Why No Built-In Models?

We recently had someone ask why we don't have any samples of correct production of "default speech models" built into Video Voice. Well, there are several reasons why we decided to let the therapist or another speaker be in charge of providing the models of target words, sounds, and phrases in Video Voice, rather than doing it ourselves.

First of all, do you know how many words there are in the English language alone? According to the Global Language Monitor, there are now more than 1,000,000 words in the English language, and a new one is coined approximately every 98 minutes! To define and produce models for even 10% of them would be a daunting task!

F2/F1  pattens for "bit" (red)  and "beet"

Temporal display - Mechanical engineer

A second reason is that we don't know what speech issues any given child  (or adult) may have or what type of sounds or words that person needs to practice. Is it a small child who needs to learn basic production of sounds and simple words?  Or is it a non-native speaker who needs to learn the difference between two similar sounds such as /e/ and /I/ (/e/ as in “sheet metal”) or the appropriate rate/timing in a phrase such as “mechanical engineer”?  The target models and way to illustrate them is really up to the therapist to decide!

Third, there are significant dialectical differences across regions in this large country. "Normal" largely depends on where you happen to be located. A person from the northeast part of the country and a person in the south may pronounce the same word quite differently. Here's a link to a fascinating set of 22 national maps showing dialects' impact on speech that graphically illustrate some of these geographical differences.

Illustrating Dialectical Differences in "Yes

Take, for example, a simple word like “Yes,” and how differently it can sound coming from the mouths of celebrities Katie Couric and Paula Deen.  Katie would say “yEHs” while Paula’s vocalization would be more like “YAY-us.” Which is right and which is wrong? Really depends on where you are, doesn't it?  This screen image shows how these two productions would look in Video Voice (the shorter "yEHs" is in blue, "YAY-us" in red.)  Illustrating these kinds of differences makes the feedback effective for both accent reduction (ESL) or training (e.g., actors), as well as learning basic production of sounds.

Then there's the fact that people have different voice qualities. A man with a low-timbered voice and a woman with a higher-pitched voice would not tend to “score” well against each other's models, but their fundamental frequency differences will certainly be visible.  If a woman needs to lower her speaking pitch, or a man raise his, that can be accomplished with the visual feedback in Video Voice.

Therapists can define the models themselves, or have a speaker of the same age and voice quality do the voicing of target sounds and words for individuals in their caseloads. If you're working with children, for example, perhaps having the “cool kid” in the class be the one to create models could be a good strategy.  However, when the person receiving therapy does an accurate production of a desired sound/word, it's very easy, and desirable, to turn that production into the model. It's always easiest to match your own voice productions.

In conclusion, when looking at Video Voice for your speech needs, bear in mind that it is not a speech recognition program. It's a tool designed for training vocal production, one that illustrates sound and voice quality characteristics in various ways, offering an entertaining and motivating framework for learning, practicing, and improving speech skills.

Yours in good speech,

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

What's New? Version 3.0.128 Has Launched!

Long time, no blog...  Perhaps you thought we'd dropped off the face of the earth.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  We've been busy for a number of months working on the recent release of Video Voice Version 3.0.128.  Just when we were about ready to release it last fall, Microsoft threw us a bit of a curve ball with their own release of the new Windows 8 operating system.  If you have tried it, you know that it's very different from earlier versions of Windows!  Rather than release the new version with unknown compatibility, we spent the next several months making sure Video Voice will operate correctly on this new platform.

Now, FINALLY, we're happy to announce the release Version 3.0.128.  In addition to Windows 8 compatibility and all its previous, fabulous features and capabilities, Video Voice 3.0 now includes:

• Fundamental frequency measurement to complement other Assessment capabilities.
• Customization of on-screen reward text and other prompts to correspond with user-modified audios to personalize the therapy experience
• Enhanced trace operation in the Multi-Frequency Formant Spectral Display to make it easier to capture sounds for practice, opening up potential for work on minimal pairs, in addition to high frequency sounds and more
• Goal scoring in the Formant Multi-Frequency Gobble game to make display more effective for therapy use
• F2/F1 and Multi-Frequency (F3/F2) Gobble display access directly from Formant Menu to make reaching this powerful feedback mode easier.
• Simultaneous display of pitch and volume in P-A-R Connected Speech, with volume shown as peaks and pitch in spectrum colors
• New Streaming Speech P-A-R display, provides live, "marching" display of pitch, volume, or both volume and pitch (as color) 
• New Fun & Games 12-Pack, a lower price option for those with limited budgets or interest only in game practice options
• Price reduction on all other software packages
• Revised internal documentation (Help) with more internal links to relevant pages
• Improved Windows 7 operation

There are numerous benefits to purchasing the Video Voice Speech Training System.  The most important one is the change the displays and games bring to the therapy process - helping individuals feel more in charge of their speech skills.  Another significant benefit is that software updates are FREE.  As we add new features and capabilities, you may download and install a new copy at no additional cost.

Already an Authorized User?  Please visit www.videovoice.com/vv_curel.htm to download Version 3.0.128 and update your Video Voice software.    

Haven't yet made the investment in this valuable tool for your speech therapy activities?  What are you waiting for?  Download Video Voice 3.0 and try it for 30 days, with absolutely no charge, at www.videovoice.com/vv_demo.htm.

We'll be back soon to tell you more about some of these new capabilities and offer more thoughts on how visual feedback can accelerate the therapy process.  Meanwhile, have questions?  Need assistance with using Video Voice with your caseload?  Want to restart a free trial you previously used to evaluate Video Voice's potential for your therapy needs?  Just pick up the phone and give us a call, or send an email.  We'd love to hear from you!

Yours in good speech,

Video Voice Support Team

1-800-537-2182

mv@videovoice.com

Let's Talk Video Voice!

When starting up a blog, the biggest challenge is figuring out where to start! With the Video Voice Speech Training System, there is a LOT to talk about. It has a long history, having been successfully used by speech therapists in schools, hospitals and clinics for more than 25 years. It has numerous games and displays that provide visual feedback to assist in speech therapy with almost any kind of speech problem, with young children through adults.

Over the years, Video Voice has undergone many changes, getting better with each new version, as we make additions and enhancements based on our own testing and creative thinking, as well as feedback from people using it. Feedback from therapists has historically been an important part of Video Voice development, and we take comments and suggestions seriously. If there’s something someone doesn’t like, we try to modify operation accordingly. If someone has an idea for a new game or display, we do our best to incorporate it.

One example is the Chat-N-U-Go Choo-Choo game, requested by a therapist who had some children in her caseload who were fascinated by trains. In response, we added a game in which sound production makes a train move through a mountain scene. Another therapist really wanted non-violent game graphics in the Bombs Away! game (now called Bulls Eye!), so we added an option in which a plane drops care packages to waiting hungry villagers instead of bombs on ships or tanks. (The boys still like the bombs best, though - no big surprise!) That therapist also suggested a cause-and-effect display that would result in flowers growing when a cloud rains in the right places, and the Flower Power game option was born. There are lots of other examples, but the point is that we listen to our users and do our best to make Video Voice do what they need it to do.

The goal of this blog is to provide a forum for communicating with our users, as well as people who are considering adding it to their speech therapy tool kits. We’ll tell you about the history, discuss different ways the visual feedback can be used in the therapy process, let you know about new things that we’ve added or are in progress, and answer questions you may have. We welcome your thoughts, opinions, feedback and suggestions.

If you don’t already have Video Voice, you can download the software and try it for free for 30 days to see what benefits it may offer you. Just visit www.videovoice.com and click any of the Free Trial links to get started. By the way, there’s no on going financial obligation with the trial, no credit card necessary to download and try out the games and displays - the trial simply expires at the end of the 30-day period. (You will need an external microphone, and the one we recommend is the Logitech USB Desktop model. It’s a good quality but inexpensive mic that’s commonly used in telecommunications and gaming, and it is easily available at most electronics stores or online, generally for around $30.) If you do already use Video Voice, remember that you can get no-charge updates as new versions are released to keep your software up-to-date.

That’s it for now, and we look forward to more Video Voice Talk with you!

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