DECtalk

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DECtalk was a speech synthesizer and text-to-speech technology developed by Digital Equipment Corporation in the early 1980s, based largely on the work of Dennis Klatt at MIT, whose source-filter algorithm was variously known as KlattTalk or MITalk.

The first DECtalk units were seen in 1984. They were standalone units that connected to any device with an asynchronous serial port. Later units were produced for PCs with ISA bus slots. In addition, various software implementations were produced, most notably the DECtalk Access32. Certain versions of the synthesiser were prone to undesirable characteristics. For example, the alveolar stops were often assimilated as sounding more like dental stops. Also, versions such as Access32 would produce faint electronic beeps at the end of phrases.

The DECtalk engine was used in the National Weather Service's first "Console Replacement System" (CRS) installations in the late 1990s for NOAA Weather Radio. As of 2003 it had all but been replaced by a far more modern engine called Speechify. The so-called "Perfect Paul" voice (a DECtalk "preset" for a default understandable male voice) still does Station identifications on many NWR stations.

DECtalk can be used as an assistive technology for those unable to speak. One of the most notable users of DECtalk is Stephen Hawking.