VOICEBANK Meaning and
Definition
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A voicebank refers to a collection of recorded vocal samples of an individual or multiple individuals, specifically created for use in speech synthesis, singing, or voice acting applications. It is essentially a database containing various phonetic units and vocals, cataloged to be easily accessible and manipulated by a text-to-speech (TTS) or other voice software.
Typically, a voicebank is created by recording an extensive range of phonemes, words, phrases, and even sentences or paragraphs, in order to capture every possible sound and intonation required for the desired speech generation. These recordings are then meticulously organized and encoded, often in a specific markup language, to allow synthesized voices to string together the appropriate sounds and produce natural-sounding speech.
Voicebanks find application in numerous fields, including computer-assisted language learning, telecommunications, robotics, and entertainment industries. They are commonly used by developers and researchers to build and enhance speech synthesis systems, enabling the generation of lifelike voice output from text input.
Additionally, voicebanks are used in the creation of singing synthesizers, known as Vocaloids, where the recorded samples are especially crafted for singing and song production. These voicebanks contribute to generating vocals with high-quality intonation, giving artists and producers the ability to compose songs using virtual singers.
Overall, a voicebank serves as a crucial resource of pre-recorded vocal data, providing a foundation for advanced speech synthesis and singing software, contributing to the development of more realistic and expressive vocal outputs.
Etymology of VOICEBANK
The word "voicebank" is a compound word formed by combining "voice" and "bank".
The term "voice" originates from the Old French word "vois" or "voiz", which in turn comes from the Latin word "vox", meaning "voice" or "sound". It ultimately traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root "*wégʷʰs", meaning "to speak" or "to say".
The word "bank" comes from the Italian word "banca", meaning a bench or counter where money transactions were conducted. "Banca" itself relates to the Old High German word "bank", which means "bench" or "table".
When combined, "voicebank" refers to a collection or database of recorded voices or vocal samples, often used in the production of speech synthesis or singing synthesis.
