If you're a fan of vocoders and vocal samples, this week's Fess Find is the one for you: it’s a MIDI Talking Synth. Released in 2007 by the German company FLAME Electronic Musical Instruments, the MIDI Talking Synth is notable for its incorporation of two independently controlled Speakjet chips. These unique analog chips, created by Magnevation from the US, were originally designed to provide a robotic talking voice rather than serve as the core oscillator for a synthesizer.
Flame builds on the analog Speakjet chips to create a variety of lo-fi vocalizations. It’s packed with 72 pre-programmed words or allophones that can be played tonally and also integrates an impressive range of random algorithms into its build, which produce captivating results that aren't limited to any set of values or patterns. That in mind, it’s likely that you’ll discover something new each time you experiment. If you prefer control over randomness, look no further than its Sequencer mode: through using one of its two joysticks, users can manually trigger sounds, words, or vowels while the other allows for pitch adjustments. Its synthetic robot voices as well as beeps, alarm noises, and alluring sci-fi sound effects will surely bring nostalgia to retro enthusiasts.
With the Expander mode, you can play its allophones with an external MIDI controller. Despite the Speakjets not initially being created for musical production, it is still partially controllable with MIDI. Flame also incorporated a MIDI-controlled audio tremolo to provide more dynamic control over playback as it does not read Note Off messages from MIDI controllers or sequencers.
This seller has detailed this unit as being in excellent condition and reveals that only a power supply is missing along with some minimal blemishes. Above all, they are open to accepting the highest offer.