diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..63623b99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+[submodule "tools/speech_tools"]
+	path = tools/speech_tools
+	url = https://github.com/festvox/speech_tools.git
+[submodule "tools/festival"]
+	path = tools/festival
+	url = https://github.com/festvox/festival.git
+[submodule "tools/festvox"]
+	path = tools/festvox
+	url = https://github.com/festvox/festvox.git
diff --git a/tools/compile_other_speech_tools.sh b/tools/compile_other_speech_tools.sh
index 1dc32724..99ee2495 100755
--- a/tools/compile_other_speech_tools.sh
+++ b/tools/compile_other_speech_tools.sh
@@ -9,23 +9,13 @@ current_working_dir=$(pwd)
 tools_dir=${current_working_dir}/$(dirname $0)
 cd $tools_dir
 
-install_speech_tools=true
-install_festival=true
+FESTIVAL_BASELINE_URL=http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/downloads/festival/2.4
+install_speech_tools=false
+install_festival=false
 install_festvox=true
 
 # 1. Get and compile speech tools
 if [ "$install_speech_tools" = true ]; then
-    echo "downloading speech tools..."
-    speech_tools_url=http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/downloads/festival/2.4/speech_tools-2.4-release.tar.gz
-    if hash curl 2>/dev/null; then
-        curl -L -O $speech_tools_url
-    elif hash wget 2>/dev/null; then
-        wget $speech_tools_url
-    else
-        echo "please download speech tools from $speech_tools_url"
-        exit 1
-    fi
-    tar xzf speech_tools-2.4-release.tar.gz
 
     echo "compiling speech tools..."
     (
@@ -44,17 +34,6 @@ export PATH=$ESTDIR/bin:$PATH
 
 # 2. Get and compile festival, download dicts and some voices
 if [ "$install_festival" = true ]; then
-    echo "downloading festival..."
-    festival_url=http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/downloads/festival/2.4/festival-2.4-release.tar.gz
-    if hash curl 2>/dev/null; then
-        curl -L -O $festival_url
-    elif hash wget 2>/dev/null; then
-        wget $festival_url
-    else
-        echo "please download Festival from $festival_url"
-        exit 1
-    fi
-    tar xzf festival-2.4-release.tar.gz
 
     echo "compiling festival..."
     (
@@ -65,9 +44,9 @@ if [ "$install_festival" = true ]; then
     )
 
     echo "downloading some useful lexicons..."
-    dict1_url=http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/downloads/festival/2.4/festlex_CMU.tar.gz
-    dict2_url=http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/downloads/festival/2.4/festlex_OALD.tar.gz
-    dict3_url=http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/downloads/festival/2.4/festlex_POSLEX.tar.gz
+    dict1_url=$FESTIVAL_BASELINE_URL/festlex_CMU.tar.gz
+    dict2_url=$FESTIVAL_BASELINE_URL/festlex_OALD.tar.gz
+    dict3_url=$FESTIVAL_BASELINE_URL/festlex_POSLEX.tar.gz
     if hash curl 2>/dev/null; then
         curl -L -O $dict1_url
         curl -L -O $dict2_url
@@ -77,7 +56,7 @@ if [ "$install_festival" = true ]; then
         wget $dict2_url
         wget $dict3_url
     else
-        echo "please download dictionaries from $festival_url"
+        echo "please download dictionaries from $FESTIVAL_BASELINE_URL"
         exit 1
     fi
     tar xzf festlex_CMU.tar.gz
@@ -86,9 +65,9 @@ if [ "$install_festival" = true ]; then
 
     echo "downloading some voices for English..."
     festival_voice_url=http://festvox.org/packed/festival/2.4/voices
-    voice1_url=http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/downloads/festival/2.4/voices/festvox_kallpc16k.tar.gz
-    voice2_url=http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/downloads/festival/2.4/voices/festvox_rablpc16k.tar.gz
-    voice3_url=http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/downloads/festival/2.4/voices/festvox_cmu_us_slt_cg.tar.gz
+    voice1_url=$FESTIVAL_BASELINE_URL/voices/festvox_kallpc16k.tar.gz
+    voice2_url=$FESTIVAL_BASELINE_URL/voices/festvox_rablpc16k.tar.gz
+    voice3_url=$FESTIVAL_BASELINE_URL/voices/festvox_cmu_us_slt_cg.tar.gz
     if hash curl 2>/dev/null; then
         curl -L -O $voice1_url
         curl -L -O $voice2_url
@@ -113,18 +92,6 @@ export PATH=$FESTDIR/bin:$PATH
 
 # 3. Get and compile festvox
 if [ "$install_festvox" = true ]; then
-    echo "downloading festvox..."
-    festvox_url=http://festvox.org/festvox-2.7/festvox-2.7.0-release.tar.gz
-    if hash curl 2>/dev/null; then
-        curl -L -O $festvox_url
-    elif hash wget 2>/dev/null; then
-        wget $festvox_url
-    else
-        echo "please download festvox from $festvox_url"
-        exit 1
-    fi
-    tar xzf festvox-2.7.0-release.tar.gz
-
     echo "compiling festvox..."
     (
         cd festvox;
@@ -152,4 +119,3 @@ elif [[ ! -f ${FESTVOXDIR}/src/vc/build_transform ]]; then
 else
     echo "All tools successfully compiled!!"
 fi
-
diff --git a/tools/festival b/tools/festival
new file mode 160000
index 00000000..c8e97918
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/festival
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit c8e97918ef9809dc3108c561d866fe32fa66bf61
diff --git a/tools/festvox b/tools/festvox
new file mode 160000
index 00000000..ec3e8b4e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/festvox
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit ec3e8b4ee739447b7c2a062506759049d4ab1b5a
diff --git a/tools/speech_tools b/tools/speech_tools
new file mode 160000
index 00000000..b8b5568e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/speech_tools
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit b8b5568e036c18af4687ccf377821352d4ea2eb9