Voicemod Will Let Video Gamers Sound Like Angry Birds
Interactive audio startup Voicemod is adding the sounds of Angry Birds and their pig enemies to its voice filters. The Spanish startup’s deal with Angry Birds owner Rovio marks its first foray into adding an existing intellectual property to its library of voice modulation options.
Angry Bird Audio
Voicemod combines artificial intelligence with digital signal processing to overlay a different sound to someone’s voice as they speak, especially when playing video games. The platform allows players to switch to other voice options and even incorporate effects like echos or breathlessness where appropriate. The filters process the analog voice into a digital file to transform it before broadcasting it again. All of the voice filters have been designed in-house until now. Angry Birds, owned by Rovio Entertainment, is the first IP licensed by Voicemod for its audio inventory. It’s a significant step forward for Voicemod, one clearly aimed at widening the audience for its voice filtering beyond the hardcore gamers. There’s no official date for when it will become an option for Vicemod users, though it will likely be within a few months.
“We’re recognized for voice filtering but have started expanding other areas as well. We’re exploring the audio interactions side of it. It’s exactly this use case with Angry Birds,” Voicemod chief audio and technology officer Alex Bordanova told Voicebot in an interview. “We’re working with voice technology that will allow us to pull samples from the Birds that [Voicemod users] can make their chirping, shooting, crying sounds from their voice. It’s a new level of interaction. As you raise your voice, the volume goes up.”
Metaverse Mod
Voicemod raised $8 million a year and a half ago but has claimed profitability for a couple of years after more than ten million PC downloads for use in many popular online games like Minecraft, League of Legends, and Fortnite. Voicemod’s advances in pitch shift and other audio techniques have made its audio sound smoother and more realistic, though that’s not necessarily relevant for Angry Birds. The same tech can also be used in video chats, social audio, and the new metaverse platforms. That’s where Bordanova sees Voicemod’s tech heading as people start to explore and become more interested in creating and using virtual avatars in a digital space.
“Our strategy is turning to voices from the white label space to branded content. We finally feel that audio in the digital communication space is getting more traction,” Bordanova said. “From a global perspective, we are building something toward the new digital space, the metaverse. Now we are exploring what to bring to digital sonic avatars.”
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