{"id":1248,"date":"2025-03-10T15:59:15","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T15:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/headcases-staffs.org.uk\/?p=1248"},"modified":"2025-03-10T15:59:15","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T15:59:15","slug":"voice-banking-whats-that-what-can-it-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/headcases-staffs.org.uk\/?p=1248","title":{"rendered":"Voice Banking: what’s that? What can it Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is voice banking?<\/h2>\n

Many people having had Head and Neck treatment lose their voice or speech altogether and require some form of device to assist them with voice communication.\u00a0 Headcases have purchased tablet computers in the past, where ‘text to speech’ software will read out words and phrases typed in by the patient. This kind of technology is referred to by clinicians as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology. AAC devices mainly use generic, synthesised voices which bear no resemblance to the person\u2019s own voice.<\/p>\n

Voice banking is a process for creating a \u2018personalised synthetic voice\u2019 (PSV), a synthetic approximation of a person\u2019s natural voice.<\/p>\n

To create a PSV, a set-list of phrases needs to be recorded \u2013 often between 350 and 1600. The PSV can then be used on an AAC device to \u2018speak\u2019 an infinite number of novel words, phrases and sentences.<\/p>\n

There are several suppliers able to help with this process, but the key thing is to anticipate the need BEFORE the speech facility is harmed significantly by the treatment. In this way, the person’s true voice can be ‘banked’ and used as the basis for the AAC device in the future. Very rarely do we get something for nothing of course, so the companies specialising in this will usually require payment for their services. One such company is SpeakUnique. Click on the logo below to find out more.<\/p>\n

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