Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"People ask me how I do research for my science fiction. The answer is, I never do any research. I just enjoy reading the stuff, and some of it sticks in my mind and fits into the stories."
- Frederik Pohl
 |
| Perfect Voice Modulation | ||
| Artificially creating the perfect human singing voice. |
The author describes the current fashion in singing, complex modulation and range of octave, perfectly:
But perfect voices are one in a million, and those with such voices command unheard-of salaries. Right?
The actual words could not, of course, be distinguished, and between each stanza the voice yodeled up the scale in an astonishing manner, perfection itself as regards tonal value, but really rather terrifying in effect. Still it was regarded as the highest form of modern art, embodying, in subtle harmonics, all the violent passions of the earlier and more primitive world. Even the matter-of-fact doctor felt his pulse tingle at a particularly complex burst of crescendo and smiled ruefully at the vision of his client
| They hurried through the central projector hall into a smaller chamber, the walls of which were decked with huge photographic prints of sound records. Several men were adding to the collection as though their lives depended upon the job. “Look here,” Nash indicated three six-foot long prints. “This represents part of a single sound pronounced by Dorna Guiselle and Miss Wentworth. It was recorded by the ‘fulltone’ process having an effective response up to twenty thousand cycles per second. See the difference?”
 (The perfect voice from 'Prima Donna 1980' by Bernard Brown) The doctor nodded. “Dorna Guiselle’s is more peaky. I suppose that is due to your precious harmonics?” “Yes, yes of course. But don’t you see the significance?” Then as the doctor merely stared, “The full line is the fundamental wave and the dotted one the mean through the harmonic area above the fundamental. You must be blind, man, if you don’t see the dotted lines are similar and both reduce to the same curve! Plotted to a common base they show only difference due to experimental error.” His forefinger pointed out a lower curve under which was printed “Harmonic Indicator”. This curve can be derived from either the voice of Dorna Guiselle or Wentworth — it is common to them both. There, from either voice I am given a factor which will enable me to choose harmonics from records of the other.” “You’ll have to explain further, I’m afraid,” remarked the doctor drily. He did not like the way Nash referred to Joyce Wentworth. Nash almost danced in impatience. “Harmonics are expression, emotion — joy, sorrow, hate, love, greed and all the rest of them. The curve of the harmonic indicator is the curve of emotion. Wentworth sings into the microphone. I filter off the harmonics, leaving the fundamentals below, say 1,200. The harmonics are automatically integrated by light before a photoelectric cell, which gives pulses proportional to emotion, expression or whatever you like to call it. “These, after suitable amplification, are impressed as a modulator upon a very delicate oscillator having a range from 1,200 to 20,000 cycles per second, which thus differentiates the flat curve into its component fre- quencies. The resultant speech current is then added to the fundamental from Wentworth and the composite current goes to the main soundcast amplifiers. “Aren’t you as badly off as you were at first?” asked the doctor with a puzzled frown. “You seem to have cut off the top of Miss Wentworth’s voice and then elaborately put it back again.” “Rot!” snapped Nash. “I cut her off her top, if you like, but then I add a fresh one. Not Dorna Guiselle’s even; scientifically perfect frequencies as can be obtained only from a thermionic oscillator. It is the perfect voice.” |
| Technovelgy from Prima Donna 1980,
by Bernard Brown. Published by Amazing Stories in 1931 Additional resources -
|
Eventually, the implications are made clear.
The words were silly, trivial — but the voice. Again the doctor felt the thrill of vocal perfection. Doubtless many millions all over the world were experiencing similar sensations. Even the stolid operators at the meters and switches glanced furtively at the flat face of the condenser speaker, as though wondering if such sounds really came from a thing of copper and beryllium.
“Let’s go; the thing’s uncanny.”
Even the coarse voices of ordinary performers are raised to levels of perfection only dreamed of by patrons of opera!
“Schonberg, you’re a fool !” The words rang out again. “You’ve killed your golden goose.” Nash suddenly laughed and there was ridicule in his voice. “World Teletainments and Jos Schonberg,” he sneered. “The perfect voice is the voice of- science. There is no human variable. All voices are equally perfect. Put your guards in there, Schonberg; let them sing! Yes, even you, Schonberg, can be a Caruso!"
Compare to the artificially produced speech from Hotel Cosmos (1938) by Raymond Z. Gallun.
“Cut down that volume,” Nash snapped behind his back. An operator made a quick adjustment to a potentiometer knob and the sound diminished and faded right out. Out of the silence came a voice.
For from the loud speaker broke out the dialogue of the comedy which formed the next item in the programme. The voices were not the rollicking ones of comedy, however, but of magnificent opera. The perfect voice. What was wrong? Was he going mad? He shook his head, but still the voices continued in brilliant, unearthly perfection. He stared at the others. They, too, were gripped with amazement. Only Nash was not impressed.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Prima Donna 1980
More Ideas
and Technology by Bernard Brown
Tech news articles related to Prima Donna 1980
Tech news articles related to works by Bernard Brown
Perfect Voice Modulation-related
news articles:
- Vocaloid Voice - Soul Singing Synthesis
- John Lennon Would Have Loved Auto-Tune - Paul McCartney
- Holly+ Processes Your Singing In Holly Herndon's Voice
| Heat Waver - The First Ever Combo Solar Collector And Wind Turbine |
| Tesla 'Fleet Response Agents' Bolster FSD Autonomy |
| Robotic Barber Programmed With a Number of Styles |
| Centipede Robots Down On The Farm |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'It’s smart enough to go wrong in very complicated ways, but not smart enough to help us find out what’s wrong.'
'...like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.'
'You hate the whole idea that some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life... in his hands.'
'My homeland is being threatened by the Replicators. Thus far all attempts to stop them have failed.'
'A robobus had just rolled up to the curb.'
'And there in the next room by the sofa sat a familiar suitcase, that of his psychiatrist Dr. Smile.'
'He found a barber shop which, he thought, would be good for an idle hour.'
'Thirty rounds of fighting is tough work. Even for machines.'
'...the excavations were already in progress, for he saw gray slopes of rubble.'
