Votrax Personal Speech System

Manual says copyright 1982.

[@chocolate-eclair1234]

The last one is my favorite along with I think it’s number four the one where it reads the numbers in that cool voice, and the filter sweeps

[@donbiancamano5663]

I worked for a computer timesharing company that offered this as a service in the late 1970’s. On the mainframe, we created files (EXECs if you’re an old timer) that contained text prompts and the ability to wait for responses and process them. Thus, someone could call a phone number and, when the program executed, they would hear prompts and respond with phone key presses. This was
the beginning of the familiar “Press 1 for customer service, press 2...” that we hear today. It did not understand spoken input.

[@carsonoplinger4289]

I never had a speech synthesizer before.

[@imlxh7126]

0:36 WHOA I love that sound?? Gotta get my hands on one of these chips so that I can run external audio through the filters...you know if this is a SC-01 or -02?

[@gregtaylor8310]

I bought one in the early days, and even bought stock in Federal Screw Works.....still own both. I'm willing to part with both I suppose. It's RS-232 based, and no software that I recall, but haven't played with it in years.

[@sydneyw7375]

Very cool!

[@RetroDawn]

Very cool! What did you use this for? What computer system did you hook it up to and what software did you use?

[@aliensporebomb]

Sounds like Kraftwerk used this for some of their early speech synthesis on "Computer World" and the like.

[@pankaburek59]

They use it since 1975 for their special intruduction meine damen und herren

[@DamionHankejh]

Willing to sell this? ; )

[@thestargazer9253]

They're nifty devices. Where'd you pick this one up?

[@Nothinglabs]

Had it sitting in my closet for the last 30+ years.

[@MDRShab]

Rich Olson nice! Hard to find them intact since the arcade guys buy them to cannibalize the chips

[@pankaburek59]

@@MDRShab 😔

[@AgentPothead]

Anybody else think of the Jaws Theme when that self test started off?
th-cam.com/video/ZvCI-gNK_y4/w-d-xo.html