the phrase is done with no guessing. If you are interested
in hearing what phrase "domo" speaks, you can listen to a
sound file that I have placed at the article link, along with
my entire Arduino program. You won't be surprised.
The first phrase it uses is the "stock" voice of the
Soundgin. The second phrase uses the same allophones,
but with emphasis placed on the allophones. The
SpeakCon() function uses the voice control command to
apply your choice of stresses and controls to every
allophone. My application is crude, but shows interesting
results. But, let’s face it, sometimes you have to get used
to the results to understand what it is saying.
Good programming practice shows that abstracting
the lower level details of a command dealing with
hardware makes your code more readable. Listing 3
shows some of those abstractions that I used to make my
main code more readable and easier to write, as well.
Finally — for those that are interested — Listing 4 is
the list of preset sounds that the Soundgin has preprogrammed in.
I’m not going to waste ink on including all of the
commands and voice allophones in this article; you can
get the documentation at the location I gave above. I
didn't bother to abstract them in my program either, since
programming with just numbers is WAY faster (if you are
adept at using the number pad on your keyboard,
anyway).
Conclusion
There you have it! An Arduino project that allows you
to control the Soundgin well enough to produce
impressive sounds and, well, interesting voices. Those of
you that get the source from the article link will see a
SetPitch() function. This sets the pitch (via musical note) of
the voice synthesizer. You can get any pitch from "bullfrog
C" up to "Alvin and the Chipmunks" with that. Some of the
results will leave you rolling on the floor laughing!
You’ll find both the source code and my sound
recordings in the ArduinoSoundgin.zip.
You can get the Soundgin documentation from the
good folks at babblebot.net. While you are at it, you
might check out the GinSing Arduino shield that uses their
Babblebot chip which is identical to the Soundgin chip on
the Savage Innovations board that is used in this article.
Have Fun!
Well, there you have it! You have used up another
good reading session with Mr. Roboto. I hope that no
permanent damage has been done to your psyche and
that you have even learned something that you will use.
Until next month, go build robots! If you have any
questions, be sure to drop me an email at roboto@servo
magazine.com and I'll do my best to answer them. SV
18 SERVO 03.2014
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