Re: Apple IIGS and speech generation for handicaped

[spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article Louis Cornelio <cornelio@crl8.crl.com> writes...

>Gina Saikin <gsaikin@primenet.com> wrote:
>: >
>: > : I have some friends who's daughter has ALS (Lou Gerigs Disease).  It
>: > : has left her without the ability to speak.  I have a  Apple IIGS I
>: > : would like to outfit with speech for her.  I think the IIGS has the
>
><snip>
>
>: > Byteworks currently has the Talking Tools.  Contact them for more info
>: > on purchasing that software.
><snip>
>: Also, and I don't know where you could get this, the Echo card and text
>: tools do or did exist for the benefit of visually handicapped people.  If
>: someone knows if they are still available, and where they could be
>: gotten...
>
>I am curious, perhaps Mike or someone could clear this up -- is the Echo
>Card required for Talking Tools, or can TT generate the speech w/out the
>card? Any comparison in the output or ease of getting decent output?
>thanks

    Talking Tools (Tool051 and Tool052 actually) generates speech
through the Ensoniq chip in the Apple IIgs. If I recall correctly,
the toolset first appeared in a program called Smoothtalker back
sometime in 1987. The Echo plug-in card, which is mainly intended
for 8-bit Apple II's anyway, is not needed or used by Talking Tools.

    I always thought Talking Tools had a more natural and human-
like male and female voice than the Echo card (Texas Instruments 
5220), Phasor card (SSI 263) or the Amiga with its built-in speech. 
It has a much softer and quiet sounding voice, not nearly as sharp 
and piercing as the others -- although that is only my opinion of
course.

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca