The Telos Alliance TV Solutions Group has introduced AudioTools Voice, which they describe as “a brand-new enhancement tool that addresses television viewers long-standing and ongoing struggle to clearly hear and understand program dialogue”.
Update 22/2/2019 - Audio Tools Voice V1 Pulled Buy Minnetonka
It would appear that this may not be the answer to our prayers. We have received a statement from Steve Severson Tech Manager / Product Specialist at The Telos Alliance TV Solutions Group….
"We have decided to pull version 1 of AudioTools Voice. V1 lays the framework for the technology, but it is clear to us that user controls and additional features will better the tech. Development work is ongoing for v2 with algorithm enhancements and a host of new features. We will continue to support existing customers, and they will all receive a free upgrade to v2. Stay tuned!"
We will of course bring you more news on V2 as and when we get it.
Information on the original version of Audio Tools Voice.
They claim that “AudioTools Voice is the first and only dialogue intelligibility enhancement solution that draws attention to the human voice without adding gain, EQ, or any other type of traditional signal processing”. Instead, it draws upon the results of significant research into how viewers respond to, perceive, and process sound. The result has been designed so that viewers no longer have to struggle to understand the spoken word or hear the dialog as it competes with other elements in the final mix.
Dialog Intelligibility In Crucial
As we have discussed many times hear dialog intelligibility is crucial; when people speak, they are meant to be heard and understood; when viewers struggle to discern what’s being said, they become frustrated and can switch off. John Schur, President, Telos Alliance TV Solutions Group told us…
“Using AudioTools Voice during production ensures the audience never has to struggle to understand dialogue. The effectiveness of AudioTools Voice transcends factors such as low-quality television speakers, sound bars, and less-than-ideal listening environments. Critically, the increased dialogue intelligibility easily survives the loudness processing, upmixing, downmixing, and audio encoding stages required for program distribution and transmission.”
Use It On Tracks, Stems And Full Mixes
AudioTools Voice has been designed to be applied to the dialogue track(s) prior to creating the final stereo or multi-channel mix; however, it can also be applied to existing mono, 2-channel, and multi-channel mixes when you don’t have access to the stems.
System Requirements
The AudioTools Voice plug-in is available for Minnetonka Audio’s AudioTools Server platform, Avid’s Pro Tools and Media Composer product family, and other qualified VST 2.4 hosts.
Operating System:
Mac OS X 10.6.8 - 10.13
Windows 7 - 10
AAX plug-in for Pro Tools 10.3.6 - 2018.10; Media Composer Family 8.1 or higher
32bit / 64 bit VST 2.4 plug-in for other platforms.
Pace iLok USB Smart Key and PACE iLok.com account required.