Author: Ceren

Watch The Release Video:

About The Voicebank:

Kasai SALIENT is an all-in-one Japanese VCV Voicebank that possesses both Multi-pitch and Multi-expression voices.

This Voicebank has three timbres that are 4 pitches each (A3~C5), making SALIENT a total of 12 VCVs. The three timbres can be used all in one track by utilizing the SuffixBroker. SALIENT’s three expressions are:

• “Original”: Normal voice with a cutesy, over-pronounced property.
• “Tender”: Gentle whisper voice.
• “Wild”: A sharp power bank.

SALIENT also has some fun add-ons, including several breaths (intake and outtake), western L notes (all timbres, all pitches), a Growl CV bank (Mono-pitch), Vocal Fry (sounds best used with Original/Tender, 4 pitch), and Glottal Stops (all timbres, all pitches).

USING SALIENT: APPENDS

Original – Normal tone of voice. No extra effort is required to use Original.

Tender – A soft/whisper bank. You can use it by selecting the “↓” symbol in the SuffixBroker.

Wild – A power bank. You can use it by selecting the “↑” symbol in the SuffixBroker.

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USING SALIENT: Glottal Stops

Glottal stops are compatible with all three appends in SALIENT.

– Replace the space between letters with the・ symbol (ex: turn a あ into a・あ).

– Ends notes use ・ at the end (ex: a ・)

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USING SALIENT: Vocal Fry & Breaths

Vocal fry: Use ‘ as the suffix (ex: – あ’ or あ’) or prefix (‘あ). Drop off end notes are formatted with – (ex: a -)

Breaths: SALIENT possesses an entire folder dedicated to breaths of different types. Can be used in UTAU or in an external editor.

• Inhales: 息, br (5 different types ex: 息1, 息2, etc)
• Soft Exhales: ahh, ehh, ihh, ohh, uhh, nhh
• Stand-alone Exhales: 息-, 息2-, etc.

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USING SALIENT: Extras

Western L notes: To use western L VCV notes (La, Le, Li, Lo, Lu): Add “2” to the end of Japanese R notes (ex: a ら2)

Growl: Add * for the suffix (ex: あ*).

Growl is in CV Format.

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About Her Backstory

SALIENT reveals the brightest and darkest parts of Kasai…

Kasai was the first in the OGIENOID series created by STUDIO OGIEN. She was initially developed to see if biodroids could fit the company’s needs as performing idols. When the company realized it did not have the proper resources to modify her into a singing bot, she was turned into the company’s backup database.

The company would go forward, obtaining other androids to become both singing synthesizers and virtual idols. Kasai, one by one, made close friends with each new member of her OGIENOID family. She would watch as they received extensive training, yearning to be part of their newly founded group.

However, no matter how hard she wished for it, she could not sing…

Though it hurt her heart to watch others live her dream, she stubbornly and enthusiastically attended every practice, every rehearsal, and every live show her friends put on. She wanted to show her full support, hoping to encourage her friends.

Eventually, her actions were noticed by another outsider, an imported biodroid who acted as the company’s secretary. This girl could sing, however, had no wish to do so. She was known as Dione OG05. She was a timid, tall young lady with waist-length aqua hair. She sat next to Kasai at one particular OGIENOID concert and took the opportunity to scold Kasai for being out in public.

You see, at this moment in time, a particular set of political figures were attempting to eradicate intelligent, artificial life. Biodroids, androids, AIs, etc. None were safe from the propaganda pushed onto the general public. As Kasai was a vital piece of the company, containing all its secrets, she was ordered to stay within the walls of the business. Dione had caught her breaking the rules.

Kasai left with her willingly. Dione, noticing that Kasai seemed crushed, offered an alternative to viewing the performance. From then on, the two began to watch the concerts together from the safety of a security surveillance room.

Before they knew it, they became very fast friends.

Time went on, and the political landscape became worse over time. Humans began to fear the robots that once assisted them in everyday life, and a movement began to form among the masses. People began to blame artificial life for unemployment and degrading quality of life. Their leaders persuaded them that soon, all humans would become slaves, or worse, killed.

Those who worked and lived with robots knew this was fear-mongering propaganda created by those who hated change and technology. For a long while, the anti-robot movement didn’t go anywhere, and they were considered a laughing stock. However, during a summer holiday, a mass wave of robots began to act disturbingly, activating on their own, destroying property, humans, and each other. Those who once considered robots as friends changed their minds instantly when one turned on a human, and, suddenly, the government began demanding registered robots be handed in. STUDIO OGIEN hid its remaining OGIENOIDs, refusing to let them be destroyed.

The time spent with her family was coming to an end. One by one, OGIENOIDs disappeared seemingly overnight. What was once a lively family of 35 biodroids was decimated down to 6 within weeks. Kasai watched her family members walk out the door, promising a safe return, only to never come back. All the while, she was forced within the walls of STUDIO OGIEN.

She, Dione, Theia, Virtus, and Honos promised one another they would survive. Drastic measures were taken to protect them. However, without the income from performances, STUDIO OGIEN was quickly collapsing under financial pressure. However much Kasai pleaded with The Trio (Theia, Virtus, and Honos), the three would not stay out of harm’s way. They wanted desperately to find out what had happened to their dearest friends, and, as such, refused to stay within the company building.

Honos, Virtus, Theia, and the only other surviving OGIENOID, Circe, focused day and night on trying to find their friends. They managed to successfully disguise themselves for a month or so, but things changed on one night in particular.

While protecting Virtus… Honos died.

After the loss of Honos and the disappearance of Circe thereafter, Kasai could no longer take the pain. Dione watched her fall deeper into darkness. Virtus and Theia disappeared, even though they never left the company building again. Kasai would not speak of them to her. Dione begged her to talk, but Kasai eventually stopped approaching her entirely, vanishing for days on end. Honos’ body, which Virtus and Theia had brought back with them on the night Honos died had also disappeared.

Odd things went missing. Power supplies, sheet metal, welding tools, CPUs, blank android bodies. The weirdest things just began to vanish. At first, Dione wondered if the company was selling parts off on the black market to stay afloat as robots became more and more illegal. She wandered the halls of the basement alone, pondering the state of her home and her friends.

Then, one night, she noticed a door with the lights on inside…

Dione peered through a slim line of glass at the top of the door, and her eyes went wide at the site behind it. Kasai had stripped herself of her outward flesh from the neck down, connected to perhaps the most powerful computer in the entire building. Laying next to her, in what looked like incubators, were three blank child bodies. One with pink hair, one with green, and one with a periwinkle blue that was so pale, one could mistake it for white. The incubators were connected to the same computer as Kasai. On the giant screen, red as blood, words flashed in bolded text:

FILE TRANSFER: 100% COMPLETE, “CHILD PROGRAM” INITIALIZING BOOT

Dione, suddenly realizing what was happening, screamed Kasai’s name. She grabbed the handle with all her might, praying it wasn’t locked. It was. The woman cursed as she begged herself to override her own software that kept her strength to human levels.

If only I wasn’t limited like this-! I-I could break this door down!

Kasai, tears in her eyes, stared at Dione through the glass. She flinched guilty as the aqua haired woman banged on the door, screaming at her. Begging her, crying for her to stop.

However, it was too late, she’d made up her mind. Scared, guilty, and sad to say goodbye, Kasai mustered the biggest smile she could.

“Thank you for being my first friend,” she mouthed through tears. She knew Dione wouldn’t hear her through the metal door.

In a flash of light, she was gone, and Dione erupted into tears, sliding down the door.

The door clicked, as though it had been perfectly timed.

Dione looked up, broken, and opened it, stepping inside.

She approached the three new OGIENOIDs.

But only two of them woke up…