found it: first speech synthesizer (at least, for S-100 systems)

[Bill Degnan]

Very interesting Stan.
Thank you for sharing this info
Bill Degnan

On Wed, Dec 16, 2020 at 2:43 AM Stan Sieler via cctalk <
cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Some years back, I was asking if anyone had information about the speech
> synthesizer
> developed for the Altair 8080 by Wirt Atmar of AICS (in New Mexico).
> No "hits".
>
> Most places on the web claimed the Computalker was first, given the date as
> 1976 or 1977.
>
> (Earlier speech synthesizes existed, but they were external boxes that one
> interfaced to,
> or were standalone (often with a large/weird keyboard).)
>
> Today, I stumbled over a fairly bad OCR of Byte magazine from August, 1976
> at
>
> https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1976-08/1976_08_BYTE_00-12_Speech_Synthesis_djvu.txt
>
> It has two articles about speech synthesizers for S-100 bus systems.
>
> The first is by the Computalker people, who say:
>
> At the time this article
> goes to press, a synthesizer
> module incorporating several
> detail refinements and im-
> provements over the circuits
> of this article is being de-
> veloped by the author and
> associates.
>
> and
>
> A detailed user's
> guide will be supplied with the
> Computalker module
>
>
> Note the future tense!
>
> The second is by Wirt Atmar, whose product *was already shipping*.
>
> Near the end of his Byte article, Wirt lists currently available products:
>
> At the present time, two speech synthesizers
> are both commercially available and affordable by
> the hobbyist.
>
> One is the Votrax produced by:
>
> Vocal Interface Division
>
> Federal Screw Works
>
> 500 Stephenson Dr
>
> Troy Ml 48084
>
> Price, approximately $2,000
>
> Interfacing: Parallel or Serial (RS-232)
>
>
> The second is the Model 1000 manufactured by:
>
> Ai Cybernetic Systems
>
> PO Box 4691
>
> University Park NM 88003
>
> Price, $425
>
>
> Wirt had told me (twenty years ago or so) that he thought his was the first
> for microcomputers (e.g., a user installed card, not an external box).
> Now, I'm sure ... but it was realllly close!
>
> Wirt demonstrated his product at the earlier MITS World Altair Computer
> Conven-
> tion, where it won first prize.
>
> He advertised it poorly/infrequently, since it was mostly a side business.
> And, that shows, since history doesn't remember it.
>
> Stan
>