Merge the MicroslopSam engine into the repository

microslopsam/docs/NOTES.md

@@ -47,8 +47,32 @@ From `msttsl/mstts.inf` (`[TTSReg]`):
   `.COD` codebook, plus shared `DICT_CI.*`, `phondef`, `AMPRULES`, `ENDINGS`.
 
 Extraction: `unshield -O -d extracted x installer/flextalk/data1.cab`
-(`-O` = old compression; the archive.org package has no `data2.cab`, so the
-final file `WatsonUNInstall.dll` is incomplete).
+(`-O` = old compression). The package is single-volume: the original 1997 upload log
+(`WS_FTP.LOG`) lists `data1.cab` only, and `-O` extracts all 450 entries with exact
+sizes. Without `-O`, unshield's new decompressor reports a phantom "volume 2" and fails
+on `MSVCRT.DLL` / `WatsonUNInstall.dll`; with `-O` both are complete, valid PE files.
+
+The `.ENV` files the engine probes (`ae1m11lc.ENV`) were never shipped; synthesis works
+without them.
+
+## Latency and output shape (measured 2026-09-16)
+
+- Warm wrapper time: ~410-425 ms per short line (engine call 190-220 ms, ffmpeg measure
+  ~110 ms, apply ~90 ms, profile write ~57 ms when it runs). First (cold) call ~730 ms.
+- The Flextalk profile write is cached per voice in the Wine prefix
+  (`~/.wine-microslopsam/.microslopsam-profile<GUID>.reg`): unchanged profiles skip
+  `wine reg import`. Recreating the prefix invalidates the cache.
+- Fades: the 8 ms fade-in/out is applied to the trimmed file whose 25-30 ms padding
+  silence is retained, so it shapes silence, not speech. Measured head: first sample
+  >30 at 22.6 ms, speech (>500) at 29.6 ms, natural ~15 ms attack; tail decays over
+  ~18 ms. No click, no attenuation of the first word.
+- Leading hum (default on): 80 ms of 75 Hz at -48 dBFS peak before the engine padding,
+  to prime Discord's pipeline. Verified 75.0 Hz / -48.0 dBFS, speech onset ~110 ms,
+  final -18.6 LUFS / -3.0 dBFS, apply pass +~10 ms. `VESKSLOP_TTS_HUM_MS=0` disables and
+  reproduces the previous output byte-for-byte. Tuning: `_HUM_HZ` (30-200), `_HUM_DB`
+  (-80..-6; raise toward -36 if a client still gates the start).
+  The hum bypasses the high-pass/trim chain, so `VESKSLOP_TTS_HIGHPASS` (up to 400 Hz)
+  cannot remove it (verified at 200 and 400 Hz).
 
 ## SAPI4 runtime engine discovery (`speech.dll`)
 
@@ -105,6 +129,16 @@ final file `WatsonUNInstall.dll` is incomplete).
 - VOX mode is Flextalk-only. The wrapper enables it with `VESKSLOP_TTS_VOX=1`
   (`VESKSLOP_TTS_VOX_CLEAN=1` drops the stutter wrapper) and it takes precedence
   over `VESKSLOP_TTS_WORDS`.
+- Half-Life presets (`VESKSLOP_TTS_PRESET=vox|hev`) target Keith Bell only. VOX values
+  come from NetTTS `nettts_flextalk_vox_profile.reg`: pitch 3, rate 17, prominences 22,
+  head size 52, volume 70 (factory: 27/33/17/46/100); `vox` also implies VOX prosody.
+  `hev` (pitch 15, rate 24) is an unverified starting point - HL1 credits the suit
+  sounds to Kelly Bailey with no published settings.
+- Flextalk rate/pitch are applied as **vendor tags** (`\!R` = duration factor,
+  `\!%` = pitch multiplier), never `-s`/`-p`, because ITTSAttributes override the
+  registry profile. Neutral values emit no tag, so Veskslop's default sliders
+  (1.0 / 0) reproduce the preset byte-for-byte. Presets write the full 26-value NetTTS
+  profile plus `Default Speaker` into both HKCU and HKLM.
 - Line-leading `/rate N` and `/pitch N` controls are consumed by the wrapper
   (percent, 100 = normal; `<= 2.0` means multiplier). They override the env
   speed/pitch and are not spoken; a controls-only line yields 100 ms of silence.