What it does

TELEPRINTER turns text into sound. Type anything into it, a word, a line of code, a row of symbols, and it fills the screen. Each key you play sends a ripple out across the text, and every character it reaches makes its own sound: capitals blip, lower case beeps, numbers and symbols tick, a space is a rest.

It's two instruments in one. For sound design it's computers, terminals, alarms, machines and creatures, the chatter of machines. For music it plays arps, riffs, leads and basses on glass, harp, felt piano and music box, locked to your song's tempo and key.

And it talks. Six robot voices can read your words out on the notes you play, spell them, babble, or sing your text one syllable per note.

See it, hear it

Robot Love

A love song for a choir of robots: Doris, Little Kevin, Big Norman and Bazza, each singing their own line.

Low Power Mode

A calm piece played by six TELEPRINTERs: felt piano, hum and glass, two leads and the words of the melody.

Game dialogue

A shopkeeper and a hero, a blip for every letter, from the Game Dialogue preset.

Data corruption

All systems normal, until the mod wheel scrambles the letters and the bits drop. The System Failure preset.

Inside TELEPRINTER

01

Every character a sound

Letters, numbers, symbols and spaces each play differently, so the words you type become the rhythm and the melody. Change the text and the music changes with it.

02

Watch it read

Your text fills the screen above a full 88-key keyboard. Each note's ripple rises from its key and lights up every character as you hear it.

03

The printout

A line of tape for each note prints what it reads, coloured by the sound each character makes, and it stays printed.

04

Robots that read your words

Doris, Bazza, Clive, Reginald, Little Kevin and Big Norman. They say your words on the notes you play, spell them out, babble, or sing them a syllable per note.

05

Machine or musical

Digital blips and chirps, or let the letters play glass, pluck, harp, felt piano, music box, hum and two distorted basses.

TELEPRINTER's controls: reading, sound, your text and effects

06

In time and in key

It follows your song's tempo, and LOCK keeps every note in the key you choose. HOLD latches notes, CHORD plays a whole chord from one key, and the mod wheel scrambles your text as you push it.

07

161 presets

Sound design (computers, robots, alarms, creatures, machines, interfaces) and music (arps, leads, glass, plucks, beds and basses), each with its own text, and the sound of every clip on this page is one of them. KEEP TEXT tries your own words on every one.

Gallery

Details

Minimum system requirements

macOS: macOS 11 Big Sur or later. Runs natively on Apple Silicon (M1 and later) and Intel Macs
Windows: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
Formats: AU and VST3 on Mac; VST3 on Windows; AAX for Pro Tools on both
Host: A 64-bit DAW that loads AU, VST3 or AAX plugins
Processor: Any Apple Silicon Mac, or an Intel Core i5 / AMD Ryzen 5 or better
Memory: 4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
Disk space: 100 MB
Screen: 1280 × 800 or larger

Provisional. Final requirements will be confirmed before release.

Installation & activation

Run the installer for your Mac or PC, open the plugin in your DAW and paste in your licence code. Full step-by-step instructions come with the release. Questions in the meantime? Email support.

Reviews

No reviews yet. Reviews open when TELEPRINTER is released, and only people who bought it can leave one.

Need help?

Stuck installing, activating or using TELEPRINTER? Email and we'll sort it out.

Contact support

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to type anything to use it?

No. Every preset comes with its own text, so you can just play. Typing your own is where it gets interesting: a name, a line of dialogue or a row of symbols each give a different rhythm and melody.

Can the robots say any word?

They know about 135,000 English words, and guess the rest from the spelling. Accented letters are read as plain ones, and Russian and Greek letters are written out in English letters first. Abbreviations in capitals, like NPC, are spelt out.

Does it stay in time with my song?

Yes. It follows your DAW's tempo and lands every character on the beat, and LOCK keeps every note in the key you set. It can also play free, starting the moment you press a key.

What DAWs are supported?

Any DAW that loads VST3, AU (Mac) or AAX (Pro Tools) plugins. A list of DAWs we've tested in will go up before launch.

Does it work on Windows?

Yes: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, as VST3 and AAX (Pro Tools). Each plugin page lists its minimum system requirements.

Does it work on macOS?

Yes: macOS 11 Big Sur or later, running natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, as AU, VST3 and AAX (Pro Tools). Each plugin page lists its minimum system requirements.

What plugin formats are included?

VST3, AU and AAX, depending on your computer. One licence covers all of them.

How do I install it?

Download the installer for Mac or Windows and run it. You can untick any formats you don't need. Full instructions come with the release.

How does activation work?

After you buy, you get a licence code by email. Open the plugin and paste the code into its licence panel. That's it: no account, no activation server.

Can I use it on more than one computer?

Yes. A licence is for one person, on up to three computers of your own, say a studio machine, a laptop and a spare.

Do I need an internet connection?

Only to download the plugin and get your code. The licence is checked on your computer, so the plugin never needs to go online.

What happens if I replace my computer?

Install the plugin on the new one and paste in the same code. Lost the code? Email licensing@23audio.com and we'll send it again.

How do I get updates?

Updates are free for every plugin you own, for as long as it's updated. Download the new installer and run it; your licence carries on working.

Is there a demo?

Yes. Without a licence, every paid plugin runs as a demo with all its features working. The sound fades out briefly every so often, and there's no time limit.