Text to Speech VST VST Speek ! Blogosaur

Techno is reactivated

vstspeek1

VST Speek is a free vocal synthesis VST plugin for recreating the old skool robotic text to speech we all love. Choose a preset, type any text and let’s speak !

download VST Speek 1.3 for Windows 32 bit

download VST Speek 1.3 for windows 64 bit

VST Speek + reverb

UPDATE

v1.3: – fix for crash in Cubase when selecting preset from drop down menu – add hack for Presonus Studio One : text is now editable – fix memory leaks – MAC OS X version !!! => see https://blog.wavosaur.com/text-to-speech-vst-now-for-mac-vst-speek-au-speek-audiounit/

v1.2: – now the hack for getting keyboard events in Ableton is less dirty 🙂 – fixed potential bug on close plugin

v1.1: – 64 bit version for Windows – Fixed bug with audio buffer – Added hack for Ableton Live 9 : plugin should get keyboard keys input now – Added support for VST Key (not tested ! we don’t have Cubase) VST Speek text to speech is 100% freeware, the plugin is based on the Software Automatic Mouth (SAM) vocal synthesis software created by Softvoice Inc for the Commodore 64. The original C64 software has been reverse engineered and ported to C by Sebastian Macke : http://simulationcorner.net/index.php?page=sam

I have adapted then to VST plugin :

you can trigger the speech with MIDI keyboard (velocity sensitive)
you can use MIDI pitchbend
you can change original pitch or mouth/throat parameters while it’s speaking

This is not a vocal synth like “Vocaloïd”, it’s intended to do crunchy robotic lofi techno voices! It’s not intended for good quality speech synthesis too, better speech synthesis softwares exist now.

Please comment and vote for the most wanted feature / development for this VST plugin !

– 64 bit version – MAC version – ability to assign different text to MIDI notes – ability to read longer text (and / or read from text file) – assign pitchbend or midi CC to voice parameters. – Android version ? – more parameters

Don’t hesitate to report any bug you found.

Text to speech vocal synthesis has been used in some famous (and less famous!) rave/techno songs from the 90’s. The robot voices were popular in the nineties. The funkyest speech synthesis sotfwares at this time were :

The Amiga 500 say program : it used narrator & translator library to produce nice computerized robot voices ! If you are not a happy Amiga 500 owner you can use an Amiga emulator : WinUAE

The Commodore 64 Software Automatic Mouth (SAM) : you can use the brand new VST Speek or the S.A.M simulation program (command line executable for Windows) from Sebastian Macke : SAM for window

The Atari ST Speech : that’s the one in U96 – Das Boot ! you can use the Steem Atari emulator + stspeech.tos Here’s a port for Windows, command line application : stspeech.exe

Apple MacinTalk

They were all developped by Softvoice inc.

We must not forget the Speak n Spell toy by Texas Instrument ! This was a great piece of talking machine, that is still circuit-bended to death nowadays.

Here’s some 90’s music tracks that used vocal synthesis (Amiga or Atari) :

U96 – Das Boot :

U96 – Das Boot / Kennedy (megamix):

Snap – The Ex-Terminator :

Quadrophonia – Quadophonia :

Signal Aout 42 – I Want To Push :

Marcel Hol – Serious Beats Vol.4 Mega Dance Party Mix (1992) :

The Deadkirks – Mr. Kirk, your Son is Dead :

General Base – Apache & Base Of Love :

The Scientist – Spiral Symphony

Rave Crusaders – Energy Overload

Pleasure Game – Activez Les Plaisirs (Amnesia Robot Mix) :http://www.bide-et-musique.com/song/11963.html Daktylus is reactivated !!!

update !

Romanthony “The Wanderer” (Journey Man Thump)

Smart Systems – The Tingler

1 2 3 techno ! maximum velocity ! reactivate ! maximum overload energiiiiiiize all system reactivate move !

Sometimes(very often!) we need to add effects on our voice recording. To make it sound better, to make it sound thicker, or just to maker it sound incredible! For widening/thickening, or making choir like voices, you can use : chorus, voice multiplier, voice doubler, stereo wideners. For radical changes or special FX, you can use harmonizer / pitch changing, genre changer, pitch correction / autotune.

Here’s a top 5 of free VST effects for changing the voice :

1) Azurite multi voice chorus VST

Azurite chorus VST

azurite

This great chorus can work on many type of sources : guitar, voice, etc.. It works nicely for voice, it’s not too hard/harsh and does a good job on mono inputs for spreading voices and give a stereo effect.

information & download @ http://distorqueaudio.com/plugins/azurite.html

Dry voice :

Voice with chorus!

2) ADT – Artificial Double Tracking

This VST has no GUI

When you can’t record two takes for doubling your voice, you can gor for the artificial double tracking technic! The Beatles did it, and now you can too. Voice doubling ahs never been so easy.

Download here : http://www.vacuumsound.de/plugins.html

3) Emonizer Micro Pitch Shifter effect

Emonizer VST

emonizer

This free VST effect is intended for thickening, it’s a “one trick pony”, it’s in fact a micro pitch shifter, that add detuned voices, it creates a wider sound. Works also for other sounds than voice!

download it now ! => http://music.service-1.de/html/wok_emonizer_vst_micro_pitch.html

4) g200kg KeroVee & roVee

KeroVee VST

kerovee

Here we go now for a more radical effect ! With this one you can change the nature/type/genre of the voice, make it from female to male, or from female to male. KeroVee is a pitch correction plugin, it can also do the “autotune” effect.

Information and free download @ http://www.g200kg.com/en/software/kerovee.html

Maxi chorused multiplied choir-i-fied voice !

female voice

from female to male ! genre changing

Maxi super chorus : voice multiplier !

5) ag-works chorus ch-2

Chorus CH-2 VST

chorus ch2

Here, at Wavosaur, we love the monstachorus VST by Betabugs, but i thought the Chorus CH-2 is lesser known, and deserve some exposure. It’s like having 4 independant chorus you can tweak in parallel.

download for free @ http://ag-works.net/plugins.ch2.htm