utau Archives – STUDIO OGIEN

AXIS TERRA English VCCV and Arpasing Voicebanks Collection

We are thrilled to unveil the latest addition to the OGIENOID lineup – AXIS TERRAα VCCV, the first English voice for AXIS OG06.

WHAT IS AXIS TERRAα VCCV?

Released as an Alpha voicebank, AXIS TERRAα serves as a testing ground for our future releases. Providing TERRAα as an Alpha release allows us to test out the girls in a new tongue and provide a fun new voicebank for our audience to use! This iteration of AXIS TERRA’s English VCCV is a work in progress, a sneak peek of what’s to come. The finalized TERRA voicebank will feature new samples recorded on new equipment. However, impatience has driven us to share this alpha version now rather than keep waiting.

The VCCV Additions Continue

VCCV, recognized as the English standard within the Western UTAU community, is at the core of AXIS TERRAα. Originating from the visionary mind of Cz, VCCV English integrates custom aliases, phonetics, OTO, and distinct UST’ing methods.

WHERE TO DOWNLOAD AXIS TERRAα VCCV

You can download the new voicebank on AXIS OG06’s homepage.

Mastering the VCCV English Art

Are you curious about how to harness the full potential of a VCCV bank? As a matter of fact, there are many tutorials available to our community! Allow the method’s creator, Cz, to guide you through the intricacies. Visit their YouTube channel for a collection of in-depth tutorials to master VCCV English.

For a seamless experience with AXIS TERRAα in the original UTAU software, we recommend following the instructional video linked below:

For use in OpenUTAU, a collection of community made phonemizers makes VCCV English easier to use than ever! In other words, like other competitive programs, users can now type in a single English word, and the phonemizer converts that word into VCCV automatically. Simply select “EN VCCV” on the desired track.

Arpasing Voicebanks Collection

Guess what? STUDIO OGIEN just dropped another bombshell – we’ve unleashed a collection of Arpasing voicebanks for everyone to get their hands on! These voicebanks were once created for a private project and thereafter locked away in our vault. We intended for these voices to be merely for experimentation purposes, but we’ve heard the call for their release, and now we’ve followed through!

Each voice is currently equipped with a Moresampler-generated OTO, so there will be bugs and errors. This may change in the future, but for now, they’ve been put out into the world purely for fun. We hope they will bring you enjoyment!

The Collection Includes The Following Characters

KASAI OG01: Immerse yourself in the fiery tones of KASAI OG01. This voicebank, preserved in the STUDIO OGIEN vault and now for public release, brings a flare of intensity, making it the perfect choice for energetic songs. This voicebank is a tripitch recorded with version 2.0.0 of the original Arpasing reclist. Yes, these voicebanks are very old!
THEIA OG03: Glide through your composition with the beauty of THEIA OG03’s first English voice! With this Multipitch voicebank, your melodies will soar.
HONOS OG04: Honoring our dedication to bringing Honos English to our audience in 2023, we’ve released HONOS OG04’s Arpasing voicebankbank as a placeholder while VCCV Sol finishes up. This Monopitch voicebank captures HONOS’ signature Stoic voice color, expanding the familiar timbre to a new language. Recorded on version 1.0.0 of the original Arpasing reclist.
AXIS OG06: Rotate through your choices of Axis English with this Multipitch English voice! This voicebank is a tripitch recorded with version 2.0.0 of the original Arpasing reclist.
ATLAS OG07: Pivotal changes just keep on coming with Atlas’ first English voicebank! This voicebank is a tripitch recorded with version 2.0.0 of the original Arpasing reclist.
APOLLO OG0X: Step into the future with Apollo OG0X with her first-ever English and Multipitch voice! This voicebank is a tripitch recorded with version 2.0.0 of the original Arpasing reclist.

These Arpasing voicebanks are currently available to download from the links below! In the coming weeks, they will officially be added to each girl’s page. In the coming years, we hope to replace them with updated iterations, so get them while you can!

DIONE OG05 Upcoming Release Information

Happy Tuesday!

Today, we’ll be going over our plans for the release of our newest OGIENOID; DIONE OG05. Included in this briefing will also be her voicebank details, range, and a few extras. As of today, her page has been updated once again to reveal more downloadable content on her character page. Let’s get started!

DIONE OG05’s Slated Release

If you’ve followed our TikTok account, you may already know we are teasing a May 2022 release. We are currently slating the official release for the end of the month, May 31st. This is actually a Tuesday, so her release will be combined with our end-of-the-month progress report for May. We want DIONE OG05 out as soon as possible, but we want to give ourselves ample time. We’re working to find the rest of her bugs, finalize her OTO and properly edit her documentation.

@studioogien
#utau #utaloid #ogienoid
♬ sound from heyitssarahw – scottkress

A recent teaser for DIONE OG05 on our TikTok

Changing The Formula

For the first time, we have changed the formula for Original/Default voicebanks! We’ve made the executive decision to release new characters as a single timbre. This is to keep up with our more complex releases like KASAI SALIENT and the Goddess series. However, these single appends will be multipitch, with four unique pitches. Going forward, this will be our new formula. The goal is to allow newer OGIENOIDs to show their true potential and range from the beginning, keep their voices relevant for longer, and reduce the number of recordings needed for future expansions. This way, we can create better quality voices and deliver updates to our audience faster than ever before.

DIONE OG05’s Initial Release And Specs

DIONE OG05 Default is a Japanese VCV that will include four unique pitches: C3, F3, A#3,D#4. This will actually make DIONE OG05 the OGIENOID in our lineup with the lowest range (yes, even lower than HONOS OG04!). Her voice is recorded in a calm, gentle tone, making her an ideal fit for ballads, soft pop, and other similar genres.

Her release will include a folder compatible with both UTAU and OpenUTAU. Extra files included are her full body artwork, reference image, and logo.

Most Recent Teasers

At this time, we have one short teaser out for DIONE OG05. New full length demos will begin to come out later this month!

Teaser, only uses A#3

STUDIO OGIEN’s UTAU Recording Setup (March ’22)

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.

Microphone

STUDIO OGIEN UTAU Recording Setup — Electro-Voice RE20

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.

Microphone Stand

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.

Isolation Shield

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.

Audio Interface

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

Mogami Gold STUDIO-15 XLR Microphone Cable

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.

Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter CL-1 Mic Activator — Cloud Lifter CL-01

STUDIO OGIEN’s Previous Recording Equipment

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.

KASAI OG01

KASAI OG01 Original [CV-V] – Blue Yeti (microphone) in an open room setting.

Kasai AMORE [VCV] – Blue Yeti (microphone) paired with a DIY desktop vocal booth.

KASAI OG01 SALIENT [VCV] – Blue Yeti (microphone) paired with a DIY vocal booth (made with PVC and moving blankets).

KASAI OG01 IGNITE [VCCV] – Blue Yeti (microphone) paired with a DIY vocal booth (made with PVC and moving blankets).

HONOS OG04

HONOS OG04 Original [VCV] – AT2500 (microphone) in an open room setting.

VIRTUS OG02

VIRTUS OG02 Original [VCV] (Currently in development) – Our new equipment. Currently being recorded in an open room with lite sound treatment.

AXIS OG06

AXIS OG06 Original [VCV] – Blue Yeti (microphone) in an open room setting.

Axis TELLURIC [VCV] – Blue Yeti (microphone) paired with a DIY desktop vocal booth.

AXIS ULTIMATE [VCV] –
(Currently in development) – Our new equipment. Currently being recorded in an open room with lite sound treatment.

DIONE OG05

DIONE OG05 Original [VCV] -(Currently in development, initial recordings completed) – Our new equipment. Currently being recorded in an open room with light sound treatment.

APOLLO OG0X

APOLLO OG0X Original [VCV] – Blue Yeti (microphone) in an open room setting.

APOLLO PRIME [VCV] –
(Currently in development) – Our new equipment. Currently being recorded in an open room with light sound treatment.

THEIA OG03

THEIA OG03 Original [VCV] – Blue Yeti (microphone) in a semi sound-treated closet.

THEIA MONARCH [VCV]
(Currently in development) – Our new equipment. Currently being recorded in an open room with light sound treatment.

ATLAS OG07

ATLAS OG07 Original [VCV] – Blue Yeti (microphone) in an open room setting.

Atlas CELESTIAL [VCV] – Blue Yeti (microphone) paired with a DIY desktop vocal booth.

ATLAS SUPREME [VCV] –
(Currently in development) – Our new equipment. Currently being recorded in an open room with light sound treatment.

So, what do you think of our new UTAU recording setup? Please let us know your thoughts and advice in the comments!

How To Use VCV UTAU Voicebanks

Introduction to VCV UTAU

Though the UTAU software was initially designed to process CV voicebanks, the UTAU community, over time, began to experiment and construct new recording methods. One such technique that developed was referred to as “triphones”, “triphonics”, or 連続音 ( renzokuon ). The approach would later be popularly referred to as VCV, or “Vowel-Consonant-Vowel”. VCV was the second major recording method created by the UTAU community, and it soon became one of the most popular and widely adopted. It is commonly associated with multipitch voicebanks (a UTAU recorded with multiple voicebanks at multiple pitches) to obtain even greater realism.

A triphone or triphonic is a sound consisting of three basic phonemes. Phonemes are a distinct unit of sound used in language, such as “k” “d” “p”. VCV utilizes triphones to create a smoother, more lifelike vocal than CV by “stringing” three phonemes together. So, within VCV, a triphone would look something like “a ka”. So long as the voicebank has a high-quality OTO, UTAU will blend together the starting and ending vowels of one note into the next, creating a fluid voice.

Numerous members of the community will argue for and against VCV’s ease of use. Many claim recording and configuring VCV is more difficult and time-consuming than VCV, but that it is more straightforward to utilize and, ultimately, procures a better sound.

Using VCV

Let’s learn how to use VCV 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!

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.

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:

Open a UST file
Select all (Ctrl+A)
Right-click on a note
On the pop-up, select “Property” or “Region Property” (if you selected all notes). A new window will appear.
You may notice sections on this window labeled “Preutterance” and “Overlap”. To their right, there is a “Clear” button. We want to click that.
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.
Press “OK”
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!)
That’s it! You’ve fit the UST to your VCV Voicebank

Special Characters, Envelope Issues and Other Problem Samples

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.

Manual removal
1. Simply edit each note, one by one, and delete the extra symbols.
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
3. Found under: Tools > Built-in Tools > SuffixBroker
5. 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.
Third-Party Plugins

Example of notes with special characters removed

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.

And…

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

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!

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

Conclusion

Today, we’ve covered quite a bit about how to use VCV UTAU Voicebanks! With these tools, you should be ready to dive right in. We hope this resource has been a big help.

Need more assistance with UTAU and creating your very own voicebank? STUDIO OGIEN has compiled resources to use with the UTAU software. Check it out here! If you can’t find what you’re looking for, please let us know through our contact form or leave a comment on this article. We can’t wait to see what you create!

UST Downloads

OGIEN UTAU Suite

Tutorials

Setting Up Voice Colors in OpenUTAU

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 a UTAU configured for Voice Colors. If not, we’ll teach you how to set that up in just a minute.

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!

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.

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!

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

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.

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

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”.

Looks good. Hit save and repeat for all appends.

Voice Color Issues

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

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.

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….

There we go, all fixed! So long as the default voice has a name that comes first alphanumerically, 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, it is here to help, and so are we!

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!?

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!

LET’S HAVE FUN WITH VOICE COLORS!

Check back soon for more tutorials on OpenUTAU!

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 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!

Navigating to your installed UTAU plugins

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

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