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SpellSynth: Retro Vocal Synth

SpellSynth: Retro Vocal Synth

Talking AUv3 + Phonics games

8 ratings
8 reviews
📚 Education
🎵 Music
$4.99 $2.99

Lowest price: $2.99 4 months ago (-0%)

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Price history

Details

  • Released
  • Updated
  • April 22, 2026
  • July 31, 2026

Features

Developer

Chih Han Lin
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About

This app recreates a classic 1978 spelling toy with four engaging game modes. It allows users to type any word or phrase and hear it spoken aloud using vintage synthesized voices. Explore different speech synthesis eras and even play the keypad with a MIDI keyboard.

✓Type and hear any word spoken
✓Four game modes (Free Play, Spell, Mystery Word, Say It)
✓Three distinct vintage voice characters
✓MIDI keyboard support
✓Export audio to WAV
✓Adjustable gap between words
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What's New in SpellSynth

1.3.0

July 31, 2026

1.3.0 — SEQ: The Word Step Sequencer. • New SEQ mode: put a word on each of 16 steps and hear them speak on a beat. Type four words, get a robot vocal loop. Tempo runs 40 to 240, steps land on 1/4, 1/8 or 1/16 notes, and the loop can be any length up to 16. • Put a single letter on a step instead and it uses the recorded alphabet voice — so you can spell a word out on the beat, then say it whole. • FIT stretches each word to exactly fill its step, so words speed up and pitch up as you push the tempo. • The same sequencer is in the AUv3, where it locks to your DAW's tempo and follows the transport. Two presets to start from: Robot Chant and Spelling Bee. Bug reports or feature requests welcome at zhiii0x@gmail.com — zhi

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User reviews

Most RecentHighest RatedLowest Rated

Love it!

SpellSynth is great for adding voices and phonics to your music. Nice design, easy to use although I wish there was an option to switch to a QWERTY key layout instead of the default alphabetical order of the original Speak and Spell hardware it’s kind of emulating. Great start though, five stars, looking forward to adding voices to loops and drones.
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Cotswold BoyCotswold Boy

Response from developer

thanks for support! yes, it has type mode on 1.2.6 ver.

Cool, but

None of the voices sound like the 1984 Texas Instruments voice I hoped for when I purchased this. Very cool app for audio work.
mvanputtmvanputt

Response from developer

Thanks for advise!

Updated review: Retro awesomeness! 🤘🏼😁

Thanks for the speedy fixes and updates. The default voice now brings on the instant nostalgia and the games and functions are rocking!
I’ll dive into Auv3 mode a bit more, but with some quick testing all seems much improved and working flawlessly. Will report if I run across any new issues. Cheers!
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mikenofacemikenoface

Response from developer

Updated: Both your points landed in releases since this. 1.0.4 brought full word typing to the AUv3 plugin (no more being stuck with letters / CAT demo). And 1.1.0 added an LPC mode driven by the actual chirp — tap LPC in the brand header and every word/letter runs through a 10-pole LPC vocoder. That's as close to the 1978 character as I can get without an emulator. Thanks for the patience!

Doesn’t say any words

I like the idea. I know it can be better but right now, it’s very incomplete. And that’s from both standalone and AUV3 perspectives. Saw the update and tried typing in “hi” and it couldn’t say it. Hopefully this gets better someday. No use for it yet
IcimjIcimj

Response from developer

Free Play used to go silent on anything outside the bundled ~550 words — turned out I was releasing the speech synth before its callback fired, so the audio never came back. Now any word you type pronounces via the system TTS and caches for instant replay. Sorry for the rough first impression — would love it if you give it another shot. Cheers!

terrible

Found this on an iPad music group on Facebook. Whoever posted about it needs to quit lol
Dj AlibiDj Alibi

Response from developer

Hello! Thank you for your feedback. I would love to hear any specific suggestions you have!

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FAQ

What is SpellSynth?

SpellSynth is a playable application that recreates a 1978 spelling toy for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It features four game modes, a VFD display, and vintage voice characters from different eras of speech synthesis.

How does SpellSynth speak words?

You can type any word or phrase, and SpellSynth will speak it back using its bundled retro voices or the system engine. It caches spoken words for instant playback on subsequent taps.

What are the game modes in SpellSynth?

SpellSynth offers Free Play for typing and hearing words, Spell for testing spelling skills, Mystery Word for guessing hidden words, and Say It for pronunciation practice.

Can I use SpellSynth with a MIDI keyboard?

Yes, you can connect a USB, Bluetooth, or Network MIDI keyboard to your iPad. Notes C4–C6 will trigger letters A–Z, allowing you to play the keypad with physical keys.

What vintage voices are available in SpellSynth?

SpellSynth includes three vintage voices: 1968 ODYSSEY (calm, deep-baritone), 1978 LPC (original Speak & Spell character), and 1986 DECTALK STYLE (monotone, computery). A DEFAULT clean system voice is also available.

Can I export audio from SpellSynth?

Yes, you can render any word or phrase to a WAV file and share it via Files, AirDrop, or your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). What you hear is exactly what you save.

What is the price of SpellSynth?

SpellSynth is a paid application priced at $2.99.

Does SpellSynth have ads?

No, SpellSynth does not contain advertisements. It is a paid application.