What Are Appends?

Piia

Retired User
Retired User
Defender of Defoko
Hello everyone,

I've been hearing this terminology for quite a while. What are append voicebanks and how do they work? It seems that they're a bunch of other VBs put together.. But how do you switch voicebanks?
 

WendytheCreeper

(>☉ ͡ヮ☉<)
Defender of Defoko
Appends are basically just extra voicebanks for different voice tones and moods; For example, you might have a cute append, or a whisper append, or a power append, etc. You just use them like any other voicebank, as they're usually standalone. However, you could also assign them to the prefix map to use multiple in the same project as well, kinda like if you were using a multipitch bank. (I think Gahata Meiji's set of vcv vbs work this way?)

The practice of making voicebank appends comes from the append banks Crypton started releasing for their Vocaloids during the V2 era. In addition to, say, the Miku vocal for example, you could purchase her append and gain access to six more vocals for her, each targeting a different mood and feel. Other Vocaloid companies have done this as well, such as the Extends for Internet Co. vocals.
 

Piia

Retired User
Retired User
Defender of Defoko
Thread starter
Appends are basically just extra voicebanks for different voice tones and moods; For example, you might have a cute append, or a whisper append, or a power append, etc. You just use them like any other voicebank, as they're usually standalone. However, you could also assign them to the prefix map to use multiple in the same project as well, kinda like if you were using a multipitch bank. (I think Gahata Meiji's set of vcv vbs work this way?)

The practice of making voicebank appends comes from the append banks Crypton started releasing for their Vocaloids during the V2 era. In addition to, say, the Miku vocal for example, you could purchase her append and gain access to six more vocals for her, each targeting a different mood and feel. Other Vocaloid companies have done this as well, such as the Extends for Internet Co. vocals.
Thank you! But then... What's a prefix map?
 

Kiyoteru

UtaForum power user
Supporter
Defender of Defoko
The prefix map is a file that maps note prefixes and suffixes to specific pitches, which is how multipitch voicebanks automatically choose the correct pitch to use without the user needing to add suffixes in the UST themselves. It's pretty easy to edit, and if you use suffixes that correspond to append voicebanks, then you can use them in the same way of not needing to do suffixes manually.
 
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kimchi-tan

Your local Mikotard
Global Mod
Defender of Defoko
Thank you! But then... What's a prefix map?
It's for assigning samples with a specific suffix to be played at certain notes. This is used for multipitch vbs. Here's Renri's prefix map as an example:
upload_2017-1-2_15-21-9.png
For "- あ" played from D4 to F#4, "- あD4" will be played. From G4 to B4, "- あG4" will be played and so on.

Most vbs with appends don't use appends (which is different from pitches for multipitch vbs) and rather just have the suffix to be placed by the tuner. Like for example, to use Renri's whisper append, you add a "W" as a suffix ("- あW").
 
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Piia

Retired User
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Thread starter
Why do I keep posting threads in the wrong places... Sorry for the inconvenience. :sad:
 

Truly

Teto's Territory
Defender of Defoko
I wanted to mention this,
You can think of "prefix map" as it's components (prefix and map) in a more general way.
The prefix is a tag or character or phrase before the main part of a word. In grammar, it's a modifier on a word, like "preschool" is a place you go before you're old enough to begin school. "Pre" is the prefix, "school" is the root word.
to "map" something here is like, to associate it with something else. In my experience, you might map certain commands in your DAW to keys on your keyboard or midi controller. Or you might map computer functions to keyboard "shortcuts" (like Ctrl+V for "paste"). "Keybinding" refers to this and is commonly done in games: you map the controls to the buttons or keys you'd like to use.

So to "prefix map" or to use a "prefix map" involves "mapping" a thing by using a "prefix," like shown in the examples above. Rather than having to type in the prefix every time you want to use a certain sample (in the case of multipitch or built-in append banks), you map the input (the normal syllable you type in) to that sample (so whenever you type in that syllable, it plays the sample you've mapped it to!)

I maybe have just muddled things further...
 
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