Robot Voice

A robotic (or computer) voice is a sound similar to a voice produced through synthesis. Earlier, a vocoder or a voice encoder was used exclusively for this, in order to reproduce the human language and voice. In the coding process, the entry signal is conducted through a band filter, by which each band is conducted through a sleeve curve. The control signals are then conveyed to the decoder from the sleeve curve. The decoder applies the amplitude of the control signs in the respective filters of a synthesizer. This coding is also applied in order to encode speech that is too acoustic. By encrypting the control signals, the language translation can be secured against bugging.
Another method to produce the robotic voice is the electronic alteration of an already existing language recording through the modification of pitch, speed, or a change in formants (harmonic content). While the vocoder sends the language, the control signal is received as a recording by the artificial change. Furthermore, the vocoder recording may be changed later. The “robotic voice” is a recurring element in the popular music of the 20th century. Besides, vocoders, just as artificial language recordings, are used in TV productions, films (Star Wars, Battlestar Gallactica, Transformers). These are also used in software applications, such as Google Translate. Here is an Audacity workshop about robotic voices. In this workshop, all voices are produced artificially.