Software Automatic Mouth
1982 speech synthesis program From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Software Automatic Mouth, or S.A.M. (sometimes abbreviated as SAM), is a speech synthesis program developed by Mark Barton and sold by Don't Ask Software. The program was released for the Atari 8-bit computers, Apple II, and Commodore 64. Released in 1982, it was one of the first commercial all-software voice-synthesis programs.[citation needed]
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Atari cover for Software Automatic Mouth | |
| Original author(s) | Mark Barton[1] |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Don’t Ask Software |
| Initial release | 1982 |
| Platform | Apple II, Lisa, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64. |
| Type | Speech synthesis |
Don't Ask Software also sold PokerSAM, a poker game with speech,[2] and also licensed out the S.A.M. engine for use with other games, such as Tales of the Arabian Nights for the Commodore 64.
Technology
The Apple version uses an included expansion card which contains an 8-bit DAC, although hackers created a modified version of S.A.M. which can instead use the computer's one-bit audio output (with the addition of much distortion) if the card is not present.[citation needed] The Atari version makes use of the embedded POKEY audio chip. Speech playback on the Atari normally disables interrupt requests and shuts down the ANTIC chip during vocal output. The audible output is extremely distorted speech when graphic and text display is turned on. The Commodore 64 makes use of the 64's embedded SID audio chip's 4-bit volume DAC, reducing its quality significantly vs the Apple and Atari versions.[citation needed] When producing speech, the Commodore 64 version blanks the screen as the program accesses memory, although a "light" mode can be activated that leaves the screen active, producing a "gravelly" voice. Active sprites also cause a deterioration in the quality of voice output.[3]
Legacy
S.A.M. was used as the basis for the original MacInTalk speech synthesis software.[1]
The technology was recreated for the voice of the character of "SAM" in the software Chipspeech.[4]
References
External links
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