KVR Audio

wee_gerri · Post by **wee_gerri** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:28 pm

Firstly I'd like to apologise if this post is in the wrong topic.. I'd be happy to have it moved somewhere more appropriate.

I am looking for a text operated Speech Synthesizer VST, preferably free. Google brought up many forum topics with suggestions about non-VST software such and TalkAny and AnalogX's speech software or suggestions about Vocoders and the like but that's really not what I am looking for.

Think of the Currah μSpeech on the ZX Spectrum or the Votrax SC-01 (as used in the Gorf arcade game. They were made to speak on a text-to-speech basis where you had to type the words phonetically so the computer knew how to pronounce the words properly.) but a VST version. A vintage robotic voice sound but sync'able with the DAW's tempo. Maybe pitch controllable too but not necessarily.

I know of the Vocaloid software but, again, that's not quite it. They tend to be made to try and sound as human as possible where I am looking for something which sounds as primitive and deliberately robotic as possible.

If no such VST exists I'd love to create one myself but wouldn't know where to begin. I could design it and create a GUI for it and would be happy to collaborate with someone who knows how to get it all working..

I've been looking for such a VST for years now.

Any ideas?

Jbravo · Post by **Jbravo** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:35 pm

FLstudio comes with an integral speech synthesizer, though may not sound lo-fi enough for what you're looking for

tehlord · Post by **tehlord** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:41 pm

Not quite what you're asking for, but maybe better

http://soniccharge.com/bitspeek

xoxos · Post by **xoxos** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:43 pm

i have a fre one but phonemes are sequenced on ch. 2 instead of feeding it text. it's also not the sample-based form that predominated.

probably your best bet is analogx (i forget the name of the app.. it's free) you'll probably want to bitcrush it and stuff like that to get it to sound the way you want.

Jbravo · Post by **Jbravo** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:07 pm

tehlord wrote:Not quite what you're asking for, but maybe better

http://soniccharge.com/bitspeek

hey that's fun

IrionDaRonin · Post by **IrionDaRonin** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:13 pm

There is, and i always suggest it, a VSTi called Aquestone with makes female japanesse sounds, and if you use correctly, you can makes nice vocal track effects. Have fun with it, although i don't know if you still can download from the page.

I use it sometimes.

I will take a look on the Bitspeek, thanks.

Have a good day and good luck

osiris · Post by **osiris** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:14 pm

There was one for Pluggo that I used to have a lot of fun with. Sadly Pluggo is dead. I did find this:
http://www.kaelabs.com/vocalWriter_specs.html

The demos are hysterical. Imagine Stephen Hawking singing. Not VST, but it looks like abandonware. Who knows?

LBN · Post by **LBN** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 8:13 pm

V2 has speech synthesizer that sounds like it fits your criteria. It's not the most straightforward to use but the whole synth is insanely light on CPU and sounds great.

http://www.kvraudio.com/db/1464

wee_gerri · Post by **wee_gerri** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 8:47 pm

Wow. Lots of replies.

I already have BitSpeek. It's good and I use it a lot but still not quite what I am looking for when it comes to speech synthesis.

I am looking for something that actually generates speech and it stays in sync with the tempo. Something like Kraftwerk's Electronic Voice Program.

If anyone can do it I think xoxos probably can. I use various xoxos instruments a lot, including various animal/bird tract synths so I might try what you mention xoxos.

If it has all the necessary vowel and consonant sounds it might be perfect.

I did try V2 but found it incredibly difficult to use. I might give it another go...

Shy · Post by **Shy** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 9:28 pm

I know what kind of sound you're looking for. You want the Atari 520ST speech synthesizer (known as ST speech) sound, which has been used in many techno tracks, some are well known (like Das Boot).

Here is an example.

Forget about a VST for that kind of sound, with sync and whatever, there is nothing. If you want to use it anyway, you need the Atari ST emulator Steem (also download the UK TOS, on top) and stspeech. Configure Steem (and choose TOS v1.02), then in Options -> Sound, change Output type to Direct and choose 16-bit (I'd keep 50066Hz and resample in a wave editor later). Run the OS ("Play" button), run stspeech.tos from the disk you configured. Record by pressing the button in the sound options menu. Alt+Tab releases the mouse cursor from the Steem window.

The thing is, there are important features like changing pitch, obviously, and stress amount, but I can't remember the commands to do that in STspeech, so if anyone knows or has some manual, share it. Some phonetic tips here.

bpblog · Post by **bpblog** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 9:52 pm

+1 for ST Speech.

it may be a bit hard to setup nowadays, but once you get it working, i'm sure you'll love how it sounds.

deastman · Post by **deastman** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 10:07 pm

There is also VocalWriter for the Mac, which has been around for many years. But not a VST.

The problem is that VSTi implies realtime performance. Spoken or sung speech, by its nature, implies something pre-sequenced. The best you can hope for is a VSTi with its own elaborate internal sequencer for stepping through the words in a sentence and pitching them

wee_gerri · Post by **wee_gerri** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 11:12 pm

I don't know that there's nothing and I'm sure someone might be able to come up with something.

There is the Vocaloid, for example, but like I say it just isn't metallic or robot enough..

I already have 2 real Atari ST computers and an emulator which I use for chiptune music and I have the speech program in question but it's still no use.

You see, I am looking for something which synchronizes with the tempo but can also be changed and edited so, for example, I could change the lyrics at a later date. Just like what can be achieved with Vocaloid.

I would have thought that making something like Vocaloid but which sounds more clangy and robotic would actually be easier than simulating human vocals.. :/

I am interested in what xoxos mentioned because it sounds like just the thing..
What is this software called?

I am also trying V2 again in the meantime.

Edited to add:-

I am still not able to use V2.
Let alone using the speech function, I can't get it to do anything!
For example, I am changing the voice presets but all I can get is the same synth-bass sound. :/
Where am I going wrong?

xoxos · Post by **xoxos** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 11:44 pm

deastman wrote:The best you can hope for is a VSTi

syng2 does better :p

it's simple, as long as your host can route more than 1 midi channel to a vst:

notes are sequenced on midi channel 1. phonemes are sequenced on midi channel 2. i usually loop through the phrase 1 or 2 measures at a time, and sequence the vowels first using quantisation. then i turn off quantisation and add consonants.

syng2 does have a "words" function" like deastman mentioned but if you're going to sequence anything like normal lyrics (with more than 12 words) use the syng2le "light edition" version - this ditches the words function so the plugin loads faster. you can route external audio to it if you don't like the internal oscillator: this may be a good choice if you want a vintage sound.

i wouldn't think farbrausch was much more complicated than this, so maybe it's not as easy as i think it is

there are other non-vst options, flinger, mbrola.. i always thought the dectalk (which is a simple app) voices sounded like electric cafe, but you'd then need to stretch and retune these, like any TTS.

wee_gerri · Post by **wee_gerri** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:11 am

OK, I've just had a play with Syng2 by Xoxos and it's perfect.
Exactly what I'm looking for!

Especially if I use the lowest octave setting and turn slide down to zero, I get exactly the voice type I want.

Thanks for all your help everybod'.

I'd still like further help with V2 but maybe I'll start another thread about that... can't get it to do a thing! *shrugs!*

80s style speech synthesizer vst...