FAQ

SenSyn Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is SenSyn a text-to-speech system?

A. No. SenSyn is a Klatt-type formant synthesizer; the user controls the speech output by adjusting a set of parameters (some fixed over the duration of an utterance and some time-varying).

Q. Does SenSyn include source code?

A. Yes. However, users must sign a Single-User License Agreement that allows only academic/research use of SenSyn, and which prohibits re-sale of any product including the SenSyn code.

Q. How does SenSyn accept input?

A. Input is by keystrokes. There is no graphical interface, and no use of a mouse.

Q. Does SenSyn include options for playing back the speech synthesized by SenSyn? Options for printing?

A. No, but SenSyn output files can be saved and then played, printed or analyzed by other software. There are numerous freeware and shareware solutions available on the web that permit you to play and print SenSyn’s output files (depending on your operating system). For a list of recommendations, click here.

Q. How many parameters are used to control the SenSyn synthesizer?

A. There are 12 configuration parameters and 48 variable parameters that may be accessed and altered. For a list of the SenSyn parameters, click here.

Q. Do I need any additional hardware to run SenSyn?

A. No. SenSyn will run without any additional hardware. However, if you wish to playback speech synthesized by SenSyn, you will need a soundcard and playback software (see above).

Q. Does SenSyn produce .WAV files as output?

A. SenSyn produces different output file types for different operating systems.

UNIX Binary .sd, .snd or .au files

MACINTOSH .AIFF (Apple Audio Interface File Format)

PPC .AIFF

DOS .DAT (can be converted to .WAV with included utility)

Questions about SenSyn DOS/Mac/MacPPC:

Q. What happened to SenSyn DOS/Mac/MacPPC?

A. Sensimetrics has decided to stop selling the Dos, Mac, and MacPPC versions of SenSyn, though we do support current users with technical issues. If you are a Windows user, we strongly suggest looking into HLsyn, which is more robust than SenSyn and offers an easier user interface.

Q. Can output from SenSyn (for DOS) be analyzed by the Sensimetrics SpeechStation2?

A. Yes. SpeechStation can analyze SenSyn for DOS output files (.DAT files).

Q. Can output from SenSyn (for Macintosh) be analyzed by SoundEdit, SoundWave or SoundScope?

Yes. SenSyn for Macintosh output files (.AIFF) can be analyzed using SoundEdit, SoundWave or SoundScope.

Q. Is SenSyn compatible with Windows?

A. The PC version is a DOS program (SenSyn/DOS); it does not require Windows® but can be used on a computer with Windows® installed by running it from a DOS window.

Q. Does SenSyn for DOS require any additional compiling?

A. Only if you want to alter the source code. Otherwise, you will not have to compile or recompile SenSyn.