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From: sdyer@bbncca.ARPA (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: net.micro.6809
Subject: Re: Voice Synthesizers, anyone? - (nf)
Message-ID: <519@bbncca.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 28-Jan-84 00:30:38 EST
Article-I.D.: bbncca.519
Posted: Sat Jan 28 00:30:38 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jan-84 05:04:53 EST
References: <5167@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma.
Lines: 32

I have the Spectrum Projects Voice Pak synthesizer, which I bought mainly
beccause of its very aggressive price ($70).  All of the Votrax
SC01-based devices for the CoCo are more or less the same--in fact most all
of them come with the same text-to-speech software by Frank Delargy.

The key difference comes in the way the paks interface to the CoCo bus.
The Spectrum Projects Voice Pak is incompletely decoded, and the SC-01
registers overlay the disk controller ($FF40).  Thus, it cannot be used
along with a disk using only a simple Y-bus connector.  Fortunately
for Spectrum Projects, the Voice Pak does obey the cartridge/spare
selection conventions of the CoCo bus, and when used with the R/S
Multi-Pak Interface, the supplied program switches the disk controller
in and out of the address space as needed.

I have heard that the Voice Pak/disk combination will not work with other
expansion buses, though I cannot vouch for that.  On similarly shakey
grounds, I've heard that the "Colorware" and "Real Talker" devices which
are even cheaper than the Voice Pak may not obey the selection protocols at
all, and hence won't work with ANY expansion bus if the disk controller
is plugged in.

Right now, the voice synthesizer of choice is the Speech Systems pak.
Its price is now the same as Spectrum Projects', and it is FULLY
decoded, so it should work with any expansion bus.  In addition, it
provides an external sound output, as well as routing the sound to
the TV speaker.  And lastly, its pitch control (resistor pot) is
available on the outside of the pak.  The other devices seal this
inside, making adjustments unwieldy.
-- 
/Steve Dyer
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