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Conference napalm::commusic_v1

Title:* * Computer Music, MIDI, and Related Topics * *
Notice:Conference has been write-locked. Use new version.
Moderator:DYPSS1::SCHAFER
Created:Thu Feb 20 1986
Last Modified:Mon Aug 29 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2852
Total number of notes:33157

2469.0. "DECtalk on stage. Hints?" by KAOSWS::PARISEAU (MIDI? Isn't that French for NOON?) Wed Oct 10 1990 19:15

I have written a song in the middle of which there is a dialog between 
a human voice and a DECtalk. I don't have a DECtalk but can probably 
borrow one for a weekend or something. Here is a question for those of 
you who have some stage/sound engineering experience...

What's the best way (set-up, mechanism, trick) to incorporate this 
"conversation" in a live show?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Robert
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
2469.1I am perfect! Are you?LNGBCH::STEWARTInstant gratification takes 2 long!Thu Oct 11 1990 00:4812
What's the best way (set-up, mechanism, trick) to incorporate this 
"conversation" in a live show?

	Lots of overworked fog machines and a Hammond B3 rigged to fall
	over easily worked back in the early 70's.  Keith Emerson got a
	lot of mileage out of this stuff on the Brain Salad Surgery tour.
	

	How are you going to drive the DECtalk box?  Is the timing built
	into your software, or are you going to have to trigger the
	responses?

2469.2I've done itVICE::JANZENTom MLO21-4/E10 223-5140Thu Oct 11 1990 11:5710
I've used synthesized voice in live performance.  I just put it on tape, but it 
could have worked live easily, even more easily.  It was a Commodore Amiga (R).
In my script, the voice started and I practiced answering.  It was the
instructions for launching an ICBM.  The computer would say,
"Turn VSRB to position three."
me live:
"VSRB to Position three."
 etc. for about 20 lines.

Tom
2469.3-< Details, details >-< Details, details >KAOSWS::PARISEAUMIDI? Isn't that French for NOON?Thu Oct 11 1990 15:0013
    re: .2
    
    I didn't want to skew the answers by saying "I want to tape it and
    play it back on stage"...but that was what I figured I'd have to do.
    Which brings me to ...
    
    re: .3
    
    Once you have the thing recorded and the tape plugged into the board, 
    what are some techniques used to trigger it? Footswitch on remote? 
    Telepathy? Well aimed ball bearing at the play button?
                                          
    Robert
2469.4techniqueVICE::JANZENTom MLO21-4/E10 223-5140Thu Oct 11 1990 15:115
My sound engineer/actor/lighting person ran the tape on cue, which had
the computer speech with quiet spaces between for me to speak.
If i had used the computer I could have hit a return key or something to
cue the whole speech or each individual speech.
Tom
2469.5I guess there are no whiz-bang solutions.KAOSWS::PARISEAUMIDI? Isn't that French for NOON?Thu Oct 11 1990 15:174
    
    Thanks! I'll try that.
    
    Robert
2469.6Portable PC driving the DECtalkRIPPLE::LUKE_TEThu Oct 11 1990 16:5612
    I did a little live presentation at my boy's school a few times.
    I drove the DECtalk with a portable PC.  I simply wrote a few line
    BASIC program that read in a line from a file and output it through
    the serial port.  It would then wait for RETURN, then read the next
    line and output it through the serial port.  The DECtalk was hooked
    to the serial port.  That way I didn't have to worry about timing
    blank spaces or anything which was important because I included
    some audience interaction which is hard to predict.  I also didn't
    want the DECtalk talking over any audience laughter.
    
    Are you going to let the DECtalk do any singing?
    
2469.7Ding Dong! It's the Digital Lady.KAOSWS::PARISEAUMIDI? Isn't that French for NOON?Thu Oct 11 1990 20:3322
    
    I don't necessarily want to buy a DECtalk, (unless I can get one at 
    an affordable price) thus I need to record the thang...
    (Hmmm! I could always sample the DECtalk voice...if I had a sampler.)
    
    I haven't decided whether I will converse with the thing, live on stage 
    or if I will record the whole conversation and simply playback during 
    the show. The conversation is about an 8 sentence exchange between a 
    female voice speaking in French (you can do that if you give DECtalk
    the proper phonem-based text...it just has a thick English accent, 
    which is perfect for this lady's part) and a human speaking in French 
    (he has a thick French [Parisian] accent).
    
    I guess the live thing is more entertaining, but there are plenty of 
    sound-effects during the conversation that can be done live via any
    type of MIDI trigger device...and that could be just as entertaining.
    All this is done over a funky background riff. The conversation is 
    of a steamy nature and involves virtual reality where human-machine 
    interfaces allow you to plug into your favorite fantasy. It's called
    Database Darling.
    
Robert