Voice Banking: What to Know

What is voice banking?

Voice banking is a process of recording and storing the speech of a person before they lose the ability to speak due to illness, treatments such as surgery, injury, or another condition. The purpose is to create a personalized voice database that can be used to generate synthetic speech through text-to-speech technology.

Who can benefit from voice banking?

Voice banking is beneficial for individuals who are at risk of losing the ability to speak, such as those with:

- Neurological conditions:

- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

- Parkinson's disease

- Multiple sclerosis (MS)

- Head and neck cancer:

- Laryngeal cancer

- Pharyngeal cancer

- Glottic cancer

- Other conditions:

- Stroke

- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

- Laryngectomy (surgical removal of the larynx)

How is voice banking done?

Voice banking typically involves the following steps:

1. Assessment: A speech-language pathologist evaluates the individual's speech and language abilities to determine their suitability for voice banking.

2. Recording: The individual records a series of speech samples in a quiet environment, following prompts provided by the speech-language pathologist. The recordings are typically made using a high-quality microphone.

3. Storage: The recorded speech samples are stored on a secure server, following data security protocols.

How is the voice database used?

When the individual loses the ability to speak, the stored speech samples are used to create a personalized synthetic voice model. This model is designed to mimic the individual's natural speech characteristics, including pitch, intonation, and prosody.

The synthesized voice can be utilized in various ways, such as:

- Communicating through text-to-speech devices, such as smartphones or dedicated devices

- Producing spoken output from computer software or applications

- Providing a more natural and personalized voice experience for individuals who have lost the ability to speak

Is voice banking covered by insurance?

Coverage for voice banking varies among insurance plans and jurisdictions. It is essential to check with your insurance provider to determine the specific coverage and requirements.

Where can I get more information about voice banking?

For more information about voice banking, you can consult the following resources:

- ALS Association

- American Cancer Society

- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

- The Voice Bank Network

- Your local speech-language pathologist