MAKE: Blog: Gestural speech synth

Gestural speech synth

Gestural Speech Synth
Vowel Shapes

Matt Gilbert's speech synthesizer let's you recreate vocalsounds via touch interface -

Rather than typing or otherwise encoding text, the way you control speech with this synth is by imitating the shape made by a throat when speaking. When you lay your hand onto the controller, the tips of your fingers correspond to your mouth and your forearm corresponds to the back of your throat. The more you press down, the more you open that part of the throat. Currently, this synth can only control vowel sounds, but it does so fluidly; you don't choose between one vowel or another, but you move fluidly between them through different gestures. This allows for more variation in inflection and emphasis.

For video, more info and other acoustic works see - Gestural speech synth

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Comments

Oldest comments listed first.

Posted by: nelsonii on April 2, 2008 at 3:44 PM

Interesting UI

I love how he connected the strings to sliding pots and then "spring" loaded them (with rubber bands). Very inventive.

Posted by: Tom on April 2, 2008 at 11:28 PM

Related ?

How is the scrollbar scarf related to this ?

Posted by: Collin Cunningham on April 3, 2008 at 10:18 AM

@Tom -

the scarf is work from the same maker

Posted by: Volkemon on April 3, 2008 at 8:19 PM

@ Tom- I was wondering too, but have a 'related peeve' anyway.

@collin- thanx for the answer. I must have missed the 'from the same maker' (MAKEr...;) link before...maybe not. I looked close to try to figger out the 'related' content of the scarf.

Posted by: Collin Cunningham on April 9, 2008 at 3:45 PM

@Volkemon

I added that little explanation after Tom asked
We appreciate the input!

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