How do I integrate speech and natural user interface technology with Chant Developer Workbench 2015?

The information in this article applies to:

• Chant Developer Workbench 2015
• GrammarKit 5
• KinesicsKit 3
• LexiconKit 5
• ProfileKit 5
• SpeechKit 8
• VoiceMarkupKit 5
• VoiceXMLKit 2

Summary

Chant Developer Workbench 2015 introduces new and updated customer-requested features aimed at enhancing productivity when integrating speech and natural user interface technologies.

More Information

Chant Developer Workbench 2015 is comprised of a development and testing environment and class libraries for integrating speech and natural user interface technology directly into most any application type written in most any programming language.

It includes Windows 32-bit and 64-bit development and testing environments and class libraries: GrammarKit, KinesicsKit LexiconKit, ProfileKit, SpeechKit, VoiceMarkupKit, and VoiceXMLKit.

The following top customer enhancements are addressed in Chant Developer Workbench 2015:

Enhancement Request	Feature Summary
Simplify transcription and synthesis options	The number one enhancement request was to simplify the way to invoke transcriptions and synthesis requests. SpeechKit has split the StartRecording and StartPlayback methods into new methods: SpeechToText and TextToSpeech. StartRecording retains the ability to transcribe from multiple audio source formats but returns text recognition events only. SpeechToText supports writing transcription results to files or streams and the can run in multiple worker threads if the speech engine supports. StartPlayback retains its ability to synthesize text from a variety of source formats but only plays live audio. TextToSpeech supports writing audio to file and streams or returning audio bytes and can run in multiple worker threads if the speech engine supports. See feature summary: H061404 Developing batch applications that process speech
Improve syntax error detection	The number two enhancement request was to enhance syntax error detection. Schema validation and error reporting is supported by the new syntax editors as one of many IDE enhancements. The error list window updates automatically when editing documents providing line and column numbers and active links to erroneous syntax. See feature summary: H071503 Developing applications that speak, listen, and interact with CDW 2015
Provide more examples	Microsoft and Embarcadero are releasing tools updates at an accelerated rate. New samples and projects for Visual Studio 2015, RAD Studio XE8, and Appmethod are provided. Both VLC and FireMonkey application project samples are provided. See feature summary: H071506 Voice enabling apps with CDW 2015 in popular IDEs
Support new Kinect for Xbox Sensor	Kinect for Xbox Sensor requires a new runtime system that was developed and released by Microsoft as Kinect for Windows SDK 2.0. Simply use the Start method to turn on the sensor cameras to processing data. To stop capturing data, simply use the Stop method to turn off the sensor cameras. See feature summary: H071502 Tracking movement with Kinect for Xbox One sensors
Support new speech APIs	Speech technology vendors continue to enhance and evolve their speech APIs that provide new capabilities as well as deprecating others. Chant class libraries support the latest speech recognition APIs from Microsoft and Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking and text-to-speech APIs from Acapela, Cepstral, CereProc, and Nuance. Here are some of the links to new feature summaries: H061402 Developing applications that speak with Acapela Telecom Server and Mobile H071501 Developing applications that speak with Cepstral Telephony 6 H061403 Developing that speak with CereProc CereVoice H061401 Developing applications that speak with Nuance Vocalizer Expressive
Consolidate documentation	Documentation for all products is reorganized and integrated into a single help file. A new class library reference provides class library hierarchy across all class libraries.