The VODER, a machine created 100 years ago, is capable of producing any language, including sounds of animals like cows and pigs. However, to operate it effectively, the operator needs exceptional control skills. Developed by engineer Homer Dudley at Bell Laboratories in the 1930s, the VODER was the first device considered a true voice synthesizer. It had 14 keys similar to a piano, a wrist-controlled stick, and foot pedals that could be manipulated to make the machine speak.
The sound produced by the VODER was described as mechanical and resembled an “alien talking underwater.” To produce basic sounds like murmur and hiss using the wrist control stick, additional filters could be selected for sounds that could not be simulated by those sounds through keyboards. Different words could be combined into sentences based on keyboard control and sounds, and operators could add expressiveness and pitch using foot pedals.
Helen Harper demonstrated how mastering the VODER required precise movements at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. She highlighted how operators needed skill and timing to produce words correctly. Despite training many operators, only a few mastered the skills required to make the VODER speak any language or produce animal noises.
The development of the VODER was preceded by other devices like those created by Russian professor Christian Kratzenstein in 1779 and inventor Wolfgang von Kempelen in 1791. These early devices imitated human organs to create speech, laying the foundation for voice synthesis technology. Despite its mechanical sound,
