UTAU
UTAU or UTAUloids are one of the biggest special interests that I have, and while Teto's new SynthV VB has given rise to a new influx of new users to UTAU (Welcome if you are new!) I am actually considered a veteran by todays standards! Nowhere near as much as some others, as the program itself came out roughly 2008 and I have been using it since sometime between 2011 and 2012. I currently actually use both UTAU & openUTAU (for its much needed ease of access updates, and continual proper updating). That being said, if you judge newbies for using only openUTAU: stop, lol. If you're an oldie like me, you should recognize that living in the trenches of early UTAU was difficult as the program itself even with an English packet often wouldn't even run unless your applocale was set to Japanese. Hell, even now my PC remains in JP because of this same issue since I still occasionally use UTAU.
Whenever I see people come in that are super new though, I always err on the side of caution due to the recent resurgance of Hatsune Miku in popularity (a Vocaloid). I hate being critical of surface level fans, but I also try to reiterate that if you are joining UTAU specifically to make a Vocaloid you might be a bit disappointed. It isn't impossible to make beautifully sounding UTAU that can even sound better than Vocaloid, but when it comes down to it you have to accept and recognize certain limitations:
- Your microphone, regardless of which you use, will influence how your UTAU sounds.
- Your own voice can be changed, but there are still undertones that cannot.
- Making an UTAU while you're young, you'll realize it's very difficult later on to recreate the Voicebank for updates.
- It's a little easier to accept the more chaotic nature of UTAU than fight against it.
- Smoother voices means spending more time on the Voicebank, and learning more software. Be prepared.
However, the limitations I often see people say they have which are NOT really that big of an issue:
- They can't make art for their UTAU, so they just don't even bother trying to make one.
- Joining a forum/Discord/etc community, then not recieving feedback for their Voicebanks.
- Preferring to use UST/USTx files instead of creating their own, especially in the beginning (or even long-term).
- Not fully understanding you can't share Off-Vocal files anymore (technically couldn't before either, but it was harder back then litigation wise).
My Earliest Saved UTAU Fanart (ca.2012)
New users are allowed to make mistakes, they're allowed to learn. But also, they're allowed to be raw and more personal with their UTAU. I mean, everyone is actually, but I think a lot of older UTAU users tend to forget their roots and push onto others the need for perfection. Having art of your UTAU isn't a problem, try drawing them yourself or asking a friend if they could! It's okay if you don't recieve views or feedback on your Voicebank, it can be really hard especially when you're new. Don't worry about learning how to make UST files immediately, focus on creating your Voicebank and don't stress about not knowing ALL the ins & outs immediately. The last one is a mistake I see frequently with newer UST makers, but it's good to remember that everyone makes mistakes too. You can get in trouble for sharing Off-Vocal/Karaoke files, but it's a very minor mistake and most times musicians simply ask that you remove them from the distribution of the .zip/.rar files. Don't panic, it's okay.
My UTAUloids
Of course, being an oldie, I have UTAU. I try to still use them on occasion though I stopped sharing them for a bit because one of my songs blew up on a small side project I was doing and scared the shit out of me. You would think that I would be happy but, the project is/was very personal and sometimes having a lot of eyes suddenly on it scared me. That being said, I still really adore my UTAU and try to keep their memories alive when I can. Below you'll find a list of UTAU that are mine, their Voicebank status, etc. I don't put them on the UTAU Wiki, mostly because it doesn't really bother me if nobody uses them. I'm fine with that. But I have had a few people ask for their Voicebanks before so this is more or less a compiled list for that.