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EMIC

Robert25Robert25 Posts: 53
edited 2006-07-05 17:10 in Robotics
Hi folks

Several months ago, I purchased and installed the EMIC text to speech module and have been having great fun with it.· However, at the time, all that was available was the "female" voice version.·I did install this into my "male" robot and used the module's ability to change pitch and speed to approximate a more "male" sounding voice.·

However, I was just looking at the Parallax site and noticed they now carry a "male" EMIC board.· This would be ideal.· My question is: is it possible to alter the module I currently have to make it "male" sounding?· I was thinking their might perhaps be a firmware update or other programming.·

Bob

Comments

  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2006-07-03 19:25
    Bob,

    ·· There is no firmware upgrade to do what you ask.· The Winbond Chip (the larger chip) on the board is what contains the Male or Female voice data.· That is not an easy thing to change.· You'd probably be better off just getting a different module for this project and use the other for something else.· Take care.

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
    csavage@parallax.com
  • manxstampmanxstamp Posts: 57
    edited 2006-07-03 20:42
    It is interesting that Parallax should choose a female voice for the EMIC module when it was first launched. The reaction of listeners to the gender of electronic voices has been the subject of much research:

    http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~pr/publications/thes06.pdf

    It seems that gender, regional accent and the nationality of the listener all influence the reaction to an electronic voice. My sat-nav has a female southern English voice (I call her Veronica) and I find her directions are given in a calming way. But German men seem to deliberate ignore or challenge female voiced sat-navs (see above research). I quite like my female Californian EMIC but have not heard the male voiced module yet.

    I guess you need to choose your EMIC voice gender·and tune its pitch according to the purpose of the voice output.

    I'd be interested in other members preferences for electronic voices, which are being incorporated into more and more consumer products.

    John

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    Manxstamp,
    Isle of Man, British Isles
  • Ryan ClarkeRyan Clarke Posts: 738
    edited 2006-07-05 14:51
    The chip actually comes in three voices: Male, Female, and female (Chinese)-

    We added the male to give a variety to our customers.

    Ryan

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    Ryan Clarke
    Parallax Tech Support

    RClarke@Parallax.com
  • Robert25Robert25 Posts: 53
    edited 2006-07-05 15:23
    Ryan,

    Which chip are you speaking of?· Did you mean you can purchase the EMIC with the designated voice or that the three voices you mentioned are contained on one chip?· If that is the case, I return to my first question and that would be how to change to the "male" voice?
    ·
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2006-07-05 17:10
    Winbond makes three different chips.· Each chip has a different voice on it.· There is a suffix on the chip that designates that chip as a male or female (or chinese).· The right chip has to be on the EMIC board to create the voice you want.

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
    csavage@parallax.com
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