Welcome to March’s progress report! It’s hard to believe it’s already the end of March! Hello, everyone, Kiko here! This update will be a bit smaller than usual, but there are exciting things brewing at the STUDIO OGIEN Headquarters.
Logo Updates
We had one major update when it come to logos this month and that is for our lovely, KASAI OG01! Below you can see the before and after.
Our Full Recording Set-Up
We have an official list of equipment we use to record our voicebanks. If you’d like a full breakdown of all our tools, check out our companion blog!
Let’s Laugh Together
We’ve recently put out a new social media account. Please join us over on TikTok for the occasional short video, parody, and plenty of teasers! CAUTION:Please be aware that we are treating our TikTok account as a space with adult humor and language.
An exciting new direction, and language capability, comes to STUDIO OGIEN this winter! Introducing KASAI IGNITEα, a VCCV English voicebank for KASAI OG01. Release is today! #UTAU#Utauloid#utauloids#OGIENOID#kasaiog01
Have you seen the latest OGIENOID drop from our team? DIONE OG05 now has a page all about her! While our team is hard at work decoding the message we found in the bottle near our building, we’ve released what we have been able to read. The strangest thing is that there was a link provided on the weathered paper.
What are your first impressions of DIONE OG05? We would love to know what you think and what you look forward to about her release! DIONE OG05 is slated for release in May 2022!
Okay, I Have Had It With This Glitter. Ceren, What Is Going On?
For the past several weeks, glitter has been covering the recording booth. I have no clue why, and I’m tired of going home covered in glitter. Oh – there’s a note on my desk…
‘Kiko, make sure you inform everyone in the memo that VIRTUS OG02 now has a portion of her live page up. As for the glitter situation, VIRTUS OG02 is finishing up her last recording session this week. The glitter will be gone afterward. If you see any butterflies or bows within the next month, I plead the fifth. Keep up the great work.
-Ceren, STUDIO OGIEN CEO‘
OH! VIRTUS OG02! That makes much more sense now. Ah haha.
Well, since I have the green light from Ceren herself, let’s introduce VIRTUS OG02!
VIRTUS OG02 Official Logo
I think that’s all I have for you all when it comes to things that have been happening around the studio. Are you all excited about the releases of VIRTUS OG02 and DIONE OG05? What are your thoughts? We’d love to hear each and every one of them!
Until next time this is Kiko signing off!
Wrapping Up Our Progress Reports, Each Month!
Please tune in next time for April’s progress report! In the meantime, sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on our blog releases. Not your thing? That’s alright! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram for more news on our social media.
After many years, STUDIO OGIEN has finally obtained an updated recording setup for its UTAU characters! We are excited to bring more OGIENOID voices to life with our new UTAU recording setup!
To clarify before we begin, we understand that some of the items we use in this list are a bit on the pricey end. However, we have spent many months saving money and taking advantage of payment plans to buy these pieces of equipment. We chose to invest in equipment with long-term usability.This way, we can create voicebanks with consistent quality for years to come.The following post acts as a record of our current equipment. Our hope is that this post can help our audience.
Firstly, let’s begin with the item we are most excited about. The Electro-Voice RE20 is a microphone that has been a fan favorite for radio since 1968. It is STUDIO OGIEN’s first XLR microphone! We chose this mic for its true cardioid nature and smooth sound. Additionally, the RE20 is excellent for reducing background noise as well.
An XLR is different than a standard USB mic. Unlike a USB mic, an XLR mic does not plug straight into your computer. To sum up, XLR mics need more parts in order to work.
It is a pricier microphone, but it is easy to finance this mic with a payment plan.
Secondly, our new mic stand. This heavy-duty piece of gear is solid, sturdy, and heavy. This is great, as our setup demands a lot out of a mic stand! For the quality, it is a fairly priced piece. The included screw adapter also fits the RE20 perfectly.
In addition, we added an isolation shield to our setup. Isolation shields reduce the noise picked up via the microphone while recording. In short, by isolating your microphone from its surrounding environment, the shield enhances the quality of your voice and prevents distortions. For example, we use this shield to prevent unwanted noise from leaking into our recordings from less insulated walls.
Further, we required a way to make our mic “talk” to our computer. In comes our audio interface. An audio interface is a tool that converts signals into a format your computer can recognize. The interface can also play audio directly to your headphones. We decided to go with the Focusrite Scarlett Solo for its ability to capture studio-like quality without the full studio! Another plus we love with this interface is the ease of use. On days we want to get to recording as soon as possible – it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!
XLR cables are the proper way to connect your audio interface and mic. In short, these cables act as a connector between various stage, audio, and video pieces of equipment. The connectors are circular in design and have between three and seven pins.
What About A Preamp/Mic Activator?
If you’ve been doing your research on a recording set-up, you may have heard the term “preamp”. To sum up, a preamp is a device that connects to your audio interface and microphone to help counter the inevitable noise the microphone will pick up. However, the microphone we have chosen for our newest set-up is one that has a built-in noise-canceling filter. This helps the microphone pick up your voice only.
During our initial testing, we discovered an odd issue with the RE-20 producing a high amount of background noise. Once we removed the preamp from the equation, we noticed an uptick in quality. After that, we concluded that the preamp was causing our samples to have a heavy amount of “engine noise”. We discovered that the cloudlifter was interfering with the RE-20’s built-in noise cancellation. As a result, we eventually excluded it from our setup.
Originally, we selected the Cloudlifter CL-1 Mic Activator. It did not fit our needs, but depending on the microphone you choose, this may be a great addition to your own setup.
Our original equipment began with a Logitech headset, and from there we quickly upgraded to a Blue Yeti. A decent USB mic, it served as a great starting point. Our Blue Yeti was used to record all currently released OGIENOID voicebanks (excluding HONOS OG04). In the end, we sold our Blue Yeti to finance the purchase of new equipment, so, going forward, no new OGIENOID voicebanks will use that mic.
Below is a breakdown of each OGIENOID and the equipment used for their recordings.
DIONE OG05 Original [VCV] -(Currently in development, initial recordings completed) – Our new equipment. Currently being recorded in an open room with light sound treatment.
Hi again everyone! It’s Kiko back again to let you know what’s been happening at STUDIO OGIEN over the course of February! While it may not seem like a lot of progress, we actually got a huge surprise recently and it involves a Voicebank we weren’t anticipating until much later this year! I can’t say much more or Ceren will let me have it… Anyways, onto the updates!
Promotional Art is Headed Your Way!
Hah? Yes, you read that right! We’ve undergone some major changes when it comes to the STUDIO OGIEN merchandise (I know!! So exciting!!) and OGEINOID press releases for Voicebanks that are currently in development. This means all art for future releases will be more cohesive and flow with all items related to the STUDIO OGIEN branding. We love when things work out like that!
On another note, as I mentioned above, there are some new product lines in the works and we can’t divulge too much yet…I can say to get excited!
Have You Seen Them Yet?
Seen what? There are now tutorials on how to use every single released OGIENOID Voicebank. You can check them out right now! This includes the various Append Voicebanks we have released such as KASAI SAILENT, AXIS TELLURIC, and ATLAS CELESTIAL. When we release a new Voicebank, there will be an OGIENOID tutorial posted on release day! So much to look forward to this year, I can hardly contain it!
New Year, New Logos
That’s right! On our social media accounts, we’ve recently unveiled some new and updated logos for the OGIENOIDs. You can see the comparisons on our Instagram and Twitter accounts. Don’t worry, I’ll place them below as well! Currently, updated logos are for HONOS OG04, APOLLO OG0X, ATLAS OG07, and AXIS OG06.
Original Concept by Ceren, Updated Concept by Artsy
Original Concept by Ceren, Updated Concept by Artsy
Polls and Voting
Did you know we post polls on our Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube? It isn’t very often, but we do like to get your input on the future releases from STUDIO OGIEN. One of our most recent polls was on the opinion of Subunits, much like we see in K-Pop. The subunits we put into consideration were:
Blue Flame – APOLLO, HONOS
Triple Triad – THEIA, HONOS, VIRTUS
Orbit – APOLLO, ATLAS, AXIS
Rose Garden – KASAI, THEIA, DIONE
Rose Garden saw a lot of interest across all platforms based on the response we got! What about you, Dear Readers? What subunits would you like to see?
I Saw Something Weird in the Recording Booth Yesterday…
It was so weird, there was so much glitter on the mic stand and I cannot put my finger on where it would’ve come from. Maybe I should ask Ceren what that was all about. Surely I’ll have an answer in next month’s blog, but this is all I have for you that happened in February. Until then, love one another and stay kind!
Welcome to the end of the first month of the year 2022! STUDIO OGIEN’s year of progress is just getting started, so we don’t have a lot of news to share. However, we will give you an update on what we have been doing!
Recording Set-Up is Receiving an Upgrade
You read that right! Our in-studio recording setup is getting an upgrade to provide the best quality voicebanks we can create for you to use on your next projects. We don’t have it complete just yet, but someone we’ve missed dearly is getting primed for a brand new VB! You’ll have to wait and see who it is!
Tutorials are Coming In Hot!
Have you enjoyed the recent tutorials and overviews we’ve been putting out recently? If so, you’re in luck! We plan to make even more in the future to assist newcomers and veterans alike. Not to mention the few that are being written up at this very moment…What would you like to see tutorial-wise from STUDIO OGIEN?
World-Building and Story Crafting
Over the break, we’ve been forming an original series of novels that dive into more information about the OGIENOIDs. What is an OGIENOID, and who are the girls you know today? Keep watch for news regarding this series coming out later this year.
That’s All Folks!
I think that’s all the progress we have for you guys at this current moment in time. Keep an eye out on our socials for any updates, polls, and new song releases from STUDIO OGIEN. Happy 2022!
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.
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.
2015, the year that STUDIO OGIEN came to be, is a year that means a lot to me and my team. KASAI OG01. The beginning of our story. We’ve grown so much, adding on new OGIENOIDs, new team members, and making everlasting relationships within our small UTAU based community. We couldn’t have come this far without you.
Firstly, we want to say thank you. Thank you for staying by our side all these years. We are so happy to have our community by our side as we continue to bring more OGIENOIDs into the world. We just want to let you all know how much we appreciate each and every one of you.
STUDIO OGIEN has begun to experience a resurgence of energy in the past two years. While we are not quite what we were back in 2015-2018 (due to life changes and growing adult responsibilities), we are slowly becoming more excited to work on projects again. Let me be the first to say, we are so excited to ride this wave with you all! All of that to say . . .
WE ARE FINALLY BACK FROM HIATUS STARTING JANUARY 7TH!
We’d like to start off our new year by introducing our team! If you haven’t seen our social media lately, you may not know that we recently re-introduced the team! It’s been a while and we have added some new faces. We hope you treat them well!
LADYOGIEN // CEREN Founder, Director
ASTRALLACE // JACKIE Audio Engineer
MUSICREVU // HOSHI 3D Asset Specialist
STORMILOVE // STORMI Media Production Specialist
INUWANFORALL / INU Media Production Specialist
PRISMKIDD // LINK Misc. Asset Specialist
THEMELLWIS // MELL Content Editor
KIKOSTAR // KIKO PR Manager, Content Curator
ARTSYISFP // ASH Designer
STUDIO OGIEN’S UPCOMING PROJECTS
KASAI OG01
IGNITE English voicebank in Alpha. Full release late 2022.
VIRTUS OG02
Base voicebank in full production. Releasing this year.
THEIA OG03
MONARCH Voicebank in production.
HONOS OG04
VALOR, name changed to ELITE, Voicebank official release soon.
DIONE OG05
Base voicebank in full production. Releasing this year.
AXIS OG06
ULTIMATE voicebank in production. Scheduled for release this year.
ATLAS OG07
SUPREME voicebank in production. Scheduled for release this year.
APOLLO OG0X
PRIME voicebank is production. Scheduled for release this year.
These are just some of the projects that are coming to the forefront of STUDIO OGIEN’s plan. We even have some comics and light novel content coming your way soon. We are so excited to show you everything we have been working on! We’d love to hear your thoughts on what we have planned.
Is it already nearing the end of our brief hiatus? The time has flown by, but as a team, STUDIO OGIEN has made valiant strides of progress through it. It’s now time for us to shine some light on our progress with a sneak peek!
This brief blog post is just to let you beautiful humans know what you can expect from us in 2022~!
So, What’s New?
Over the break, we created a calendar of all our future plans, and let me personally tell you, it’s a lot! We have recording sessions, blog posts, voicebank releases, and even more on the roster for this year. Now, what those releases are for and who is being recorded, I’ll leave that up to a surprise.
Social Impacts
We’ve maintained a steady flow of updates to all of our social media accounts over the break, which we strive to continue in the new year. During the hiatus, we were even able to get the Community tab on our YouTube which was a huge goal of ours!
Oh, All Right. I’ll Give You an Actual Sneak Peek
A minimum of four, yes FOUR(4), new voicebanks will be available by the end of 2022! We have really been striving to give you all more of our beautiful girls and I think we finally have been able to do it!
This week’s post hones in on our newest OGIENOID, DIONE OG05! Though she has been a work in progress since 2018, several roadblocks have kept her from arriving. However, we are assuming her release, finally, will be in 2022. In anticipation, let’s learn more about her character!
Name Origins
Dione – /daɪˈoʊniː/
Dione Pronounciation
The name Dione refers to four women in ancient Greek mythology, and is translated as “Goddess”. Dione is also a figure among the Titanesses. She is called a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, making her an Oceanid, or more widely understood as a water-nymph.
DIONE OG05 was always conceptualized as having an aqua color palette and a calm personality. We wanted to choose a name that fits in with the other OGIENOIDs. The name also relates to water, reflecting her personality.
DIONE, The Quiet OGIENOID
DIONE OG05 was the fifth OGIENOID, originally not a member of their performing group. She was purchased overseas from a liquidation company and used as a secretary robot to try to boost her confidence. Though she was anxious about interacting with people, she took the job without question. She wanted to work on her anxiety and grow more confident.
Friendship
As a member of management rather than a performer, DIONE OG05 found it rather difficult to make friends. Though she interacted with the OGIENOIDs frequently, she never found herself very close to any particular person. Officially, DIONE OG05 was not an OGIENOID either, so the rift felt rather wide to her. The member she found herself closest to was THEIA OG03, the leader of the singers. The two would work together frequently to plan and schedule.
Over time, DIONE OG05 would notice a girl with black hair sneaking into performances and practice. There were nearly 30 performers at the time, but she did not recognize this person. After watching her for a few weeks, and asking the OGIENOIDs about her, she determined that her was named KASAI. After asking around, DIONE learned that she was not supposed to be anywhere near the performing group. Afterward, she followed KASAI into a concert one evening.
She sat next to Kasai at the performance and she took the opportunity to scold Kasai for being out in public. After a hushed argument, 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.
For many years, DIONE would sneak the two into the building’s concert hall at night, performing songs and dancing for the empty seats to fulfill KASAI’s dreams of becoming an OGIENOID in what little ways she could.
Desperate Times
As new regulations came into effect, coerced into law by big corporations, the small company found itself crumbling under the weight of anti-robot customs. One by one, their friends began to disappear under suspicious circumstances. Desperate to keep the company afloat and potentially find their lost friends, The Triad (THEIA OG03, VIRTUS OG02, and HONOS OG05) pushed on, performing at any opportunity.
After many years of practicing in secret with KASAI, DIONE OG05 decided to step up to the plate, taking the spot of missing performers alongside The Triad. In a way, she hoped her appearing on stage would give KASAI hope, as she watched the girl practically waste away to the grief of losing her friends. DIONE OG05 hoped that, in some way, this would grant one of KASAI’s many wishes.
Goodbye
Over the next few months, she noticed that KASAI became increasingly distant. As DIONE became busy with her work, she noticed she was losing track of KASAI’s schedule, whereabouts, and habits. When she did manage to bump into her, KASAI declined invitations to hang out, saying she was always busy these days with top security measures for the company. She no longer watched performances, either. Worried, DIONE attempted to approach her several times with no luck.
With performing on stage, DIONE was also letting her management duties slip. One night while catching up, she noticed that a shocking amount of equipment was missing and orders placed without her knowledge. No one was sure where these items were, but, one night, an employee approached her about a discovery in the company basement. Someone had been creating a lab, and, for some reason, they’d been given clearance to do so without informing anyone but the company’s owners.
Perplexed, DIONE would check out the room from time to time, a bit offended she was not kept in the loop. She noticed KASAI frequently slipping into the room as well. This went on for weeks. Finally, fed up, DIONE OG05 confronted her but was much too late…
The Present
In the story’s timeline, DIONE OG05 has been missing for several years. No one is quite sure where she is or if she’s even alive.
Her current representation to the public is outside of the story’s universe. As her audience knows her, DIONE OG05 has grown in confidence and now performs alongside her friends!
Character Description:
Quiet, introverted, and loving. DIONE OG05 is a very calm, older sister figure to the group. However, she can be a bit naive, and it is easy to trick her or take advantage of her trust. Though she is incredibly anxious as a person, she takes on tasks she knows are difficult for her, hoping to grow more confident and relaxed. Because of all her hard work, she has finally gotten to a place where she is comfortable interacting with people, though the idea of performing for a crowd still scares her a bit.
Re-Introducing More OGIENOIDs
Are you curious about the other OGIENOIDs? Visit our news page to read our past posts! Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on our blog releases. Similarly, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram for more news on our social media.
Today, we are excited to present the first English VCCV UTAU Voicebank for the OGIENOID lineup! Introducing KASAI IGNITEα, KASAI OG01’s first official English voice.
What is KASAI IGNITEα?
Released as an Alpha voicebank, KASAI IGNITEα serves as testing grounds for our future releases. Providing IGNITEα as an Alpha release allows us to test out the girls in a new tongue, as well as provide a fun new voicebank for our audience to use!
IGNITEα is not quite a finished product, and it is to serve as a placeholder at this time for the full release down the road. The finalized IGNITE voicebank will feature multiple pitches recorded on entirely new equipment. For now, we’re tired of waiting, and we want to show our audience that we still have plans to grow for the future! We are releasing IGNITEα as proof that we are still here, working hard, for tomorrow.
What is VCCV?
VCCV is best known as the Western UTAU community’s English standard. Originally developed by long-time community member Cz, VCCV English includes custom aliases, phonetics, OTO, and custom UST’ing methods.
We truly can’t describe how to use a base VCCV bank better than the creator of the method. A variety of in-depth tutorials created by VCCV’s author, Cz, are available on their YouTube channel.
To use KASAI IGNITEα, we recommend you follow the video below:
This week’s re-introduction post focuses on APOLLO OG0X, the black sheep of the OGIENOID family. Once upon a time, we introduced APOLLO OG0X as “APOLLO OG73”, a “clone/child” of ATLAS OG07 (referred to as ATLAS OG37 at the time). After many years of deliberating, we have decided to dismiss that backstory. APOLLO has, perhaps, changed most of any OGIENOID in terms of narrative. Disregard everything you knew about APOLLO OG0X’s history, for her story has changed drastically!
NAME ORIGINS:
APOLLO – /əˈpɒləʊ/
Pronounciation
Apollo comes from Greek origins, associated with the Greek verb ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi), meaning “to destroy”.
In mythology, Apollo is one of the Olympian deities that appears in classical Greek and Roman religion. However, he is perhaps most well known as the god of the sun and light.
APOLLO, the Solitary OGIENOID
Many years after the death of the last known android, APOLLO OG0X “awoke” outside a run-down city on a snowy December evening. She had been laying on the ground, staring into the sky, before that moment. It was as if her entire being and memories had been hard-reset.
She had been doing something, going somewhere, but she could not remember. Her first memory after that was peering at her reflection in a frozen pond. Her image, staring back at her, was bloody and bruised, and her snow-white hair was matted and severed messily into a short bob.
Unable to remember anything about herself, she gathered herself and began wandering the path into the city.
After some time, APOLLO OG0X recognized she was different from those within the city. Though she felt cold, pain, and even bled, something was different between her and the people she met. At some point during her travels, she discerned that she could read, and so, she began to seek out information about the world she was living in.
On one visit to a library, she realized just what she was; an android. As she continued her studies, she realized there was a great probability that she was the only one left. When she realized why that was, she fled from all human contact, careful to guard herself and her identity.
APOLLO OG0X traveled alone for some time, avoiding humans at all costs. She didn’t know where she was headed, but her mind kept pulling her in a certain direction. For months, she continued on.
Strange dreams began to plague her mind, and the loneliness she felt gripped her to the core. She awoke several nights in a row sweating or crying, startled awake by a flood of adrenaline. However, when APOLLO laid back down the sleep, she always felt a warmth spread through her, and a weight gently laid atop her hand. It was as if someone invisible was there, comforting her…
Suffering
After many long months of travel on foot, APOLLO OG0X found herself standing in what appeared to be an abandoned courtyard, deep within the woods. It was an overgrown mess that lead straight to an abandoned building. Somehow, she recognized the place and found herself wandering inside.
She maneuvered through the halls until reaching a tall stairwell. Her body urged her to travel down the stairs, and she complied. When she reached the basement, she noticed what appeared to be a laboratory at the end of the hall. She approached hesitantly.
As she stepped inside, she noticed the room was scorched, as if it had experienced a fire or even an explosion. She tread carefully, noticing the remains of sophisticated equipment and high-tech computers, now melted from the extreme heat they’d faced. Somehow, it felt strangely familiar.
While preoccupied with the finer details of the abandoned lab, her foot caught on debris that littered the floor. APOLLO OG0X grabbed at something while trying to stabilize herself, and she felt a jolt go through her body.
Her hand had slammed against the remnants of a keyboard, and, somehow, it had sent a shock through her body. Light flickered in the corner of her eye, and she looked up to see a computer monitor faintly glowing. Another shock went up through her arm, right to her brain, and her whole body burned as information flooded her mind.
In an instant, she remembered all of the horrible things she’d done…
Now
Apollo as a child.
The current representation of APOLLO OG0X is a different version than in the story’s universe, and she is an entirely different person. Today, APOLLO OG0X acts as a fellow OGIENOID, though she puts up a bit of a fuss about it.
Character Description:
(From her character page): Moody, solitary. Easily described as a “brat.” APOLLO OG0X prefers not to be bothered, going so far as to shut herself in her room every day unless dragged out. Moody and often irritable, she’s quick to snap back and start an argument. Though she tries hard to hide it, she does have a soft side. She just prefers not to show it. Talk about growing pains! Her fellow OGIENOIDs are concerned she is addicted to video games.
