Speak and Key Speak by Max for Cats

video upload by max forcats

Speak
Speak is a polyphonic Max for Live instrument that turns typed words into speech in the style of a 1980s Speak & Spell. It encodes each word into coarse chip-style LPC frames and decodes them live in eight voices. MIDI notes set the pitch, so any word can be played as a melody or a chord. It speaks six languages (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Japanese), and it can freeze a vowel, stutter at any point in a word and apply a 10-point modulation curve. Vibrato has several shapes and a fade-in, and there are controls for tract size, tilt and intonation.

SpeakKeys
SpeakKeys uses the same voice engine, but each of 48 MIDI keys has its own word and its own pitch instead of speaking one word chromatically. You type a word and a semitone pitch for each key, and a note shows the note that plays it and the note that sounds, so you can program little songs and play them from a keyboard or a clip. The keys are laid out in four banks of 12 and are saved with presets. A pair of mappable Select Key and Select Pitch controls lets you edit all 48 pitches from a few Push encoders. It shares the language, vibrato, global pitch and tone controls with Speak. Max for Cats crafts Software Instruments, Effects, MIDI devices, Sound Design and Samples for Ableton Live.

https://maxforcats.gumroad.com/l/zjvtye

Olydian VC-01 Vocal Synthesizer - Brooklyn SPEXPO 26

video upload by sonicstate

"Kyle from Olydian Music gave us a look at VC-01 Voicecrafter - a hardware vocal synthesizer with 380 selectable syllables. A touchpad selects syllables, and the keyboard plays them, with MIDI functionality also included. The instrument has two engines: a sample engine based on recordings of sung syllables, and a synthesis engine that uses wavetables and filters to imitate the human voice. The engines can be blended, with reverb and delay available.

The mixer section controls synth/sample balance, consonant/vowel mix, and consonant length. ADSR controls apply to either engine, and glide handles portamento. The sequencer allows entry of notes, live syllable editing, octave and tempo changes, loop point adjustment, and rests.

Engine-specific effects include sample chop, filter, and an autotune crossfade between processed and unprocessed sample versions. Pre-orders are planned soon, with availability next year and pricing expected around $2,000–$2,500.

More Info:
https://www.olydianmusic.com/"

Kraftor Performer: custom MIDI control with SpeakJet

video upload by Polaxis

"A custom MIDI controller driving Kraftor with a SpeakJet voice board.

This is one example of the Kraftor Performer approach: complete instruments and custom controllers designed together around your way of playing. Controls can be integrated into the instrument or housed separately and connected through 3.5 mm TRS MIDI Type B.

Custom builds:
https://www.polaxis.be/product/krafto...

Kraftor:
https://www.polaxis.be/product/kraftor/

SpeakJet firmware and information:
https://www.polaxis.be/kraftor-speakj...

#SpeakJet #Kraftor #Polaxis"

"Kraftor Performer is a family of custom speech instruments and MIDI controllers developed with each customer for performance, installations and experimental sound. The voice engine, controls, display, connections and enclosure are chosen for your project.

Choose an integrated instrument or a separate controller connected to Kraftor through 3.5 mm TRS MIDI Type B. The photographs show example builds; your instrument can take a different form.

Built to order. Price on request.
Pricing and lead time are agreed once the design and scope are defined."

Additional designed pictured below.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Roboto Singing Synthesizer Demo (Japanese)

video upload by discoDSP

"Rotobo is a singing voice synthesizer. Write a melody in the piano roll, type a word on each note, and Roboto sings it. The voice is synthesized with no samples, from a glottal pulse source, five formant resonators and shaped noise for consonants. Roboto is free and runs as a plugin or standalone on macOS, Windows, Linux, iPhone and iPad."

https://www.discodsp.com/roboto/

FEATURES

SONG EDITOR

Piano roll where every note carries a word. A note named + sings the next syllable of the previous word.

Text tab that holds the whole song as text (word:note:beats), so songs can be typed or pasted.

Automation curves along the song for volume, pitch bend, vibrato depth, breath, formant shift and chorus.

Built-in songs in every language to try.

Import MIDI, karaoke MIDI (.kar), UltraStar, LRC lyrics, SRT subtitles and song text, from the menu or by dropping the file on the window. MIDI notes without lyrics are sung on "ah".

Musicalize button: plain lyric lines get a pentatonic melody, one note per syllable.

VOICE

Synthesized voice with no samples: a glottal pulse source, five formant resonators and shaped noise for consonants.

Sings in English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Finnish and Swedish, with spelling rules for each language. Japanese kanji are read on macOS and iOS.

CLICK FOR MORE »

COMPUTALKER SPEECH SYNTHESIZER

You can find a demo of COMPUTALKER in this previous post from back in 2008.

Here are some pics and additional info on the COMPUTALKER via this reddit thread where you'll find a dropbox link to additional docs including some source code. Note the poster on reddit is looking for help on gettig it going. If you can help, reach out there.

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me who also found some addtional info here.

From the reddit thread:

"The Computalker CT-1 was one of the earliest commercially available speech synthesizers for personal computers. Introduced in late 1976 and shipped beginning in 1977, it was developed by D. Lloyd Rice and Jim Cooper in Santa Monica, California through their company, Computalker Consultants.

Unlike simpler speech devices that played back recorded sounds, the CT-1 was a 9-parameter formant speech synthesizer. A host computer generated control data describing pitch, formant frequencies, fricatives, aspiration, and other speech characteristics, while the CT-1 generated the actual voice waveform in hardware."

"My goal, (which I do think may end up being completely impossible) is to get this up and running and hear it speak. Among the photos, there are some shots of the inside. I understand that this was originally designed for the S-100 bus going as far back as the Altair 8800. Serial number inside and out is 7001 and I can see that a previous owner likely replaced the older capacitors already.

This variant however, In all my searching I cannot seem to find a single reference to anywhere. My best guess with the information I have is that this could be a prototype version that was meant for later computers and perhaps it's missing some type of interface card for maybe an Apple II or TRS-80?

Here is a dropbox link to all of the information I have collected so far. I have found the manual, the software manual (With source code?!) and all sorts of little information. Also there's a lot more photos....

https://www.dropbox.com...

Maybe someone out there has seen this before? I am super excited to keep collecting information on this! Thank you for checking this out!"

Some pics of the inside below.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Circuit Bent -Coleco Talking Teacher

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this Reverb listing

Additional NOISEBUG Listings

Modified talking teacher. Item is circuit bent to produce strange broken tones. Runs on Batteries, Batteries not included"

You can find a demo of one previously posted here.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Kraftor hosting Nexus

video upload by Polaxis

"Sentence prepared with https://www.polaxis.be/nexus-serial-m...
and triggered via MIDI using a custom MIDI keyboard designed by https://learn.adafruit.com/usb-keyset"

Info on the USB Chorded Keyset #3dprinting #circuitpython
video upload by Adafruit Industries

"Build a 3D printed USB chorded keyset inspired by the original Doug Engelbert "Mother of all Demos" keyset from the 1960's. This 5-finger keyset lets you type without moving your hand, entering full words and phrases by pressing multiple keys simultaneously as a chord."

FOC Fibonacci Modulo N Arpeggiator script for Logic Pro

video upload by Ross Totino and Fans of Collision

"The FOC Fibonacci Modulo N Arpeggiator script for Logic Pro creates unique arpeggiation patterns based on the Fibonacci sequence. It maps the sequence onto held notes using a modulo operation, producing mathematically inspired, evolving patterns that are always synced to the host tempo. With customizable settings for step rate, note length, velocity, octave range, and pattern length, this arpeggiator can generate anything from simple, repetitive cycles to complex, layered textures. Designed for both creative exploration and performance, the script is ideal for adding intricate, unpredictable rhythmic and melodic elements to compositions.

Available here: https://rtotino.gumroad.com/"

Bastl Softpop SP2 Jam 29 (with PO-35 speak)

video upload by alloutofsync

"Softpop sings!

0:40 Patch note

Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Thanks."

Adventures in Audio - Talking Typewriter

video upload by Manitou Productions

"Today we look at the Talking Typewriter by Petite, circa 1981. What does it do? How does it sound? And what's rattling around inside...? Let's find out!

Chapters:
0:00 What's rattling?
0:12 Titles
0:20 Leaking batteries
1:01 Cleaning the battery terminals
3:52 New batteries
4:55 Power on!
6:00 It speaks the letters
7:42 I try to spell some words
12:52 It speaks the numbers
14:19 Some revelations
15:33 I attempt to open it up
17:13 It keeps its secrets for today
18:29 Outro
18:52 Ivy's Corner"

GND-1T Speech chip synthesizer Tutorials 4 Keyboard patches & basic editing and expression mapping

video upload by GND-1

"Available directly from https://richardvanhoesel.com/gnd1t

In this installation of my GND-1T tutorials I illustrate how the usual loop based mechanism in this synth can also be used to create patches intended for more conventional melodic expression, such as with a musical keyboard, simply by setting the loop length very short. It also serves as an introduction into parameter editing and expression mapping.

For owners of the 1T, a new bank of factory sounds is available for download on the website. It focuses specifically on 'keyboard patches', in contrast to the more loop & drum factory sounds that the 1T ships with.

As always, everything you hear in these demos is a direct stereo stream recorded from the GND-1T, without any additional processing or effects."

See the GND-1 label below for more.

HAL9000 on an emulated IMSAI8080 "War Games" computer, with 80s speech synth

video upload by df9999999999

"I connected a serial port on my IMSAI8080 replica (the computer from the movie "War Games") and wrote a simple BASIC program in XYBASIC to read a text file from disc and output it a character at a time to the SIO Z80 port connected to the physical serial port. The speech synth then speaks the conversation HAL has with Dave Bowman while playing chess, just before he goes off the rails, from the film '2001: A Space Odyssey'.

After each character, I check for an 'XOFF' character, indicating the speech synth's buffer is full and to hold off sending more data. This accounts for the breaks in the text flow on the screen. The synth sends an "XON" character when it is ready to process more text. The program loops waiting for an XON after receiving the XOFF.

To add some visual bling, I also write each character to the Z80 port 0xFF, which is connected to the 8 'Programmed Output' LEDs on the front panel. The LEDs flash with the complement of the ASCII character code when data is sent to the synth."

30 July 2024

video upload by Cray

"mutable instruments patch"

GND-1T Speech Chip Synthesizer Tutorials 3. Speech Sounds and Circuit Bending Basics

video upload by GND-1

GND-1T instructional demos | All GND-1T posts

"This is #3 in my series of short instructional demos of the GND-1T speech chip synthesizer. This installment provides an introduction to creating speech sounds and applying classic (and new) circuit bends to them. There's a huge number of additional parameters that can be applied to modify the words / loops, including e.g. stereo circuit bends that essentially run twin circuit bending engines. But I wanted to start off more simply.

As always, everything you hear is taken directly from the GND-1T stereo output, without any additional processing or effects. For more information (and to download the user manual), see https://richardvanhoesel.com/gnd1t"

Let's Make 80s Computers Talk | 1980s Commodore Speech Synthesizer

video upload by Kari

"Today, I take a non-technical look at a couple of speech synthesisers from my collection on my C64 from the 80s. Specifically, the Commodore Magic Voice and Currah Speech 64."

You can find additional posts featuring the Currah speech synthesis here.

Dalek Voice Tutorial

video upload by Alex Ball

"How to do the Dalek voice with a ring modulator."

With an ARP 2600 & KORG MS50.

Sampling the Intellivoice Voice Synthesis Module (Intellivision Chiptune) | Simon Hutchinson

video upload by Simon Hutchinson

"By request, I’m posting a free sample pack of recordings from the Intellivoice Voice Synthesis Module, including a simple Kontakt instrument that plays back these files.

Years ago, I made a synth using an arduino and a chip from an Intellivoice. Recently, I went into the closet and dug it out, and, following a couple repairs, recorded some samples for folks that are interested.

Get the sample pack: https://simonhutchinson.com/2023/12/1...

The original Intellivoice Synth Video:"

Mattel Intellivoice Synth | Simon Hutchinson
video upload by Simon Hutchinson

"Demonstrating a synthesizer built from a chip from an old Intellivoice module (and played back inside the original case), MIDI-controlled through a keyboard or DAW.

Why? Games and gaming hardware are mass-produced devices with planned obsolescence and few serviceable parts. By "hacking" and customizing gaming hardware we regain personal ownership of these devices, and we can turn obsolete equipment into performable, expressive instruments."

1980s Echo text-to-speech synthesizer on the IMSAI 8080

video upload by df9999999999

"I recently was given a 1980s-era Echo PC voice synthesizer box with serial port interface. You simply send text to the both over the serial port and it speaks it. It uses the same chip as the old 1970s Texas Instruments speak and spell.

I figured out how to access TTY2 on the back of my newly completed IMSAI 8080 kit. Using XYBASIC, I wrote a program to speak various well known phrases from misbehaving computers featured in several scifi movies, including War Games, of course.

Accessing the TTY2 serial port on the back of the replica must be done by outputting a byte at a time to port 34. The default TTY2 baud rate was already 9600, matching that of the Echo PC. There is no handshaking. All must be coded manually. The Echo box has a very small character buffer and sends an XOFF command when the buffer fills and a XON when it clears. I check for those conditions in the BASIC program with some simple loops. Hardware handshaking on port 35 could be done, but the flag bit definitions are not well documented.

I set the cadence, pitch and inflection lower than default with a flat inflection that enhances understandability.

I also read the front panel switches to trigger the various phrases."

"Do you want to play a game?"

via Wikipedia
"The IMSAI 8080 was an early microcomputer released in late 1975, based on the Intel 8080 and later 8085 and S-100 bus.[1] It was a clone of its main competitor, the earlier MITS Altair 8800. The IMSAI is largely regarded as the first 'clone' microcomputer. The IMSAI machine ran a highly modified version of the CP/M operating system called IMDOS. It was developed, manufactured and sold by IMS Associates, Inc. (later renamed IMSAI Manufacturing Corp). In total, between 17,000 and 20,000 units were produced from 1975 to 1978."

Midi Narrator: A DIY midi controller Speech Synthesizer

video upload by Dbug's stuff

"I actually did film the construction of the device, but there were problems with the camera and the editing, so I decided to not publish the footage.

Here you can see the result of using the device 'stand alone', I did not manage to get it working reliably using the midi port, but I may have fudge a couple solders, I'll have to revisit that later.

The device was bought from https://rarewaves.net/products/midi-n..."

Casio CT S1000V Vocalist Demo

video upload by MusicPlayer Network

"You can type lyrics into the Casio CT-S1000V keyboard, and have one of 23 different, onboard core Vocalists robo-sing those lyrics. This video demos only the stock sounds. You can alter the age, change gender, and also add user Vocalists."