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Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: Hannalore13 on 18 Oct 2011, 07:31

Title: Momo's voice
Post by: Hannalore13 on 18 Oct 2011, 07:31
Why do I always imagine her speaking in the voice of Starfire from teen titans? Does anyone else imagine this??
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: hughh on 18 Oct 2011, 09:06
I could see it, but I think I would cry if Jeph ever made this comic into a video.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: ChaosWolf on 18 Oct 2011, 09:58
Quote from: Hannelore13 on 18 Oct 2011, 07:31
Why do I always imagine her speaking in the voice of Starfire from teen titans? Does anyone else imagine this??

Dude, get out of my head - that's exactly what I picture her sounding like too.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: DSL on 18 Oct 2011, 17:14
The voice actress (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hynden_Walch) who played Starfire seems to be versatile enough to be game for the part.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Kugai on 18 Oct 2011, 18:15
If that's the case, can we then assume that Marigold has Ravens voice??


Or would that be Tai?
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Carl-E on 18 Oct 2011, 22:46
Dora. 


Goth, remember? 
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 18 Oct 2011, 23:12
I seem to remember Jeph saying that he imagined Dora's voice being like Jane Lane from Daria.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Soulsynger on 19 Oct 2011, 01:30
Nope, sorry. Don't see/hear it.
Starfire's voiceacting - for me - leans too much toward "clueless". A character trait that doesn't seem to fit an Anthro-PC.

Plus, I can't get the idea out of my head that the anthro-pc-characters would all have that synth~y robot voice thing going on. Not enough that all their voices sound the same, but in such a way that you can tell that their voices are being generated by electrical signals translated into acoustic signals by loudspeakers... (I am incapable of technobabble °_o)

I never thought about what voices they might use in my head... but now that I do, I don't hear anything at all. Which - oddly enough - is not surprising to me in the least.
(This is interesting... an apathetic brain can't seem to grasp written language in an emotional sense. It bypasses the right brain hemisphere almost completely- and with it the imagination and association with sound -, directly translating into analytical language... *Spock's voice*... Fascinating. ... hah! Made you think with Spock's voice!)

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: DSL on 19 Oct 2011, 03:22
The quality of voders, even IRL, is better than that.
Although the concept of Momo2.0 sounding like teen Starfire appeas to me, I imagine Momo, whose software and hardware seem to be the high end of the consumer electronics in QCverse, could sound like anyone she wanted. I imagine the default would be like the menu prompt voice on a camera I once considered buying, or one of the settings on a car GPS unit -- cultured Japanese lady, hypercorrect but stilted grammar, precise enunciation. You could tell you're listening to an artificial voicebox, but she doesn't sound like a Speak'n'Spell either.
Winslow I imagine would have similar technology -- he is Apple, after all -- but it's been made clear in the comic Pintsize is pretty basic as far as AnthroPCs go. Which s fine; the thought of him being able to, say, impersonate someone over the phone would be scary (although good story material).
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: bhtooefr on 19 Oct 2011, 03:47
Momo's speech synthesis engine would almost certainly be based on Hatsune Miku.

Not quite natural, but very passable, and perfect for the otaku target market.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: akronnick on 19 Oct 2011, 05:56
The idea of artificially impersonating a specific living human is a very long way off.

The closest that's been achieved may be Roger Ebert's artificial voice, and that was only possible because there is an archive of hundreds of hours of his voice from 25 years worth of his TV show.

T2 or Pintsize picking up the phone and fooling someone won't be possible for a very long time.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Carl-E on 19 Oct 2011, 06:10
No, no, you're missing the point! 

Fo a realistic model like Momo, the sound generating speechbox would be at the back of the mouth, with the mouth providing all the labials, linguals, fricatives and other shapings that make the speech so much more realistic, probably with an air pump or fan to get the breath pressure right for things like "eff"s.  This was probably the case with her old chassis, as well. 

But what makes all the computerized things you've mentioned sound artificial isn't the sound, it's the lack of intelligence behind the words - the computer doesn't really understand  what it's saying, it's just putting them together according to an (albeit sophisitcated) program.  Even for Ebert and Hawking, they need to enter the words into the computer, and the computer puts tham together.  Even when Cristopher Reeves was on a lung machine, his words flowed more naturally, despite the long pauses. 

But in the AnPC case, it's an artificial intelligence,  it knows and understands  what it's saying.  So the speech wouldn't be stilted, but rather would flow more naturally. 

I really think we really wouldn't be able to tell... 


and impersonation could abound...
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: jwhouk on 19 Oct 2011, 06:20
Lucy Liu?
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 19 Oct 2011, 06:58
I can't imagine Momo sounding like Liu.  

Winslow I tend to think probably has a vaguely "British" accent, for lack of a better term. The kind of voice you'd imagine someone working as a butler to use, even though they weren't actually from the UK, or perhaps a bit like Roddy McDowall.   Someone like that LInux AnthroPC we saw a good while back probably talks with an overtly artificial sounding voice to express his "freedom" from "human slavery," and "corporately produced operating system tyranny."
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 19 Oct 2011, 08:18
Momo was natural-sounding enough that Sam took her for human.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: bhtooefr on 19 Oct 2011, 09:04
Winslow likely uses Alex by default.

I don't have a Mac to see if there's a British voice available by default, although there are always the Acapela voices (one IRC channel I'm in has a Mac-based speech bot streaming audio, and a previous incarnation of that bot used the iVox voice pack).
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Mr_Rose on 19 Oct 2011, 09:09
Hm, that triggered a tangential thought: Wonder how Winslow feels about Jobs' passing...or is Steve-o an immortal cyborganic behemoth in the QC-verse?
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: bhtooefr on 19 Oct 2011, 09:21
Quote from: akronnick on 19 Oct 2011, 05:56
The idea of artificially impersonating a specific living human is a very long way off.

Hatsune Miku (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatsune_Miku) isn't a living human - it's a voice based on Vocaloid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocaloid), a speech synthesis system designed for singing.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: DSL on 19 Oct 2011, 09:42
Oh hell, Winslow probably sounds like Anthony Daniels.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: jwhouk on 19 Oct 2011, 15:22
Quote from: DSL on 19 Oct 2011, 09:42
Oh hell, Winslow probably sounds like Anthony Daniels.

This x1000 C-3PO's.

Of course, this does beg the question: which one's Anakin - Jobs or Wozniak?
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Kugai on 19 Oct 2011, 17:52
And does that make Gates Palpatine?
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: akronnick on 19 Oct 2011, 19:31
Quote from: Carl-E on 19 Oct 2011, 06:10
No, no, you're missing the point!  

Fo a realistic model like Momo, the sound generating speechbox would be at the back of the mouth, with the mouth providing all the labials, linguals, fricatives and other shapings that make the speech so much more realistic, probably with an air pump or fan to get the breath pressure right for things like "eff"s.  This was probably the case with her old chassis, as well.  

But what makes all the computerized things you've mentioned sound artificial isn't the sound, it's the lack of intelligence behind the words - the computer doesn't really understand  what it's saying, it's just putting them together according to an (albeit sophisitcated) program.  Even for Ebert and Hawking, they need to enter the words into the computer, and the computer puts tham together.  Even when Cristopher Reeves was on a lung machine, his words flowed more naturally, despite the long pauses.  

But in the AnPC case, it's an artificial intelligence,  it knows and understands  what it's saying.  So the speech wouldn't be stilted, but rather would flow more naturally.  

I really think we really wouldn't be able to tell...  


and impersonation could abound...

I was talking about impersonating someone, not just speaking in a way that sounds natural.

If the sound is generated by a physical voice box, It would effectively be a musical instrumen, and would be no better at impersonation than a natural voicebox.

It would be like a clarinet trying to imitate a saxophone.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Carl-E on 20 Oct 2011, 07:24
But the sound generator at the back of the AnPC's mouth would be able to generate any   waveform.  The mouth would alter the sound a bit, for natural speaking and labial sounds and the like, but the resonance (which comes from our chest and nasal cavities) would have to be incorporated into the generator, and so could be changed as needed to match any voice you wanted. 

Maybe not perfectly, but I'm betting it'd be good enough for a prank...
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: DSL on 20 Oct 2011, 09:16
Quote from: akronnick on 19 Oct 2011, 19:31
It would be like a clarinet trying to imitate a saxophone.
And if you're as tone-deaf as I (have been told I) am, that might suffice.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Kugai on 20 Oct 2011, 17:56
Maybe she sounds like Seven of Nine
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: jwhouk on 20 Oct 2011, 18:33
Jeri Ryan?
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: DSL on 20 Oct 2011, 18:50
... Or Majel Barrett.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: jwhouk on 20 Oct 2011, 22:04
Sadly, that is no longer an option.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: AngelofShadows on 20 Oct 2011, 23:18
The voice I hear for Momo when I read the strips is the same VO as Starfire, yes.

Winslow is the same voice as Edd from Ed Edd n Eddy

Pintsize is the voice of Beastboy.

My lack of terminology is shameful, as is my laziness to not look up said terminology when I'm on the god damned internet.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: techkid on 21 Oct 2011, 04:51
Quote from: Soulsynger
Starfire's voiceacting - for me - leans too much toward "clueless". A character trait that doesn't seem to fit an Anthro-PC.

Wouldn't really call it so much as clueless. Naive and (seemingly) innocent, more probably. I think she could do the job.

Quote from: AngelofShadows
Winslow is the same voice as Edd from Ed Edd n Eddy

Pintsize is the voice of Beastboy.

With a bit of a digital synth sound in their voices... could work. Thinking about it, Edd and Winslow do have that intellectual enunciation thing going for them, with the occasional bit of misdirection from outside influences. And Beastboy and Pintsize... well, both are a bit of a smartass (in Pintsize's case, one hell of a smartass), like to show off and are generally getting themselves in trouble for it.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: GeoCorn on 24 Oct 2011, 13:30
With her new chassis I kinda imagine Momo sounds like Lal (Data's daughter from Star Trek: TNG). her old voice I imaginedsounding like a cross between a voice synthesis program like Siri and a generic anime character. I don't imagine that as an AnthroPC she has completely natural sounded language, but her new chassis obviously is fairly realistic to get her confused for being human by Samantha and Padma.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 24 Oct 2011, 17:02
A thought came to mind this afternoon:  Megumi Hayashibara, aka the voice of girl type Ranma Saotome, amongst other roles.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: DSL on 25 Oct 2011, 15:44
Maybe it's the look, but I keep coming back to Starfire as voiced by Hynden Walch.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: St.Clair on 26 Oct 2011, 18:10
A lot of people are thinking of Ms. Walch, yeah; I confess I was one of them at the start, but other plausible candidates have been put forth (including Ms. Hayabashi, in a post just above, and Hatsune Miku).
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Mojo on 26 Oct 2011, 21:16
I keep thinking she'd sound like Sugar (from YTV - Stephanie Beard).
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 26 Oct 2011, 21:26
Yeah, I suppose I can imagine her with that voice.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Yarin on 09 Nov 2011, 10:31
hi new to the QC forum and the comic in general I'm on 967 just started Monday and before you ask i read the later comics before the earlier ones so i know who momo is i think that Hynden Walch would be a good choice for her voice and for some reason i keep picturing hannelore with as being voiced by kristen schaal and its pretty funny
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 09 Nov 2011, 14:31
Welcome, new person!
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Yarin on 09 Nov 2011, 17:36
yay now im on 1206 hannelore's new hat is funny
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Yarin on 10 Nov 2011, 07:12
sorry double posting but i just figured out who marigold reminds me of Mayim Bialik only nerdier and im officially caught up with questionable content PRAISE ME PRAISE ME
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Carl-E on 10 Nov 2011, 14:48
Sorry, praise is reserved for the exceptional post.  What you just did, we've all done. 

Some of us backwards...

But we're more than happy to welcome you, now that you've made it! 
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Kugai on 10 Nov 2011, 18:23
Hmmmmm

Summer Glau?
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 10 Nov 2011, 19:07
Jeph said on Tumblr that it's "squeaky".
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Yarin on 10 Nov 2011, 19:19
Quote from: Carl-E on 10 Nov 2011, 14:48
Sorry, praise is reserved for the exceptional post.  What you just did, we've all done. 

Some of us backwards...

But we're more than happy to welcome you, now that you've made it! 

Thanks it was a reference to invader zim by the way
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Carl-E on 11 Nov 2011, 12:48
D'OH!  Should've caught that...


TACOS!!
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Yarin on 11 Nov 2011, 13:48
i miss you cupcake also if anyone is interested join operation head pigeons 2.0 on facebook hopefully we can get invader zim back on the air
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Ben on 31 May 2014, 02:36
Since this came up on a more recent thread, I think the comparison of Momo's voice sounding like a sat nav is probably about right. Obviously based on a real voice, but with enough minor inconsistencies in inflexion, and a limited range of inflections so it clearly isn't a real human voice if you listen to her speak.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: hedgie on 31 May 2014, 03:25
Quote from: bhtooefr on 19 Oct 2011, 09:21
Quote from: akronnick on 19 Oct 2011, 05:56
The idea of artificially impersonating a specific living human is a very long way off.

Hatsune Miku (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatsune_Miku) isn't a living human - it's a voice based on Vocaloid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocaloid), a speech synthesis system designed for singing.

And still sounds more human than autotuned singing.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: LocoJoe on 31 May 2014, 08:03
I don't know if it makes sense, but I imagine Momo having the voice of Ayeka from Tenchi Muyo.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 31 May 2014, 13:05
There's some Q&A where Jeph described Momo's voice. Anyone remember what he said?

Sam took her for human, so it must be reasonably human-like.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: jwhouk on 31 May 2014, 17:31
I think it was postulated that her voice changed in the new body, but I'm not sure.
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Ben on 31 May 2014, 20:23
Assuming the voice is produced by the chassis, it would be logical that it would be specific to that chassis
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: HauntingPoem on 31 May 2014, 22:06
To me Momo's voice has always been that of Clementine from The Walking Dead video games, albeit slightly older sounding.

Edit: Stupidly forgot to add the "To me" making myself sound like a jerk! Sorry!
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Pilchard123 on 01 Jun 2014, 07:05
What's to stop them sounding like anything they like? How do we know (for example) that Pintsize doesn't exclusively make fart noises for a while if he so wishes?

Quote from: HauntingPoem on 31 May 2014, 22:06
Momo's voice has always been that of Clementine from The Walking Dead video games, albeit slightly older sounding.

If that's true, is that concious choice on her part?
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Ben on 01 Jun 2014, 07:42
One of Momo's first actions was to beat up Pintsize in return for resetting her start-up sequence to farty noises

AIs could probably sound like Julie Andrews, Joanna Lumley or even Tony Robinson if they wanted to, but I imagine they pick a voice that sounds "in character"
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 01 Jun 2014, 20:08
And while we're on AI voices  the thought just came to mind that May sounds like Lori Petty. 
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Akima on 02 Jun 2014, 02:18
Quote from: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 19 Oct 2011, 06:58
I can't imagine Momo sounding like Liu.
That would be scary...
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: Ben on 02 Jun 2014, 02:24
Quote from: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 01 Jun 2014, 20:08
And while we're on AI voices  the thought just came to mind that May sounds like Lori Petty.

..... or Gretchen Wilson?
Title: Re: Momo's voice
Post by: jwhouk on 02 Jun 2014, 05:51
Gretchen Wilson! PERFECT!