Votrax SC-01A Python Emulator

A Python software emulation of the Votrax SC-01A speech synthesizer chip, ported from MAME's implementation. This project includes both a command-line interface and a modern GUI with English-to-Phoneme conversion.

Quick Start (Windows)

1. Get the ROM: You must have the sc01a.bin file (CRC32: fc416227) in this folder. This is the internal ROM dump of the Votrax chip.
2. Run: Double-click run_gui.bat.
   • This script will automatically create a virtual environment, install necessary dependencies, and launch the GUI.

Manual Installation

If you are on Linux/Mac or prefer to run manually:

1. Install Python 3.8+
2. Install Dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

   Or install individually: pip install numpy numba g2p_en nltk (Note: winsound is used for playback in the GUI, which is Windows-specific. On other platforms, you can use the CLI or modify the script to use pyaudio or sounddevice.)
3. Place ROM: Ensure sc01a.bin is in the project directory.

Features

• GUI app (votrax_gui.py):
  • English-to-Phoneme: Type regular English text, and it will be converted to Votrax phonemes automatically using g2p_en.
  • Raw Mode: Toggle "Raw Phonemes Mode" to manually enter Votrax phoneme codes (e.g., PA0 H EH3 L L O PA1).
  • Playback: Real-time synthesis and playback.
  • Save WAV: Export the synthesized speech to a .wav file.
  • Phoneme Reference: Double-click phonemes from the side panel to insert them.

CLI Usage (votrax.py)

You can also use the backend script directly from the command line:

python votrax.py "PHONEME LIST" sc01a.bin output.wav

Example

To say "HELLO":

python votrax.py "H EH3 L L O" sc01a.bin hello.wav

Phonemes

The following phonemes are supported (standard Votrax SC-01A set):

EH3, EH2, EH1, PA0, DT, A1, A2, ZH, AH2, I3, I2, I1, M, N, B, V, CH, SH, Z, AW1, NG, AH1, OO1, OO, L, K, J, H, G, F, D, S, A, AY, Y1, UH3, AH, P, O, I, U, Y, T, R, E, W, AE, AE1, AW2, UH2, UH1, UH, O2, O1, IU, U1, THV, TH, ER, EH, E1, AW, PA1, STOP

Limitations

• Performance: The emulation simulates analog filters sample-by-sample. While numba is included to help speed this up (if implemented in the backend), it can still be CPU intensive.
• ROM Required: The emulation relies on the exact sc01a.bin ROM data to function. Without it, the output will be silence or garbage.