[pacifist-dev]

i saw a python task suspended once when troubleshooting, but was not able to reproduce it. however, every time i run the process, the windows problem reporting task ramps up in cpu and power usage in task manager

[qoevak]

Can someone explain step 2 (Pretrained files) in excruciating detail?

[ghost]

Can someone explain step 2 (Pretrained files) in excruciating detail?

@qoevak

Detailed instructions for step 12 (pretrained files)

1. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the downloaded pretrained.zip file.
2. Double-click to look inside the zip file.
3. You will see 3 folders, named encoder, synthesizer and vocoder.
   • This mirrors the directory structure of the repo.
4. Go inside the encoder folder. You will see a folder named saved_models.
5. Open a second Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Real-Time-Voice-Cloning-master\encoder
6. Drag and drop the saved_models folder into C:\Real-Time-Voice-Cloning-master\encoder.
7. Repeat 4-6 for "synthesizer" and "vocoder":
   • Drag and drop the saved_models folder from the zip file's synthesizer folder into C:\Real-Time-Voice-Cloning-master\synthesizer.
   • Drag and drop the saved_models folder from the zip file's vocoder folder into C:\Real-Time-Voice-Cloning-master\vocoder.

Notes

• All of the pretrained model files in the zip file are named pretrained.pt, which can be super confusing.
  • The one inside "encoder" can only be used with the encoder.
  • The one inside "synthesizer" can only be used with the synthesizer.
  • The one inside "vocoder" can only be used with the vocoder.
• You can use the filesizes to tell them apart.
  • The encoder pretrained.pt is 17 MB.
  • The synthesizer pretrained.pt is 370 MB.
  • The vocoder pretrained.pt is 53 MB.