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| 256 | CTS256A-AL2 | text to speech controller $5 (GI) |
| 256 | SPO256-AL2 | voice synthesizer (GI) |
Date: 19960724 From: Neil Robertson Organization: MSE Ltd Newsgroups: comp.arch.embedded,alt.comp.hardware.homedesigned,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt Subject: Re: A request for help (and don't laugh!)We make a range of boards which replay EPROM* stored speech messages which get used for lift announcements, amusement machines and museum exhibits and amongst many other things.
Neil Robertson <neil.robertson@munrocom.demon.co.uk>
Development Engineer
Morgan-Smith Electronics Ltd
Hatfield
Herts.
UK
tel: +44-1707-264583
fax: +44-1707-265898
From: Jaap van Ganswijk To: stock@wavenet.com Subject: Re: Voice ChipHi Barry,
I am looking for a voice chip that can reproduce with good fidelity a celebrity voice in a 10-60 second prerecorded message. The chip would be inserted in a promotional publication. Perhaps you know of companies that specialize in this type of chip?Perhaps the next fragment can help you:
ISD makes a chip that allows voice, music, or other sounds to be recorded into a greeting card or other small product. We make chips with record/playback times of from 10 seconds to 2 minutes currently and will introduce a device that records as long as 4 minutes late this year.You can also look in the Chipdir on the functional page under: Audio, sound, speech, voice.
For instant information, you can look at our WWW page at www.isd.com
This web page includes all our data sheets and applications material in PDF format. Additionally there is an on-line product guide that is a quick reference to all our current products.
Date: 19960913 From: Bob Langlois Organization: Hitachi Data Systems Newsgroups: comp.robotics.misc Subject: Re: Digitalker Chip Set?Bryan Rittmeyer wrote:
I saw a chip set called the "Digitalker" in the latest Jameco Catalog.If this Digitalker is the same as the one I know of then its a National Semi chipset from the mid 70's. Its basically a set of roms with digitised voice which feeds the decoder and amplifier chip. It has some small sentances but mostly Phonems (i think thats how its spelt.) I used to have one wired up to a trash 80 thats how old it is.
Date: 19991009 From: Randy Carlstrom Organization: RC Systems, Inc. To: ganswijk@xs4all.nl Subject: Another voice chipIn case you'd like to update your database of voice chips, we recently introduced a chip set. If you're interested, you can see the chips at
Date: 19961208 From: Dale Wellborn To: PIC Mailing List Subject: [PICS] Voice Synthesis
Do any amongst you have experiences (good and bad) about integrating a
speech synthesizer (with a custom vocabulary) into a project/product?
I'm contemplating such an endeavor, but have many questions. 8-}
My expected volume is quite low (<10000), and am unaware of what's available
(in terms of development tools, etc) for small users like myself.
TI has a new family of devices denoted: MSP50P3X which look interesting.
And I'm unaware who else makes such beasties.
Any and all comments are appreciated.
At the moment I'm somewhat "net-challenged" 8-} ; are you aware of a more
appropriate "voice-synthesis" mailing-list/news-group?
Date: 19961208 From: Greg Keeney Organization: Altair IV Productions To: PIC Mailing List Subject: Re: [PICS] Voice Synthesis
A cheap way of doing it would be to store your voice in a pulse width
form, and then play the sample back out through a smoothing capcitor,
which would integrate the pulses back into sinusoidal(ish) patterns.
This is a old game programmers hack from back in the C-64 days!
Date: 19961208 From: John E. Nelson To: PIC Mailing List Subject: Re: [PICS] Voice Synthesis
Try the newsgroup comp.speech They have postings on speech generation
(hardware and software) as well as voice recognition.
Date: 19961209 From: Dave Cox To: PIC Mailing List Subject: RE: [PICS] Voice Synthesis
I used a chip years ago by Votrax, called the SC-01A which is a phonetic
voice synthesizer. I think that these are the same chips that were used
in the speak-n-spell. There are basically 64 phonemes (speech
primitives) and 16 tones which you can construct any English word from.
Not the easiest thing to use, but it does the job.
Date: 19961209 From: Mark R. Dzmura Organization: Phalanx Micro* Technology To: PIC Mailing List Subject: Re: [PICS] Voice Synthesis
Dave Cox wrote:
I used a chip years ago by Votrax, called the SC-01A which is a phonetic voice synthesizer. I think that these are the same chips that were used in the speak-n-spell.
Not so. Texas instruments used its own home-grown technology for the
Speak-and-Spell and other similar talking toys. The technology
was based on a mathematical technique known as linear predictive
coding, or LPC, wherein a time-varying set of coefficients are used
to parameterize a simple model of the human vocal tract. This
technology is one of the precursors of low-bit-rate vocoding techniques
in vogue (voc?) today.
The VOTRAX technology is a different beast. It was originally
designed by the Votrax division of Federal Screw Works (believe it
or not!), which had military applications of the technology in mind.
Regarding techniques for getting sound out of a PIC: the big problem
is the tradeoff between quality, horsepower and bit rate. The more
horsepower you have, the higher the quality audio you can record
and/or playback at a given bit rate (due to the more sophisticated
compression algorithms you can use).
As fast as it is, the PIC just bogs down at multiplication
and division of multiple-precision numbers.
If you have the EPROM* space, you can run straight PCM* out a DAC
at the bit rate of your choice; I have done this with 5x-series
parts and external PAL*'s to drive the address lines of the EPROM*'s.
(This points out another problem with the PIC - address space!
Not to denigrate the PIC, though; as we all know, it is perfect for
so MANY applications!)
Another possibility is some of the interesting chips available
from OKI semiconductor and Yamaha. Both companies have big
product lines featuring audio A/D and D/A technology. In particular,
OKI's voiceband-quality chips using ADPCM* (adaptive differential
pulse code modulation) offer central-office grade telephone quality
at 4 k bytes per second. (This from 12-bit linear samples taken at
a base sample rate of 8 KHz.)
A few of OKI's chips are perfect for PIC applications: they include
a simple state machine, address generator, and address lines for
static or dynamic RAM or EPROM*. The controlling processor need only
twiddle a few lines on the chip to record/playback. With an 8-bit
data port you can even force-feed the part for tone generation and such.
(I think that part is the MSM5832; all of these are in the MSM-family.
Ask your OKI rep for a copy of the OKI Voice Synthesis Data Book).
Of course, if you have the horsepower, more efficient compression
schemes are yours for the asking: The European GSM standard, used
for digital voice in just about everybody's digital cell phones
except ours (US), offers near-telco quality at 1.65 k bytes per second.
This is about 100 k bytes per minute, very reasonable considering the
alternatives we've come to expect!
Plan to have a 386 or 68k around to do the crunching, though...
The problem is that algorithms like GSM are fairly computationally
intensive and require 24-bit or greater precision in the math.
My hat is off to the implementor of GSM for the PIC16xx.
Many companies needing high-quality text-to-speech are using a
software-based technology such as SmoothTalker from First Byte
corporation. (I first used this technology a decade ago, so it's been
around for a long time.)
Also available at the high end of speech synthesis are such
hardware/DSP-based solutions as DecTalk (originally from Digital
Equipment Corporation), and the Prose products from SpeechPlus
(formerly Telesensory Systems); though these are fairly pricey
solutions.
Finally, if you're talking about high-end audio, such as CD/DAT-quality
stereo, plan on using a DSP* (Motorola 56K, Analog Devices, TI, etc.)
and A/D - D/A's from such high-end suppliers as Burr-Brown, Analog
Devices, and Crystal Semiconductor. Their Delta-Sigma conversion
technology is fairly easy to work with and can offer studio quality.
And to think I've totally ignored speech recognition...
Date: 19970628 From: Jan Zumwalt To: Multiple recipients of list CHIPDIR-L Subject: SP0256
I am looking for source of the ASP256 voice chip or a close replacement.
Any ideas?
Date: 19970629 From: Michael A. Tyborski To: Multiple recipients of list CHIPDIR-L Subject: Re: SP0256
Many of us moved from the SP0256 to the RC Systems V8600 speech modules.
This system sounds better, has power management, and built-in
text-to-speech. If you don't mind spending $150 (qty 1), I know you'll
love the product.
home.sprynet.com/sprynet/rcsys/
Date: 19970630 From: Robert L. Smith To: Multiple recipients of list CHIPDIR-L Subject: RE: SPO256 On 19970629 Bas van Rossem wrote:
Do you mean the SPO 256 from General Instruments?
It has become obsolete many years ago.
Do you happen to know of a replacement? Any allophone talking device.
Check out the Voice Recording and Playback ICs, by ISD.
They employ analog mode EEPROMs and can store an amazing amount of
voice in an single IC*. These are true "systems on a chip" and
feature up to 4 minutes of duration.
ISD
2045 Hamilton Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125
www.isd.com/
Date: 19970727 From: Luis Miguel Brugarolas To: Multiple recipients of list CHIPDIR-L Subject: RE: SPO256
I am looking for alternatives to the SPO256-AL2 speech chip. Is this a "sound" chip or a "speech" chip?
This chip synthesizes 'alophones' somethink like 'speech primitives'. I
used it ten years ago, and you can obtain with simple text to alophones
conversion programs (I did an easy one for spanish), something you can
understand when heared many times. It helps to know previously what the
chip says :-).
I think this may be completelly obsolete now!
Date: 19971229 From: Sam Haile To: Multiple recipients of list CHIPDIR-L Subject: speech IC*
I am interested to build a Talking clock (part of my project at college).
I know how to build the basic digital clock but not sure about the
talking part of the clock.
Can any one help? Please recomand any IC* you may be aware of.
Date: 19971230 From: Jeremy N.E. Proffitt To: Multiple recipients of list CHIPDIR-L Subject: Re: speech IC*
Try using a DAC/ADC pair. Record your voice in one, and play back with the
other. Use a computer to capture and burn EPROM* or FLASH and add, well heck:
Input lines to select
the number to say.
----------| |
----------| memory |
----------| |
| | Outputs to DAC
|------| | | 8 bit is all you need
| |-----| |
| |-----| |
|------| |-------------|
Counter
Get my drift???
Anyways - bg micro* use to have a serial port text to speach card resonably
cheap. Check them out. I have this card and it's a good one.
BG Micro also has a cool set of sound chipset chips. Check them out.
Only $10 for their sound chip set.
www.bgmicro.com/
I have used the parallel port for data capture in the
past, so if you need any help just hollar. All of my code though is in
assembly for a pc. Can help you with any other language, but my best field
is assembly.
Date: 19971230 From: Ivan Zilic To: Multiple recipients of list CHIPDIR-L Subject: Re: speech IC*
Take a look at www.isd.com/.
They produce interesting ICs (ISD1420, 2500, ...) which could be used in
your project.
Date: 19971230 From: Bhamidipati To: Multiple recipients of list CHIPDIR-L Subject: Re. speech IC*
In fact you can use low-cost speech synthesizers from OKI semiconductors.
They have a flexible range of these IC*'s or you can use very simple to use
chips from ISD.
Date: 19971230 From: António José Gomes To: Multiple recipients of list CHIPDIR-L Subject: Re: speech IC*
One idea that comes to my mind is to use a microprocessor (I think that
with carefull programming a simple microcontroller will do) and digital
samples of the numbers and necessary words.
Although I've never tryied that my self, I think that with proper care
the comutation from one sample to another would not introduce a
transient sound capable of distorting the final sound and with this
approach you can use the voice you like, even yours!
I believe that to this kind of task you can use 8-10 bits to encode the
sample (256 to 1024 levels) and a sample would be about a few K long
(it's an estimated guess, considering a sample ferquency of about 8
KHz).
If you would like to discuss this idea a little further, feel free to
email me any time!
Date: 19971231 From: Bhamidipati To: Multiple recipients of list CHIPDIR-L Subject: RE: Re. speech IC*Sam wrote:
Thanks for the reply and also the information you send me. Are you aware of OKI or ISD does accept external clock signal?
I presume that by external clock signal you mean to say sampling clock.
Yes with Oki it is possible & well with ISD chips I have to recheck. I have
recently come accross a project titled "talking doorbell" in elektor
electronics which uses Eletech VP2500 recorder/playback chip. If you are not
able to locate this article I can mail you.
I hope you have access to web and in that case you can get connected to
the Chipdir or Oki site and can have access to data sheets as well as
application examples. But even the design using ISD chips and ofcourse using
VP2500 is very small and its matter of time you can really come out with a
good design.
Date: 19971231 From: Someone from Xtremetech in Australia To: Multiple recipients of list CHIPDIR-L Subject: Re: speech IC*Try the SP0256A-AL2 made be GI should be perfect for what you want.
Date: 19981228 From: Chris Hostetler (Volt Computer) To: Jaap van Ganswijk Subject: looking for voice synthesizerOn the page: local
Date: 19981228 From: Jaap van Ganswijk To: Chris Hostetler (Volt Computer) Subject: Re: looking for voice synthesizer
I really don't know much about it, except that this chip seems to remain
very popular although it's from about 1980 (I think) and hardly seems to
be available anymore.
If I had a voice synthesis problem to solve, I'd probably ask my local
distributors of OKI, ISD and the DSP* makers (AD(?), Motorola and TI)
for more information. It's hard to believe that 1980's chip technology
still isn't surpassed...
But this issue is dear to my heart for some reason, so I'd really
welcome more information about it, to put on my site. Could you, for
example send me a sample of the output in WAV format? It would
need to be as small as possible but still show the quality of the
generator. It might also be interesting to have besides an english text
a non-english text like german or french spoken.
Date: 19990101 From: Chris (TheOne) Hostetler To: Jaap van Ganswijk Subject: Re: Looking for voice synthesizerJaap, Just an FYI*...
Date: 19990723 From: Hugh Watkins To: Jaap van Ganswijk Subject: Re: SPO256 for $5
I have done some further research on this and thought I would share what I have found.
Nobody that I can find has a supply of SPO256 chips. Everyone I have talked to said
that bgmicro at www.bgmicro.com was the last one to have a supply and they are
out. The CTS256 chip is still available from jdr microdevices at www.jdr.com/.
I guess moving forward there are several choices. The easiest is the V860X family from
RC Systems at www.rcsys.com/. Parallel or Serial in and voice synthesis out.
Doesn't get much easier than that. The downside on this solution is cost, between
150-190 dollars. I did see that they are going to sell the chip set directly, but there
is no indication of how much these will cost.
One of the most promising I've seen is the the MSM7630 from oki at
www.okisemi.com/. It looks like with this chip and a dictionary rom (OKI part
MR27V3202-17 for US english... did I mention it's multi lingual??) and some ram* work
area you are pretty much set. The Chip should be in the 10-20 dollar range and I'm not
sure how much the dictionary rom is. This was developed with a company named Elan at
www.elantts.com/. I am trying to get some chips now to play around with, but not
having much luck. It is a new product so supplies are scarce right now. If you know of
a good OKI distributor let me know.
There are some other solutions like the voice recorders from ISD, but these will only
have a limited vocabulary. There is also the Digitalker chip set available at Jameco
www.jameco.com, but again you have a limit vocabulary.
I really think that with PC's the need for dedicated chip sets has dried up. The good
thing is it seems like we've come full circle where it's cheap enough to put the code in
ROM and have a low cost processor do the work (i.e. the OKI chips).
| index.htm | Index page for sound chips |
| melody.htm | About melody generating chips |
| speechge.htm | About speech/voice generation/synthesis |
| speechrc.htm | About speech recording |
| voicegen.htm | About voice/speech generation/synthesis |
| voicercg.htm | About voice/speech recognition |
| ../../oth/voicerec.txt | FAQ about voice recognition processors |
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