Is there any quality software doing this (voice conversion)?

[May90]

I am planning on making a few story-based modules for Neverwinter Nights 2. Since there will be a lot of cutscenes, I would really like to voice them. However, I am just a poor grad student, so I cannot hire any professional actors - and looking for random people to voice random pieces of text sounds like a large burden.

So I would be really happy if there was a software (commercial or not) that basically does this:
- You record your voice.
- You apply some filters to it so it starts sounding different. These filters should, at the very least, be able to transform a male voice into a female voice, and change the tone of voice.
- You get a decently sounding track, nothing like what a professional actor would produce, but, at least, it should work for a custom game.

Is there anything like this? So far all I found by googling was just a set of programs to change your voice in Skype with very little customization, plus all kinds of text-to-voice conversion programs (the latter doesn't work for me at all, since the result always sounds very robotic).

[Claborn]

You basically just wrapped up my whole career into some free phone app. Thanks.

Long answer to your question, no, there isn't. My software i use for my job, sound mix and design, can do everything you want but costs $1200, needs a $3000 machine to run and 10 years of experience to operate. So your "basic" needs are not that basic and just like everything else worth doing, will take a little more effort than looking for a free app.

Pony up the money to hire someone or put in the leg work to learn it.

[Aurimas]

To the best of my knowledge it is not possible, sorry.

Anything that changes a voice that much will sound artificial. If you don't care about that you can adjust tone and tempo in almost any audio software.

Even big professionals... you can tell when "auto-tune" is in use, right?

Going to have to live with the idea that the human voice is unique and cannot be manipulated much... Just as I have to live with the fact that I hate my voice. I'd probably be streaming or doing youtube commentary if I could make myself sound like a radio announcer.

[May90]

To clarify a bit (since I see from the responses that I didn't express my thought perfectly), sounding a bit artificial would be fine. I am definitely not looking for professional quality: if it was so easy to achieve, the profession of voice actors would have died out. What I would love is something that sounds less artificial than all those text->voice programs (they sound really bad); as long as the result isn't too annoying to listen to, it would work for me.

Since digital audio has been out for a long time now and modern computers have no difficulty working with various sound formats, I thought someone would already have made something like this. Or is it as unfortunate as it seems?

If you don't care about that you can adjust tone and tempo in almost any audio software.

That would be a bit sloppy, since I don't know the properties of various voices well enough to create anything plausibly sounding. I just hoped there would be some software programs with multiple presets and sliders to automatize the process.

[Aurimas]

I'm not talking about a bit artificial. I'm sure you've heard those skype progams... and you didn't like the results.

Ever listen to a DJ or Shock Jock manipulate his voice for a prank call? I've always wondered how the people on the other line don't know the call is fake... and those people are using sound equipment worth thousands and thousands of dollars.

Maybe it's just me since I know what the Jock sounds like in "real life"... but I really don't think it's possible to make you sound anything like a normal girl... or whatever change you want.

[Claborn]

You were very clear with your request but a human will always be needed to create art. No robot, software or app will ever magically cook food ingredients, paint a painting or manipulate sound by itself. The software exists but YOU have create what it is you want.

Edit: and for the record, you can't make a man sound like a woman unless he acted his voice that way on purpose. you'll just end up with a chipmunk that sounds like a lil man.

[Aurimas]

all you can really do in the studio (i think) is enhance audio. Every tech will tell you it's all about getting a good source.

Listen to some of those "making of" documentaries. Since we're on the wow forum, watch videos of voice actors who make themselves sound like "goblins" in wow. They're not changing the voice in the studio... those are just people who are really good at making other voices... and then they enhance it in the studio.

[May90]

I see... Well, those prank call effect really aren't enough for my purposes. And I definitely would prefer not to spend $4,000 and study for 10 years just to do it. Is there some kind of middle ground - lower expenses, less time to learn, and worse, but not completely horrible, results? I will have a lot of free time this year, and if I need to spend, say, 3-4 months for learning, it would be totally fine.

all you can really do in the studio (i think) is enhance audio. Every tech will tell you it's all about getting a good source.

Listen to some of those "making of" documentaries. Since we're on the wow forum, watch videos of voice actors who make themselves sound like "goblins" in wow. They're not changing the voice in the studio... those are just people who are really good at making other voices... and then they enhance it in the studio.

The way I understand, it is usually a combination of both. But yes, I get your meaning: a person with a bad voice cannot transform it magically into a good voice.

The thing is, my voice is quite good, has a wide range - but there are some natural limitations; for example, I definitely cannot talk persuasively with a feminine voice.

[Claborn]

Yeah, you're on the internet, google around.

[Aurimas]

Edit: and for the record, you can't make a man sound like a woman unless he acted his voice that way on purpose. you'll just end up with a chipmunk that sounds like a lil man.

As he clarified above, it's really not even possible with the 4000 dollar equipment and years of training. I thought this was the case, but it's nice to hear it from a pro engineer.

I'm sorry pal. I'm just trying to save you the trouble. I once thought a similar thing was possible, and found out it's really not. And all I wanted to do is make it sound like I didn't (use to) smoke a pack a day.

[May90]

Well... Thanks for the quick responses. I had a suspicion that this could be the case. Will wait for another 200 years for artificial intelligence to arrive then.