Talking skulls with servo contoler/

[youngti]

Guys,

i was wondering if you can at point me in the right direction.  I've read the thread here http://www.efx-tek.com/php/smf/index.php?topic=564.msg2910#msg2910 and it sound like you can connect a Parallax servo controller to the Prop 1/2/sx. 

My idea is to have two skulls at the opening to where I sit handing out the candy (they have to turn a corner so I am out of site)  These skulls would be activated by a pressure mat and then go into a dialogue routine.  Something like one would say "Stop, the master is not home"  then the other would say "Yes he is, but are you sure you want to see him?".  Anyway I have not worked out the dialogue yet. 

I have the prop1/2/sx's controllers a couple of PSC's the mat but I am not sure if this is all going to work.  I have used VSA for my singing quartet and it works very well with the PSC but I am not sure I can trigger the playback at all.  What i am thinking is to have the PSC connected to one of the controllers, triggered by the mat, the head and mouth movements controlled by the PSC through the prop controller and the mouths synced with the dialogue.  Do you think this can be programed this way or is random movement on the servo's the best i can get out of the props?

[JonnyMac]

Hand-coding synchronized speech is really hard -- this is why programs like VSA are created.  It can be done, within limit, but will take some time.

A friend of mine, Peter, created his own system that he runs at Halloween (see www.socalhalloween.com).  He came up with a custom speech programmer that works with an interesting twist: you can get natural-looking speech by opening the mouth to your determined limit at the *start* of a syllable, and then allowing it to close (perhaps not all the way) for the duration of the syllable. 

While I haven't figure out how to incorporate this strategy into a BS2 program I'm thinking about it.  Peter's custom animation system works well and this strategy (which he has built into his animation program) makes animation quick and good looking.

[youngti]

After I posted this I did some looking at the VSA site and there is a program from Monkey Basics that seems to allow a trigger event on VSA.  I have sent an e-mail to the guy to find out how this works.  Sorry that this thread is going in a non-EFX-TEK direction.