Voice Changing Software

[MagicHero]

I was pursuing the excellent articles at www.roleplayingtips.com recently and came across a tip which seemed like an excellent idea. The tipster related how his gamemaster made use of some voice changing software on his PC during games to alter his voice.

I could easily see how this could, in moderation, be a very useful tool. Especially for conveying a sense of power/menace/alien-ness for certain NPCs.

I was wondering if anyone has had experience with this and how well it worked.

No software package was mentioned, so I was also wondering if anyone had come across a program like this. I have seen some which came close, but they only worked with pre-recorded dialog, which would make holding conversations difficult at best.

Thanks in advance!
Magic Hero

[Rapier]

Depends on how into this idea you really are.

There are cheapy ones you can buy at Radio Shack or Sharper Image (etc) that will raise or lower the pitch of your voice. Its a little box you talk into.

There are good ones that require a microphone/stereo combo.

Never used any software, but the idea is simple enough. It wouldn't surpirse me at all to find out that some sampling/recording software would include this as a stock feature.

I've never seen much point to music/spooky voice boxes/gadgets. The problem was always that the music etc was never able to match the gameplay. So unless you can game in the orchestra pit with John Williams.... Now THAT would be cool.

[MagicHero]

I hadn't thought about a seperate device to do this. That is a good idea that I'll investigate, even though I am still most interested finding some good software to do this. If anyone else is interested, I'll post what I find about a gadgete to do this.

Thanks, Rapier!

[keithcurtis]

I used to carry a big plastic film tube (about 4' long) with all of my maps to a game session. If you spoke into it with the maps out, your voice immediately became severely Darth-Vaderish. I'd use it for giants and dragons and stuff.

For pre-recorded stuff, I have used some shareware recording software to good effect. I posted a clip here .

Keith "Alvin, Simon, Theodore" Curti

[MagicHero]

Those were some great samples, keithcurtis. It sounds like you do an incredible job with accents.

What shareware recording software did you use, if you don't mind my asking?

Thanks!
Magic Hero

[thausgt]

Assuming that anyone is still interested in this thread, there are numerous resources available online.
www.screamingbee.com
offers a free program designed specifically for use with MMORPGs called "MorphVOX". There's a for-pay version by the same company that allows access to various pre-generated voice patterns.
Lots of other companies offer free trial version of similar programs. Be prepared to shell out around $100.00 for some programs at the higher end of the quality scale, but it could be a good investment if you feel the need to populate an entire village's worth of characters based on your own voice with different manipulations. Fantasy/Space Hero fans take note: there are a number of programs that offer voice morphing patterns designed specifically for non-human characters (i.e., lich-king, droid, etc.)

[Derek Hiemforth]

Those were some great samples, keithcurtis. It sounds like you do an incredible job with accents.

If he didn't have real-life responsibilities to think about while trying to get the ball rolling (wife, child, etc.), I feel certain Keith could (if he wished) move to Southern California and break into the voiceover biz as a full-time voice actor. He's that good.

And I've only gamed with him a handful of times at cons... it's not even like I've heard him in his regular game for years or anything...

[Starwolf]

This is a really cool idea! My AC97 sound card has a builtin sound effects program. I can change my voice and add things like echos, I can make it sound like I am in a carpeted sound proof room or a huge cavern with echos. And the effects work with any sound that plays through the card. I typically listen to music with the echo effect of being played in a quarry.

[keithcurtis]

If he didn't have real-life responsibilities to think about while trying to get the ball rolling (wife, child, etc.), I feel certain Keith could (if he wished) move to Southern California and break into the voiceover biz as a full-time voice actor. He's that good.

And I've only gamed with him a handful of times at cons... it's not even like I've heard him in his regular game for years or anything...

Aw shucks. Thanks.

Keith " " Curtis

[Terry Wilcox]

For Mac users:

Voice Candy

15 day demo and $12.95 price. Fun to play with. Especially Chipmunk voice.

[StGrimblefig]

for PC/MAC/Linux, try Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/).

It is not real-time, but if you want to pre-record some, and play them back in-game, it is one of the best for the money (free).

[Silverback]

Not shareware but a real-time voice changing application for the PC is AV Voice Changer Software Diamond 4.0. Looks very, very comprehensive for the $100 price tag. There's a trial download too if you want to try before you buy.