# Prose 2000 Reborn: a C decompilation of the speech board

> Decompiles the Speech Plus and Telesensory Systems Prose 2000 text-to-speech firmware, an 8086 host plus an NEC uPD7720 DSP, into C. The README says the build does not need an emulator or ROM files.

- Type: Case study
- Targets: Binary
- Category: Independent reconstruction cases
- Relationship: Independent reconstruction project
- Sources reviewed: 2026-11-04
- Added to the catalog: 2026-11-09
- Original resource: <https://github.com/rommix0/prose2000_reborn>
- Primary source: <https://github.com/rommix0/prose2000_reborn/blob/26c36dbd3f82e52cd109fb84f5781a77d0b9c3e1/README.md>
- Catalog page: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/prose2000-reborn-case/>
- Record JSON: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/prose2000-reborn-case/record.json>
- Chinese version: [简体中文](https://awesomerea.org/zh/resources/prose2000-reborn-case/index.md)

## Requirements & limits

- **Prerequisites:** The README's default build produces the speech library, prose_say, the samples, and the v3.4.1 tests. -DPROSE_VERSION=1 builds the v1.1 tests instead. It says the v1.1 DSP program was never dumped, so v1.1 frames are played through the v3.12 DSP model and that audio is an approximation.
- **Scope:** Two firmware versions are in the tree: v3.4.1 (1988) and v1.1 (1983). The README says src/data holds data extracted from the ROMs, and src/tests holds the players and replay tests.
- **Testing evidence:** The README says every stage was checked against an emulator of the original board, byte-exact on captured calls and frame- or sample-exact end to end. It says the replay tests are described in REFERENCE.md §14. build/pipeline_play speaks one line.
- **License:** The reviewed root has no LICENSE file. The README says the original firmware was proprietary to Telesensory Systems and Speech Plus. The README names no license for the repository.

## Primary sources

1. <https://github.com/rommix0/prose2000_reborn/blob/26c36dbd3f82e52cd109fb84f5781a77d0b9c3e1/README.md>
2. <https://github.com/rommix0/prose2000_reborn/blob/26c36dbd3f82e52cd109fb84f5781a77d0b9c3e1/REFERENCE.md>

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## About this entry

The description was reviewed against primary sources.
Original editorial content: MIT. Linked projects, papers and assets retain their own rights and licenses.