ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Potter Electric Signal Company, LLC, an independent manufacturer of life safety products, announces the release of its Integrated Voice System along with its IPA-4000V and AFC-1000V fire alarm control panels.
The updated panels have all the functionality of the original IPA-4000 and AFC-1000 panels but now include the ability to create and send out voice evacuation messages, according to the company.
The Integrated Voice System uses a text-to-speech feature that allows users to create custom spoken audio messages without needing third-party software or voice artists. When done in conjunction with the WaveNet neural network, the fire panels are said to generate more natural-sounding speech than regular text-to-speech software, producing human-like emphasis and inflection on syllables, sounds, and words.
It can also create audio patterns using Potter’s programming software. Users can click and drag audio sources onto a timeline, allowing multiple nested audio loops. Patterns can also be played from within the software to test before uploading to the panel. Audio sources include predefined messages and tones, imported audio or tone files, text-to-speech, and audio recorded directly in the programmer.
When changes to individual audio sources are required, patterns are automatically updated in real-time, preventing outdated messages from being deployed. Additionally, users no longer need to know the sample rate of audio files, simplifying the import process.
“The Integrated Voice System is going to revolutionize the capabilities of Potter’s large-scale fire and life safety systems,” says Amy Liedman, Potter’s Director of Product Management for Fire and Security. “Giving our customers the ability to provide voice evacuation systems into the market ensuring their installations will provide clear evacuation needs in an emergency situation, and it’s been designed with an easy-to-use interface for much easier initial set-ups and modifications. We’re all very excited to add the Integrated Voice System to the Potter product line.”
For more information, visit www.pottersignal.com.
