SP0256-019

Overview

The custom SP0256-019 speech processor powered The Voice for the Magnavox Odyssey². The photographed module pairs it with an SPR-128-003 serial speech ROM. Software selects encoded speech sounds and phrases; the chip reconstructs the sound using LPC synthesis.

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A custom game vocabulary

Dan Boris’ technical reference lists a bank containing the allophone selection range and phrases such as “Enemy,” “All clear,” “Open fire,” and “You blew it.” Three further built-in banks contain more words and effects, including explosions, a bee sound, and musical tones. Additional banks can be supplied by cartridges. Bank and command addresses in that reference are console I/O addresses, not a universal standalone-chip wiring recipe.

Speech selection rather than text conversion

This part is configured for the Odyssey’s speech library, rather than being an SP0256-AL2 replacement with identical standalone behavior. Type & Tell performs text conversion in cartridge software. The serial-ROM interface also allows games to extend the speech data.

SP0256 family sample recordings

The audio players below retain the recordings from the shared SP0256 reference: three Currah SP0256-AL2 demonstrations and three Intellivoice SP0256-012 examples. These are comparisons within the speech-chip family, not recordings of the Odyssey’s SP0256-019. They demonstrate how different sound sets and host software gave related chips different voices.

Machines using this chip

The Voice

The Odyssey² speech and sound-effects module used a custom SP0256-019 and SPR-128-003 ROM for talking games, spelling exercises, and Type & Tell.

Explore The Voice