techmoan / Two twin tapes

True. Nowadays the parents would have to buy them.

CBits Tech

2024-12-21 14:06:10 +0000 UTC

PS. I wrote my last message with about 4min to the end of the video… yeh, you said the same stuff as I just said 😅 I’m obviously preaching to the choir 🙏 😁

Lee Coles

2024-12-21 11:33:27 +0000 UTC

Nice one, Matt. All the way through this video I was thinking I’d seen one of these in person before. Nope, there was a similar ‘one tape’ player that looks so similar to the Sony you’ve shown here, that I was bidding on eBay for ages and lost out… cuz it went for a million pounds or something 😂 I even think I was starting to dream of it to be honest. But yes, interesting concept but not sure about their application generally in life. Isn’t it interesting though, the ideas these large companies were aloud to explore back in the day. Willingness to try something different not because it’s needed, but because they can. Now we get to look back on all this time extremely fondly, and cry at the amazing (but boring) stuff produced today. I miss the days of 1-job-only buttons, unnecessary colour coding, printed words and things lasting a long time with being serviceable. Just my opinion of course, and I’m enjoying collecting retro tech as a hobby, meaning, like you I can enjoy the candy draw of tech that used to be on offer. It’s fun. Anyway, hope you are doing well mate. Merry Christmas to you and your wife. Lee x

Lee Coles

2024-12-21 11:30:19 +0000 UTC

On his ‘Strong Message Here’ podcast this week, Armando Iannucci called covid “the event” — I wonder if he’s a Techmoan subscriber? 8:00 minutes: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00260s7

Matthew Hunt

2024-12-19 10:29:02 +0000 UTC

Yes, your voice, not the MACHINE

Dan Weiss

2024-12-18 02:51:41 +0000 UTC

I'm 55 years old and, around 1980 or so, there was digital watch mania. For the entire month after Christmas, alarms and hour chimes went off all the time in school classes, as everyone who had been gifted one made sure everyone else knew about it.

Andrew Torrance

2024-12-18 00:09:53 +0000 UTC

Yay! Humanity prevails (this time...) Seriously though, you sound fine and I much prefer your voice to the weird uncanny valley of your voice synth.

Oscar C

2024-12-17 19:32:44 +0000 UTC

Sounds good. Pleased to hear you are getting better.

Gideon Jones-Davies

2024-12-17 19:06:14 +0000 UTC

Oh my… That sounds … robotic!

Pascal Altena

2024-12-17 16:07:30 +0000 UTC

https://youtu.be/P2o3nWq-_5g

Grace Robbins

2024-12-17 16:03:56 +0000 UTC

I didn’t get a chance to hear robo-moan!!! Can I hear it somewhere?

Pascal Altena

2024-12-17 15:41:23 +0000 UTC

The film is Colossus: The Forbin Project.

Techmoan

2024-12-17 12:43:57 +0000 UTC

Same here. I’m really quite surprised I’d not come across one and it’s such a good idea. What film was the clip from?

Gareth R

2024-12-17 08:38:25 +0000 UTC

Hope you get well soon :-)

CrankyLockPicker

2024-12-17 06:33:32 +0000 UTC

Was hoping when I heard the AI voice you would have cloned your voice on elevenlabs so you're reading it...ISH I did one there and had you reading The Time Machine, but was rather odd and used Carl Sagan instead.

GraphicsMonkey

2024-12-17 01:50:56 +0000 UTC

The coolest kid at my school was calle Graeme Woods. His parents ran the local Blaupunkt shop and so he had access to the cool stuff we didn't. I had to laugh years later when he turned up in the national media complaining about being a truck driver who's cab was overheating.

Matthew Lawrenson

2024-12-16 23:21:55 +0000 UTC

Merry Christmas, hope your voice comes back fully soon.

Josette Reynolds

2024-12-16 23:18:09 +0000 UTC

Hope you feel better soon!

Joon Choi

2024-12-16 22:46:51 +0000 UTC

That's really cool... and no doubt cost a premium at the time. Reminds me of this thing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/205157539601

Grace Robbins

2024-12-16 21:42:20 +0000 UTC

Much better!

Amro

2024-12-16 21:22:54 +0000 UTC

I bought one a few years ago. BNIB. I just need to get a DIN car radio setup that I can use in the house.

Techmoan

2024-12-16 21:21:11 +0000 UTC

A nice summing up at the end regarding the stretch Limo. When I was at school the coolest kid was "The kid with a digital watch". For a while I didn't know his name but everyone in the Electronics club knew who I meant.

Duncan

2024-12-16 21:20:58 +0000 UTC

Here's that car radio with a built-in CRT TV: https://www.retrothing.com/2012/03/an-in-dash-tv-for-your-car-from-the-80s.html

VWestlife

2024-12-16 21:14:48 +0000 UTC

Nah, you'll have to settle for a cool modern Santa Clause: https://ibb.co/rQ1VHyP

Grace Robbins

2024-12-16 20:12:45 +0000 UTC

The new one is just like the first, but with 50% extra Techmoan. And that is a good thing!

David Peaker

2024-12-16 19:44:38 +0000 UTC

Grace, we're all eagerly awaiting your rendition of Mat Headroom😃

Mark Hesse

2024-12-16 19:43:25 +0000 UTC

A techmoan video is never a waste of time, no matter how often you watch it! The robovoice's fluctuating accent certainly brought a smile to my miserable scottish pus, thanks for all your hard work Mat, get well soon and all the best for next year. (For Mrs techmoan also..)

gordon will

2024-12-16 19:19:08 +0000 UTC

Just enough to pay for the batteries.

Techmoan

2024-12-16 19:16:02 +0000 UTC

There’s no ads until it’s live, so unfortunately multiple watches doesn’t really count for a great deal…other than wasting your time and for that I must apologise.

Techmoan

2024-12-16 19:15:37 +0000 UTC

Was this a sneaky ploy to make us watch it twice? 😅 get well soon Mat, I'm off to rewatch it, hope you at at least attempt one accent!

gordon will

2024-12-16 19:08:15 +0000 UTC

Much better with your own voice, Matt. I can see a good use-case for this. Take it to school, charge your mates 50p per tape copied. One per lesson, £2 in your pocket before you go home! Sorted

CBits Tech

2024-12-16 19:06:51 +0000 UTC

This has been an interesting experiment. So it's not just about content and presentation to make a successful channel, it's also the narration. And I might add, for me at least, you have one of the best voices for documentaries. (I consider your videos as such). And you're also a great salesman too- you tell me not to buy something I want simply because it's was on Techmoan.

Rudy Rodriguez

2024-12-16 19:01:09 +0000 UTC

Being Techmoan Malcovich

Ant Wakefield

2024-12-16 18:48:05 +0000 UTC

Yessssss thanks for re recording it

Ant Wakefield

2024-12-16 18:34:39 +0000 UTC

NEW GLASSES!

antzpantz

2024-12-16 18:28:27 +0000 UTC

Great news. I stopped the video because of the artificial voice. It made me sad. Now I can enjoy it. Hope you get well.

Michael Wehr

2024-12-16 18:22:57 +0000 UTC

Clones are better. https://ibb.co/16Yp7x6

Grace Robbins

2024-12-16 18:21:30 +0000 UTC

As a viewer, one might feel a bit guilty that, because of all the critical comments, you re-recorded the audio even though you had a cold. That said, the improvement is like night and day, so thank you for your effort and dedication.

Tunix

2024-12-16 18:14:30 +0000 UTC

MUCH better, Mat. Honestly it felt like I was watching it for the first time. Even though it was all the same information… it’s all in the delivery. Sorry you had to push through your illness just for the sake of your release schedule, but I totally get it. You’ll be thankful looking back on this one that it wasn’t released in that original altered state. Cheers!

Kenan Bennett

2024-12-16 18:00:02 +0000 UTC

While I don't think the version with the computerized voiceover bothered most of the patrons, redoing it with your own voice makes it much better. Also the redone bit in the studio at the end tied everything together nicely.🙂

Mark Hesse

2024-12-16 17:49:41 +0000 UTC

Your voice sounds much improved (dare I say appealing) and we now have a lovely 100% Mat video. Take care and feel all the better as time progresses. 🤍

Grace Robbins

2024-12-16 17:45:05 +0000 UTC

Can't you create AI Techmoan?! 🤔🤣

Gadgetman

2024-12-16 17:40:39 +0000 UTC

Ask Mrs. Columbo.... your wife to read the text?

Maik Bryant

2024-12-16 17:40:02 +0000 UTC

glad you managed to feel good enough to record the voice over

spoopie

2024-12-16 17:37:23 +0000 UTC

wishing you a speedy full recovery but the ai voice was definitely off putting for me

spoopie

2024-12-16 17:37:05 +0000 UTC

About to watch it, but I'm really hoping that you still do all the accents in your own voice!

Mike Mansfield

2024-12-16 17:31:50 +0000 UTC

You should train the AI with your videos and relax!

Alistair Boyer

2024-12-16 17:24:51 +0000 UTC

Nicely done thumbnail 🤍

Grace Robbins

2024-12-16 17:22:59 +0000 UTC

Pre-emptive distracted driving implementation. 😧

Grace Robbins

2024-12-16 13:54:28 +0000 UTC

Enjoyed the history lesson — wishing you a very speedy recovery, Mat!

Justin T Lee

2024-12-16 04:38:45 +0000 UTC

The tuner pack voice was ironically even more squeaky than your own. There was also at least one model of twin-tape car radio, sold through the J.C. Whitney catalog in the '80s and '90s. It could record and had a microphone input, so you could do dictation as well as dub tapes while on the road. And even more oddly, a standard DIN-size car radio with a tiny (I think 1-inch?) black & white CRT TV built into it.

VWestlife

2024-12-16 03:42:05 +0000 UTC

I do have an idea about a thumbnail. Probably another bad idea, but I’m prepared to give it a go. Thanks for those though.

Techmoan

2024-12-15 21:01:50 +0000 UTC

Hope your voice is coming back soon. Another thing I wanted to share to you: the Dutch institute for audio and video is doing a retro-series on professional equipment. Does the BBC have something like that? Would there be any change you could make it? Anyways, here is the link to a Dutch video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGpSqsE6LVU&list=WL&index=27

Doeke Zanstra

2024-12-15 19:12:21 +0000 UTC

Regarding the AI voice it was a bit unusual but I coped. However Mr. Green Guy, formerly Nile Green did paradody videos of Nile Red using an AI system that emulated Nile Red's voice really well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAU0FX1d044

Martipar

2024-12-15 16:16:49 +0000 UTC

Here's a couple of thumbnail ideas, for your consideration: https://ibb.co/q0zbr2v https://ibb.co/zVQBT2q

Grace Robbins

2024-12-15 15:46:40 +0000 UTC

Urghhhhh. I can’t stand these voices - always skip them on YouTube when videos use them. They really irritate me! lol. Rest up Mat and sending ya good vibes to get your real voice back in business - however long it takes!

Ant Wakefield

2024-12-15 15:12:47 +0000 UTC

Hi Matt, and sorry to hear about your voice. These aging bodies are a never ending source of new, annoying adventures. While waiting for your voice to recover, I would suggest looking into the voice cloning features of ElevenLabs. It’s a paid service, but might be what you are looking for. The process would be to take some samples of your healthy voice and feed it into the voice clone. Then you would speak as best as you can in a video, extract the audio and have the site use your voice clone to change your current voice into your healthier one. You would then drop that back into the video. It’s remarkably effective and keeps your inflections and personality and sync. Get well soon, and we are all here for you, whatever you sound like!

Erik Anderson

2024-12-15 15:10:57 +0000 UTC

No, I'm confirming that you do, or at least I was trying to. At first listen, I thought you were dismissive of making a video about these because you thought it wasn't particularly good/interesting for what they actually were, if that makes sense. I thought that was a little odd because you've definitely covered similar things that fell under that category. Rewatching it now, I think I've misinterpreted something and got a couple trains of thoughts crashed into each other. I'm sorry.

Justin

2024-12-15 14:22:43 +0000 UTC

I’m not sure I understand the last point. I do cover mediocre tech, I call it as it is. Some of the worst ideas are the most interesting.

Techmoan

2024-12-15 13:22:49 +0000 UTC

For what it's worth, I liked the TTS voice, though I was disappointed it wasn't a voice clone. I think it'd been a significantly better choice personally, though I understand if you weren't interested in any hassle involved. I didn't catch the different accents the first time around. It could be me having info overload from a droning voice that barely changes its cadence much. To that end, perhaps you could also consider using multiple voices in the future, should you want to. Final note: Since when did weird tech being mediocre in practice ever stopped you from covering it? 😛 Do the double/triple-cassette boomboxes not count?

Justin

2024-12-15 13:15:31 +0000 UTC

I enjoyed the video. Some of the accent choices were amusing, to me at least. There's scope for a guess-the-accent game since we're entering the festive season. Hope you're feeling better soon.

David Boddie

2024-12-15 12:16:04 +0000 UTC

Get well soon Mat...... AI version better than nothing ? Hmm not sure. The words might be the same but it is isn't brought to life in the same way as your unique style. It is however a great way to demonstrate a direct comparison. AI voice has its place for occasional things but doesn't replace the real thing. As always......thanks for the video

Chris Palin

2024-12-15 10:27:36 +0000 UTC

Your script and video was excellent as always. The AI voicing I think proves that the robots won't be taking over any time soon, unless they learn the idiosyncrasies of human intonation. Wish you better, Mat.

Roland Bogush

2024-12-15 10:10:36 +0000 UTC

Coughing myself to death as I watch, enjoyable but missing your magic. Hope we're both feeling better soon!

Philip Rennard

2024-12-15 00:07:41 +0000 UTC

Thank for still putting out a video and I hope you get well soon. Even without your voice to narrate, it was still a very interesting video and again showed me something I never knew existed.

J.R. Locke

2024-12-14 23:04:10 +0000 UTC

Interesting video, I would have loved one of those back in the day even if not the best, could have been cool to copy your mates tapes that he wouldn't let you take home whilst still at school. Hope you feel better soon and please re- voice the video when you are able. I often re-watch your videos and ai voices really don't do it for me. Having said that it was a good idea to vary the voice and accents throughout. Made it much lighter and more listenable.

Gideon Jones-Davies

2024-12-14 22:21:45 +0000 UTC

Yeah, it's a weird listen. I did stick it out though. Hoping it wasn't your travels you caught this from. Hope you feel better soon!

Brad Jones

2024-12-14 21:20:06 +0000 UTC

The first Techmoan video I’ll be missing out on in a decade. I just can’t deal with those “AI” voices and had to stop almost immediately as soon as they kicked in. Sorry Mat. I hope you get better soon.

Tim Hugall

2024-12-14 21:07:09 +0000 UTC

I caught the lurgy two weeks ago on a flight out to a holiday in Madeira. I'm still coughing and sound like a didgeridoo. Hopefully you'll be better for Christmas.

Paul Hughes

2024-12-14 20:48:13 +0000 UTC

Get well soon Mat and do whatever you think best to get the job done x

Jo Blobs

2024-12-14 18:47:25 +0000 UTC

That AI voice made the video pretty unwatchable. Had to stop it after a few minutes :( Get well soon and I hope you re-upload it with your own voice.

Roland van O.

2024-12-14 18:28:37 +0000 UTC

Check this out from the 9:00 mark. The financial advisor in the video clones his own voice. Scary stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1tVI5OhWRM

Duncan

2024-12-14 17:24:55 +0000 UTC

Hope the cold clears up soon as the AI makes my ears bleed.

Kelvin Park

2024-12-14 17:12:40 +0000 UTC

My sympathy, Mat - we've got the same bug. Two weeks now, and one on Amoxicillin. Good video, but missing your voice of course.

Stephen Bell

2024-12-14 17:09:40 +0000 UTC

Jenna Phipps had the same thing happen on one of her videos. 🤔 How odd.

Grace Robbins

2024-12-14 15:42:00 +0000 UTC

I enjoyed the video, didn't mind the AI-ish voice, (slightly amused at the improvement that tech has experienced, [gone are the days of Stephen Hawking's voice... unless you want to sound that way]). I do remember the golden era of the cassette, when I would primarily buy my albums as vinyl, then go home and carefully record them on my cassette tape to put in the car, Walkman, etc. During those times manufacturers flooded the market with every conceivable variant of cassette devices, both the ingenious and ignoramus. I enjoy that you revisit these times. Take care, feel better,

CrimsonPig808

2024-12-14 15:40:58 +0000 UTC

Wish you a good recovery! Yes, silly things make the most interesting videos 🥰. BTW: has YouTube a new feature, or is it because you used the generated voice? I was very surprised to get a German voice-over, also when you were talking yourself! Auto-translate? I don't like that, rather hear your Northern-England accent over a computer-generated German-German voice...

MrHammond

2024-12-14 15:14:39 +0000 UTC

I thought this was my era for peak tech nerdery but twin deck walkmans totally passeded me by. Have you still got the Laskey catalogue ? I remember getting the train from StAnnes to Preston just to go to Laskeys. Take care and look after No1. Although Mrs Techmoan will probably challenge who is No1 in the house.

Martin Dooley

2024-12-14 15:06:25 +0000 UTC

That was weird, I must have missed the bit between Mat having a cold and using a voice translator thing for the video, and thought I was watching the 8 Bit Guy doing a video, perhaps by way of introduction or something. "Bit odd," I thought, "I never knew they had Laskys in the USA? And look, it has UK £ prices too!"

Robsa

2024-12-14 13:37:48 +0000 UTC

Watching the auto-generated subtitles, at 6:18 you're talking about tuna packs... definitely something fishy going on.

Jonathan in London

2024-12-14 12:51:30 +0000 UTC

Hope you feel better soon Matt. If the robo-voices prove anything, it's that we convey a lot more with our voices than the words. Looking forward to more real-voice presentation :-)

Shiela Dixon

2024-12-14 12:30:35 +0000 UTC

Yup same here. Maybe I just never owned a fancy enough Walkman to have the option. To be honest I was always happy enough listening to my tapes when on the move.

Mark Elliott

2024-12-14 12:00:14 +0000 UTC

Get well soon!

Mark Walsham

2024-12-14 11:40:13 +0000 UTC

Hope you get well soon. ❤️‍🩹

Jasper Colijn

2024-12-14 11:38:20 +0000 UTC

I agree. Good to try, but it just highlights what you lose without the presenter. Or, for me at any rate, how much I tune in to hear Matt's delivery and reactions. We'll all be hearing more and more computer delivered speech I'm sure, and I find it hard to engage with. I'm happy to wait for the real thing. Get well soon.

Andrew Ing

2024-12-14 10:44:48 +0000 UTC

Valiant effort with the computer voiceover but I do kind off get why it puts some people off. That is since so many AI slop bad productions use just that same thing and I think those have in a way tarnished that voice. I was fine with it but I guess I'm in the minority. Hope you get better, seems there are all kind's of illnesses around. For some reason almost all Youtibers I follow have been ill or if not then hit by a hurricane.

J Ruonti

2024-12-14 10:30:15 +0000 UTC

Whatever you do it's always worth the wait.

RobotOnline

2024-12-14 10:09:10 +0000 UTC

Sorry to hear that you feel unwell. I hope you get better soon!

ENP

2024-12-14 10:02:36 +0000 UTC

Get well soon. To add to the history of daft ideas I did find an advert from 1968 for a Cassette Tuner Pack that turned any cassette recorder into a radio. Of course what you couldn't then do is record from the radio which is what most people wanted to do. Picture added to chat.

Duncan

2024-12-14 09:41:11 +0000 UTC

I'm watching the video and it's just... weird. I'd personally much rather wait for you to get your voice back then to listen to the weird generated voice. Please take your time to get better!

Oscar C

2024-12-14 08:34:51 +0000 UTC

I thought the voice was great, especially the changing accents which were hilarious! Some people really can't take a harmless joke, can they?

James Gould

2024-12-14 06:59:45 +0000 UTC

I hope you get feeling better soon! Take all the time you need. :) edit to add - I'd release the video as it is. The voice isn't too bad, your (healthy!) voice is just preferable. Take as much time as you need to rest and recover!

evistre

2024-12-14 06:22:34 +0000 UTC

I'm in hysterics. It felt like I was watching Dunkey or something.

Patrick Walsh

2024-12-14 03:29:39 +0000 UTC

I feel for you. I too live in North West England's damp and miserable climate, and when get on a crowded bus I think "I wonder what I'm going to be breathing in today?". My 49th birthday was last Sunday, and I'm finding as I get older respiratory infections are getting harder to shake off. I take all the injections the GP surgery offers me now, so hopefully I'll be spared COVID and Flu this year. Had my last cold 6 weeks ago, and I assume I'll get at least one more before spring. You'll get better, just takes time and rest.

Matthew Lawrenson

2024-12-14 03:24:02 +0000 UTC

OOf, thanks for the video, but I hope you get well soon. This AI voice (or rather voiceS) is(are) intolerable.

Grosporina

2024-12-14 02:55:37 +0000 UTC

In regards to your update, the only person you need to worry about is you, if YOU don't think it's good enough. It would be just fine the way it is as you explain why in the video. It's not a permanent change, just a once in a while solution. If others can't understand that, they're fools.

Myles

2024-12-14 02:35:32 +0000 UTC

Suddenly, a cast of thousands! Well, a cast of a couple. And I'll add my thanks for referencing "Colossus: The Forbin Project" an excellent and under appreciated movie.

Joseph Dougherty

2024-12-14 02:33:49 +0000 UTC

I have never seen a tuner pack before!!! I wonder how prevalent these were in the USA? Something I'll have to look into. I loved this episode, seeing these and your catalog pages brings back a lot of memories of me wandering the stores at the mall and drooling over all the tech I could never afford. I'd always end up with the sub-$20 tape decks from K-Mart or other discount stores; they weren't great, but as I never had anything better, I didn't know what I was missing! Thank you so much for your hard work. I look forward to you narrating your videos again, as I despise AI voices on videos. P.S.: I understand why you used this and I feel for you, having been sick like that a few weeks ago, and I respect you going out of the way to bring us videos even when you aren't feeling up to snuff. But with others, it's just because they are lazy content farms of AI written articles read by AI voices synced up to AI-generated or AI-sourced images and/or video. And, they don't write the script out phonetically, so the AI voice mispronounces everything and sounds mentally ill. Yuck, no thanks! P.P.S.: You did a great job with yours, I didn't hear any goofs like that. If there was, I was too enamored with the visuals I didn't notice. :) Feel better soon!

Myles

2024-12-14 02:31:09 +0000 UTC

I zoned out because of the robo-voice. If it wasn't such a busy time of year I'd offer to do an anonymous voice-over and send it to you, Mat. "Techmoan can't talk at the moment, because he sounds like this." "So he's sent me a script and I'll speak for him. He says that...." That sort of thing. Despite the robo-voice, I think you should make it public, then when you're feeling better redo the voice track and release it a second time, see how many views the repeat will get. I bet many people will watch both. Get well soon!

CBits Tech

2024-12-14 02:21:33 +0000 UTC

Be well, Mat. This was a nice little informative video (never heard of tuner packs until now) and the computer voiceover wasn't too bad--cool that you were able to have the computerized voice speak in various accents. Also bonus points for using the clip from Colossus.👍😃

Mark Hesse

2024-12-14 00:55:08 +0000 UTC

I couldn't believe I was suddenly watching a clip from the movie 'Colossus, The Forbin Project." I watched part of that movie last night, and for a few seconds, I thought somehow I had clicked something on YouTube to go back to the movie. Had I somehow sat on the mouse?? Hope you're feeling better real soon!

Art Nitzschke

2024-12-14 00:46:11 +0000 UTC

I didn't mind the VO. I had never run into a tuner pack back in the 80s (in the southeastern US) so that was interesting to see. Hope you feel better soon.

Jason Wellband

2024-12-14 00:44:54 +0000 UTC

Mat, I'm sorry I can't do those stupid voice thingys. I can wait till you re-voice it as yourself, also hope you feel better soon!

John Brown

2024-12-14 00:36:38 +0000 UTC

This is a great concept Mat! Could be an easier thing for the future, take the most sent comments about devices and do a video about. Then include a supplement like this video. "See this device? Now here another that was better" or what have you. Def could help with a little less effort if sick or whatever.

BlueChainsawMan

2024-12-14 00:32:18 +0000 UTC

What a dreadful time to be sick. I hope you feel better soon. On the video- I quite enjoyed it. OBVIOUSLY your recognizable voice would be preferred- but I wasn't put off by the robovoice that much at all. I found the content really interesting and that smoothed over not hearing you.

Andrew Shaw

2024-12-14 00:27:48 +0000 UTC

I thought It was a well put together video, I hope you are better very soon.

Robin Cooper

2024-12-14 00:11:58 +0000 UTC

Mat, I know I'm not the only one commenting the same annoying thing, and it's in no way a knock on you, but that AI voice is quite offputting. Maybe someone from your Patrons has experience with AI voiceovers and could help out find a better voice or perhaps synthesize a model based on your voice, though that has the potential to be quite cursed.

Rose

2024-12-14 00:06:00 +0000 UTC

43 years old, owned various walkmans, minidisc players and been a general hi-fi/tech enthusiast since the age of 10, but was completely unaware of the existence of tuner packs until this video. Brilliant idea, and I'm excited by the prospect of more little surprises like this potentially being out there just waiting to make me feel like I've just jumped into a slightly alternate dimension again

Pete Hepple

2024-12-13 23:51:49 +0000 UTC

I sadly I’m with you on this. Love everything Matt makes but cannot bring myself to listen to what sounds like an AI voice over. Even knowing he wrote the script doesn’t help. Sorry to be that guy but I’d have preferred no video this week and got this one later when he was feeling better.

Jeff Vince

2024-12-13 23:39:17 +0000 UTC

Hoarse voice? Nothing a warm ale and a bit of honey can't fix! 😉 Using an AI voice to narrate your video is an interesting experiment, but it really highlights just how essential your personal presentation style is to what makes a Techmoan video so unique. I appreciate the effort, though. Get well soon!

Tunix

2024-12-13 23:37:50 +0000 UTC

Sorry you're feeling bad Mat.

Big Car

2024-12-13 23:21:31 +0000 UTC

Oh, excellent. 🤍

Grace Robbins

2024-12-13 23:11:41 +0000 UTC

Thanks, Mat. This is a perfect way to end the week. Some mary jane and Techmoan sounds like a great night to me 🤣 If we don’t hear from you before xmas, I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday and New Years

Bryan Hamill

2024-12-13 23:08:48 +0000 UTC

I wanted to feature a Mini Pak in the 4-track video but didn't get the chance. I've picked this one up and hopefully I'll find a way to incorporate it in a future video.

Techmoan

2024-12-13 23:08:32 +0000 UTC

I had zero issues the the voiceover. I’ve watched so many TM videos at this point my brain just made me think it was Mat talking. Lovely little video. That AIWA was a great looking machine. I finally got one very similar in 1994.

Mark Elliott

2024-12-13 23:02:40 +0000 UTC

Get well soon. Sorry, I just had to stop watching a few minutes in. It felt creepy.

Brian Condron

2024-12-13 23:01:35 +0000 UTC

Hope you feel better soon.

Stephen

2024-12-13 22:57:57 +0000 UTC

Sorry you're not feeling well Mat, problematic breathing does not sound fun at all. Hope you find something that eases your suffering!

Gareth P

2024-12-13 22:56:32 +0000 UTC

I think a Stephen Hawking would have been more fun :). Hope you feel better soon

AzoriusMage

2024-12-13 22:32:35 +0000 UTC

I love you Matt and I understand why you had to use the AI voice but I'm just afraid the larger audience won't be so understanding.

Annabella Williams

2024-12-13 22:28:46 +0000 UTC

Feel better soon! -sincerely, someone who is also sick. Also - that AI voice is not great. The video really needs your narration.

probnot

2024-12-13 22:28:44 +0000 UTC

• Oh dear, you sound wretched - wrap yourself in a blanket cocoon and sweat it out while drinking excessive liquids. That always seems to speed up my recovery. • Post-holiday illnesses are the worst 😥 • Many English accents are represented here. ❤️ It sounds a bit like a Ridley Scott film. • The AI voices sometimes question what they're saying. And they also dead-pan the jokes with impunity. This video is amusing simply due to the usage of AI robots. 😆 • Thanks for showing us another version of the portable twin-tape deck. It pretty much comes down to it being a quirky novelty in the end. • I'm always available for thumbnail ideas. 😉 • Take care of yourself 🤍. I want to make you a hearty chicken noodle soup. P.S. I saw this Muntz Mini-Pak tape the other day and thought of you. https://www.ebay.com/itm/135415264134

Grace Robbins

2024-12-13 22:27:32 +0000 UTC

I hope you feel better Mat, and for that reason I hope you put off releasing this to the general public until you are on the mend. Setting aside the typical gripes about AI and generated text-to-speech content, the one thing it just cannot get right is inflection and proper enunciation. People listen for vocal cues like pauses and drawn-out syllables to pick up on what’s important, what’s meant to be interesting, and where the breaks in logic are. All of those things are made harder to discern by an AI voice, and for someone with a reading/learning disorder like myself who heavily relies on tone of voice for information — I found it hard to glean information from listening to an AI voice, aside from it being downright annoying. This is a great follow-up to your earlier video and despite you feeling like it’s a short silly one, I think many will really enjoy it. Those radio cassette packs have always intrigued me and I was jazzed to see one in action! Even in the state you’re in now, I’d rather hear a gravelly voice telling me about this thing because of the nonverbal cues you give listeners through tone and inflection. But of course, don’t suffer for my sake. Just wait until you feel better and record the VO then! Besides, I can’t imagine the trolling comments you’ll get from a general audience over something like this.

Kenan Bennett

2024-12-13 22:25:04 +0000 UTC

Hope you will feel better soon. I, too, stopped watching halfway through as the AI voice was too annoying for me.

Mark Korp

2024-12-13 22:24:00 +0000 UTC

I hope you get better soon. When you do get better it might be worth trying the Personal Voice function to try to get a more natural “back-up Mat” if illness strikes again. You could read about it here. https://support.apple.com/en-gb/104993

Elliot Reid

2024-12-13 22:15:35 +0000 UTC

Thanks for bravely struggling through! Hope you feel better soon.

Amro

2024-12-13 22:14:36 +0000 UTC

weird. But I get it. Get better soon and come back to us.

Douglas Cummings

2024-12-13 22:12:24 +0000 UTC

Get well soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Benjamin Giguere

2024-12-13 22:09:43 +0000 UTC

Hope you get well soon! I stopped watching halfway through, the AI voice just isn't appealing. Not sure how others feel but I'd happily wait for whenever you're well enough to narrate yourself :)

Aaron the Tinkerer

2024-12-13 22:07:15 +0000 UTC

The Irish Siri voice is making me feel uneasy. I have my HomePod Minis set to that voice so I'm used to hearing it tell me the temperature, telling me "You'll have to ask me that from your iPhone" in response to any questions, or randomly saying something random like "OK, here is a playlist of Hindi pop music" about 20% of the time I use my coffee machine.

Adam Francis Smith

2024-12-13 22:03:02 +0000 UTC

Hope you feel better soon!

Philip King

2024-12-13 22:01:02 +0000 UTC

Two twin tapes - UPDATED

Comments

True. Nowadays the parents would have to buy them.

PS. I wrote my last message with about 4min to the end of the video… yeh, you said the same stuff as I just said 😅 I’m obviously preaching to the choir 🙏 😁

On his ‘Strong Message Here’ podcast this week, Armando Iannucci called covid “the event” — I wonder if he’s a Techmoan subscriber? 8:00 minutes: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00260s7

Yes, your voice, not the MACHINE

I'm 55 years old and, around 1980 or so, there was digital watch mania. For the entire month after Christmas, alarms and hour chimes went off *all the time* in school classes, as everyone who had been gifted one made sure everyone else knew about it.

Yay! Humanity prevails (this time...) Seriously though, you sound fine and I much prefer your voice to the weird uncanny valley of your voice synth.

Sounds good. Pleased to hear you are getting better.

Oh my… That sounds … robotic!

https://youtu.be/P2o3nWq-_5g

I didn’t get a chance to hear robo-moan!!! Can I hear it somewhere?

The film is Colossus: The Forbin Project.

Same here. I’m really quite surprised I’d not come across one and it’s such a good idea. What film was the clip from?

Hope you get well soon :-)

Was hoping when I heard the AI voice you would have cloned your voice on elevenlabs so you're reading it...ISH I did one there and had you reading The Time Machine, but was rather odd and used Carl Sagan instead.

The coolest kid at my school was calle Graeme Woods. His parents ran the local Blaupunkt shop and so he had access to the cool stuff we didn't. I had to laugh years later when he turned up in the national media complaining about being a truck driver who's cab was overheating.

Merry Christmas, hope your voice comes back fully soon.

Hope you feel better soon!

That's really cool... and no doubt cost a premium at the time. Reminds me of this thing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/205157539601

Much better!

I bought one a few years ago. BNIB. I just need to get a DIN car radio setup that I can use in the house.

A nice summing up at the end regarding the stretch Limo. When I was at school the coolest kid was "The kid with a digital watch". For a while I didn't know his name but everyone in the Electronics club knew who I meant.

Here's that car radio with a built-in CRT TV: https://www.retrothing.com/2012/03/an-in-dash-tv-for-your-car-from-the-80s.html

Nah, you'll have to settle for a cool modern Santa Clause: https://ibb.co/rQ1VHyP

The new one is just like the first, but with 50% extra Techmoan. And that is a good thing!

Grace, we're all eagerly awaiting your rendition of Mat Headroom😃

A techmoan video is *never* a waste of time, no matter how often you watch it! The robovoice's fluctuating accent certainly brought a smile to my miserable scottish pus, thanks for all your hard work Mat, get well soon and all the best for next year. (For Mrs techmoan also..)

Just enough to pay for the batteries.

There’s no ads until it’s live, so unfortunately multiple watches doesn’t really count for a great deal…other than wasting your time and for that I must apologise.

Was this a sneaky ploy to make us watch it twice? 😅 get well soon Mat, I'm off to rewatch it, hope you at at least attempt one accent!

Much better with your own voice, Matt. I can see a good use-case for this. Take it to school, charge your mates 50p per tape copied. One per lesson, £2 in your pocket before you go home! Sorted

Being Techmoan Malcovich

Yessssss thanks for re recording it

NEW GLASSES!

Great news. I stopped the video because of the artificial voice. It made me sad. Now I can enjoy it. Hope you get well.

Clones are better. https://ibb.co/16Yp7x6

As a viewer, one might feel a bit guilty that, because of all the critical comments, you re-recorded the audio even though you had a cold. That said, the improvement is like night and day, so thank you for your effort and dedication.

While I don't think the version with the computerized voiceover bothered most of the patrons, redoing it with your own voice makes it much better. Also the redone bit in the studio at the end tied everything together nicely.🙂

Your voice sounds much improved (dare I say appealing) and we now have a lovely 100% Mat video. Take care and feel all the better as time progresses. 🤍

Can't you create AI Techmoan?! 🤔🤣

Ask Mrs. Columbo.... your wife to read the text?

glad you managed to feel good enough to record the voice over

wishing you a speedy full recovery but the ai voice was definitely off putting for me

About to watch it, but I'm really hoping that you still do all the accents in your own voice!

You should train the AI with your videos and relax!

Nicely done thumbnail 🤍

Pre-emptive distracted driving implementation. 😧

Enjoyed the history lesson — wishing you a very speedy recovery, Mat!

I do have an idea about a thumbnail. Probably another bad idea, but I’m prepared to give it a go. Thanks for those though.

Regarding the AI voice it was a bit unusual but I coped. However Mr. Green Guy, formerly Nile Green did paradody videos of Nile Red using an AI system that emulated Nile Red's voice really well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAU0FX1d044

Here's a couple of thumbnail ideas, for your consideration: https://ibb.co/q0zbr2v https://ibb.co/zVQBT2q

Urghhhhh. I can’t stand these voices - always skip them on YouTube when videos use them. They really irritate me! lol. Rest up Mat and sending ya good vibes to get your real voice back in business - however long it takes!

I’m not sure I understand the last point. I do cover mediocre tech, I call it as it is. Some of the worst ideas are the most interesting.

I enjoyed the video. Some of the accent choices were amusing, to me at least. There's scope for a guess-the-accent game since we're entering the festive season. Hope you're feeling better soon.

Your script and video was excellent as always. The AI voicing I think proves that the robots won't be taking over any time soon, unless they learn the idiosyncrasies of human intonation. Wish you better, Mat.

Coughing myself to death as I watch, enjoyable but missing your magic. Hope we're both feeling better soon!

Thank for still putting out a video and I hope you get well soon. Even without your voice to narrate, it was still a very interesting video and again showed me something I never knew existed.

Yeah, it's a weird listen. I did stick it out though. Hoping it wasn't your travels you caught this from. Hope you feel better soon!

The first Techmoan video I’ll be missing out on in a decade. I just can’t deal with those “AI” voices and had to stop almost immediately as soon as they kicked in. Sorry Mat. I hope you get better soon.

I caught the lurgy two weeks ago on a flight out to a holiday in Madeira. I'm still coughing and sound like a didgeridoo. Hopefully you'll be better for Christmas.

Get well soon Mat and do whatever you think best to get the job done x

That AI voice made the video pretty unwatchable. Had to stop it after a few minutes :( Get well soon and I hope you re-upload it with your own voice.

Check this out from the 9:00 mark. The financial advisor in the video clones his own voice. Scary stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1tVI5OhWRM

Hope the cold clears up soon as the AI makes my ears bleed.

My sympathy, Mat - we've got the same bug. Two weeks now, and one on Amoxicillin. Good video, but missing your voice of course.

Jenna Phipps had the same thing happen on one of her videos. 🤔 How odd.

Watching the auto-generated subtitles, at 6:18 you're talking about tuna packs... definitely something fishy going on.

Hope you feel better soon Matt. If the robo-voices prove anything, it's that we convey a lot more with our voices than the words. Looking forward to more real-voice presentation :-)

Yup same here. Maybe I just never owned a fancy enough Walkman to have the option. To be honest I was always happy enough listening to my tapes when on the move.

Get well soon!

Hope you get well soon. ❤️‍🩹

Whatever you do it's always worth the wait.

Sorry to hear that you feel unwell. I hope you get better soon!

Get well soon. To add to the history of daft ideas I did find an advert from 1968 for a Cassette Tuner Pack that turned any cassette recorder into a radio. Of course what you couldn't then do is record from the radio which is what most people wanted to do. Picture added to chat.

I'm watching the video and it's just... weird. I'd personally much rather wait for you to get your voice back then to listen to the weird generated voice. Please take your time to get better!

I thought the voice was great, especially the changing accents which were hilarious! Some people really can't take a harmless joke, can they?

I hope you get feeling better soon! Take all the time you need. :) edit to add - I'd release the video as it is. The voice isn't too bad, your (healthy!) voice is just preferable. Take as much time as you need to rest and recover!

I'm in hysterics. It felt like I was watching Dunkey or something.

OOf, thanks for the video, but I hope you get well soon. This AI voice (or rather voiceS) is(are) intolerable.

I'm 55 years old and, around 1980 or so, there was digital watch mania. For the entire month after Christmas, alarms and hour chimes went off all the time in school classes, as everyone who had been gifted one made sure everyone else knew about it.

A techmoan video is never a waste of time, no matter how often you watch it! The robovoice's fluctuating accent certainly brought a smile to my miserable scottish pus, thanks for all your hard work Mat, get well soon and all the best for next year. (For Mrs techmoan also..)