Here is a recommended strategy to enjoy the best of both worlds.
Outline of this post:
What is voice banking?
What is message banking?
How do I create a digital voice?
A direct comparison
Will it sound just like me?
Time to complete
What can I record?
Cost
How easy is it?
Can I use an app to create it?
Conclusion
What is voice banking?
Motor neurone disease (MND) and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are rare neurological disorders that affect the brain and nervous system. Symptoms of the illness include muscle weakness, difficulties with swallowing and weakness in speech. Unfortunately, the illness is always fatal, but some patients manage to live with the symptoms for several years.
The good news is that there are communication solutions available for those whose speech is affected. While most of the computer-based communication aids come with a generic voice, you can also create a digital version of your personal voice which will ‘speak’ in your voice on the device.
This is known as voice banking.
What is message banking?
In simple words, message banking is the process where individuals record useful sentences or phrases which they can replay from their communication device at a later stage. This can also create a huge amount of emotions as individuals can always go back to these recordings and play them at a later stage.
How do I create a digital voice?
In order to create a digital voice, individuals are often required to record their voice while reading out sentences. The voice banking technology takes these recordings and learns the fundamental parts of your speech in order to create a digital version of your voice, which you can use on your communication device to create any sentences that you desire in the future.
We’ve broken this process into smaller steps and you can start with as little as 100 sentences and it only takes 10 minutes to hear the first version of your new voice! The more sentences you record the better your new digital voice will sound. Our unique milestone-based solution allows you to record as little or as much you want. Each time you finish recording, you will hear how your voice is improving!
A direct comparison
While it’s difficult to directly compare these solutions to each other as they both serve very different purposes, in this article we’re going to list the key differences and recommend a strategy that allows you to choose the most suitable solution for you and your lifestyle.
Will it sound just like me?
Voice Banking – Your new digital voice is created from a synthesised speech that will sound similar to your natural voice.
Message Banking – Yes your recordings will sound just like you because you are recording direct sentences and paragraphs.
Time to complete
Voice Banking – If your voice is in a healthy condition, with The Voice Keeper, you can create a digital version of your voice within 3 to 4 days by investing as little as 10 minutes each day.
Message Banking – It can also be overwhelming to decide what to record as there are no clear guidelines on how much you should record. Therefore, this process can take anything from minutes to weeks and months.
What can I record?
Voice Banking – In order to create a digital voice, individuals are required to read out sentences presented on a voice banking solution and record their voices while doing so. The technology will take care of the rest. Once you’ve created a new voice you can use it on your communication device to say anything you want.
Message Banking – This solution allows you to record anything you want and there’s no limit to what you can record. However, it’s not a well-defined task as it can take a very long time to complete and users can feel overwhelmed with what they can and should record. For example, here is a list of suggested phrases to record by John Costello.
Cost
Voice Banking – Free until you decide to use the voice you have created. This can vary from $100-$1000 (we’re the only provider in the market currently that can offer this for $300 to be used on Microsoft and $75 on iOS).
Message Banking – Free but you may need a recording device and a possible transcription service in order to tag all your sentences. You may choose to do it yourself or with family members but it can be time consuming.
How easy is it?
Voice Banking – Very easy, just download our free iOS app, sign up, hit record and read the sentences shown on the screen out loud at your own pace and convenience. For this process to be completed on a computer or laptop, we recommend using a microphone headset.
Message Banking – The recording process is very easy but thinking about what to say and what to record can be overwhelming therefore you need to plan ahead and organise what you are going to record.
Can I use an app to create it?
Voice Banking – We are currently the only voice banking provider in the market which allows users to create a digital voice from an app.
Message Banking – You can record messages with any recording apps but it’s very important to name and label them correctly before moving them to your communication device.
Conclusion
As you can see, both solutions offer very different things. We’d recommend starting with voice banking as it allows you to create a digital version of your voice which is very practical and can be used at any time to say anything you type on your communication device. Message banking in our opinion comes in as a complimentary service which allows you to store memorable phrases or sentences that you often say or personal messages from loved ones. This way you’re going to get the best of both worlds and trust us, you’re not going to regret it!
