Greatest Performances by a Speech Synthesizer

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So what are they? NOT interested in the vocoder for the purposes of this question, we're talking completely computer-generated vocals. What songs use them in the most interesting way?

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:18 (twenty-two years ago)

i like that speak n spell sounds on an early track by L_F_O

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Isn't there a S&S version of "Nothin But a G Thang" on the internet somewhere?

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Friday, 11 June 2004 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Sparky and his magic piano.

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:31 (twenty-two years ago)

spectrum/sonic boom circa "data rape"

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Wipeout

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:34 (twenty-two years ago)

the first example of speech synthesis (correct me if i'm wrong) is a rendition of bicycle built for two that computer sound guru max mathews produced in the 50s. it's on soulseek but isn't really remarkable for any reason but being first.

(xpost) e.a.r. - data rape, made from circuit-bent speak & spells. but i haven't actually heard it and according to ned's allmusic entry there isn't much in the way of recognizable human speech on it.

radiohead - fitter happier wankier. we all know this one, so perhaps the most iconic example of speech synthesis?

the best live use of speech synthesis i ever saw was the first week of high school when i went to the school's robot lab (it was a nerd school) and my friend showed me the nascent speech synthesizer someone was building and he typed something in on the keyboard for it to say and pressed enter and out came in a flat monotone "re-ip the sis-tam" hahaha i loved it.

― common_person (common_person), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:35 (twenty-two years ago)

the first speech synth was actually analog and mechanical! check wolfgang von kempelen.

― caspar (caspar), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:38 (twenty-two years ago)

who the fuck listens to radiohead?

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

ok i will

oh and i think fitter happier uses the built-in macintosh speech synth program, right? and there's a song by smashmouth (...) that uses the same voice of that synth, i think it's called digging your scene. probably the most common speech synth program on records since all them artistic types use macs.

― common_person (common_person), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.haskins.yale.edu/haskins/HEADS/SIMULACRA/kempelen.html

― caspar (caspar), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

yea, any song with a default macintosh voice used = dud, unless you are fucking FAXED HEAD

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

If the "java-plus-plus-plus quad rendering" etc. bit on Deltron 3030's speech synthesis, then add that.

― otto, Friday, 11 June 2004 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

This is done with plain old Mac voices, but made to sing in quite a primitive, yet painstaking way -- each note pitch and tempo shifted. I find the results oddly spooky and moving:

Momus: Sempreverde mp3

(From my 2005 album 'The Artist Overwhelmed By The Grandeur of Ancient Ruins'.)

― Momus (Momus), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

the answer is obviously Hrvatski's 'vatstep DSP' on 'swarm & dither'

― caspar (caspar), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I also like this one:

Chordmeister: Generation Sex mp3

It was made using Virtual Singer software.

― Momus (Momus), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:49 (twenty-two years ago)

"Genetic Engineering" by OMD

― Andrew Beaujon (beaujon), Friday, 11 June 2004 14:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey Andrew...

My faves are the aforementioned Hrvatski track (in the Discman today) and Cyclb's "Rewind".

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 11 June 2004 15:14 (twenty-two years ago)

"Electric Cafe" and "Expo 2000" and "Tour de France Soundtracks" by Kraftwerk

― sexyDancer, Friday, 11 June 2004 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

"Speech Songs" -- Charles Dodge
"F.U.N.K." -- Stereonerds (or most Atom Heart records for that matter)

― direct_program, Friday, 11 June 2004 15:25 (twenty-two years ago)

My favorite speech synthesis performance was when I got festival to say "Mason likes the pooooody" in a variety of accents. Mason was one of my roomates in college BTW.

― Mike Salmo (salmo), Friday, 11 June 2004 15:26 (twenty-two years ago)

SEEK YE

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 11 June 2004 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

The Max Matthews track is, for the lack of a better word, adorable. It's on the "Early Modulations" comp and I usually have to play it three times in a row to get my fix of it.
LFO's "We Are Back" is even better than "LFO". The lyrics are much better!
Kraftwerk used voice synthesis on tracks such as "The Man Machine" and "The Robots", right?
who the fuck listens to radiohead?
Exactly. I'm surprised it took an entire six posts for "Fitter Happier" to be mentioned.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 11 June 2004 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)

no mention of Cylob's "Rewind" yet...

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 11 June 2004 15:51 (twenty-two years ago)

"Straight Outta Comp USA" by Commodore 64

― Neb Reyob (Ben Boyer), Friday, 11 June 2004 16:20 (twenty-two years ago)

except for mark, who just mentioned it.

console's "14 zero zero" is probably my favourite. and, recently, benny benassi's "love is gonna save us".

― m. (mitchlnw), Friday, 11 June 2004 16:23 (twenty-two years ago)

that dictionaroake (sp?) thing from a couple years ago featured a great "bohemian rhapsody".

― m. (mitchlnw), Friday, 11 June 2004 16:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd go for "14 Zero Zero" too; and Add N To (X)'s "Plug Me In".

― Diego Valladolid (dvalladt), Friday, 11 June 2004 16:26 (twenty-two years ago)

AIR - "HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL?"
BEST. SONG. EVER.

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 11 June 2004 17:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Christopher Just - 'I'm A Disco Dancer (And A Sweet Romancer)'
Cornelius - 'Fantasma Spot', 'Brazil' (though he does this live with a voice modulator, but it doesn't sound exactly the same so, hmmmmmmmmm)

― Crickets Dance On Tequila Booty (Barima), Friday, 11 June 2004 18:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Owning, ruling and defining: Zappa's "Crab Grass Baby" --

***Stroke me pompadour, pompaduooor, pompaduooor, pompaduooor. Stroke me pompadour, father. Stroke it nicely while I tell you about the problems I am having with my car an my girlfriend. Ooo-wo-woo, the white man's burden!***

― briania (briania), Friday, 11 June 2004 18:28 (twenty-two years ago)

"Rewind" is great, but "Cut the Midrange, Drop the Bass" is better still. Also seconded, "Plug Me In" and that Hrvatski track.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Friday, 11 June 2004 18:40 (twenty-two years ago)

you guys havent heard shit till my new tracks get released. *

*empty threat?

― astroblaster (astroblaster), Friday, 11 June 2004 20:14 (twenty-two years ago)

> Kraftwerk used voice synthesis on tracks such as "The Man Machine" and "The Robots", right?

No, that's vocoding.

There is speech synthesis on Computer World, however.

― Palomino (Palomino), Friday, 11 June 2004 21:46 (twenty-two years ago)

all of mc hawkings catalogue.

― phunktion, Saturday, 12 June 2004 05:02 (twenty-two years ago)

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