[DECtalk] DECTalk 5.0?

Jayson Smith ratguy at insightbb.com
Tue Aug 24 14:10:57 EDT 2010


Hi,

I don't want to turn this into a speech synch flame war, especially since I 
own this list! But you like Espeak? I can't stand that thing! It has this 
really weird almost British or Australian accent that's quite pronounced.
Jayson

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alex H." <linuxx64.bashsh at gmail.com>
To: "DECtalk Discussions" <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 1:42 PM
Subject: Re: [DECtalk] DECTalk 5.0?


> Hi,
>
> I use DECTalk Access32 at about 350 WPM and enjoy it' speech. I also
> use the older DECTalk demos at about 300 WPM. I'll say this: If NVDA
> had a supported DECTalk driver, I'd be using it more than espeak. And
> that's saying something, because espeak is another of my favorite
> synths to use. The thing that really makes dectalk great is I can
> listen to books for hours with it or work on my PC without getting
> tired of the speech. If I did get sikckof a particular voice, I'd just
> change it and keep going.
>
> Alex
>
> On 8/24/10, Raymond Grote <musicalman1 at comcast.net> wrote:
>> Hi,
>> I'm not sure if I can answer your question, but I personally don't like
>> Dectalk at high speeds. I use Eloquence most of the time, at speeds of
>> between 65 and 85 percent, 65 for reading text and 85 for just navigating
>> around and listening to short things like short IM messages on skype.
>> As for how fast this is, I don't really know. But I do know that dectalk
>> just doesn't sound good at those speeds, it starts to sounds all garbled 
>> and
>> all the words and syllables start to run together, making it difficult 
>> for
>> me to understand. Eloquence doesn't have this problem.
>>
>>   ----- Original Message -----
>>   From: Corine Bickley
>>   To: DECtalk Discussions
>>   Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 7:18 AM
>>   Subject: Re: [DECtalk] DECTalk 5.0?
>>
>>
>>   Hi Alex,
>>   I am particularly interested in knowing who uses DECtalk for screen
>> readers because I'm part of an Acoustical Society's standards committee 
>> on
>> intelligibility of text-to-speech systems. We have a particular interest 
>> in
>> knowing what users of high-speed synthesized speech think, and can
>> understand, as most of us on the committee only have experience listening 
>> to
>> synthesized speech at conversational speeds. What's your preferred speed?
>> Might you be willing to advise our committee?
>>   thanks for considering - corine
>>
>>
>>   On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 7:21 PM, Alex H. <linuxx64.bashsh at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>     Hi Corine,
>>
>>     I use DECTalk mostly on the Windows platform, and when I convert to
>>     Linux I'll probably use it as well. I'm a screen reader user, and use
>>     DECTalk Access32 with JAWS and Window-Eyes. For NVDA (my primary
>>     screenreader), there's no supported DECTalk, which is why a SAPI
>>     version would be really great.
>>
>>     My cell phone is a Windows Mobile phone, and I currently use Mobile
>>     Speak for Windows Mobile and Fonix Dectalk 4.6.3 that's bundled with
>>     Mobile Speak. So in short, I use DECTalk quite a bit.
>>
>>     I also use DECTalk demos to write songs and gingles, plays, etc. 
>> It's
>>     really quite amusing having a synthesizer that can do so much.
>>
>>     When I can swing it, I'll look into buying a DECTalk USb and then 
>> I'll
>>     have my favorite speech in a hardware synthesizer. I know, I'm a bit
>>     crazy about DECTalk! :)
>>
>>     Alex
>>
>>
>>     On 8/23/10, Corine Bickley <corine.bickley at gallaudet.edu> wrote:
>>     > Hi Alex -
>>     > I worked with Snoopi at Fonix (and before that at Force), and I'm
>> interested
>>     > to know how you use DECtalk - for what purposes and on what 
>> platforms?
>>     > corine bickley
>>     >
>>     >
>>     >
>>     > On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 1:49 PM, Alex H. 
>> <linuxx64.bashsh at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>     >
>>     >> Hi,
>>     >>
>>     >> Best of luck to you with the CD's and DECTalk. I hope DECTalk 
>> doesn't
>>     >> go by the wayside, it's a great synth and I use it almost 
>> everyday,
>> on
>>     >> my phone and my laptops. I'm planning on getting the DECTalk USB 
>> but
>>     >> have yet to find a used one.
>>     >>
>>     >> Alex
>>     >>
>>     >> On 8/23/10, Dectalk at aol.com <Dectalk at aol.com> wrote:
>>     >> > I don't work with Fonix any more so I can't really  say.  My
>> personal
>>     >> > opinion is just ask.  I know a sapi5 is possible, I  just don't
>> know if
>>     >> they
>>     >> > ever
>>     >> > did one.
>>     >> >
>>     >> > BUT, let me tell you what my plans are.  I'm  finally on 
>> facebook
>> where
>>     >> > more people are getting to know me and my music.   At the end of
>>     >> September
>>     >> > I'm
>>     >> > releasing my very first holiday CD.  I'm hoping  it does well. 
>> I
>> have 2
>>     >> > Churches that are letting me sell it, a CEO might  buy some for 
>> his
>>     >> company,
>>     >> > and I'm hoping for a big sale.  You can't count  on anything, 
>> but
>> I'm
>>     >> > hoping.
>>     >> > Blake Roberts and I are giving this our best  shot.
>>     >> >
>>     >> > One of the things I want to get is the Dectalk Kit,  and I 
>> believe
>> it
>>     >> sells
>>     >> > for $1000.00.  That kit will let me create a Dectalk  sapi 5
>> version.  I
>>     >> > think I can get the 4.0 kit version but I'm not  sure.  I want 
>> the
>>     >> > oldest
>>     >> > version I can get because the new versions  suck!
>>     >> >
>>     >> > Dectalk is going away because of lake of  interest.  But because 
>> of
>> my
>>     >> > music, there will always be disabled people  who want to get 
>> into
>>     >> singing.
>>     >> > Plus
>>     >> > if device companies ever want  Dectalk,  I'll be able to pay the
>>     >> royalties
>>     >> > through this Dectalk kit and  sell the sapi 5 that I create with
>> the
>>     >> > kit.
>>     >> >
>>     >> > If my September release doesn't generate enough  orders, I'm 
>> hoping
>> it
>>     >> will
>>     >> > generate a new generation of interest because I'm  planning on
>> another
>>     >> > CD
>>     >> > release next March.
>>     >> >
>>     >> > My dilemma is, I need a new van because my van is on  it's last
>> legs.
>>     >> > So
>>     >> > sadly the van needs to have priority.  But I'm  hoping to book a
>>     >> > concert,
>>     >> > and
>>     >> > if I can do that, I should be fine.  I have  750 friends on
>> facebook and
>>     >> > growing, so I'm hoping for some  interest.
>>     >> >
>>     >> > So Dectalk is not gone yet.
>>     >> >
>>     >> >
>>     >> > SNOOPI BOTTEN
>>     >> >
>>     >> >
>>     >> > In a message dated 8/23/2010 1:27:10 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
>>     >> > linuxx64.bashsh at gmail.com writes:
>>     >> >
>>     >> > Hi  Snoopi,
>>     >> >
>>     >> > Thanks for the info on Dectalk 5.0. I guess I really don't need
>> it, I
>>     >> > got four other demos plus FonixTalk. Do you think I'd have any
>> luck
>>     >> > contacting Fonix and requesting the demos?
>>     >> >
>>     >> > @johnnybrl, I  believe that FonixTalk works with the SAPI5 
>> engine
>> but
>>     >> > it needs to be  purchased. It is mentioned in the SDK and 
>> FonixTalk
>>     >> > pages on their site  though. I wish DecTalk had a SAPI version, 
>> and
>>     >> > direct access to the speech  parameters.
>>     >> >
>>     >> > Alex
>>     >> >
>>     >> > On 8/20/10, Ryan Chou  <rc4896153 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>     >> >> wait what is phonix talk and could  someone please send me a 
>> demo?
>>     >> >>
>>     >> >> On 8/20/10, Dectalk at aol.com  <Dectalk at aol.com> wrote:
>>     >> >>> As far as I know, Dectalk 5.0 was  only a beta  version.  I 
>> have
>> it
>>     >> > because
>>     >> >>> I worked for  Fonix, but I can't give it  out.  My version 
>> SUCKS!
>>     >> It's
>>     >> >>> just
>>     >> >>> slightly hard to understand.   If  they fixed it, it needed 
>> it!
>> But I
>>     >> >>> would
>>     >> >>> never  ever buy it or use it  because they changed a phonetic
>> code and
>>     >> > did
>>     >> >>> a
>>     >> >>> few other  changes.
>>     >> >>>
>>     >> >>>
>>     >> >>> SNOOPI  BOTTEN
>>     >> >>>
>>     >> >>>
>>     >> >>> In a message dated 8/20/2010  4:07:50 A.M. Eastern Daylight 
>> Time,
>>     >> >>> johnnybrl at gmail.com  writes:
>>     >> >>>
>>     >> >>> Hi Alex,  Yes I think I've seen that  fonix has made a Dectalk
>> 5.0 a
>>     >> few
>>     >> >>> years
>>     >> >>> ago,  if  my memory is correct. However, I couldn't find where
>> you can
>>     >> >>>  download a  demo version of it anywhere.
>>     >> >>>
>>     >> >>> But Yeah  hopefully somebody managed to get  a demo copy
>> somewhere.
>>     >> >>>
>>     >> >>> BTW, I sort of like the fonix talk6  voices,  almost like the
>> fonix
>>     >> > dectalk
>>     >> >>> 4.6.4. And you can  also create wave files in  the program 
>> too.
>>     >> >>> And I was also  wondering, is there a version of fonix talk 
>> that
>> you
>>     >> > could
>>     >> >>>  use in windows like a Sapi5 engine? Was maybe thinking  about
>> getting
>>     >> > it
>>     >> >>> to
>>     >> >>> use it with NVDA or Jaws.
>>     >> >>> -----  Original Message  -----
>>     >> >>> From: "Alex H."  <linuxx64.bashsh at gmail.com>
>>     >> >>> To:   <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com>
>>     >> >>> Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010  9:29  PM
>>     >> >>> Subject: [DECtalk] DECTalk  5.0?
>>     >> >>>
>>     >> >>>
>>     >> >>>> Hey  all,
>>     >> >>>>
>>     >> >>>>  Been doing some research, aparently  Fonix made a Dectalk 
>> 5.0
>> before
>>     >> >>>>  they started their  FonixTalk synthesizer.
>>     >> >>>> Just wondering if anybody's  got  the demo of DECTalk 5.0? 
>> Can't
>> find
>>     >> it
>>     >> >>>> anywhere  :(
>>     >> >>>>
>>     >> >>>>  Thx.
>>     >> >>>>  Alex
>>     >> >>>>   _______________________________________________
>>     >> >>>> DECtalk  mailing  list
>>     >> >>>>  DECtalk at bluegrasspals.com
>>     >> >>>>   http://jaybird.no-ip.info/mailman/listinfo/dectalk
>>     >> >>>
>>     >> >>>  _______________________________________________
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>>     >> >>>
>>     >> >>>
>>     >> >>  _______________________________________________
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>>     >> >>
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>>     >> >
>>     >> >
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>>     >
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>>
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