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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!mhuxn!houxm!ihnp4!drutx!druxp!mab
From: mab@druxp.UUCP (BlandMA)
Newsgroups: net.micro.cbm
Subject: Re: Re: How good is speech synth. on C64?
Message-ID: <645@druxp.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 6-Dec-84 11:29:27 EST
Article-I.D.: druxp.645
Posted: Thu Dec  6 11:29:27 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Dec-84 02:31:42 EST
References: <515@genrad.UUCP> <410@ihuxu.UUCP> <2130@garfield.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver
Lines: 33

> A newly released game (at least in
> this area) called GHOSTBUSTERS has a reasonably recognizable synthesis of one
> word.....		THATS RIGHT, YOU GUESSED IT, IT'S GHOSTBUSTERS!!!
> 
> While I haven't fully figured out how they did it yet, the basis seems to be
> precise adjustments to the white noise voice. Anybody with a better handle
> on the method pls let me know, 'cause, if "they" can do it, WE CAN TOO!!

The noise waveform should be able to generate most all of the
non-vocal phonemes (s, t, k, ch, ...).  'k' is easy - use low attack
and decay values, maybe 0 for attack and 2 or 3 for decay.
An 's' probably would have an attack of 2 or 3 (I'm guessing at these
values, since I'm not near my 64 right now).  If you're not into
POKES, it's fairly easy to experiment with the SID values using
the music programs that are on the market.

I was able to make a human-sounding 'b' sound the other night using
the triangle waveform and a filter.  Seems like it was something like
attack 3, decay 4 or 5, low sustain, low pass filter on, and the cutoff
frequency was somewhere around 1500-2000.  The frequency of the note
was in one of the middle octaves.  As the frequency changes, the
cutoff frequency also has to change.  I'm still new at figuring out how
the filters work, but in this case, the filter is what makes the attack
sound like a human-like 'b' rather than just a synthesized music note.

Now I'm getting curious.  When the Ghostbusters bass line music was
posted last week, I went home and put it on my 64.  Now it looks like
I'm going to have to add speech to it.  If I'm successful, I'll post
something, but don't hold your breath waiting.
-- 
Alan Bland
{ihnp4, allegra}!druxp!mab
AT&T Information Systems Labs, Denver