Voice banking is a process that allows a person to record a set list of phrases with their own voice, while they still have the ability to do so. This recording is then converted to create a personal synthetic voice.
When the person is no longer able to use their own voice, they can use the synthetic voice in speech-generating communication devices to generate an infinite number of words and sentences. The voice created will be synthetic and not be a perfect replica of the person’s natural speech, but it will bear some resemblance.
The purpose of this is to save phrases, laughs, jokes, favorite sayings, etc. in the voice of the person before he or she can no longer speak. It sounds like a great idea, although it is not something we plan to do yet.
In fact, Dr. Ravits said that Ron may never have ALS affect his speech, as it is almost six years since his first symptoms appeared and he has not developed any respiratory or speech problems. If and when the time comes, voice banking seems like a great idea.
I checked it out on line and there is an app for that. There's an app for everything these days. You can load the app on your phone, then record whatever you want to say. "I love you, give me a kiss, please get my phone for me, where is the remote, how's your mom? Pepper I love you, how are the grandkids? and how are Brian, David and Phil? and what's for dinner?" are phrases that come to mind.
As I'm sitting here writing this, I'm thinking this is a great way to preserve an elderly family member's voice. There is nothing that brings a person to life more than hearing their voice. Many people have family members record their life story, or parts of their life, for future generations to enjoy. This is similar, but for ALS patients or others who lose the ability to speak, voice banking helps preserve this.
No comments:
Post a Comment