Signal processing refers to the processing of different signals, including the analysis or understanding of those signals. In terms of speech technology, this is especially related to the issues of understanding human speech. For example, an individual may have difficulties in interpreting the words coming from another.

It?s not merely problems interpreting speech though, it can also relate to other signals that an individual encounters every day. They have problems identifying traditional sounds such as the engine of an oncoming car or noise coming from the television. Many of these people have problems filtering different sounds, meaning they hear all the noises, but can?t understand all of them.

There are some specific types of products meant to help those with problems associated with signal processing. Speech recognition or voice recognition software allows individuals to speak directly into a microphone, which translates the words onto the computer screen. There is also speech synthesis, which takes words on the computer screen and speak them out loud. Lastly is speech compression software. This changes the compression of different speech patterns, speeding them up or slowing them down to make them easier to process.

The Speech Signal Processing Toolkit contains resources and information for those with UNIX systems. The codes on this page were developed by a Japanese researcher after years of work.

Users may also want to visit The Signal Processing and Speech Communications Laboratory. The page includes information on the courses they teach, but also on different areas of signal processing, including any current research issues the group is working on.

Those with signal processing problems relating to speech may also want to learn more about the different types of products and software available. A good place to start is Hawk Voice. This website offers speech compression software. To learn more about speech compression and how it works, a great resource is Speech Compression.

Speech synthesis software is also available, with this taking text and turning it into spoken words. Cepstral is one such company offering this type of software. The basics of speech synthesis software are clearly outlined in the article Speech Synthesis Markup Language. Users can also hear samples of speech synthesis software on Examples of Synthesized Speech. Some people will also want to try voice recognition software. E-Speaking has a free program available.

A few colleges have held courses devoted to speech processing and some of their lessons can be quite helpful when it comes to understanding the phenomenon. Two good places to look are Signal Processing in Speech Technology and Speech Signal Processing. Both of these websites contain a basic idea of signal processing and how it relates to speech. The first website contains the actual coursework outlined by a professor teaching at Cambridge University. The second website contains the outline delivered to students at Columbia University.