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BytesAgain β€Ί Skills β€Ί SAM TTS
πŸ¦€ ClawHub

SAM TTS

by @fourthdensity

Generate retro robotic speech audio using SAM (Software Automatic Mouth), the classic C64 text-to-speech synthesizer. Use for /sam command to generate voice messages. Supports /sam on/off toggle mode where all responses are spoken in SAM voice. Supports pitch, speed, mouth, and throat parameters for voice customization.

Versionv1.0.0
Downloads1,166
Installs1
Stars⭐ 2
#audio#legal#gaming#automation
TERMINAL
clawhub install sam-tts

πŸ“– About This Skill

name: sam-tts description: Generate retro robotic speech audio using SAM (Software Automatic Mouth), the classic C64 text-to-speech synthesizer. Use for /sam command to generate voice messages. Supports /sam on/off toggle mode where all responses are spoken in SAM voice. Supports pitch, speed, mouth, and throat parameters for voice customization. homepage: https://github.com/discordier/sam metadata: { "openclaw": { "emoji": "πŸ€–", "requires": { "bins": ["node"] }, "install": [ { "id": "npm-install", "kind": "node", "package": "sam-js", "bins": ["node"], "label": "Install SAM dependencies (npm install)", }, ], }, }

SAM TTS - Software Automatic Mouth

Generate WAV audio files using the classic SAM text-to-speech engine -- the iconic robotic voice from the Commodore 64 era.

Requirements

  • Node.js 18+
  • Run npm install in the skill directory to install dependencies

    • SAM Mode Toggle

    State file: memory/sam-mode.json

    /sam on -- Enable SAM Mode

    When SAM mode is enabled, ALL text responses are converted to SAM voice messages.

    Implementation: 1. Set enabled: true in memory/sam-mode.json 2. Confirm with voice message: "SAM mode enabled. I will now speak in robotic voice."

    /sam off -- Disable SAM Mode

    Return to normal text-to-text communication.

    Implementation: 1. Set enabled: false in memory/sam-mode.json 2. Confirm with text: "SAM mode disabled. Back to text."

    Check current mode

    Read memory/sam-mode.json at session start to know current state.

    Response Behavior

    When SAM mode is ON:

    1. Generate response text as normal 2. Convert to SAM TTS: node scripts/sam-tts-wrapper.js "response" --output=/tmp/sam-XXX.wav --quiet 3. Send the generated WAV file as audio output 4. Include brief text caption if helpful

    When SAM mode is OFF:

    Respond with normal text (default behavior).

    Chat Commands

    /sam

    Generate a one-time voice message using SAM TTS (works regardless of SAM mode state).

    Implementation: 1. Extract text after /sam 2. Generate WAV: node scripts/sam-tts-wrapper.js "text" --output=/tmp/sam-XXX.wav --quiet 3. Return the WAV file as audio output

    /sam on

    Enable SAM mode for all responses.

    /sam off

    Disable SAM mode.

    /sam status

    Report current SAM mode state (text response).

    Voice Parameters

    All parameters accept 0-255 range values. Store defaults in memory/sam-mode.json:

    | Parameter | Default | Effect | |-----------|---------|--------| | pitch | 64 | Voice pitch (higher = higher pitch) | | speed | 72 | Speech speed (lower = faster) | | mouth | 128 | Mouth cavity size (affects resonance) | | throat | 128 | Throat size (affects timbre) |

    /sam pitch

    Set pitch parameter (0-255).

    /sam speed

    Set speed parameter (1-255, lower is faster).

    /sam mouth

    Set mouth parameter (0-255).

    /sam throat

    Set throat parameter (0-255).

    Scripts

    scripts/sam-tts-wrapper.js

    Primary wrapper script. Outputs JSON metadata for automation.

    node scripts/sam-tts-wrapper.js "Hello world" --output=/tmp/out.wav --quiet
node scripts/sam-tts-wrapper.js "Hello world" --output=/tmp/out.wav --quiet --pitch=80 --speed=60

    Options:

  • --output=PATH (required) - Output WAV file path
  • --quiet - Suppress debug output, output only JSON
  • --pitch=N, --speed=N, --mouth=N, --throat=N - Voice parameters
  • --phonetic - Input is phonetic notation

    • Output format: 

    {"success":true,"outputPath":"/tmp/sam.wav","duration":1.44,"size":31741}

    scripts/sam-tts.js

    Standalone CLI tool with human-readable output.

    node scripts/sam-tts.js "Hello world" output.wav --pitch=80 --speed=60

    State Management

    File: memory/sam-mode.json

    {
  "enabled": false,
  "pitch": 64,
  "speed": 72,
  "mouth": 128,
  "throat": 128
}

    Read at session start. Update when user toggles mode or changes parameters. Create the memory/ directory if it doesn't exist.

    Examples

    Enable SAM mode

    User: /sam on Agent: [Voice: "SAM mode enabled. I will now speak in robotic voice."]

    Normal conversation in SAM mode

    User: "What's the weather?" Agent: [Voice: "Current temperature is 72 degrees with partly cloudy skies."]

    Disable SAM mode

    User: /sam off Agent: SAM mode disabled. Back to text.

    One-time voice (even when mode is off)

    User: /sam Hello there Agent: [Voice: "Hello there"]

    Custom voice parameters

    User: /sam pitch 100 Agent: Pitch set to 100.

    User: /sam Testing higher pitch Agent: [Voice with pitch=100: "Testing higher pitch"]

    Phonetic Notation

    For precise pronunciation, use --phonetic flag:

  • Vowels: IY (bee), IH (bit), EY (bay), AE (bat), AA (father), AH (bought), AO (hot), OW (boat), UH (book), UW (boot), ER (bird), AX (about)
  • Numbers 1-8 indicate stress: HEH4LOW (emphasized second syllable)

    • See references/phonemes.md for the full phoneme chart.

    Output Format

  • Format: WAV (RIFF/WAVE PCM)
  • Sample rate: 22050 Hz
  • Bit depth: 8-bit
  • Channels: Mono

    • Directory Structure

    sam-tts/
+-- SKILL.md
+-- package.json
+-- scripts/
|   +-- sam-tts-wrapper.js
|   +-- sam-tts.js
+-- references/
|   +-- phonemes.md
+-- memory/
    +-- sam-mode.json

    Platform Integration

    The skill outputs WAV format by default. Some messaging platforms require different audio formats.

    Format Conversion (Optional)

    (Warning): Before installing ffmpeg or any conversion tools, the agent MUST ask the user for confirmation. Do not auto-install dependencies.

    Example agent prompt: > "This platform requires OGG/OPUS format. I need to install ffmpeg for audio conversion. Would you like me to proceed with the installation?"

    Only proceed with installation after explicit user approval.

    Telegram / WhatsApp (OGG/OPUS)

    ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a libopus -b:a 24k output.ogg

    Discord (MP3/OGG)

    ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 64k output.mp3

    Web / Direct Playback

    WAV works directly -- no conversion needed.

    Note: The agent should detect the target platform and handle format conversion as needed, but always with user consent for any new dependencies.

    Credits

    Skill by: fourthdensity

    Active Dependency: sam-js by discordier

  • The npm package used for TTS synthesis (JavaScript/Node.js port)

    • Historical Lineage: sam-js builds upon earlier community ports:

  • SAM by Stefan Macke (C adaptation)
  • SAM by Vidar Hokstad (refactoring)
  • SAM by 8BitPimp (refactoring)

    • Original SAM (Software Automatic Mouth) (c) 1982 Don't Ask Software (now SoftVoice, Inc.)

    License Note: The original SAM software is considered abandonware. The JavaScript adaptation is provided as-is. See the sam-js repository for full license details.

    πŸ’‘ Examples

    Enable SAM mode

    User: /sam on Agent: [Voice: "SAM mode enabled. I will now speak in robotic voice."]

    Normal conversation in SAM mode

    User: "What's the weather?" Agent: [Voice: "Current temperature is 72 degrees with partly cloudy skies."]

    Disable SAM mode

    User: /sam off Agent: SAM mode disabled. Back to text.

    One-time voice (even when mode is off)

    User: /sam Hello there Agent: [Voice: "Hello there"]

    Custom voice parameters

    User: /sam pitch 100 Agent: Pitch set to 100.

    User: /sam Testing higher pitch Agent: [Voice with pitch=100: "Testing higher pitch"]