Message Banking Studio

Record the phrases you say every day in your own voice, keep them organised, and export them so they can be loaded into a communication device later.

This tool is free, without limits, and always will be.

Your voice stays on this device. Every recording is made and saved inside your own browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is sent to us, and no account is needed. We never hear a single word of it.

Please export a backup. Browser storage is not permanent. If the browser is cleared, the site data is removed, or you use a private window, these recordings can be lost. Export a backup zip regularly and keep a copy somewhere safe.

Recorded so far: 0 of 0 phrases 0%

Checking local storage...

Microphone is off. It only turns on when you press record.

Everything here is a suggestion, so please make it yours. Edit any phrase to say it the way you really say it, remove the ones that do not fit, and add your own. The rows marked "edit this row" are placeholders waiting for your family's names and your own sayings.

Add a category

Group your own phrases however makes sense, for example work, faith, the garden, or a particular grandchild.

How to use Message Banking Studio

  1. Open the phrase checklist and work through a category at a time. Edit any phrase so it reads the way you actually say it, and fill in the placeholder rows with real names.
  2. Press the record button on a row, say the phrase, then press stop. The recording is trimmed, saved on this device, and ticked off.
  3. Press play to hear it back. If you are not happy with it, record the row again as many times as you like.
  4. Add your own phrases and categories for the sayings that are yours alone, the greetings, the jokes and the nicknames nobody else uses.
  5. Export a zip regularly. Keep a copy somewhere safe, and give a copy to your speech pathologist or device supplier when the time comes.

What message banking is, and why starting early matters

Message banking means recording the things you say most often while your voice still sounds like you, so those recordings can be played back later through a communication device. It is different from a scripted voice recording session in one important way: these are real messages, said the way you say them, with your timing, your warmth and your sense of humour. Families often say the recordings that matter most are not the practical ones at all. They are the laugh, the pet name, the daft phrase you have used for thirty years.

It is widely recommended to people diagnosed with ALS or MND, and to anyone facing a laryngectomy or other surgery that will change the voice. The reason to start early is simple and worth saying plainly: recordings made while speech is still clear and comfortable are the ones that sound most like you. Voices tire, and they change. Many people wish they had started sooner, and very few regret starting when they did. There is no need to do it all at once. Ten phrases on a good afternoon is a real result, and the checklist here remembers exactly where you left off.

If you can, involve a speech pathologist, also called a speech and language therapist. They can help you choose messages that will actually be useful day to day, advise on recording technique, and talk you through voice banking, which is a separate process that builds a synthetic voice from a longer set of recorded sentences. Message banking and voice banking work well together, and neither one rules out the other.

Why use ZillaKit's Message Banking Studio?

Recording a voice is deeply personal, so this tool is built to keep it that way. Everything happens inside your browser. The microphone is only switched on while you are recording, the audio never leaves your device, and there is no account, no sign in and no upload. There is also no charge and no limit. This tool is free, without limits, and always will be, because putting a paywall between a person and their own voice would be wrong.

Practically, it does the fiddly parts for you. Each recording is trimmed automatically so the silence before and after your words is removed, with a small pause kept at each end so playback never sounds clipped. Audio is converted to 44.1 kHz mono 16 bit WAV, a plain uncompressed format that communication devices and clinicians accept without fuss. The suggested checklist of roughly 150 messages covers greetings, affection, humour, everyday requests, names, comfort, practical answers and visitors, so you are never staring at a blank page, and every single line is editable. Progress is shown per category and overall, so the job stays manageable.

Getting your recordings onto a communication device

Export a zip from this page and hand it to whoever is setting up the device. Inside are the WAV files, named with an index, the category and the phrase, and a manifest.csv listing the filename, the exact phrase, the category, the length in seconds and the date recorded. That combination is enough for a speech pathologist, an assistive technology adviser or a device supplier to import the messages and lay them out on a communication grid. Different devices and apps have their own import steps, so ask your supplier or clinician how they would like the files delivered. Keeping the folder structure and the manifest together makes their job much easier.

A note on what this page is not

This is an independent recording tool. It is not a medical service, it does not give clinical advice, and it is not affiliated with any clinic, charity, hospital, research programme or communication device maker. It does not create a synthetic voice. It records, tidies, organises and exports audio, and that is all. For anything to do with your diagnosis, your care or your communication plan, please speak with your own clinical team.

FAQ

What is message banking?

Message banking is recording the phrases you say often in your own voice, so they can be played back later through a communication device. The recordings keep your accent, your timing and your personality in a way that a synthetic voice cannot.

Is this the same as voice banking?

No. Voice banking records a long set of set sentences that software uses to build a synthetic version of your voice for typing new sentences. Message banking saves your real voice saying real phrases. Most people are advised to do both if they can, and this page does the message banking part.

Do my recordings leave my device?

No. Recording, trimming, saving and exporting all happen in your browser. The audio is stored in this browser's local database on this device and is never uploaded. We cannot access it, and neither can anyone else over the internet.

How many phrases should I record?

There is no right number. The built in list suggests around 150 to get you started, and many people record a few dozen that matter most to them. Little sessions are easier than one long one, and your progress is saved as you go.

What if my voice has already started to change?

Record anyway. A recording that sounds a little different is still your voice, and families value it enormously. Record the most important phrases first, keep sessions short, rest when you need to, and ask your speech pathologist about the best time of day for your voice.

How do I get the recordings into a communication device?

Export the zip from this page and give it to your device supplier or speech pathologist. It contains WAV files named by category and phrase plus a manifest.csv listing every message, which is the format they can import from.

Could I lose my recordings?

Yes, if the browser data for this site is cleared, so please export a backup zip regularly and keep a copy somewhere safe. The page asks your browser to treat this storage as permanent and tells you whether it agreed, but a backup is still the only real safety net.

Is this a medical service?

No. It is an independent, free recording tool with no clinical role and no affiliation with any clinic, charity or device manufacturer. Please involve your own clinical team in decisions about your care and communication.