Papers

Peer-reviewed
Jan, 2001

A Japanese TTS system based on multiform units and a speech modification algorithm with harmonics reconstruction

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SPEECH AND AUDIO PROCESSING
  • S Takano
  • ,
  • K Tanaka
  • ,
  • H Mizuno
  • ,
  • M Abe
  • ,
  • S Nakajima

Volume
9
Number
1
First page
3
Last page
10
Language
English
Publishing type
Research paper (scientific journal)
DOI
10.1109/89.890065
Publisher
IEEE-INST ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS INC

This paper proposes a new text to-speech (TTS) system that utilizes large numbers of speech segments to produce very natural and intelligible synthetic speech. There are two innovations; new multiform synthesis units and a new speech modification algorithm based on a vocoder that offers harmonics reconstruction. The multiform units make it possible to reduce acoustic discontinuities at concatenation points and unnatural sound by preparing synthesis units with various lengths and various F-0 contours. The new speech modification algorithm, on the other hand, improves the quality of prosody modified speech. This algorithm is extremely effective in synthesizing speech whose prosodic parameters are quite different from those of synthesis units. Listening tests confirm that the new synthesis units yield speech with high intelligibility and naturalness, and that the new speech modification algorithm is superior to all other conventional vocoders and waveform domain algorithms including TD-PSOLA, especially when modifying the F-0 frequency upward.

Link information
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1109/89.890065
Web of Science
https://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=JSTA_CEL&SrcApp=J_Gate_JST&DestLinkType=FullRecord&KeyUT=WOS:000165856700002&DestApp=WOS_CPL
ID information
  • DOI : 10.1109/89.890065
  • ISSN : 1063-6676
  • Web of Science ID : WOS:000165856700002

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