Voice Back for people living with ALS
Voice Back lets people living with ALS keep speaking in their own voice by cloning it from about ten seconds of audio — or from an old voicemail or video if speech has already changed. It works on iPhone, iPad, and Android, and it is guided by an advisory team of people living with ALS.
What does the Duke ALS Clinic say about Voice Back?
Dr. Richard Bedlack, Founder and Director of the Duke ALS Clinic, endorses Voice Back as a voice cloning speech generating device for people with ALS and other conditions that affect speech.
Voice Back is a revelation. I've never seen an app that is simpler to use or more impactful for voice cloning. It is a wonderful new option for people living with ALS.
Founder & Director, Duke ALS Clinic · Professor of Neurology, Duke University
Why does ALS make traditional voice banking difficult?
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) often damages speech faster than a person can complete traditional voice banking, which asks for 50 to 200+ recorded sentences while speech is still clear. Roughly a third of people with ALS begin with bulbar symptoms, and nearly everyone with ALS or MND (motor neuron disease) experiences speech changes eventually, closing that recording window before a diagnosis is even confirmed.
Voice Back needs ten seconds. If the voice has already changed, an older recording works just as well. Read the full comparison with voice banking.
What do people living with ALS say about Voice Back?
People living with ALS describe Voice Back as an AAC app that lets them speak in a voice that still sounds like their own.
This app just made my life so much easier. I can finally say what I want in my own voice again.
Kris MacNamaraDiagnosed with ALS 7/29/2025Voice Back gave me back a piece of myself I thought was gone for good.
Scoots MarsellDiagnosed with ALS 2/14/2022I've been using other apps and I felt I sounded like Alexa. With Voice Back it made it easy to upload a short clip of me talking and I finally sound like myself again.
Lizzy HernandezDiagnosed with ALS March 2023Voice Back is the first tool that felt built with us, not just for us.
Tim WernerDiagnosed with ALS 11/21/2018Meet the full Voice Back advisory team.
How do you get started with Voice Back for ALS?
Getting started with Voice Back for ALS means recording ten seconds of speech as early as possible, since an ALS or MND diagnosis can bring rapid speech changes.
- Record ten seconds now, even if speech still sounds normal — earlier clips clone better.
- Upload old voicemails or home videos if speech has already changed.
- Teach names and family nicknames so they are pronounced exactly the way you say them.
- Use large customizable buttons and tabs for everyday phrases, and pair with TD Pilot.
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