Jim Pez Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Were there any voice synthesizer's available for the 800xl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) My lot Maplin made an electronics kit based around the SP0256, some BASIC examples were sullpied...Very ordinary but did the job.. You also had S.A.M aka Software Activated Mouth which was pure software only and again did a decent job, the fun was making a word sound good because it worked on phonemes often you had to write semi gibberish to get the best pronunciation. The other fun at the time was making it curse as much as possible... Beyond that there were programs that used the SAM routine to play games like poker but apart from speech in games there were no other different software speech generator systems out there if memory serves me, perhaps other hardware add on's. Edited January 28, 2017 by Mclaneinc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Pez Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 i know the original 800 had a box you connected to the computer did the 800 xl have one or was it built in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) The only built in was the 1200XL (I think) As for the XL you may be thinking of the Alien Voice box http://atariage.com/forums/topic/158228-voice-box-by-the-alien-group/ Here a really nice page about it.. https://archive.org/details/1983-alien-group-voicebox Edited January 28, 2017 by Mclaneinc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) It was the 1400XL that had one. Not that I have ever seen one in person. Edited January 28, 2017 by Frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Ah, my mistake, thought the 1200XL had some inbuilt thing... Sigh, as soon as I see 1400XL it reminds me of the 'coming soon' catalogue we had from Atari at Maplin with the 1450XLD which made me drool and I pre ordered it, sadly it never came to pass.... boo hoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 http://gury.atari8.info/categ/h_speech.php 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZylonBane Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Were there any voice synthesizer's available for the 800xl Voice synthesizer's what? You also had S.A.M aka Software Activated Mouth "Software Automatic Mouth". http://simulationcorner.net/index.php?page=sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 S.A.M actually works well for my wants and needs, the trick is spelling word phonetically instead of proper spelling, so you can understand what is says when reading text, etc. I use a version built-in to ATOS and through SpartaDOS batch file I have it read aloud a text file I created with the computer introducing itself and it's upgrades ala HAL. It's quite fun. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) @ Zylon; - Someone's toast with jam fell face first on the floor... Edited January 28, 2017 by Mclaneinc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ransom Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 I made one based on some plans published in some magazine or other. If I recall correctly, it used the same chip as the Speak 'n' Spell toy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F#READY Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 http://www.page6.org/archive/issue_19/page_44.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) Wrong place Edited January 28, 2017 by Mclaneinc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam242 Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Radio and Electronics magazine published plans for one based on the SPO256 chip for the Commodore 64. I adapted it for the Atari and built my own when I was 14.. I should hook it up and see if it still works. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Radio and Electronics magazine published plans for one based on the SPO256 chip for the Commodore 64. I adapted it for the Atari and built my own when I was 14.. KIMG0877.jpg I should hook it up and see if it still works. How about a nice game of chess? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+David_P Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 ANALOG had plans for a similar device (running through the joysticks). http://atariage.com/forums/topic/221234-cheep-talk-from-analog-using-sp0256-al2/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+CharlieChaplin Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 The A8FAQ is your friend: ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/faqs/atari-8-bit/faq subjects 6.7 (voice/speech synthesis) and 6.8 (samplers/digitizers)... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 S.A.M actually works well for my wants and needs, the trick is spelling word phonetically instead of proper spelling, so you can understand what is says when reading text, etc. I use a version built-in to ATOS and through SpartaDOS batch file I have it read aloud a text file I created with the computer introducing itself and it's upgrades ala HAL. It's quite fun. I would really like it if you would show us how this is done. Do you mean Sparta 2.x, 3.x, or SDX? What's this about S.A.M. being built into Tom Hunt's ATOS? How can I use a batch file to make S.A.M. speak? Please inform us, we want to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Alien group Voice box is what I have... haven't used it in ages..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
re-atari Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 (edited) http://www.page6.org/archive/issue_19/page_44.htm I built that one on perfboard back in '86. Note that there are 2 versions of the SP0256 IC, one outputs phonemes, the other allophones. This design needs the allophone one. 3 guesses how I found out... The Page6 article didn't list the complete IC name, it should have read SP0256-AL2. My electronics shop supplied me with the phoneme one (SP0256-PH2). That one just gave out gibberish. Luckily I could return the (very expensive!) IC and got my money back. The shop said they never received the IC I needed. After a few months I just cannibalized the perfboard. I think I used the board to build a modem based on a AMD7910 IC. re-atari Edited January 30, 2017 by re-atari 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
re-atari Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 (edited) sorry, double posted Edited January 30, 2017 by re-atari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 (edited) I would really like it if you would show us how this is done. Do you mean Sparta 2.x, 3.x, or SDX? What's this about S.A.M. being built into Tom Hunt's ATOS? How can I use a batch file to make S.A.M. speak? Please inform us, we want to know. Firstly, to clarify, I don't know that it is the actual S.A.M included in ATOS, but it is a software text-to-speech program that will read aloud any .txt document it is fed, and it sounds and works just like S.A.M. ATOS works with SpartaDOS 3.x and SDX only, ATOS (yes, Tom Hunt's) includes the needed versions of 3.x to be memory compatible with ATOS and also with hard drives or SIO2PC. SDX you have to configure yourself. The ATOS manual tells you how to use the text-to-speech program, but for a batch file I did that myself. It's merely a batch file that loads up the speech program and said speech program will automatically search and read aloud a .txt file named "readme.txt" or something like that, so all you have to do is phonetically write a .txt file and name it "readme.txt" then the batch file does it all at boot-up. As to using SDX and ATOS (16MB ATR image) with either SIO2PC or MyIDE II, I am currently writing a set-up how-to guide for that. It will be posted at Atari Sector forums when completed: http://atari.boards.net Edited February 6, 2017 by Gunstar 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 why not post it here as well? lately I have been drawn in to a lot of discussions and been interested in them only to have the lets go to the competing forum/web site to continue or get whatever the thing is we are discussing. I like it here... and I may like some things elsewhere but I find it an uneasy thing as it becomes more and more frequent .... By all means send me to a git or personal site but leap frogging forums doesn't sit well with me. If and when I cross post I try to do a complete cross post... it's just me.. but I feel I owe it to the persons running each forum as they put their time effort and money into running and supporting us... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 (edited) why not post it here as well? lately I have been drawn in to a lot of discussions and been interested in them only to have the lets go to the competing forum/web site to continue or get whatever the thing is we are discussing. I like it here... and I may like some things elsewhere but I find it an uneasy thing as it becomes more and more frequent .... By all means send me to a git or personal site but leap frogging forums doesn't sit well with me. If and when I cross post I try to do a complete cross post... it's just me.. but I feel I owe it to the persons running each forum as they put their time effort and money into running and supporting us... I have no problem posting it here as well, but Atari Sector is my "home base" for 8-bit Atari forums as I am a moderator over there and I like the smaller community because it's less "busy" and topics don't roll off the first screen into oblivion in one day, unless they are hot topics, like here at AA (yes one can search for topics, but if you miss a topic about something you don't know about, how do you go about searching for it?!?). And because most threads here seem to be more announcement and discussion by committee and help wanted topic oriented (nothing wrong with that, it's why I still am active here too) while at Atari Sector it's much more like and interactive magazine with game reviews, how-to guides, rare hardware columns, show-and-tell and more. And because it's an UK forum (I'm their pet, token-Yank over there among staff), sub-forums not-Atari 8-bit oriented are much more unique to that region of the world. For example, sub-forums heavy with activity regarding Oric and Sinclair computers. Atari Sector is not just another junior copy-cat of Atari Age forums. But I don't have a problem going to another forum for more info on something if I am pointed to it. And as you mentioned yourself, you "feel" you owe to persons running each forum, well, as a moderator and friend, I feel that way toward the persons running Atari Sector and it was already a slated and promised topic to come at Atari Sector and didn't even think about anyone having a problem with my only posting the topic there and just mentioning it here. Edited February 8, 2017 by Gunstar 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 most of the time I just click 'view new content' and it usually finds what hasn't been looked at for me... but the site does have plenty of search options... I don't moderate here so there is no dog in the race... but I have been doing the 'op/mod/sig/admin thing since before the booming modem days. Just kind of an etiquette thing. As my post eludes it's kind of happening with frequency and the post is not directed squarely or solely at you Starfighter... Making my way around the forums, I know what to expect from each. It's kind of like those ads all over the internet now, inserted in the page, looks like the page, but it's meant to send you somewhere else. I need protection from the XUR and the Ko-Dan armada. Centauri it's okay... we're all helping to support our Gunstars. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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