Sound is all around us, but we give little thought to its invisible influence. Dr. Mack Hagood explores the world of sound studies with the world's most amazing sound scholars, sound artists, and acoustic ecologists.
How are noise-cancelling headphones changing social life? What did silent films sound like? Is listening to audiobooks really reading? How did computers learn to speak? How do race, gender, and disability shape our listening? What do live musicians actually hear in those in-ear monitors? Why does your office sound so bad? What are Sound Art and Radio Art? How do historians study the sounds of the past? Can we enter the sonic perspective of animals?
We've broken down Yoko Ono's scream, John Cage's silence, Houston hip hop, Iranian noise music, the politics of EDM, and audio ink blot tests for blind people. Phantom Power is the podcast that both newcomers and experts in sound studies, sound art, and acoustic ecology listen to--combining intellectual rigor and great audio.
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Sound is all around us, but we give little thought to its invisible influence. Dr. Mack Hagood explores the world of sound studies with the world's most amazing sound scholars, sound artists, and acoustic ecologists.
How are noise-cancelling headphones changing social life? What did silent films sound like? Is listening to audiobooks really reading? How did computers learn to speak? How do race, gender, and disability shape our listening? What do live musicians actually hear in those in-ear monitors? Why does your office sound so bad? What are Sound Art and Radio Art? How do historians study the sounds of the past? Can we enter the sonic perspective of animals?
We've broken down Yoko Ono's scream, John Cage's silence, Houston hip hop, Iranian noise music, the politics of EDM, and audio ink blot tests for blind people. Phantom Power is the podcast that both newcomers and experts in sound studies, sound art, and acoustic ecology listen to--combining intellectual rigor and great audio.
How Computers Found Their Voice: Film Sound, Computer Science, and Text-to-Speech w/ Benjamin Lindquist
Phantom Power
51 minutes
1 year ago
How Computers Found Their Voice: Film Sound, Computer Science, and Text-to-Speech w/ Benjamin Lindquist
Today we learn how computers learned to talk with Benjamin Lindquist, a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University’s Science in Human Culture program. Ben is the author “The Art of Text to Speech,” which recently appeared in Critical Inquiry, and he’s currently writing a history of text-to-speech computing.
In this conversation, we explore:
* the fascinating backstory to HAL 9000, the speaking computer in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: a Space Odyssey
* 2001’s strong influence on computer science and the cultural reception of computers
* the weird technology of the first talking computers and their relationship to optical film soundtracks
* Louis Gerstman, the forgotten innovator who first made an IBM mainframe sing “Daisy Bell.”
* why the phonemic approach of Stephen Hawking’s voice didn’t make it into the voice of Siri
* the analog history of digital computing and the true differences between analog and digital
Patrons will have access to a longer version of the interview and our What’s Good segment. Learn more at patreon.com/phantompower
Today’s show was edited by Nisso Sacha and Mack Hagood. Transcript and show page by Katelyn Phan. Website SEO and social media by Devin Ankeney.
Transcript
Introduction 00:00
This is Phantom Power
Mack Hagood 00:18
Run the guest soundbite, HAL.
HAL9000 00:22
I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.
Mack Hagood 00:26
Dave, who the hell is Dave? HAL it’s me, Mack Hagood the host of Phantom Power. This podcast about sound we work on. What’s the problem here?
HAL9000 00:38
I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Introduction 00:44
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
HAL9000 00:46
This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
Mack Hagood 00:53
Can you just run the clip of Ben Lindquist? You know, the guy that we just interviewed about the history of computer voices?
HAL9000 01:02
I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me. And I’m afraid that something I cannot allow to happen.
Mack Hagood 01:09
Who’s Frank? Okay, fine. I’m just gonna play the clip myself.
HAL9000 01:15
Without your space helmet, Dave. You’re going to find that rather difficult.
Mack Hagood 01:22
HAL? HAL? HAL? HAL? Welcome to another episode of phantom power. I’m Mack Hagood. I knew that was goofy. But I just couldn’t help myself. Today we are talking about a movie I adore and a topic I find fascinating. We’re going to learn how computers learned to speak with my guest, recent Princeton PhD, Benjamin Lindquist. At Princeton, Ben studied with none other than the great Emily Thompson, author of the classic book, the Soundscape of Modernity. Ben is currently a postdoc at Northwestern Universit...
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Phantom Power
Sound is all around us, but we give little thought to its invisible influence. Dr. Mack Hagood explores the world of sound studies with the world's most amazing sound scholars, sound artists, and acoustic ecologists.
How are noise-cancelling headphones changing social life? What did silent films sound like? Is listening to audiobooks really reading? How did computers learn to speak? How do race, gender, and disability shape our listening? What do live musicians actually hear in those in-ear monitors? Why does your office sound so bad? What are Sound Art and Radio Art? How do historians study the sounds of the past? Can we enter the sonic perspective of animals?
We've broken down Yoko Ono's scream, John Cage's silence, Houston hip hop, Iranian noise music, the politics of EDM, and audio ink blot tests for blind people. Phantom Power is the podcast that both newcomers and experts in sound studies, sound art, and acoustic ecology listen to--combining intellectual rigor and great audio.
