Technical Yada-Yada

From time to time, people ask about the technical details of Video Voice. So I asked the programming staff to provide some, and here’s what they had to say.

The heart of the Video Voice software is a specially developed Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) routine packaged in a .dll. It "pumps" the speech data to the various therapy displays and games. The FFT analyzes data obtained from the computer’s sound card and extracts F1, F2, F3, Pitch and Volume data as well as the strength of each frequency in the range of (70-7000 Hz), while simultaneously allowing graphic display and analysis in real-time. The FFT was developed for Version 3.0 and replaces a patented filtering process that required external Speech Analyzer hardware in previous versions of the software. The .dll also contains a set of precision timers that permits timed operations on computers with different internal processor speeds. The ability to use the computer’s sound facilities to record and play back sound files is another capability.

The Video Voice program consists of 270,000+ lines of VB6 programming code organized in more than 5,700 procedures. If printed as a book (called a listing in the old days), it would be over 7,200 pages long. Needless to say, we never print listings any more! In addition to the program code, there are nearly 1,000 built-in picture and sound (.wav) files, and an extensive Help subsystem with more than 150 topics that document program operation and use.

Have your eyes glazed over yet?

So, what does all this mean to Video Voice users? Well, there are 31 different colorful, motivating games and displays with more than 70 different modes of operation that can easily be customized to your personal needs. Most have entertaining graphic animations to reward successful performance. Individuals’ vocal productions are recorded and can be saved as models for repeated use. For most games and displays, performance can be reviewed in a variety of single session and cross-time reports and graphs. Whether your computer is an old workhorse with Windows 2000 or a fancy new one driven by Windows 7, Video Voice will run on it.

The program is fully documented with context-sensitive Help – just click the Help button at any time, and the internal manual will open to the page appropriate for the area where you’re working. There’s also a "Help Me Choose" interactive guide that helps you select appropriate areas for most common speech goals, as well as integrated Demos that use prerecorded audio to simulate operation of the games and displays. Adjustable options and game controls have "tool tips," helpful little hints that pop up to let you know what their basic functions are when you pause your cursor over them. Also integrated are a number of printable PDF supporting materials that suggest activities for work on pitch, volume, articulation and more.

First released in 2006, Version 3.0 is still undergoing development. We continue to find new things to add and ways to enhance what it can do. But more on that later!

Good speech to you,

Video Voice Support Team
1-800-537-2182
mv@videovoice.com