Skip to main content ↑ ↓

Notice

Please note that most of the software linked on this forum is likely to be safe to use. If you are unsure, feel free to ask in the relevant topics, or send a private message to an administrator or moderator. To help curb the problems of false positives, or in the event that you do find actual malware, you can contribute through the article linked here.
Topic: Need uncompressed speech examples (Read 2678 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Need uncompressed speech examples

How can I find online examples of low noise, high quality uncompressed speech? I mean uncompressed in both senses--no dynamic range compression and no bitrate reducing coders. That means straight PCM. I don't care much about the sample rate as long as it is high enough to maintain the integrity of the original analog signal but higher is better, to 44.1 or 48. 16 bits is preferred. My purpose is to study histograms of the samples.

I know there are sites that provide sound libraries such as soundbible.com but I can't find any that actually provide provenance for the files.

Thanks for any suggestions (or files).

Need uncompressed speech examples

Reply #1 –
1. I could provide some 48/24 samples, but:
a. Are all field recordings (there is some background/stage stuff/noise, but usually really low)
b. You would have to promise they will not leave your hd

2. This no good?
https://www.freesound.org/people/s9ames/sounds/203908/
https://www.freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/317745/
https://www.freesound.org/people/Speedenza/sounds/205970/
PANIC: CPU 1: Cache Error (unrecoverable - dcache data) Eframe = 0x90000000208cf3b8
NOTICE - cpu 0 didn't dump TLB, may be hung

Need uncompressed speech examples

Reply #2 –
I needed something like this recently and didn't find much, but I did find this file.

It was linked to from another page where there were some others (like maybe a male voice), but I can't find that now. Hope this helps.

Need uncompressed speech examples

Reply #3 –
Quote from: smok3 on
1. I could provide some 48/24 samples, but:
a. Are all field recordings (there is some background/stage stuff/noise, but usually really low)
b. You would have to promise they will not leave your hd

2. This no good?
https://www.freesound.org/people/s9ames/sounds/203908/
https://www.freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/317745/
https://www.freesound.org/people/Speedenza/sounds/205970/


Thanks, smok3.

1.a. I'm concerned that the background noise, while low, might still be too high. Low level noise affects the histogram around the origin and that is a region that I am particularly interested in.
1.b. That wouldn't be a problem.

2. The first link is to a very nice file recorded with a Tascam DR-40. That the device used is mentioned is extremely helpful. However, the product page for that device mentions that it has sound leveling and peak reduction, exactly the dynamic range compression that I need to avoid. (It totally messes up the histogram.) The link doesn't mention whether these features were enabled or disabled for the recording--this is the lack of provenance that is making this simple job hard.

2. The second link also sounds very nice but there is no information provided about the recording method.

2. The third link. Nice recording but the note says that there was post processing.

Need uncompressed speech examples

Reply #4 –
Quote from: bryant on
I needed something like this recently and didn't find much, but I did find this file.

It was linked to from another page where there were some others (like maybe a male voice), but I can't find that now. Hope this helps.


Thanks for that link. To my ear it sounds fine but there is no information about the recording method. I can't trust my ear to tell me that there was no dynamic range compression.

Need uncompressed speech examples

Reply #5 –
Quote from: heliumaudio on
Quote from: bryant on
I needed something like this recently and didn't find much, but I did find this file.

It was linked to from another page where there were some others (like maybe a male voice), but I can't find that now. Hope this helps.


Thanks for that link. To my ear it sounds fine but there is no information about the recording method. I can't trust my ear to tell me that there was no dynamic range compression.

I looked a little harder and found more. It's from the EBU SQAM CD which is available for download here and is described in great detail here.

There are 6 speech samples there all together, and they're not cut like the one I linked to above.

Need uncompressed speech examples

Reply #6 –
Quote from: bryant on
Quote from: heliumaudio on
Quote from: bryant on
I needed something like this recently and didn't find much, but I did find this file.

It was linked to from another page where there were some others (like maybe a male voice), but I can't find that now. Hope this helps.


Thanks for that link. To my ear it sounds fine but there is no information about the recording method. I can't trust my ear to tell me that there was no dynamic range compression.

I looked a little harder and found more. It's from the EBU SQAM CD which is available for download here and is described in great detail here.

There are 6 speech samples there all together, and they're not cut like the one I linked to above.


Thanks, bryant. This looks really good—I'm also interested in analyzing other sounds, and this could work for that. The notes are useful; there is little specific information about dynamic range processing but the feeling I get from reading their documentation is that they were really concerned about quality although some of the notes refer to the old Sony PCM 1630 recorder so possibly showing some age but probably fine. Now if I can get Mathematica to edit out silent parts....