A while back I wrote about VocalID and how important it was for everyone to have their own unique voice. There are people throughout the world that cannot speak due to one reason or another who are stuck with voices that don’t suit them.
It was two years ago when I first saw the TEDTalk about VocalID talking about the need for voice donation. We don’t really think about donating a voice because it isn’t something flashed in front of us like blood, or organs but this is easy to do and takes very little time out of your day.
As a donor you set up an account with VocalID where you gain access to their online recording system. At home, with a microphone, you record yourself speaking sentences that pop up on the screen. Some are funny, others ridiculous, but they all have a purpose. Each word you bank builds upon the hundreds of words a Vocal recipient can say.
I’ll give you an example:
Sally is 24 and lives in Canada but can’t speak due to laryngeal cancer (simply put – cancer of the voice box). She uses a device where she types in what she wants to say and it speaks for her. Similar to Stephen Hawking, where he uses a synthesized male voice to speak. Since Sally’s a 24 year old woman she doesn’t want to sound like nor use the standard synthesized male voice. So, instead, she goes to VocalID where they match her with donors that may fit her age, sex, and location.
That’s where I (a donor) pop up on the list. She listens and selects my voice to be modulated/ synthesized to make her own unique voice. Now instead of hearing Microsoft Sam whenever she types out a sentence, you hear Sally’s voice made just for her.
Here’s a video just put out by VocalID which I think it a cute way of getting the point across. Enjoy! 🙂
May 6, 2016 at 1:58 pm
Probably in the not-too-distant future they’ll just use algorithms to synthesize human speech, realistically. Samples are clunky (large files). In music I much prefer instruments that synthesize instead of sample. But where we’re at now, samples still serve their purpose. And this is a nice idea.
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May 6, 2016 at 6:02 pm
That’s what Vocal ID is working towards. They don’t only provide those who need it a voice, but they are also mapping the human voice. 🙂
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May 6, 2016 at 6:12 pm
Cool, I just looked at their web site. So I guess a minimum of original sound extrapolated by maths and such. More more flexible and convenient. Processors, ram and storage need not be so extensive, I would imagine.
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May 6, 2016 at 7:05 pm
I wouldn’t know but I’m believe so. I just found their ideas revolutionary and wanted to be a part of it. We always are told to donate things but some of the most basic, easily donative things are usually not advertised.
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May 6, 2016 at 9:35 pm
Yeah, well I guess some folks might be reluctant, not knowing exactly where their voice (a very personal thing) is actually going. It looks like cloud storage and access. But still, the cloud is just a name for networked computers, I think. I must admit, I’m a bit reluctant due to the data situation, worldwide. What if, for example, we use our voices to unlock our bank accounts? In the future, I mean. Probably just paranoia on my part but you never know… 🙂
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May 6, 2016 at 9:58 pm
We are more likely going to be using our brain patterns as our passwords in the future… According to some articles at least.
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/57431/20150603/end-of-passwords-our-brain-acitivity-might-be-all-we-need-to-unlock-websites-bank-accounts.htm
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May 7, 2016 at 12:04 am
Extremely thought provoking. I would think that neuroplasticity (changeability) and epigenetics (genetic alterations from environmental stimuli) would complicate the picture. Maybe passwords are here to stay for a while. At least they are easy to reset. 🙂
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