Android app for helmet audio. Development thread.

[LordNikon]

I had a sudden burst of inspiration and decided to try out the concept of a Smartphone app for helmet audio.

I have only spent 5 hours or so on this, so it is only in a "proof of concept" state, if even that.

It is voice activated, performs bandpass filtering (300-3000Hz) on your voice, and plays it on the audio output.
It ends the playback with a noise burst.

The voice activation is currently crap, and there are no adjustments possible at all.
The audio processing code is wildly inefficient. It may not work well on slower phones. And the Application icon is made in MSPaint.

In short: Do not expect any kind of greatness at the moment :-)
 

I uploaded it to the google play store in its current state, if someone wants to play around with it.
It is called "Troop Talk Beta"
----------
Warning: Do NOT start the app on your phone without connecting a headset first, or you will get some nasty feedback.

Edited April 1, 2022 by gmrhodes13
link removed no longer working

[toybiz[TK]]

Interesting use of available tech.

Question since I haven't loaded it yet. Is the app written to mute all other notification sounds while it is running? Many of us have plenty of other notification tones such as email, IM, FB, etc. If this app is running it may be unusual to have cell tones playing too.

Keep up the great work, I think you are on to something. Many of us have old cell phones laying around doing nothing so this could be a great recycle of otherwise dead tech in the drawers.

[LordNikon]

No, no fancy things like muting other sounds at the moment. As I said, it is barely in "proof of concept" state. :-)

Which is most important? Reliable voice activation, or a convenient push-to-talk function?
There are bluetooth "buttons" which could possibly be used for push-to-talk... Such as this: http://flic.io/

Edited February 1, 2015 by LordNikon

[LordNikon]

Just uploaded a version with a less nasty noise effect after playback.
It also has some added background white noise.

Should become available at play.google.com in a couple of hours.

Edited February 1, 2015 by LordNikon

[Quadan[501st]]

Awsome idea! Just iron out the bugs and it looks like it would work.. with a bluetooth hands free mic and blue tooth speakers might have a real thing, here! And yeah. I tried it out and the vpice activation needs works. It puts itself in a feedback loop on my tablet.

[LordNikon]

Awsome idea! Just iron out the bugs and it looks like it would work.. with a bluetooth hands free mic and blue tooth speakers might have a real thing, here! And yeah. I tried it out and the vpice activation needs works. It puts itself in a feedback loop on my tablet.

The microphone and speaker on phones and tablets are simply located too close together.

The app has to be used with external microphone, speaker or headphones, otherwise you will get the feedback loop.

Edited February 2, 2015 by LordNikon

[Quadan[501st]]

Thats what I though but wasn't sure. But keep on keeping on withthe project!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

And lets hope your significant other doesn't call while in the middle of the troop...... "ring, ring, ring" Hello! ....... NOT NOW I'M TROOPING! ..... then all your fellow troopers give you the IT'S THAT GUY OVER THERE look 

 

Keep us up to date Timmy, definitely sounds like a great concept.

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Very interesting project!

I never get tired of seeing the creativity that our form members come up with for improving the costumes.  

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

  I think perhaps you were a Stormtrooper in a previous life, Tim.  "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away".  Keep up the great work!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Very interesting project!

I never get tired of seeing the creativity that our form members come up with for improving the costumes.  

 

Yes and if anyone knows me, I likie to tinker 

[LordNikon]

Just uploaded a new version where the Voice activation works pretty well. (May take a couple of hours to show up on play.google.com)

What further voice manipulation should be done to get a better "trooper effect"?
Right now I am doing bandpass filtering to 300-3000Hz, and add some background noise. But it is not quite right, is it?

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Just uploaded a new version where the Voice activation works pretty well. (May take a couple of hours to show up on play.google.com)

 

What further voice manipulation should be done to get a better "trooper effect"?

Right now I am doing bandpass filtering to 300-3000Hz, and add some background noise. But it is not quite right, is it?

 

Static breaks for one, also take a look at a video I have posted on my "Helmet Electronics" thread. This is a ROM/FX voice modifier/amplifier, can you replicate that?

[LordNikon]

Static breaks for one, also take a look at a video I have posted on my "Helmet Electronics" thread. This is a ROM/FX voice modifier/amplifier, can you replicate that?

By "static breaks" do you mean the noise burst at the end of each playback?

I already have a white noise burst in place for that purpose. But it could sound better. Perhaps I'll replace it with some sampled static.

 

I tried tightening the bandpass filter to cut out everything but 1500-3000Hz. This changes the voice in a more dramatic way.

Updated verion on it's way up to play.google.com

 

I have made a small discovery: Some headphones with built in microphone has crosstalk between the microphone and headphone wires, causing echo. Regular headphones without microphone solves this problem.

 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

By "static breaks" do you mean the noise burst at the end of each playback?

I already have a white noise burst in place for that purpose. But it could sound better. Perhaps I'll replace it with some sampled static.

 

I tried tightening the bandpass filter to cut out everything but 1500-3000Hz. This changes the voice in a more dramatic way.

Updated verion on it's way up to play.google.com

 

I have made a small discovery: Some headphones with built in microphone has crosstalk between the microphone and headphone wires, causing echo. Regular headphones without microphone solves this problem.

 

 

Adam Toy (toybiz) may have a solution for the headset setup, he seems to have a good grasp in that area. I'm surprised he hasn't chimed in on this thread already. 

Edited February 2, 2015 by ukswrath

[LordNikon]

I think I have a better noise burst after playback now. It is white noise within the frequency range 400-5000Hz.

I have played around with more filter settings. I changed the voice effect to 1000-5000Hz which seems to be a bit closer to the ROM/FX, but it is really hard to to determine if my voice-effect is similar to the ROM/FX or not from only listening to a video, since the voice of the person in the video is very different from my own to begin with.

It might be that in additon to (or instead of) bandpass filtering, the ROM/FX makes the voice a bit "metallic" as well. Not sure.
I am actually not entirely convinced that the ROM/FX effect is particularly authentic to the movies.

I think I'll need to find more samples of authentic stormtrooper chatter to analyze.
Guess I have to watch star wars again.

Edited February 2, 2015 by LordNikon

[Quadan[501st]]

Question. if you use a bluetooth headset to talk out of the phone and the phone as a speaker. What do you use as a speaker of the outside world to hear better whats going on around you?

[ukswrath[Staff]]

I think I have a better noise burst after playback now. It is white noise within the frequency range 400-5000Hz.

 

I have played around with more filter settings. I changed the voice effect to 1000-5000Hz which seems to be a bit closer to the ROM/FX, but it is really hard to to determine if my voice-effect is similar to the ROM/FX or not from only listening to a video, since the voice of the person in the video is very different from my own to begin with.

 

It might be that in additon to (or instead of) bandpass filtering, the ROM/FX makes the voice a bit "metallic" as well. Not sure.

I am actually not entirely convinced that the ROM/FX effect is particularly authentic to the movies.

 

I think I'll need to find more samples of authentic stormtrooper chatter to analyze.

Guess I have to watch star wars again.

 

Hey Tim, if you're up for it create a video or audio clip and post or link it here so we can get a better idea of what you've got your hands on, not everyone understands "white noise within the frequency range 400-5000Hz". 

 

Just a thought.   Keep up the good work

Edited February 3, 2015 by ukswrath

[Polar]

I tried this out, maybe Im just dumb( most likely) but what does it do? I can just hear myself on my ear piece and when I talk into the mic. Is it supposed to broadcast out my phone so  others can hear me as well? 

[LordNikon]

I tried this out, maybe Im just dumb( most likely) but what does it do? I can just hear myself on my ear piece and when I talk into the mic. Is it supposed to broadcast out my phone so  others can hear me as well? 

The idea is to hook up a speaker to the phone, and put a microphone in your helmet. (Or stick the entire phone in the helmet and use the integrated microphone)

The result should be amplification/modification of your voice and some added sound effects, so that you sound a bit like troopers in the movie.

A icomm and ROM/FX clone, basically.

 

Hey Tim, if you're up for it create a video or audio clip and post or link it here so we can get a better idea of what you've got your hands on, not everyone understands "white noise within the frequency range 400-5000Hz". 

 

Just a thought.   Keep up the good work

Maybe when it is a bit more finished.

Hook up a speaker or a headset to your phone and try it out if you want to find out what "white noise within the frequency range 400-5000Hz" sounds like :-)

(It sounds like walkie-talkie static)

 

Question. if you use a bluetooth headset to talk out of the phone and the phone as a speaker. What do you use as a speaker of the outside world to hear better whats going on around you?

At the moment I focus on "output" only.

In the long run I'd like to add extra features, such as "input" from the outside world, extra sound effects, communication with other troopers, and possibly some kind of integration with helmet fans and such. Some phones should actually be able to power the fans.

 

With really advanced optics, perhaps the display of the phone could be projected onto the lenses in the helmet for an in-helmet display? Would be kind of cool. But I doubt it would be feasible.

Edited February 3, 2015 by LordNikon

[Paquitosoler]

it great, but it sounds very loose Buzz

[aliens8us]

I've been thinking of getting a mini charger/battery for my Samsung and put the phone in the helmet behind the frown; and use the camera as a mini view screen

[zebedee[TK]]

This is brilliant

 

Is there any way to stop it cutting out when the screen locks?  my android phone goes to sleep after 30 seconds and locks the screen, then the headset/app stops working.

 

Thinking of cutting an old headset up and soldering the earphone cables to speakers, and fitting the mic inside my lid, just need a way to have it keep working when the screen is locked.  

Edited February 7, 2015 by zebedee

[LordNikon]

As I said, barely "proof of concept" state. :-)
Being capable of running with the screen off is certainly needed. Have not done that before, but I'll figure it out. Think I need to register a background service in the Android system for this.

I also consider adding a effect which makes the voice sound a bit more robotic/metallic in addition to the pure bandpass filtering.
 

[Ripper_L[Admin]]

My Android phone asks me automatically not to lock if I connect a bluetooth headset.

 

//edit: Just recognized, my bluetooth headset doesn't run with the app. I can only use the smartphone microphone :/

Edited February 13, 2015 by Ripper_L