OK, here is a theory. Although I have no way to compare the two Siri female voices, as I listen to the new one, especially through very good headphones, I think they have lowered the pitch of the voice. There is more resonance in the female voice than there used to be, at least as I remember. So, I wonder, I said this was a theory, if Apple did this intentionally to make it easier for people who are hard of hearing to better hear the female voice. Of course, I don’t know if this is the case, but I think it may be an end result even if Apple didn’t intend it.
Neal From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Josh Eubank Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2015 10:08 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: female voice of Siri has lost its expressiveness Neil, the best way that I can describe it, other than saying that it sounds flat is to say that it sounds robotic, that the expressiveness is gone, that it just doesn't have the same inflection that used to prior to iOS 8 .1 .3. I hope this further explanation helps. Sent from my iPhone 6 On Feb 18, 2015, at 9:34 PM, Neal Ewers <[email protected]> wrote: Hi, I frankly don’t know what people are talking about when they say that Siri sounds flat. Are you talking about intonation? Are you talking about frequency? Flat just doesn’t do it for me in terms of an explanation. Neal From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Robin Frost Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2015 8:17 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: female voice of Siri has lost its expressiveness Hi, I’m well aware of what all of the voices offered by Apple sound like as I’m well acquainted with them all. I can not replicate this on any device I own at all. And thanks for the clarification I think when reporting things it’s important to distinguish between broken and having changed. the clearer we can be when communicating with any company with which we deal the better our end result will be even if it isn’t the one we intend to achieve. Robin From: Josh Eubank <mailto:[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2015 8:22 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: female voice of Siri has lost its expressiveness Thanks for the link. No, it's not broken, it just sounds flat now, try the mail voice and you will see exactly what I'm talking about. The mail voice is absolutely fine, you can ask it a question and it's very expensive, very energetic, but the female voice has lost all of that. I hope that makes better sense.and sorry, that should've said expressive not expensive. Sent from my iPhone 6 On Feb 18, 2015, at 8:17 PM, Robin Frost <[email protected]> wrote: Hi, but again I’m not clear on whether it’s not working right or if it’s merely a matter of preference. I do not know why it has changed on your device and why others haven’t experienced the same. that sort of inconsistency is quite the mystery and to me that is something Apple should address. that I don’t dispute I’m just not clear on whether or not it’s actually broken. I could be wrong but I suspect you will not be pleased with that which you’ll hear. I’m curious if this is indicative of that which you’re experiencing as we’ve not heard a sample of that which you’re experiencing. the article is found at this url and within it is a link through which you can hear the sample. Robin http://macdailynews.com/2015/02/18/listen-to-apples-new-more-natural-sounding-siri-in-ios-8-3/ From: Josh Eubank <mailto:[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2015 7:32 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: female voice of Siri has lost its expressiveness Do you happen to remember anything about the article title? I was hoping to look it up and read it.again, I am not trying to be difficult. I'm simply trying to help all that use Siri whether you are blind or not.and to me, if something is not working right, it should be looked into and fixed. Sent from my iPhone 6 On Feb 18, 2015, at 7:02 PM, Robin Frost <[email protected]> wrote: Hi, I read in an earlier message an admonition to contact Apple in regards to requesting that this be fixed and in light I ask the following not to be argumentative but truly in a sincere effort to better understand the matter at hand such that it is. when it is classified as something that needs fixing it leads me to ask the following: Is Siri’s functionality, usefulness, efficiency, accuracy or the ability to interact with it when using this female voice compromised or broken? Could this merely be a matter of preference as often artificial voices even when based on human samples can be quite subjective to those hearing them? Is this more difficult with which to deal due to some other sort of deficit such as a hearing deficit where mid-range frequencies are compromised? what prompted me to think further about this issue is an article making the rounds on the Net offering a comparison of the current female Siri voice versus that which will supposedly be rolled out in iOS 8.3. Having heard both of the samples as referenced in this article I can see why some might prefer the first one deeming it to be more lyrical in terms of its tonality though the second one to me seemed much more accurate in terms of its inflection as governed by the framework of punctuation in which that which she was reciting was couched. Again I’m not trying to be argumentative I’m merely posing the questions to gain a better understanding therein. Robin From: Neal Ewers <mailto:[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2015 1:19 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: female voice of Siri has lost its expressiveness Sorry, but there is no difference for me. She is as expressive as she has always been since they started using synthesized voices. Neal From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Josh Eubank Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2015 11:46 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: female voice of Siri has lost its expressiveness Teresa, yes, the male voice is unaffected. That's why I wanted to alert the community about this to see if anyone else noticed it. I'm glad some of the people have and that it is not just me. Hopefully Apple will fix this soon. The more emails people send to them, the better. Thanks for your email. Sent from my iPhone 6 On Feb 18, 2015, at 12:36 PM, Teresa Cochran <[email protected]> wrote: The male voice seems the same as always. He still rolls his Rs when he says "brrr". :) Teresa "We can see with the eyes, but we see with the brain as well, and seeing with the brain is often called imagination."--Oliver Sacks On Feb 18, 2015, at 9:07 AM, Isaac Hebert <[email protected]> wrote: Yes I have noticed this. Every since the 8.1.3 update it has totally lost it's expression in her voice. Sent from my iPhone On Feb 18, 2015, at 11:00 AM, Josh Eubank <[email protected]> wrote: Has anyone else noticed this. If so, please let me know. Since the 8.1.3 update, Siri has lost its energetic/expressive nature. In other words, it just isn't as chipper/cheerful/peppy, whatever word you want to use. Has anyone else experienced this? I first noticed it when I asked it to tell me the temperature. Remember the way it used to say BRRR, I can't even type the way it said it, but anyway now it just says the word brrr, it doesn't have the expressiveness anymore. You'll also notice it when you ask it to do other things, like send a text, call someone, email a contact, it's just not as, human sounding, maybe? Anyway, if anyone else could test this out on their devices and let me know if it happens with you. And if you do have the same issues, report it to Apple Accessibility like I did, there email address is: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]. I am running iOS 8.1.3 on an iPhone 6, and in case anyone is wondering, yes I am using one of the VoiceOver enhanced voices, Alex, so the enhanced voice is downloaded. That was the first thing I double checked. Thanks, Josh -- The following information is important for all members of the viphone list. All new members to the this list are moderated by default. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. 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