How To Give Yourself Morgan Freeman's Voice In Video Chat
Have you ever wanted to sound like Morgan Freeman, even if just for a moment? Let's be real — who wouldn't? The world-famous actor, aside from his undeniable acting skills, has a voice that would make just about anything sound exciting. Even a tax report would probably carry the power of rallying people and readying them for an epic battle in space if it was read in Morgan Freeman's voice. Although you can try to force your voice to resemble Freeman's, it might never quite get there — but Voicemod can help you achieve the desired effect, if only for a while, through the use of an artificial intelligence voice changer called "AI Voices."
Voicemod is software that's been around for a while. If you tend to play games online with friends and use voice chat while gaming, you might have already heard one of your teammates suddenly speak with a chipmunk voice, or on the contrary, with the voice of Batman. Voicemod is free, available on PC, and it's compatible with a wide range of programs that support voice communication via the internet. Be it Skype, Discord, or the in-game chat in "Rocket League," all you have to do is download it, set it up, and make yourself sound a lot cooler (or scarier) than usual. While it's not something you'd want to use every day, it certainly can produce a few laughs from your unsuspecting friends on voice chat.
How does Voicemod work?
Although the base version of Voicemod already comes with a host of funny voices, the company is now trying out the new AI Voices technology in a closed beta that you can join for free. Voicemod teamed up with professional actors to make the magic happen, and as a result, you too can become Morgan Freeman — but that's not the only option there is. There are a total of seven new voices for users to try out, and aside from the iconic voice of Mr. Freeman, you can make yourself sound like "The Mothership," an astronaut, Alice (which can turn a male voice into a stereotypically female one with a disturbing hint of robotic tones), or even a pilot. When you use the new AI Voices mod, your voice will be transformed into your chosen option in real-time.
In its explanation of the new tech, Voicemod makes sure to emphasize that it's not just "voice cloning." The company had to consider everything that makes up the real human voice, ranging from harmonics to articulation, in order to create something that sounds realistic and responds to a wide range of users. In order to achieve that, professional voice actors have been hired and then given scripts to read from and record. Those scripts were specialized and tailored to include specific combinations of sounds and words. This was then fed to the artificial intelligence that sits behind the scenes. Lastly, Voicemod's sound designers took over and added dynamic effects, filters, and music beds. As you can hear from the above video, the result is pretty spectacular. So how do you get in on this fun AI action?
How to try out Voicemod's AI Voices
Trying Voicemod's AI Voices Beta is a little more complicated than simply downloading the program. You will have to start by downloading the base version of Voicemod — currently only available on Windows — by heading over to the official website. Follow the instructions and get yourself set up with your favorite voice chat programs. This version will not include the Morgan Freeman voice, however — to get that, you'll need to be given access to the beta.
Head over to the website for AI Voices and click "Join beta free." This will take you to a Google Form that you will have to fill out as instructed. It's not at all difficult — you'll simply need to confirm that you have already installed Voicemod and input the email you've used to register with. When you're done, send the form and wait for an invitation to join the beta.
Voicemod doesn't divulge how long it takes for interested users to receive beta access, so remain patient. Even if you don't get your invitation right away, it seems probable that it will come eventually — and when it finally does, you'll be able to shout at your teammates in "CS:GO" in a Morgan Freeman voice, which is bound to be a whole lot more effective.