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From: dennisg@fritz.UUCP (Dennis Griesser)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Request for information on phoneme speech synthesis
Message-ID: <2757@fritz.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 5-Dec-86 22:33:39 EST
Article-I.D.: fritz.2757
Posted: Fri Dec  5 22:33:39 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 6-Dec-86 21:19:25 EST
References: <854@aicchi.UUCP>
Reply-To: dennisg@fritz.UUCP (Dennis Griesser)
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Organization: FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, CA
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In article <854@aicchi.UUCP> dbb@aicchi.UUCP (Burch) writes:
> 
>I am designing a system for a client that will use phoneme synthesis to
>communicate with a user.  I am looking for references to papers on the
>subject.  Due to parts count limitations, we will not be able to use
>any of the commercial speech synthesis chips.  In this system, phonemes
>will be stored as sampled A/D patterns, and spliced together in real
>time to create speech.  Also, if anybody has public domain source code
>for such a system, that would be greatly appreciated.

There's nothing wrong with WHAT you want.  In fact, I also interested in
this subject... perhaps you could post your results.

I have a problem with WHY you want it.

I think that storing sampled analog waveforms and playing them back to
avoid a synthesis chip is false economy.  You will need a large EPROM
with the samples in it.  The D-to-A will take a chip too.  Then, there is
the load placed on your CPU to keep the D-to-A fed.  There are plenty of
single-chip synthesizers around that you can poll every few hundred
milliseconds and hand it a phoneme if it's ready.

I would suggest one of the commercial allophone synthesis speech chips.
Makers include TI, National, and General Instruments, as well as
Votrax.

Radio Shack sells a GI chip that is part of a family that
usually comes pre-programmed with interesting words.  The version at
the 'Shack comes with allophones on it instead.  They also have a
companion chip that performs the text-to-allophone conversion.

The Circuit Celler column in Byte has had several voice synthesizers over
the years.  I think that the latest was about two years ago.

Good luck.