How Speech Synthesizers Work
The 8-Bit Guy・15 minutes read
Computerized voices in movies and TV shows from the 1960s-80s were created by actors reading words in reverse and using effects, rather than true speech synthesizers. Various devices and cartridges were developed to incorporate speech into computers, with practical uses ranging from entertainment to significant applications like Stephen Hawking's voice.
Insights
- Computerized voices in movies and TV shows from the 1960s to the 80s were created by actors reading words in reverse, not actual computer voices, involving cutting, rearranging, and adjusting pitch to achieve the effect.
- While speech synthesizers existed during that time, they were not widely used in media production. Instead, early methods involved phonographs in talking dolls, digitized recordings in computer games, and pre-recorded words in devices like Speak and Spell, with true synthesizers like Currah Speech 64 using allophones for speech generation.
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Recent questions
How were computerized voices created in movies?
Computerized voices in movies and TV shows during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s were not actual computer voices but created by actors reading words in reverse. The process involved cutting individual words, rearranging them, adjusting pitch, and adding effects to create the artificial computerized voice effect. Speech synthesizers did exist during that time, but were not commonly used in media production.
What technology did early talking dolls use?
Talking dolls since Edison's first model in 1890 used miniature phonographs, similar to the popular See N Say by Mattel. See N Say had tracks wound together, with entry grooves for specific sounds, allowing users to select and play different sounds. Early computer games in the 1980s incorporated speech using digitized recordings, not true speech synthesizers.
How did the Speak and Spell device function?
The Speak and Spell device had pre-recorded words and required additional vocabulary cartridges for new words. The Speak and Math device could pronounce any number by recording all sounds that make up numbers. The Commodore Magic Voice speech cartridge for the C64 had 234 pre-recorded words and was not a true speech synthesizer.
What were the fundamental building blocks of speech synthesizers?
True speech synthesizers like the Currah Speech 64 cartridge for the Commodore 64 and the Speech Sound Program Pack for the Tandy Color Computer could create words from allophones, the fundamental building blocks of speech. Software-only speech program created for Commodore 64, Atari, and Apple 2 computers, with a specific disk for Commodore 64 allowing loading of speech part into RAM followed by a small interface program for use with other programs.
Why were speech synthesizer cartridges developed?
Speech synthesizer cartridges were developed due to software limitations causing screen blanking during speech production, while cartridges allowed the computer to continue functioning, with practical uses including entertainment for kids and prank telephone calls, alongside significant applications like Stephen Hawking's voice and automated telephone services. SAM, a true speech synthesizer, capable of saying anything with some limitations due to memory constraints, allowing for pronunciation tweaks by altering word spellings.
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Summary
00:00
Evolution of Artificial Computerized Voices in Media
- Computerized voices in movies and TV shows during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s were not actual computer voices but created by actors reading words in reverse.
- The process involved cutting individual words, rearranging them, adjusting pitch, and adding effects to create the artificial computerized voice effect.
- Speech synthesizers did exist during that time, but were not commonly used in media production.
- Talking dolls since Edison's first model in 1890 used miniature phonographs, similar to the popular See N Say by Mattel.
- See N Say had tracks wound together, with entry grooves for specific sounds, allowing users to select and play different sounds.
- Early computer games in the 1980s incorporated speech using digitized recordings, not true speech synthesizers.
- The Speak and Spell device had pre-recorded words and required additional vocabulary cartridges for new words.
- The Speak and Math device could pronounce any number by recording all sounds that make up numbers.
- The Commodore Magic Voice speech cartridge for the C64 had 234 pre-recorded words and was not a true speech synthesizer.
- True speech synthesizers like the Currah Speech 64 cartridge for the Commodore 64 and the Speech Sound Program Pack for the Tandy Color Computer could create words from allophones, the fundamental building blocks of speech.
13:33
"Speech Synthesizer Cartridges for Computer Advancements"
- Software-only speech program created for Commodore 64, Atari, and Apple 2 computers, with a specific disk for Commodore 64 allowing loading of speech part into RAM followed by a small interface program for use with other programs.
- SAM, a true speech synthesizer, capable of saying anything with some limitations due to memory constraints, allowing for pronunciation tweaks by altering word spellings.
- Speech synthesizer cartridges were developed due to software limitations causing screen blanking during speech production, while cartridges allowed the computer to continue functioning, with practical uses including entertainment for kids and prank telephone calls, alongside significant applications like Stephen Hawking's voice and automated telephone services.
