[DECtalk] DECTalk 5.0?
Jayson Smith
ratguy at insightbb.com
Tue Aug 24 09:37:09 EDT 2010
I've been using DECtalk since 1989 when we got a Kurzweil Personal Reader.
Remember those? The big dedicated machine to which you hooked a separate
scanner, and it would read stuff to you. Cost $10000 to. How far technology
has come. Anyway, after that, we got DECtalk PC cards, then I got my first
DECtalk Express for my seventeenth birthday in 1995 and have been using them
ever since. I read at approx. 300 words per minute, but could probably go
faster if I had any reason to.
Jayson
----- Original Message -----
From: "Corine Bickley" <corine.bickley at gallaudet.edu>
To: "DECtalk Discussions" <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com>
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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>> >> >>> 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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