MELPe (Mixed-Excitation Linear Predictive enhanced) is a speech coding algorithm standard which updates the original MELP 2400 vocoder to include 1200, 600 bps data rates, and a noise pre-processor. The MELPe codec with highly optimized source code is used in a range of low power and low bandwidth (600 / 1200 / 2400 bps) mobile, VoIP and radio applications. VOCAL’s MELPe codec is a scalable real-time implementation for multi-channel applications that is runtime configurable. Support is also available for the optional Secure 2400bps Blank and Burst MELP voice transmission features in accordance with the Secure Communication Interoperability Protocol (SCIP) 210. Contact us to discuss your voice application performance requirements.
VOCAL’s expertise in the design, implementation, and configuration of mobile, radio, and telephony solutions will help you meet your low bandwidth communications requirements. For example, the three different speech encoding rates and sample frames sizes, comfort noise procedures and packet loss concealment as well as the use of MELP with SDP are detailed in RTP Payload Format for MELPe Codec.
VOCAL’s MELPe codec source code is optimized for RISC/CISC processors and DSPs from TI, ADI, ARM, Intel and other leading vendors. Our MELPe voice compression algorithm is available either standalone, as part of an embedded software library, or with a VoIP stack easily integrated with your application. Custom designs are also available to meet your specific digital signal processing requirements.
Features
- MIL-STD-3005 and STANAG 4591 compliant
- Secure 2400bps Blank and Burst (DTX/CNG) MELP voice transmission available per SCIP 210
- Performance exceeds reference implementation
- Quality verified through interoperability and proprietary test vectors
- Scalable real-time multi-channel implementation
- Variable rate 2400 / 1200 / 600 bps
- Transcoding between rates
- Run time configurable
- Enhanced noise reduction available
- Customizable configuration for optimal memory requirements
- Optimized source code (C and Assembly)
- C Callable Interface
- MISRA compliant version (with limited deviations) available
- TSVCIS Wideband Voice Modes formats supported
Applications
- Mobile VoIP and secure voice
- Ground mobile and software defined radio
- Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS)
- JTRS Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit (HMS)
- Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW)
- Compatible with TSVCIS wideband coder and narrowband TSVCIS waveforms
- UAV VoIP Gateways
- PDAs, tablets and other mobile devices
Performance
MELPe
The MELPe vocoder was developed using several enhancements to the original MELP 2400 bps specification which itself was derived from modifications to another military coder, LPC-10. MELPe speech compression implements a variable low bit rate vocoder that supports multiple rates of 600 bps, 1200 bps, and 2400 bps. It uses the existing MELP sampling rate of 8,000 Hz as well as the original frame size of 22.5 ms containing 180 digital voice samples. A nominal bandwidth ranging from 100 Hz – 3800 Hz is used for recommended analog requirements. Like the original, MELPe can operate with a limited low bandwidth signal; although with some degradation in performance.
In addition to the 600 and 1200 bps rates, the MELPe vocoder also supports compressed bit-stream transcoding between the different rates. Noise Preprocessing (NPP) has been implemented to reduce background noise while the original postfilter has been improved to further increase the quality of speech reproduction.
MELPe encoding is robust in difficult background noise environments such as those frequently encountered in commercial and military communication systems. The speech compression algorithm is very efficient in its computational requirements which translates into relatively low power consumption, an important consideration for portable systems.
Like its predecessor, the MELPe vocoder uses extensive lookup tables and models of the human voice to extract and regenerate speech; furthermore, the decoder is tuned primarily for the English language. As a result, speakers of non-Germanic languages generally rate the coder more poorly than English speakers.
Traditional pitched-excited LPC vocoders use either a periodic pulse train or white noise as the excitation for an all-pole synthesis filter. These voice codecs produce intelligible speech at very low bit rates, but they sometimes sound mechanical or buzzy and are prone to annoying thumps and tonal noises. These problems arise from the inability of a simple pulse train to reproduce all kinds of voiced audio. Because the vocoder provides a richer selection of possible speech characteristics, the MELPe voice quality is achieved using a mixed-excitation model that produces more natural sounding speech.
Configurations
- DAA interface using linear codec at 8.0 kHz sample rate
- Direct interface to 8.0 kHz PCM data stream (A-law or μ-law)
- North American/International Telephony (including caller ID) support available
- Simultaneous DTMF detector operation available – (less than 10 talkoff hits on Bellcore test tape set)
- MF tone detectors, general purpose programmable tone detectors/generators available
- Data/Facsimile/Voice Distinction available
- Common compressed speech frame stream interface to support systems with multiple speech coders
- Dynamic speech coder selection if multiple speech codecs available
- Can be integrated with Acoustic Echo Canceler, G.168 Line Echo Canceller and Tone Detection/Regeneration modules
- Multiple ports can be executed on a single DSP
- Available with VoIP stack
- RFC 3551 – RTP Packetization
- RFC 8130 – RTP Payload Format for the Mixed Excitation Linear Prediction Enhanced (MELPe) Codec
- RTP Parameters
VOCAL’s solution is available for the above platforms. Please contact us for specific supported platforms.