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

[osi.superboard]

great to read this IEEE article , also about the ti speech synthesizer....

see: 
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-history/silicon-revolution/25-microchips-that-shook-the-world


Am 16.12.2020 um 19:07 schrieb ED SHARPE via cctalk:
> Have one filed in somewhere with all the s-100 boards... now I have a reason to dig it out! Yes... memories of Wirt's projects!
> Ed#   smecc
> On Wednesday, December 16, 2020 Bill Degnan via cctalk <billdegnan at gmail.com; cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
> 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
>>