Why do we love UTAU / Vocal synths so much?

FeatheredFinch

Ritsu's Renegades
Defender of Defoko
If you think about it, we could all sing and autotune it to death however personally I really feel a connection to vocal synthesizers (maybe because I cannot sing)

I love experimenting with them even though it's 10x more work then just singing / tuning your own voice, I love the artistic side of it.

It is a strange concept that we all bond over a vocal synthesizer but I find it heartwarming that we can do something simply out of enjoyment even knowing it's not gonna go viral or pay off anytime soon.

What do you all think? why do you love Utau / Vocal Synths?
 

Arissa

Ritsu's Renegades
Defender of Defoko
Some people aren't able to sing or use their voice,,,I personally think it's cool. I'm pretty sure Japan is huge on the idea of synthesized vocals and virtual divas like Hatsune Miku,,(idk where I was going with this lol)

So back to the cool factor. I find it fun to configure voices and hear covers, as well as make them, opens a whole new window of hobbies and fun stuff. It takes different skill then drawing or singing, but can be something enjoyable on its own. People who don't have vocals for their songs can now have thousands of Utau to choose from, of plenty of Vocaloids to use.

Vocal synthesizers being vocal, that means these can connect with others to reach a broader demographic. Someone into storytelling can also be into Utau and make a character that can speak and sing, someone into DJing can use vocals to make mash-ups in their music, and the list goes on. Everyone has their own personal reasons, but I'm sure a lot of them can be summed up into a simple, "Because they're interesting/fun."
 

Ti Pai

Ruko's Ruffians
Defender of Defoko
I feel like it's a good way for people's music to get recognised when they can't find someone to sing them. Whether it's Vocaloid or UTAU, you'll always find a good voice to use for your covers or original pieces. People who might not be as able to sing as others can even use Vocal synths as a way to get more confident by making a voice bank in their comfortable singing tone and find out how they themselves can sound at a different level they wouldn't normally be able to reach. For me, personally, vocal synths are a form of art. It's an art form that has no shape and is constantly changing, you can use these pieces of software to your own desires and the amount of limitations are so small. Take the new Vocaloid LuMi for example, she has so much lore behind her character; it features religion and old Japanese legends. People outside of the community will think it's dumb and I say to that "of course it is! But it's what we love!"

We can create dynamic and diverse characters using UTAU and the creative freedom within it is the most beautiful thing. It helps you pick up on many skills; Writing, drawing and getting better at using software such as FL Studio. UTAU is a hobby, and a weird choice, but creating an UTAU isn't easy. Yet to see so many people sharing their creations and bonding over this one love we all share is yet again a beautiful thing. I love what we've made out of something that was once so shamed for being "a software for weebs". UTAU/Vocaloid/Vocal synths are a great way for countries to connect.
 

Kiyoteru

UtaForum power user
Supporter
Defender of Defoko
I love vocalsynth because the technology is just so interesting and the community is wonderful and creative. Maybe this is just me, but I hate seeing producers who "move on" to doing non-vocalsynth stuff once they've gotten popular enough with Vocaloid. I don't think this should just be seen as "a stepping stone to greater things". Why abandon your home, the community you grew up in, and all the weeb friends you made? Why do you need to, I dunno, make a tribute project to say goodbye??
Vocalsynth isn't going to keep moving forward if all of our best producers keep leaving. Maybe it's a catch-22 situation with its popularity. I just don't want to be taken advantage of- vocalsynth and especially UTAU are very dear to me.
 

수연 <Suyeon>

Your friendly neighborhood koreaboo trash
Supporter
Defender of Defoko
I find the idea and the technology fascinating. For me, it's like... another way of preservation in the same way that CD and digital formats are an attempt to preserve music we wouldn't otherwise have access to (the classics such as Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Mozart, artists that have passed on such as Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, Prince, Michael Jackson, Selena, etc. etc.). Plus....
- there are some things the natural human voice simply can't do
- the natural human voice is susceptible to illness; drugs, tobacco, and alcohol abuse also take their toll.
- for those who can't sing or can't find someone to sing for a cheap price, it's a way to get a demo out there (lots of studios and pop acts are buying demos, rather than solely rely on in-house producers to do all the work of composition).
 
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lunari162

Defoko's Slaves
Defender of Defoko
I don't know how to autotune my voice, which is part of the reason why I'm still using UTAU. I first got into vocal synths in general because I thought it was a really cool "weeb" thing. That's the truth. After that, I wanted to see what the software itself was capable of. Technology is pretty fascinating to me.

Now, as someone with an UTAU and around 25 WIP originals, I use vocal synths mostly to find singers. Vocaloid was what got me into it, but I feel like a lot of the voices are a bit too similar; that's not really the case here. The best part for me is how free and widespread this community can be. Although it helps to make mainstream music, you don't have to. There's so many users from so many countries. It's like an escape from the real world... And the real radio.
 

Skiyoshi 十三

Lotus#12915
Defender of Defoko
I found it absolutely amazing how for utau you could actually involve yourself to create a smol singing child of your own, with your own voice. That's an amazing factor of creativity and involvement someone could have to a software and actually use it. You could create an oc, and it would have an actual tangible voice to them. If you used bouyomi-chan, you'd create a JP TTS for them too.

For vocal synths in general, I just have fun making them say what I want, and relatively how I want them to. The characters associated with them are great, and its really neat to see how a synthesized voice works. It's like, every time you do a cover with them you celebrate their creation by using them. The best part of using a vocal synth is knowing that whatever the cover is, the creator is happy you used them.
 

OngakuCD

Ritsu's Renegades
Defender of Defoko
I like UTAU and vocal synths because of the commitment and involvement you must have. UTAU is a hobby that allows you to create a character and give it a voice that sings. You can create backstories, memes, games, projects, ect. with people in the community and even be lucky enough to have your work recognized some higher up people; Just look at Misha, Syo, Myst, Kenji, and AkiGlancy. Its having a piece of yourself go into something that you can see grow.

Vocal synths in general to me are interesting because of the anime style appeal of artwork and that they have no boundaries of genres, appearances, and usage. Its a chance for upcoming producers to share music you don't usually hear and allow freedom of expression. Plus once again, the effort it takes to create songs, PV, marketing, ect.
 

RenzoA

Ritsu's Renegades
Defender of Defoko
I think its a good way for people who have small ranges (or can't sing) to write or produce songs just by recording their own voice and making their own utaus. I really believe that everyday, utau gets better and better because of the people around it. I mean look at Arpasing, CVVC, VCCV, VCV, Multi-languages, Multi-pitch and the appends...like its really great.

Besides I found it really cool cause people put so much efforts from making a bunch of recordings to a really beautiful song.
 
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