Kaiwa Panel
See the assembly manual
Robovox
Robovox’s design is inspired by the Patent “System for and method of synthesizing singing in real-time” filed on 03.05.90 by Florian Schneider, Gert Joachim Ott, and Gert Jalass.
It describes a musical instrument that can produce a speech and sing in real-time via MIDI controls.
A magical speech synthesizer chip lives at the heart of the instrument: the Votrax SC-02 invented by Richard T. Gagnon.
The Votrax SC-02 chip can generate speech by stringing phonemes together.
The Votrax SC-02 contains registers that allow software control of the speech rate, pitch, pitch movement rate, amplitude, articulation rate, vocal tract filter, and of course, phoneme selection.
Most of these functions are implemented in the MIDI control software.
In Robovox, we also implemented an undocumented function of the chip: the internal audio carrier can be replaced by an external one to produce vocoder-like effects.
The result is simply excellent. You can also use this feature as an effect to apply to the carrier! Check this demo where I play with the pitch of the external carrier with a Genki ring (@ 0:48) (sorry for the lousy audio -video sync)
Specifications
Hardware
- Add-on board to fit on Kraftor, Emy or Emy Terminal via the MikroBUS port
- Host the vintage SC-02 Votrax speech chip
- Audio carrier input for vocoder like effect
Midi controls
- MIDI note ON note OFF mapped to the SC02’s phonemes
- Velocity
- Pitch (coarse control by clocking the chip)
- CC2 Note Pitch (fine control using the chip inflection/pitch register)
- Mod Wheel mapped to filter
- CC 64 sustain ON/OFF to choose between the internal and external carrier
Emy / Terminal EMY Firmware
The code runs on Terminal or Emy. It comes in 2 versions, depending on how you want to sequence it. You can drive it either as a USB MIDI instrument or via a classic MIDI serial TRS connector. The code also allows CV controls so it can be used in a Eurorack setting
Sequencing the chip
VST-Plugin
The chip is quite easy to sequence with the help of a plugin that works almost like the original Atari software used by Kraftwerk.
Ableton MIDI Effect Rack
You can also sequence the chip by sending phonemes from the piano roll (here: UH R A N E U M ) 
I made a MIDI effect rack for Ableton to simplify the introduction of text
Media
Here are a few Kraftwerk covers made by Andrew Shaw. These are astonishing variants of the original ones: respectful to the original songs but with their specificities or identities.
Andrew is using the Robovox precisely as Kraftwerk used to do: first by finding the correct phonemes to be uttered, then launching them in perfect timing and duration, and finally tuning the pitch to have the chip sing in tune!
( all parameters sent live to the Robovox from within the DAW)
Terminal
The casing allows adding any of the Vox modules inside just by removing four screws.
As with Emy, Terminal can be used in a CV-controlled environment or act as a MIDI instrument.
You can install the various firmware on the SD card before powering the device.
A pair of shunts allows the user to connect Terminal either as a MIDI USB unit or as a host for a USB keyboard for text entry.
On request, a serial TRS jack MIDI Type B connector can also be added.
(note: not all firmware are supporting MIDI yet. MIDI support is under development)
Please check this page for more information: https://www.polaxis.be/
Features :
100 % Emy compatible, including adding additional voices
USB port for power or MIDI or USB connection
Optional TRS jack MIDI Type B connector
USB host connector for computer keyboard
Shunts (must be removed when connecting a keyboard, otherwise, they must be placed vertically)
Line in & out stereo jack 1/4″ (line in only used for the Robovox module)
Trimpot to adjust the audio level input (only used for the Robovox module)
Terminal in action
Emy Blank Panel
See the assembly manual
VAX vox
What is Dectalk
Dectalk was a speech synthesizer and text-to-speech technology developed by Digital Equipment Corporation in 1984, mainly based on the work of Dennis Klatt at MIT.
The Dectalk Express what connected to the serial port and would speak what was being “printed.”
The synthesizer can process text and produce speech with nine different voices. The Dectalk engine includes a parser that gives users fine control over the synthesized speech’s quality, pitch, and intonation. Dectalk can also be programmed to play phonemes and sing with quite a realistic expression.
[hxae<300,10>piy<300,10> brr<600,12>th<100>dey<600,10> tuw<600,15> yu<1200,14>_<120>]
[hxae<300,10>piy<300,10> brr<600,12>th<100>dey<600,10> tuw<600,17> yu<1200,15>_<120>]
[hxae<300,10>piy<300,10> brr<600,22>th<100>dey<600,19>xdih<600,15>rdeh<600,14>ktao<600,12>k_<120>_<120>]
[hxae<300,20>piy<300,20> brr<600,19>th<100>dey<600,15> tuw<600,17> yu<1200,15>]The command syntax for musical coding sequences is:
[phoneme<duration, pitch numberTiming
Latency
There is a latency of 200 ms between the trigger and the start of the speech. This latency is very consistent, allowing the speech to stay in the tempo even if not precisely on the beat. The firmware uses the gate going down to stop the speech, preparing the chip for the next utterance, so when sequencing some stutter-like speech in a loop, they still fire up in sync with the tempo.
Real-time
The various voice parameters are applied just before triggering the speech and are ineffective while speaking. They are applied to the next utterance. The best is to fiddle a bit with the knobs for the desired effects.
Firmware
Vax Firmware 82.59 KB 12233 downloads
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DECtalk user guide 1.08 MB 8315 downloads
A very useful guide to help you using the DECtalk command and building your own very...Text files
Apollo 11 complete transcript 709.93 KB 8321 downloads
Credits here I modified the script so the various callsigns use differents DECtalk...
Designing Voices 0.73 KB 5053 downloads
Load this file to learn how to design your own voices by tweaking the various voice...
Spell mode demo 2.71 KB 7880 downloads
2 files to show how to use the spell mode : one with a list of three letter acronym...
Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" - pseudo singing mode demo 0.00 KB 42 downloads
Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" First 3 lines in normal text to speech mode,...
Oblique Strategies 3.58 KB 6117 downloads
Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies Original 1975 version (113 lines) ...Songs
Media
Emy Panel
Kaiwa Alternative Voice : F4 (Kaiwaii cute female)
Kaiwa Alternative Voice : M6 (male)
Kaiwa Alternative Voice : F1 (slow female)
Emy Kit
See the assembly manual
Kaiwa Assembled
Prepare your text file in Romaji and have Kaiwa read it out loud for you!
Just in case you wonder how Romaji look like: here is the Japanese lyrics of Kraftwerk’s Radioactivity :
cherunobuiri
harisuba-gu
serafi-rudo
hiroshi-ma
fukushi-ma
nihon,demo,houshanou
kyoumo,itsumademo
fukushima,houshanou
kuuki,mizu,subete
nihon,demo,houshanou
i-ma--sugu,ya-mero-note: the hyphen is used to prolong the vowels (see the Kaiwa-vox’s manual for more on this)
Workflow
Group your lines into a song and save it as a text file on the SD card :
On Kaiwa, manually pick a song and use the Sound pot or its CV entry to pick the line in that song.
A gate signal will trigger the sound while the various pot and CV entries allow tweaking the voice characteristics before processing the speech (not in real-time, but they are applied on the next utterance).
Firmware
Kaiwa Firmware 28.03 KB 637 downloads
Firmware load : Option 1 Saving the "firmware.bin" on the SD card and restart Option...Login is required to access this page
SD card
(if you need to get started with a new sd card)
Kaiwa SD card 1.36 KB 9706 downloads
Image of Kaiwa's default SD card. It contains some files to get started Unzip and...Quickstart Manual
USB TTS mode
This little demo to shows how to use the USB TTS mode on Kaiwa. This function is designed to help you debug your Japanese romaji lines before storing them into a text file for the SD card. (see the user manual for more details).
The speech is triggered by the gate signal, so this mode can also be used to edit and play live text.
Media
Emy Assembled
TMS5220/TMS5100 speech engine
- LPC data are read from the SD card so an infinite vocabulary can be loaded
- Sound and vocabulary can be produced by concatenating allophones and prosody markers from the text file to affect rate, duration, and pitch. No limits here!
- The OLED crisp display allows browsing amongst the files and the lines within files to pick the sound the user wants to generate.
- Speech rendering can be tweaked in real-time to affect, rate, stretch, bend, pitch, and energy.
- All the potentiometers have CV entries attached to them
- Emy produces sounds in 3 major modes: Speech, Repeat, and VCO.
- In Speech mode, the speech starts with a gate signal and is completed before waiting for a new gate signal. The speech has priority.
- In Repeat mode, the speech starts and stops with the gate signal going high or low.
The gate has the priority, and the speech repeats while the gate is high. This mode is handy to create crazy rhythms. - In VCO mode, the LPC engine loops while the gate is high, producing steady notes.
Technical Details
- 16 hp
- micro SD card reader to read the text or update the firmware
- Diode for reverse polarity protection on power lines
- Consumption : +12V 60mA / -12V 18 mA
- Cortex-M0 ARM processor
- All inputs: 100k impedance, 12-bit ADC.
- CV control designed for 0-5 V entries
- aux out signal 5V
- OLED display
- mikroBUS host
- Output level 8 Vpp
- A USB port for communication, firmware updates, and USB keyboard text entry
Firmwares
Emy MIDI Serial 95.37 KB 54501 downloads
This firmware works both on Emy 2018 and 2019 editions. It allows Emy to behave like...
Emy MIDI USB 79.49 KB 54061 downloads
This firmware works both on Emy 2018 and 2019 editions. It allows Emy to behave like...
Emy Firmware 65.95 KB 101618 downloads
This firmware is designed for Emy 2019 edition (PCB revision 1.0c). It can run on...SD card
(if you need to get started with a new sd card)
Emy SD card image 32.99 KB 7400 downloads
Image of Emy's default SD card. It contains some .lpc files and .phon files to get...More files
Emy
View AllMIDI
The MIDI version of the code (see above in Firmware) works great with this Ableton preset file
Emy Ableton MIDI to allophones effect rack 7.87 KB 34205 downloads
MIDI notes are renamed so they match Emy's allophones table This makes it easier...Manuals
Emy 2018 quickstart manual 569.91 KB 283973 downloads
Have a look at this little quick start manual to get started using the Emy 2018 speech...
Emy 2019 quick start manual 3.78 MB 129788 downloads
Have a look at this little quick start manual to get started using the Emy 2019 speech...Media
https://www.youtube.com/embed/JkEYwAl6exk
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