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OpenUTAU Voice Colors Setup Guide

This article was written in 2022 and may be out of date!

About OpenUTAU’s Voice Colors

Voice Colors (also referred to as subbanks) are an exciting new direction for the OpenUTAU software, improving upon the usage and development of multi-expression voicebanks. Until now, users of UTAU have had a strict way to go about using Appends. For a monopitch voicebank with the additional expressions added in, creators of UTAU voices could configure appends with suffixes. Users could then plug the suffixes into the SuffixBroker within the software, or manually add the suffix to each note to achieve the desired effect. For example, a “Soft” append may include the suffix “S”, users would then add this letter onto the end of a note to make the software play that notes for that specific append.

The Old Way

To achieve a multi-pitch, multi-expression voice, creators would have to either split up each append (ex: soft, power, and the base voice all released and used separately) OR the creator of the voicebank would have to use the same pitches for each expression to be able to use all three voicebanks at the same time (ex: all pitches of soft, power and the base voice would all be recorded at A3, C4, C5). Such an example is our very own KASAI OG01 SALIENT voicebank. 

These issues add difficulty when developing new voicebanks, as many voice providers find it difficult to keep the same range for such different tones of voice. Luckily, we no longer have either of those problems with OpenUTAU Voice Colors. Essentially, every Color can have its own, unique prefix-map. In short, this gives users the ability to assign different ranges and suffixes to different voicebanks. 

An Example

Let’s say a voicebank includes three appends; Soft, Power, and Base. Let’s also assume each of these voicebanks has three pitches, but they all use a different set. Soft might use F3, A3, C4. The base may use A3, D4, and F4. Meanwhile, Power might include G3, E4, and A4. That’s very complicated and pretty much impossible to use together in UTAU. Some samples would be used on totally different ranges than they were meant to be used for, causing a rather chaotic sound. In this scenario, within UTAU, it’s better just to split these voices up to use individually.

HOWEVER, with OpenUTAU’s Voice Colors, we can now assign all three appends to their correct ranges. Soft can use F3, A3, and C4 where they are meant to be used, and the same goes with the other two.

OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
An Example of Defined Voice Colors

The New Way

In comes OpenUTAU’s Voice Color feature! A handy new tool that gives UTAU creators a greater scope of diversification for their expressions and range. The Voice Color feature is essentially the SuffixBroker’s natural evolution, becoming more and more like commercial vocal synthesis products. Users no longer have to plug Suffixes in individually or through a series of menus. Rather, simply make sure “CLR” is available to use at the bottom of a track, and make sure you are using an UTAU configured for Voice Colors. If not, we’ll teach you how to set that up in just a minute.

OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
Voice Colors in the CLR Editor

Okay, so what makes this so great? Just how easy is it to use? Well, that’s a simple question with a simple answer. By just the press of a button, or a click and drag, users can quickly and easily alter numerous suffixes at the same time. No more rooting around in readme files to copy and paste special characters!

OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
Example of Working Voice Colors

Awesome, how fun! Now we have greater flexibility than ever before to develop interesting and unique voicebanks. However, as OpenUTAU is still very fresh and new, it is going to have some issues as it continues to evolve. One such issue is setting up Voice Colors themselves. There’s not a lot of documentation or help just yet on that, so setting OpenUTAU’s Voice Colors up? A little tricky.

Setting Up Voice Colors in OpenUTAU

Let’s go through the process of setting up Voice Colors! The developers behind OpenUTAU have made this process pretty darn easy. Today, I am working on porting over APOLLO OG0X, so she will be the voicebank used in this example. Let’s go to Tools > Singers.

OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
Tools > Singers
OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
The Singer Window

Ah, here we are in the lovely Singers window. Here, we can see a list of all our subbanks, their aliases, Sets (folders), sample names, phonetics, and prefixes. Extend the window out to see even more information!

OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
The Singer Window, Expanded

Let’s set up some Voice Colors. Go ahead and click “Edit Subbanks”.

OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
The Edit Subbanks Window

Alright, here’s where the magic happens, and things get a little tricky. APOLLO OG0X’s VCV includes three voicebanks. Original, Breaking, and Murmur. Let’s set those up, so I can show you an issue you may stumble upon. Click “Add Color” and enter the name you wish. I’ll start with “Original”, her default singing voice.

OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
Naming a Color
OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial

This one is a super easy monopitch voicebank, as it has no suffixes or prefixes. Simply hit save. 

OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
A Voice Color, Saved

Boom. Done. One color down. Now, let’s set up an append. Click “Add Color”, and name the append like before. Now, grab the suffix used in the oto.ini for this specific voicebank. Hit “Select All”, add the Suffix into the Suffix box, and hit “Set”.

OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
Select All, Enter Suffix, Click Set…

Looks good. Hit save and repeat for all appends.

OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
Defined Voice Colors

Voice Color Issues

All right, everything looks good, now let’s test it!

OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
An Error. The Suffix For “Breaking” Will Not Populate…

Ah… Uhm… Remember that tricky bit I mentioned beforehand? Yeah, this is it. As OpenUTAU is still in the early stages of development, it’s going to have some little bugs here and there. Notice how “Breaking”, APOLLO OG0X’s power bank, doesn’t assign her suffix to the note? At this time, on January 18th, 2022, OpenUTAU prioritizes Voice Colors alphanumerically. If the name of the default voicebank comes after the name of an append in the English alphabet, OpenUTAU assumes it is the default voice and won’t add a Suffix. This is just a simple override issue that may change! 

For now, let me show you a quick, easy fix. Go back through Singers > Select the UTAU > Edit Subbanks. For this instance, I’m selecting Original.

OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
Renaming A Voice Color

Simply hit “Rename”, and give it a name that, alphabetically, comes before the names of any append. For this example, I chose “Base”. I’ve also seen others simply use quotes (“”), which also works. Click “OK” and then “Save”. Go back to your track to check….

OpenUTAU Voice Colors Tutorial
Woohoo! Working Voice Colors!

There we go, all fixed! So long as the default voice has a name that comes first alphabetically, it will stick to the bottom of the Voice Colors list and should function properly. As OpenUTAU develops, this trick may become unnecessary, but, for now, this trick should work!

A Quick Tip

You set up your voice colors, you tested them and they worked, but when you loaded a UST… What the heck!? Why aren’t they working!?

Ugh, Not Again!

Here’s a nice quick fix. You may notice the UST imported in this example is in VCV format. Hit Ctrl + A to select all. Go to Lyrics > Japanese VCV to CV. This will turn the UST back to CV, and OpenUTAU will automatically convert the notes into VCV as seen below. We have only tested this with VCV voicebanks at the moment, so if you are employing a different method, you may need to experiment!

It’s Working Again!

LET’S HAVE FUN WITH VOICE COLORS!

Check back soon for more tutorials on OpenUTAU!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Please note that we are not directly associated with OpenUTAU, nor its creators. This article was written in 2022 during OpenUTAU’s early days, before there was much documentation. If you have more questions about the software or are struggling with a voicebank that STUDIO OGIEN did not create, we highly recommend visiting the official website and/or joining the OpenUTAU Discord for more help:

https://www.openutau.com/

What The OGIENOIDs Would Look Like If They Were Real

Our team got to thinking, “What would all the OGIENOID girls look like if they were real or in our world?” Well, we decided to find out! Thanks to the incredible machine-learning website Artbreeder, we were able to create real versions of the girls. Ah, if only they were real. 

With a mop of curly black hair, KASAI’s image is certainly met here! Her large, blue eyes are truly striking.

The OGIENOID fashion icon VIRTUS gives off such a warm and kind aura!

THEIA’s youthful yet strong face demonstrates such confidence!

A very androgynous individual, HONOS OG04 is a strikingly beautiful person in this realistic rendition!

DIONE’s kind and wise face truly brings out her character. Anyone could truly turn to her comfort.

A rendition featuring both of her eyes, funny enough! This rendition truly captures how striking AXIS’s mint-green shade of hair would be in real life.

ATLAS’s realistic rendition is so soft and pastel! In real life, she would certainly own a closet full of softcore fashion!

Lastly, here’s APOLLO! Between her smug look and menacing eyes, no one would mess with this icy girl!

What did you think? Do they match how you imagine them? Let us know your thoughts! 

– STUDIO OGIEN

How To Use ATLAS OG07 CELESTIAL JP VCV Multipitch

Introduction to ATLAS CELESTIAL Multipitch VCV

ATLAS OG07 “Celestial” is a 7-pitch Japanese VCV style Voicebank developed by STUDIO OGIEN. Released in 2015, “Celestial” is the second addition to The Goddess Series, a mini-series of voicebank releases based on the OGIENOIDs’ alter-egos in another world.

How To Use ATLAS OG07 Celestial

Using Multi-pitch

“Celestial” consists of 7 unique pitches that are auto-configured using the Prefix.map function in UTAU. As long as the user does not remove the Prefix.map file, the multi-pitch functions of Celestial will work without any additional effort. From this point, a user can carry on as if they are using a normal VCV voicebank.

Using VCV in UTAU

For those new to the VCV voicebank format, let’s learn how to use it in UTAU! First, load up the desired Voicebank and UST file (if you have one). There are two scenarios here: the UST is either formatted for VCV or it just isn’t. Not every UST comes in VCV format, but you may really, really want to use the UST. Fear not, there are many options to remedy this situation!

The tedious method that we aren’t going to actually consider a method, but rather a painful last resort: Add the preceding vowel to the lyric: Let’s say you have two notes “か” (ka) and “あ” (a). Simply add an “a” in the same note as あ. Simply, あ now becomes “a あ”.

The easiest method (that, unfortunately, costs money): UTAU Shareware: If you have the shareware version of UTAU, you can simply hit the auto VCV button, and UTAU will turn the vowels into VCV!

Click “A” for auto VCV

Other methods: Plugins: Some plugins may convert the CV vowels into VCV without altering the rest. Others may turn the entire UST into VCV. Experimentation is key! IroIro is our favorite recommendation, as the plugin has many other useful features packed into it as well.

Navigating to your installed UTAU plugins

If you have IroIro Installed, follow Tools > Plug-Ins(N) > IroIro. Select CV -> VCV and click OK.

IroIro’s many options

Once your UST is in VCV format, you are ready to proceed.

Fitting a UST to a VCV Voicebank

Fitting a UST file to a UTAU Voicebank will definitely improve the sound and make your covers appear more professional. By fitting the UST, you are telling the software to conform to that particular UTAU’s configurations and setup (OTO). This is an important step if the UST was not explicitly made for the UTAU you are using, and it helps to improve the fluidity and clarity of the voice. So, let’s do it!

To start:

  1. Open a UST file
  2. Select all (Ctrl+A)
  3. Right-click on a note
  4. On the pop-up, select “Property” or “Region Property” (if you selected all notes). A new window will appear.

  5. You may notice sections on this window labeled “Preutterance” and “Overlap”. To their right, there is a “Clear” button. We want to click that.


  6. Next, at the bottom of the window, there is a box labeled STP. 
    1. If it has a value, delete it. 
    2. If the box is grayed out, double-click the box to clear it.
  7. Press “OK”
  8. In the top right of the main window of UTAU, you will see a group of four buttons (ACPT, P2P3, P1P4, RESET).
    1. Click RESET
    2. Then click P2P3
    3. Next, P1P4
    4. P2P3 again
    5. Click ACPT (You can click this multiple times if you see any red “!”, and it may take care of those. More on that in just a second!)
  9. That’s it! You’ve fit the UST to your VCV Voicebank

Special Characters, Envelope Issues, and Other Problem Samples

Special Characters

Example of notes with special characters

While fitting a UST to your UTAU, you may find errors highlighted as red “!” along the way. VCV is a popular method and widely employed, so a user may run across custom notes, properties, and expressions within a UST. Your UTAU may not have these special notes and sounds, so, we need to run through a few options.

  1. Manual removal
    1. Simply edit each note, one by one, and delete the extra symbols.
  2. SuffixBroker (for custom characters at the end of a note such as an up or down arrow, a number, or another special symbol)
    1. Select the notes you want the characters removed from
    2. Found under: Tools > Built-in Tools > SuffixBroker
    3. Leave the box blank, click OK, and now the Suffixes are gone! PLEASE NOTE: this does not always perform 100%. Make sure to double-check your work.
  3. Third-Party Plugins

Much better!

Envelope Issues

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

The error still shows up, and, more confusingly, the sound sample exists and your oto is fine. Grr… Now that’s frustrating! But we have a fix. Let’s check and edit some envelopes!

Very carefully, right-click on the note. A new pop-up will appear. Hover down to “Envelope…” and click on it.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

And…

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

YIKES! That’s pretty bad! Worry not, there’s a simple fix. Let’s click “Normal”. 9/10 times, that does the job.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

If the error still persists after hitting “Normal”, simply drag the red boxes around until they look, well, normal. Click OK and it should be good to go!

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

Much better, and now our “!” is gone. We are ready to tune and mix!

Using VCV in OpenUTAU

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

For tracks made from scratch, start by clicking the “+” icon on the left-hand side. A new track like so will be created.

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

Click on “Select Singer” and choose a voice. In this instance, we will choose Atlas CELESTIAL.

The voice is loaded. Now, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank she has. Click on “DEFAULT” to open a new menu of options.

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. We are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

For Existing USTs:

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

Go to “File > Import Tracks…” and choose a UST of your liking.

You may notice the singer data is saved from the UST file. You may or may not have this UTAU in your library. Either way, we are wanting to use Atlas CELESTIAL in this example as well. Go ahead and click on the singer’s name to open a new menu.

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

Select the preferred singer by clicking their name. In this instance, we will choose Atlas CELESTIAL.

The voice is loaded. Now, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank she has. Click on “DEFAULT” to open a new menu of options.

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. We are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

How To Use ATLAS OG07 Original Japanese VCV

Introduction to ATLAS OG07 Original VCV

ATLAS OG07 “Original” is a Japanese VCV style Voicebank developed by STUDIO OGIEN.  Released in 2018, she is the first member of the OGIENOID character subset collectively known as “The Triad,” her counterparts being HONOS OG04 and VIRTUS OG02. Her voice suits pop, rock, and EDM genres with a broad range of expressions, among other music types. Currently, she is the OGIENOID with the largest selection of Monopitch appends.

ATLAS OG07’s “Original” voicebank is an assortment of four different VCVs, each in a unique timbre (the character or quality of a musical sound or voice as distinct from its pitch and intensity). “Original” is a normal singing voice, Lullaby (a soft voice), and Endure (a powerful voice). This voicebank combines three voicebanks into one, allowing the user to plug in “↑” or “↓” into the UST from the SuffixBroker for appends. Making all voices available to use in one UST helps make editing, tuning, and mixing faster and easier.

Using ATLAS OG07 Original

Using The Included Appends

ORIGINAL

“Original” is ATLAS OG07’s default voice and will play so long as the user understands how to control VCV UTAU voicebanks. No additional steps are necessary to utilize this tone.

LULLABY

Select or enter “↓” into the UST from the SuffixBroker. By default, it should be included in the base installation of UTAU.

ENDURE

Select or enter “↑” into the UST from the SuffixBroker. By default, it should be included in the base installation of UTAU.

Using VCV in UTAU

For those new to the VCV voicebank format, let’s learn how to use it in UTAU! Firstly, load up the desired Voicebank and UST file (if you have one). There are two scenarios here: the UST is either formatted for VCV or it just isn’t. Not every UST comes in VCV format, but you may really, really want to use the UST. However, there are many options to remedy this situation!

The tedious method that we aren’t going to actually consider a method, but rather a painful last resort: Add the preceding vowel to the lyric: Let’s say you have two notes “か” (ka) and “あ” (a). Simply add an “a” in the same note as あ. Simply, あ now becomes “a あ”.

The easiest method (that, unfortunately, costs money): UTAU Shareware: If you have the shareware version of UTAU, you can simply hit the auto VCV button, and UTAU will turn the vowels into VCV!

Click “A” for auto VCV

Other methods:

Plugins: Some plugins may convert the CV vowels into VCV without altering the rest. Others may turn the entire UST into VCV. Experimentation is key! IroIro is our favorite recommendation, as the plugin has many other useful features packed into it as well.

Next, if you have IroIro Installed, follow Tools > Plug-Ins(N) > IroIro. Select CV -> VCV and click OK.

IroIro’s many options

Once your UST is in VCV format, you are ready to proceed.

Fitting a UST to a VCV Voicebank

Above all, fitting a UST file to a UTAU Voicebank will improve the sound and make your covers appear more professional. In other words, this is perhaps the most important step in the mixing process! By fitting the UST, you are telling the software to conform to that particular UTAU’s configurations and setup (OTO). This is an important step if the UST was not explicitly made for the UTAU you are using, and it helps to improve the fluidity and clarity of the voice. So, let’s do it!

To start:

  1. Open a UST file
  2. Select all (Ctrl+A)
  3. Right-click on a note
  4. On the pop-up, select “Property” or “Region Property” (if you selected all notes). A new window will appear.

  5. You may notice sections on this window labeled “Preutterance” and “Overlap”. To their right, there is a “Clear” button. We want to click that.


  6. Next, at the bottom of the window, there is a box labeled STP. 
    1. If it has a value, delete it. 
    2. If the box is grayed out, double-click the box to clear it.
  7. Press “OK”
  8. In the top right of the main window of UTAU, you will see a group of four buttons (ACPT, P2P3, P1P4, RESET).
    1. Click RESET
    2. Then click P2P3
    3. Next, P1P4
    4. P2P3 again
    5. Click ACPT (You can click this multiple times if you see any red “!”, and it may take care of those. More on that in just a second!)
  9. That’s it! You’ve fit the UST to your VCV Voicebank

Special Characters, Envelope Issues and Other Problem Samples

Special Characters

Example of notes with special characters

While fitting a UST to your UTAU, you may find errors highlighted as red “!” along the way. VCV is a popular method and widely employed, so a user may run across custom notes, properties, and expressions within a UST. Your UTAU may not have these special notes and sounds, so, we need to run through a few options.

  1. Manual removal
    1. Simply edit each note, one by one, and delete the extra symbols.
  2. SuffixBroker (for custom characters at the end of a note such as an up or down arrow, a number, or another special symbol)
    1. Select the notes you want the characters removed from
    2. Found under: Tools > Built-in Tools > SuffixBroker
    3. Leave the box blank, click OK, and now the Suffixes are gone! However, sometimes this may not do exactly what you’re hoping. To clarify, this does not always perform 100%, and there are times it may actually remove the latter half of the VCV note. Make sure to double-check your work!
  3. Third-Party Plugins

Much better!

Envelope Issues

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

The error still shows up, and, more confusingly, the sound sample exists and your oto is fine. Grr… Now that’s frustrating! But we have a fix. Let’s check and edit some envelopes!

Very carefully, right-click on the note. A new pop-up will appear afterward. Hover down to “Envelope…” and click on it.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

And…

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

YIKES! That’s pretty bad! Worry not, there’s a simple fix. Let’s click “Normal”. 9/10 times, that does the job.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

If the error still persists after hitting “Normal”, simply drag the red boxes around until they look, well, normal. After that, click OK and it should be good to go!

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

Much better, and now our “!” is gone. We are ready to tune and mix!

Using ATLAS OG07 Original VCV in OpenUTAU

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

For tracks made from scratch, start by clicking the “+” icon on the left-hand side. A new track like so will be created.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

After that, click on “Select Singer” and choose a voice. In this instance, we will choose Atlas OG07.

The voice is loaded. Now, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank she has. Click on “DEFAULT” to open a new menu of options.

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. Finally, we are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

For Existing USTs:

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

Navigate to “File > Import Tracks…” and choose a UST of your liking.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

You may notice the singer data is saved from the UST file. You may or may not have this UTAU in your library. Either way, we are wanting to use Atlas OG07 in this example as well. Go ahead and click on the singer’s name to open a new menu.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

Select the preferred singer by clicking their name. In this instance, we will choose Atlas OG07.

The voice is loaded. Now, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank she has. Click on “DEFAULT” to open a new menu of options.

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. Finally, we are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

How To Use THEIA OG03 Original Japanese VCV

Introduction to THEIA OG03 Original VCV

THEIA OG03 “Original” is a Japanese VCV style Voicebank developed by STUDIO OGIEN.  Released in 2018, she is the first member of the OGIENOID character subset collectively known as “The Triad,” her counterparts being HONOS OG04 and VIRTUS OG02. Her voice suits pop, rock, and EDM genres with a broad range of expressions, among other music types. Currently, she is the OGIENOID with the largest selection of Monopitch appends.

THEIA OG03’s “Original” voicebank is an assortment of four different VCVs, each in a unique timbre (the character or quality of a musical sound or voice as distinct from its pitch and intensity). “Original” is a normal singing voice, Flutter (a soft voice), Swarm (a powerful voice), and Swarm_alternate (a different take on Swarm that is slightly more powerful). This voicebank combines four voicebanks into one, allowing the user to plug in “↑”, “↓”, or “S” into the UST from the SuffixBroker for appends. Making all voices available to use in one UST helps make editing, tuning, and mixing faster and easier.

Using THEIA OG03 Original

Using The Included Appends

ORIGINAL

“Original” is THEIA OG03’s default voice and will play so long as the user understands how to control VCV UTAU voicebanks. No additional steps are necessary to utilize this tone.

FLUTTER

Select or enter “↓” into the UST from the SuffixBroker. By default, it should be included in the base installation of UTAU.

SWARM

Select or enter “↑” into the UST from the SuffixBroker. By default, it should be included in the base installation of UTAU.

SWARM_ALTERNATE

Enter “S” into the SuffixBroker.

Using VCV in UTAU

For those new to the VCV voicebank format, let’s learn how to use it in UTAU! Firstly, load up the desired Voicebank and UST file (if you have one). There are two scenarios here: the UST is either formatted for VCV or it just isn’t. Not every UST comes in VCV format, but you may really, really want to use the UST. However, there are many options to remedy this situation!

The tedious method that we aren’t going to actually consider a method, but rather a painful last resort: Add the preceding vowel to the lyric: Let’s say you have two notes “か” (ka) and “あ” (a). Simply add an “a” in the same note as あ. Simply, あ now becomes “a あ”.

The easiest method (that, unfortunately, costs money): UTAU Shareware: If you have the shareware version of UTAU, you can simply hit the auto VCV button, and UTAU will turn the vowels into VCV!

Click “A” for auto VCV

Other methods:

Plugins: Some plugins may convert the CV vowels into VCV without altering the rest. Others may turn the entire UST into VCV. Experimentation is key! IroIro is our favorite recommendation, as the plugin has many other useful features packed into it as well.

Next, if you have IroIro Installed, follow Tools > Plug-Ins(N) > IroIro. Select CV -> VCV and click OK.

IroIro’s many options

Once your UST is in VCV format, you are ready to proceed.

Fitting a UST to a VCV Voicebank

Above all, fitting a UST file to a UTAU Voicebank will improve the sound and make your covers appear more professional. In other words, this is perhaps the most important step in the mixing process! By fitting the UST, you are telling the software to conform to that particular UTAU’s configurations and setup (OTO). This is an important step if the UST was not explicitly made for the UTAU you are using, and it helps to improve the fluidity and clarity of the voice. So, let’s do it!

To start:

  1. Open a UST file
  2. Select all (Ctrl+A)
  3. Right-click on a note
  4. On the pop-up, select “Property” or “Region Property” (if you selected all notes). A new window will appear.

  5. You may notice sections on this window labeled “Preutterance” and “Overlap”. To their right, there is a “Clear” button. We want to click that.


  6. Next, at the bottom of the window, there is a box labeled STP. 
    1. If it has a value, delete it. 
    2. If the box is grayed out, double-click the box to clear it.
  7. Press “OK”
  8. In the top right of the main window of UTAU, you will see a group of four buttons (ACPT, P2P3, P1P4, RESET).
    1. Click RESET
    2. Then click P2P3
    3. Next, P1P4
    4. P2P3 again
    5. Click ACPT (You can click this multiple times if you see any red “!”, and it may take care of those. More on that in just a second!)
  9. That’s it! You’ve fit the UST to your VCV Voicebank

Special Characters, Envelope Issues and Other Problem Samples

Special Characters

Example of notes with special characters

While fitting a UST to your UTAU, you may find errors highlighted as red “!” along the way. VCV is a popular method and widely employed, so a user may run across custom notes, properties, and expressions within a UST. Your UTAU may not have these special notes and sounds, so, we need to run through a few options.

  1. Manual removal
    1. Simply edit each note, one by one, and delete the extra symbols.
  2. SuffixBroker (for custom characters at the end of a note such as an up or down arrow, a number, or another special symbol)
    1. Select the notes you want the characters removed from
    2. Found under: Tools > Built-in Tools > SuffixBroker
    3. Leave the box blank, click OK, and now the Suffixes are gone! However, sometimes this may not do exactly what you’re hoping. To clarify, this does not always perform 100%, and there are times it may actually remove the latter half of the VCV note. Make sure to double-check your work!
  3. Third-Party Plugins

Much better!

Envelope Issues

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

The error still shows up, and, more confusingly, the sound sample exists and your oto is fine. Grr… Now that’s frustrating! But we have a fix. Let’s check and edit some envelopes!

Very carefully, right-click on the note. A new pop-up will appear afterward. Hover down to “Envelope…” and click on it.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

And…

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

YIKES! That’s pretty bad! Worry not, there’s a simple fix. Let’s click “Normal”. 9/10 times, that does the job.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

If the error still persists after hitting “Normal”, simply drag the red boxes around until they look, well, normal. After that, click OK and it should be good to go!

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

Much better, and now our “!” is gone. We are ready to tune and mix!

Using THEIA OG03 Original VCV in OpenUTAU

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

For tracks made from scratch, start by clicking the “+” icon on the left-hand side. A new track like so will be created.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

After that, click on “Select Singer” and choose a voice. In this instance, we will choose Theia OG03.

The voice is loaded. Now, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank she has. Click on “DEFAULT” to open a new menu of options.

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. Finally, we are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

For Existing USTs:

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

Navigate to “File > Import Tracks…” and choose a UST of your liking.

You may notice the singer data is saved from the UST file. You may or may not have this UTAU in your library. Either way, we are wanting to use Theia OG03 in this example as well. Go ahead and click on the singer’s name to open a new menu.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

Select the preferred singer by clicking their name. In this instance, we will choose Theia OG03.

The voice is loaded. Now, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank she has. Click on “DEFAULT” to open a new menu of options.

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. Finally, we are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

THEIA OG03 MONARCH – Release & Tutorial

Watch The Release Video:





Official release notice and tutorial for THEIA OG03: MONARCH!


About The Voicebank:

The official release of the new THEIA OG03 voicebank is finally here! THEIA OG03 MONARCH 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 (Contralto, F3~A4), making MONARCH a total of 12 VCVs. The three timbres can be used all in one track by utilizing the SuffixBroker. MONARCH’s three expressions are:

  • “Chrysallis”: Normal voice
  • “Iridescent”: Gentle/soft voice
  • “Ultraviolet”: Solid/power voice

THEIA OG03 MONARCH also has some fun add-ons, including several breaths (intake and outtake), western L notes (all timbres, all pitches), two Growl CV banks (Mono-pitch, one higher register and one lower), Vocal Fry (sounds best used with Stoic/Mellow, 4 pitch), and Glottal Stops (all timbres, all pitches).

USING MONARCH: APPENDS

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

Iridescent – A soft/whisper bank. You can use it by selecting the “↓” symbol in the SuffixBroker in UTAU. For OpenUTAU, please use Voice Colors in the editor (under CLR).

Ultraviolet – A solid/power bank. You can use it by selecting the “↑” symbol in the SuffixBroker in UTAU. For OpenUTAU, please use Voice Colors in the editor (under CLR).

Screenshot of the OpenUTAU editor interface, featuring THEIA OG03 MONARCH
Using Voice Colors in OpenUTAU

Glottal Stops with the MONARCH Voicebank:

Glottal stops are compatible with all three appends in MONARCH.

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

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

Vocal Fry & Breaths with the MONARCH Voicebank:

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

Breaths: MONARCH 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.

Extras with THEIA OG03 MONARCH:

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.

Making Growl More Powerful:

  • Select all the notes, then open the Notes Property window.
  • Clear the Preutterance and Overlap, and click the STP box. Afterward, change the Intensity to 200 to amplify her general output, then change the BRE setting to 100.
  • Next, open the Pitch Control window. Check the Vibrato button and set the Length to 100%, Depth for 200%, then finally the Cycle for 12% (this will reset if you click on another box, so do this last).

How To Use APOLLO OG0X Original Japanese VCV

Introduction to APOLLO OG0X Original VCV

APOLLO OG0X “Original” is a Japanese VCV style Voicebank developed by STUDIO OGIEN. She was released in 2015 as a standalone OGIENOID. The character APOLLO OG0X provides a tomboyish voice with an edge of spite and a unique intonation. Additionally, her voicebanks possess several different expressions, making her an ideal fit for many genres of music, most notably rock and EDM.

APOLLO OG0X’s “Original” voicebank is an assortment of three different VCVs, each in a unique timbre (the character or quality of a musical sound or voice as distinct from its pitch and intensity). “Original” is a normal singing voice, Murmur (a soft voice), and Breaking (a powerful voice). This voicebank combines three voicebanks into one, allowing the user to plug in “↑” or “↓” into the UST from the SuffixBroker for appends. Making all voices available to use in one UST helps make editing, tuning, and mixing faster and easier.

Using APOLLO OG0X Original

Using The Included Appends

ORIGINAL

“Original” is APOLLO OG0X’s default voice and will play so long as the user understands how to control VCV UTAU voicebanks. No additional steps are necessary to utilize this tone.

MURMUR

Select or enter “↓” into the UST from the SuffixBroker. By default, it should be included in the base installation of UTAU.

BREAKING

Select or enter “↑” into the UST from the SuffixBroker. By default, it should be included in the base installation of UTAU.

Using VCV in UTAU

For those new to the VCV voicebank format, let’s learn how to use it in UTAU! Firstly, load up the desired Voicebank and UST file (if you have one). There are two scenarios here: the UST is either formatted for VCV or it just isn’t. Not every UST comes in VCV format, but you may really, really want to use the UST. However, there are many options to remedy this situation!

The tedious method that we aren’t going to actually consider a method, but rather a painful last resort: Add the preceding vowel to the lyric: Let’s say you have two notes “か” (ka) and “あ” (a). Simply add an “a” in the same note as あ. Simply, あ now becomes “a あ”.

The easiest method (that, unfortunately, costs money): UTAU Shareware: If you have the shareware version of UTAU, you can simply hit the auto VCV button, and UTAU will turn the vowels into VCV!

Click “A” for auto VCV

Other methods:

Plugins: Some plugins may convert the CV vowels into VCV without altering the rest. Others may turn the entire UST into VCV. Experimentation is key! IroIro is our favorite recommendation, as the plugin has many other useful features packed into it as well.

Next, if you have IroIro Installed, follow Tools > Plug-Ins(N) > IroIro. Select CV -> VCV and click OK.

IroIro’s many options

Once your UST is in VCV format, you are ready to proceed.

Fitting a UST to a VCV Voicebank

Above all, fitting a UST file to a UTAU Voicebank will improve the sound and make your covers appear more professional. In other words, this is perhaps the most important step in the mixing process! By fitting the UST, you are telling the software to conform to that particular UTAU’s configurations and setup (OTO). This is an important step if the UST was not explicitly made for the UTAU you are using, and it helps to improve the fluidity and clarity of the voice. So, let’s do it!

To start:

  1. Open a UST file
  2. Select all (Ctrl+A)
  3. Right-click on a note
  4. On the pop-up, select “Property” or “Region Property” (if you selected all notes). A new window will appear.

  5. You may notice sections on this window labeled “Preutterance” and “Overlap”. To their right, there is a “Clear” button. We want to click that.


  6. Next, at the bottom of the window, there is a box labeled STP. 
    1. If it has a value, delete it. 
    2. If the box is grayed out, double-click the box to clear it.
  7. Press “OK”
  8. In the top right of the main window of UTAU, you will see a group of four buttons (ACPT, P2P3, P1P4, RESET).
    1. Click RESET
    2. Then click P2P3
    3. Next, P1P4
    4. P2P3 again
    5. Click ACPT (You can click this multiple times if you see any red “!”, and it may take care of those. More on that in just a second!)
  9. That’s it! You’ve fit the UST to your VCV Voicebank

Special Characters, Envelope Issues and Other Problem Samples

Special Characters

Example of notes with special characters

While fitting a UST to your UTAU, you may find errors highlighted as red “!” along the way. VCV is a popular method and widely employed, so a user may run across custom notes, properties, and expressions within a UST. Your UTAU may not have these special notes and sounds, so, we need to run through a few options.

  1. Manual removal
    1. Simply edit each note, one by one, and delete the extra symbols.
  2. SuffixBroker (for custom characters at the end of a note such as an up or down arrow, a number, or another special symbol)
    1. Select the notes you want the characters removed from
    2. Found under: Tools > Built-in Tools > SuffixBroker
    3. Leave the box blank, click OK, and now the Suffixes are gone! However, sometimes this may not do exactly what you’re hoping. To clarify, this does not always perform 100%, and there are times it may actually remove the latter half of the VCV note. Make sure to double-check your work!
  3. Third-Party Plugins

Much better!

Envelope Issues

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

The error still shows up, and, more confusingly, the sound sample exists and your oto is fine. Grr… Now that’s frustrating! But we have a fix. Let’s check and edit some envelopes!

Very carefully, right-click on the note. A new pop-up will appear afterward. Hover down to “Envelope…” and click on it.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

And…

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

YIKES! That’s pretty bad! Worry not, there’s a simple fix. Let’s click “Normal”. 9/10 times, that does the job.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

If the error still persists after hitting “Normal”, simply drag the red boxes around until they look, well, normal. After that, click OK and it should be good to go!

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

Much better, and now our “!” is gone. We are ready to tune and mix!

Using APOLLO OG0X Original VCV in OpenUTAU

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

For tracks made from scratch, start by clicking the “+” icon on the left-hand side. A new track like so will be created.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

After that, click on “Select Singer” and choose a voice. In this instance, we will choose Apollo OG0X.

The voice is loaded. Now, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank she has. Click on “DEFAULT” to open a new menu of options.

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. Finally, we are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

For Existing USTs:

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

Navigate to “File > Import Tracks…” and choose a UST of your liking.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

You may notice the singer data is saved from the UST file. You may or may not have this UTAU in your library. Either way, we are wanting to use Apollo OG0X in this example as well. Go ahead and click on the singer’s name to open a new menu.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

Select the preferred singer by clicking their name. In this instance, we will choose Apollo OG0X.

The voice is loaded. Now, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank she has. Click on “DEFAULT” to open a new menu of options.

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. We are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

How To Use DIONE OG05 Original Multipitch

Introduction to DIONE OG05 Multipitch VCV

DIONE OG05 “Original” is a 4-pitch Japanese VCV style Voicebank developed by STUDIO OGIEN. Released in 2022, DIONE OG05 is the first OGIENOID base voicebank comprised of multipitch VCV recordings.

How To Use DIONE OG05 Original

Using Multi-pitch

“Original” consists of 4 unique pitches. These pitches are auto-configured using the Prefix.map function in UTAU. As long as the user does not remove the Prefix.map file, the multi-pitch functions of the voicebank will work without any additional effort. From this point, a user can carry on as if they are using a normal VCV voicebank.

Using VCV in UTAU

For those new to the VCV voicebank format, let’s learn how to use it in UTAU! First, load up the desired Voicebank and UST file (if you have one). There are two scenarios here: the UST is either formatted for VCV or it just isn’t. Not every UST comes in VCV format, but you may really, really want to use the UST. Fear not, there are many options to remedy this situation!

The tedious method that we aren’t going to actually consider a method, but rather a painful last resort: Add the preceding vowel to the lyric: Let’s say you have two notes “か” (ka) and “あ” (a). Simply add an “a” in the same note as あ. Simply, あ now becomes “a あ”.

The easiest method (that, unfortunately, costs money): UTAU Shareware: If you have the shareware version of UTAU, you can simply hit the auto VCV button, and UTAU will turn the vowels into VCV!

Click “A” for auto VCV

Other methods: Plugins: Some plugins may convert the CV vowels into VCV without altering the rest. Others may turn the entire UST into VCV. Experimentation is key! IroIro is our favorite recommendation, as the plugin has many other useful features packed into it as well.

Navigating to your installed UTAU plugins

If you have IroIro Installed, follow Tools > Plug-Ins(N) > IroIro. Select CV -> VCV and click OK.

IroIro’s many options

Once your UST is in VCV format, you are ready to proceed.

Fitting a UST to a VCV Voicebank

Fitting a UST file to a UTAU Voicebank will definitely improve the sound and make your covers appear more professional. By fitting the UST, you are telling the software to conform to that particular UTAU’s configurations and setup (OTO). This is an important step if the UST was not explicitly made for the UTAU you are using, and it helps to improve the fluidity and clarity of the voice. So, let’s do it!

To start:

  1. Open a UST file
  2. Select all (Ctrl+A)
  3. Right-click on a note
  4. On the pop-up, select “Property” or “Region Property” (if you selected all notes). A new window will appear.

  5. You may notice sections on this window labeled “Preutterance” and “Overlap”. To their right, there is a “Clear” button. We want to click that.


  6. Next, at the bottom of the window, there is a box labeled STP. 
    1. If it has a value, delete it. 
    2. If the box is grayed out, double-click the box to clear it.
  7. Press “OK”
  8. In the top right of the main window of UTAU, you will see a group of four buttons (ACPT, P2P3, P1P4, RESET).
    1. Click RESET
    2. Then click P2P3
    3. Next, P1P4
    4. P2P3 again
    5. Click ACPT (You can click this multiple times if you see any red “!”, and it may take care of those. More on that in just a second!)
  9. That’s it! You’ve fit the UST to your VCV Voicebank

Special Characters, Envelope Issues and Other Problem Samples

Special Characters

Example of notes with special characters

While fitting a UST to your UTAU, you may find errors highlighted as red “!” along the way. VCV is a popular method and widely employed, so a user may run across custom notes, properties, and expressions within a UST. Your UTAU may not have these special notes and sounds, so, we need to run through a few options.

  1. Manual removal
    1. Simply edit each note, one by one, and delete the extra symbols.
  2. SuffixBroker (for custom characters at the end of a note such as an up or down arrow, a number, or another special symbol)
    1. Select the notes you want the characters removed from
    2. Found under: Tools > Built-in Tools > SuffixBroker
    3. Leave the box blank, click OK, and now the Suffixes are gone! PLEASE NOTE: this does not always perform 100%. Make sure to double-check your work.
  3. Third-Party Plugins

Much better!

Envelope Issues

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

The error still shows up, and, more confusingly, the sound sample exists and your oto is fine. Grr… Now that’s frustrating! But we have a fix. Let’s check and edit some envelopes!

Very carefully, right-click on the note. A new pop-up will appear. Hover down to “Envelope…” and click on it.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

And…

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

YIKES! That’s pretty bad! Worry not, there’s a simple fix. Let’s click “Normal”. 9/10 times, that does the job.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

If the error still persists after hitting “Normal”, simply drag the red boxes around until they look, well, normal. Click OK and it should be good to go!

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

Much better, and now our “!” is gone. We are ready to tune and mix!

Using VCV in OpenUTAU

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

For tracks made from scratch, start by clicking the “+” icon on the left-hand side. A new track like so will be created.

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

Click on “Select Singer” and choose a voice. In this instance, we will choose DIONE OG05.

The voice is loaded. Now, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank she has. Click on “More…” to open a new menu of options.

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. We are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

For Existing USTs:

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

Go to “File > Import Tracks…” and choose a UST of your liking.

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

You may notice the singer data is saved from the UST file. You may or may not have this UTAU in your library. Either way, we are wanting to useDIONE OG05 in this example as well. Go ahead and click on the singer’s name to open a new menu.

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

Select the preferred singer by clicking their name. In this instance, we will choose DIONE OG05.

With the voice loaded, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank it is. Click on “DEFAULT” to open a new menu of options.

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. We are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

How To Use AXIS OG06 TELLURIC JP VCV Multipitch

Introduction to AXIS TELLURIC Multipitch VCV

AXIS OG06 “Telluric” is a 7-pitch Japanese VCV style Voicebank developed by STUDIO OGIEN. Released in 2016, “Telluric” was the first installment of The Goddess Series, a mini-series of voicebank releases based on the OGIENOIDs’ alter-egos in another world.

How To Use AXIS OG06 Telluric

Using Multi-pitch

“Telluric” consists of 7 unique pitches. These pitches are auto-configured using the Prefix.map function in UTAU. As long as the user does not remove the Prefix.map file, the multi-pitch functions of Telluric will work without any additional effort. From this point, a user can carry on as if they are using a normal VCV voicebank.

“Telluric” includes a Falsetto voicebank as well. By inserting the letter F into the SuffixBroker, or by adding F to the end of a note manually, users can operate this voicebank. The falsetto voicebank is optimized for C5 and above.

Using VCV in UTAU

For those new to the VCV voicebank format, let’s learn how to use it in UTAU! First, load up the desired Voicebank and UST file (if you have one). There are two scenarios here: the UST is either formatted for VCV or it just isn’t. Not every UST comes in VCV format, but you may really, really want to use the UST. Fear not, there are many options to remedy this situation!

The tedious method that we aren’t going to actually consider a method, but rather a painful last resort: Add the preceding vowel to the lyric: Let’s say you have two notes “か” (ka) and “あ” (a). Simply add an “a” in the same note as あ. Simply, あ now becomes “a あ”.

The easiest method (that, unfortunately, costs money): UTAU Shareware: If you have the shareware version of UTAU, you can simply hit the auto VCV button, and UTAU will turn the vowels into VCV!

Click “A” for auto VCV

Other methods: Plugins: Some plugins may convert the CV vowels into VCV without altering the rest. Others may turn the entire UST into VCV. Experimentation is key! IroIro is our favorite recommendation, as the plugin has many other useful features packed into it as well.

Navigating to your installed UTAU plugins

If you have IroIro Installed, follow Tools > Plug-Ins(N) > IroIro. Select CV -> VCV and click OK.

IroIro’s many options

Once your UST is in VCV format, you are ready to proceed.

Fitting a UST to a VCV Voicebank

Fitting a UST file to a UTAU Voicebank will definitely improve the sound and make your covers appear more professional. By fitting the UST, you are telling the software to conform to that particular UTAU’s configurations and setup (OTO). This is an important step if the UST was not explicitly made for the UTAU you are using, and it helps to improve the fluidity and clarity of the voice. So, let’s do it!

To start:

  1. Open a UST file
  2. Select all (Ctrl+A)
  3. Right-click on a note
  4. On the pop-up, select “Property” or “Region Property” (if you selected all notes). A new window will appear.

  5. You may notice sections on this window labeled “Preutterance” and “Overlap”. To their right, there is a “Clear” button. We want to click that.


  6. Next, at the bottom of the window, there is a box labeled STP. 
    1. If it has a value, delete it. 
    2. If the box is grayed out, double-click the box to clear it.
  7. Press “OK”
  8. In the top right of the main window of UTAU, you will see a group of four buttons (ACPT, P2P3, P1P4, RESET).
    1. Click RESET
    2. Then click P2P3
    3. Next, P1P4
    4. P2P3 again
    5. Click ACPT (You can click this multiple times if you see any red “!”, and it may take care of those. More on that in just a second!)
  9. That’s it! You’ve fit the UST to your VCV Voicebank

Special Characters, Envelope Issues and Other Problem Samples

Special Characters

Example of notes with special characters

While fitting a UST to your UTAU, you may find errors highlighted as red “!” along the way. VCV is a popular method and widely employed, so a user may run across custom notes, properties, and expressions within a UST. Your UTAU may not have these special notes and sounds, so, we need to run through a few options.

  1. Manual removal
    1. Simply edit each note, one by one, and delete the extra symbols.
  2. SuffixBroker (for custom characters at the end of a note such as an up or down arrow, a number, or another special symbol)
    1. Select the notes you want the characters removed from
    2. Found under: Tools > Built-in Tools > SuffixBroker
    3. Leave the box blank, click OK, and now the Suffixes are gone! PLEASE NOTE: this does not always perform 100%. Make sure to double-check your work.
  3. Third-Party Plugins

Much better!

Envelope Issues

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

The error still shows up, and, more confusingly, the sound sample exists and your oto is fine. Grr… Now that’s frustrating! But we have a fix. Let’s check and edit some envelopes!

Very carefully, right-click on the note. A new pop-up will appear. Hover down to “Envelope…” and click on it.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

And…

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

YIKES! That’s pretty bad! Worry not, there’s a simple fix. Let’s click “Normal”. 9/10 times, that does the job.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

If the error still persists after hitting “Normal”, simply drag the red boxes around until they look, well, normal. Click OK and it should be good to go!

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

Much better, and now our “!” is gone. We are ready to tune and mix!

Using VCV in OpenUTAU

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

For tracks made from scratch, start by clicking the “+” icon on the left-hand side. A new track like so will be created.

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

Click on “Select Singer” and choose a voice. In this instance, we will choose Axis TELLURIC.

The voice is loaded. Now, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank she has. Click on “DEFAULT” to open a new menu of options.

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. We are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

For Existing USTs:

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

Go to “File > Import Tracks…” and choose a UST of your liking.

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

You may notice the singer data is saved from the UST file. You may or may not have this UTAU in your library. Either way, we are wanting to use Axis TELLURIC in this example as well. Go ahead and click on the singer’s name to open a new menu.

Using Kasai OG01 AMORE in OpenUTAU

Select the preferred singer by clicking their name. In this instance, we will choose Axis TELLURIC.

With the voice loaded, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank it is. Click on “DEFAULT” to open a new menu of options.

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. We are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

How To Use AXIS OG06 Original Japanese VCV

Introduction to AXIS OG06 Original VCV

AXIS OG06 “Original” is a Japanese VCV style Voicebank developed by STUDIO OGIEN. First released in 2014, she was developed as a counterpart to her twin sister, ATLAS OG07. The character AXIS OG06 utilizes human voice samples to create her uniquely clear and mature, feminine voice. Additionally, her newest voicebanks offer a crisp, decisive voice suitable for various genres of music such as ballads, pop, rock, and many more.

AXIS OG06’s “Original” voicebank is an assortment of three different VCVs, each in a unique timbre (the character or quality of a musical sound or voice as distinct from its pitch and intensity). “Original” is a normal singing voice, Revolve (a soft voice), and Lively (a solid voice). This voicebank combines three voicebanks into one, allowing the user to plug in “↑” or “↓” into the UST from the SuffixBroker for appends. Making all voices available to use in one UST helps make editing, tuning, and mixing faster and easier.

Using AXIS OG06 Original

Using The Included Appends

ORIGINAL

“Original” is AXIS OG06’s default voice and will play so long as the user understands how to control VCV UTAU voicebanks. No additional steps are necessary to utilize this tone.

REVOLVE

Select or enter “↓” into the UST from the SuffixBroker. By default, it should be included in the base installation of UTAU.

LIVELY

Select or enter “↑” into the UST from the SuffixBroker. By default, it should be included in the base installation of UTAU.

Using VCV in UTAU

For those new to the VCV voicebank format, let’s learn how to use it in UTAU! Firstly, load up the desired Voicebank and UST file (if you have one). There are two scenarios here: the UST is either formatted for VCV or it just isn’t. Not every UST comes in VCV format, but you may really, really want to use the UST. However, there are many options to remedy this situation!

The tedious method that we aren’t going to actually consider a method, but rather a painful last resort: Add the preceding vowel to the lyric: Let’s say you have two notes “か” (ka) and “あ” (a). Simply add an “a” in the same note as あ. Simply, あ now becomes “a あ”.

The easiest method (that, unfortunately, costs money): UTAU Shareware: If you have the shareware version of UTAU, you can simply hit the auto VCV button, and UTAU will turn the vowels into VCV!

Click “A” for auto VCV

Other methods:

Plugins: Some plugins may convert the CV vowels into VCV without altering the rest. Others may turn the entire UST into VCV. Experimentation is key! IroIro is our favorite recommendation, as the plugin has many other useful features packed into it as well.

Next, if you have IroIro Installed, follow Tools > Plug-Ins(N) > IroIro. Select CV -> VCV and click OK.

IroIro’s many options

Once your UST is in VCV format, you are ready to proceed.

Fitting a UST to a VCV Voicebank

Above all, fitting a UST file to a UTAU Voicebank will improve the sound and make your covers appear more professional. In other words, this is perhaps the most important step in the mixing process! By fitting the UST, you are telling the software to conform to that particular UTAU’s configurations and setup (OTO). This is an important step if the UST was not explicitly made for the UTAU you are using, and it helps to improve the fluidity and clarity of the voice. So, let’s do it!

To start:

  1. Open a UST file
  2. Select all (Ctrl+A)
  3. Right-click on a note
  4. On the pop-up, select “Property” or “Region Property” (if you selected all notes). A new window will appear.

  5. You may notice sections on this window labeled “Preutterance” and “Overlap”. To their right, there is a “Clear” button. We want to click that.


  6. Next, at the bottom of the window, there is a box labeled STP. 
    1. If it has a value, delete it. 
    2. If the box is grayed out, double-click the box to clear it.
  7. Press “OK”
  8. In the top right of the main window of UTAU, you will see a group of four buttons (ACPT, P2P3, P1P4, RESET).
    1. Click RESET
    2. Then click P2P3
    3. Next, P1P4
    4. P2P3 again
    5. Click ACPT (You can click this multiple times if you see any red “!”, and it may take care of those. More on that in just a second!)
  9. That’s it! You’ve fit the UST to your VCV Voicebank

Special Characters, Envelope Issues and Other Problem Samples

Special Characters

Example of notes with special characters

While fitting a UST to your UTAU, you may find errors highlighted as red “!” along the way. VCV is a popular method and widely employed, so a user may run across custom notes, properties, and expressions within a UST. Your UTAU may not have these special notes and sounds, so, we need to run through a few options.

  1. Manual removal
    1. Simply edit each note, one by one, and delete the extra symbols.
  2. SuffixBroker (for custom characters at the end of a note such as an up or down arrow, a number, or another special symbol)
    1. Select the notes you want the characters removed from
    2. Found under: Tools > Built-in Tools > SuffixBroker
    3. Leave the box blank, click OK, and now the Suffixes are gone! However, sometimes this may not do exactly what you’re hoping. To clarify, this does not always perform 100%, and there are times it may actually remove the latter half of the VCV note. Make sure to double-check your work!
  3. Third-Party Plugins

Much better!

Envelope Issues

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

The error still shows up, and, more confusingly, the sound sample exists and your oto is fine. Grr… Now that’s frustrating! But we have a fix. Let’s check and edit some envelopes!

Very carefully, right-click on the note. A new pop-up will appear afterward. Hover down to “Envelope…” and click on it.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

And…

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

YIKES! That’s pretty bad! Worry not, there’s a simple fix. Let’s click “Normal”. 9/10 times, that does the job.

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

If the error still persists after hitting “Normal”, simply drag the red boxes around until they look, well, normal. After that, click OK and it should be good to go!

How to use UTAU VCV Voicebanks: editing envelopes

Much better, and now our “!” is gone. We are ready to tune and mix!

Using AXIS OG06 Original VCV in OpenUTAU

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

For tracks made from scratch, start by clicking the “+” icon on the left-hand side. A new track like so will be created.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

After that, click on “Select Singer” and choose a voice. In this instance, we will choose Axis OG06.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

The voice is loaded. Now, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank she has. Click on “DEFAULT” to open a new menu of options.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. We are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

For Existing USTs:

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

Go to “File > Import Tracks…” and choose a UST of your liking.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

You may notice the singer data is saved from the UST file. You may or may not have this UTAU in your library. Either way, we are wanting to use Axis OG06 in this example as well. Go ahead and click on the singer’s name to open a new menu.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

Select the preferred singer by clicking their name. In this instance, we will choose Axis OG06.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

The voice is loaded. Now, we must tell OpenUTAU what type of voicebank she has. Click on “DEFAULT” to open a new menu of options.

Using AXIS OG06 VCV in OpenUTAU

Select “[JP VCV] Japanese VCV Phonemizer”. Finally, we are ready to use VCV in OpenUTAU!

Voicebank Progress


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