Software Automatic Mouth, or SAM, is a speech synthesis program developed and sold by Don’t Ask Software. The program was released for the Apple II, Lisa, Atari 8-bit family, and Commodore 64. Released in 1982, it is the first commercial all-software voice-synthesis program.

Don't Ask Software also sold PokerSAM, a poker game with speech.[2]

Technology [ edit ]

The Apple version prefers additional hardware that contains DACs, although it can instead use the computer's one-bit audio output (with the addition of much distortion) if the card is not present. The Atari makes use of the embedded POKEY audio chip. Speech playback on the Atari normally disables interrupt requests and shuts down the ANTIC chip during vocal output. The audible output is extremely distorted speech when graphic and text display is turned on. The Commodore 64 makes use of the 64's embedded SID audio chip.

Legacy [ edit ]

SAM was later used as the basis for Macintalk.[1]

The technology was also recreated for the voice of the character of "SAM" in the software Chipspeech.[3]