MANUAL
Learn How to Use VoiSona.
How to Install and Set Up
Installation
To install VoiSona, connect your PC to the Internet and follow the steps below.
Download the latest version of VoiSona from the Download page.
(To update VoiSona, follow the same procedures as installation.)
On Windows, the following warning message may appear when you run the downloaded installer.
To continue installation, click the More info link.
Click the Run anyway button to begin installation.
Choose the installation language and click OK.
Read the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you agree, choose I agree and click Next.
Click Next.
Click Install.
Restart the computer to complete the installation. Click Finish.
Using VoiSona as Instrument Plug-in
You can use VoiSona on a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) as a VST instrument (VSTi) plug-inor an Audio Units (AU) plug-in.
As an example, we will explain how to use VoiSona as a VSTi plug-in on Cubase AI.
First, launch Cubase AI. Next, click the Add Track Instrument icon.
From the Instrument pull-down, select VoiSona Song Editor.
Click Add Track. The VoiSona Song Editor window is displayed.
Using VoiSona as Effect Plug-in
You can also use VoiSona on DAW as a VST or Audio Units (AU) effects plug-in.
(These features are currently in test function. They are available only to current subscribers of paid libraries.)
As an example, we will explain how to use VoiSona as a VST effects (VSTe) plug-in on Cubase AI.
First, launch Cubase AI. Next, add an audio track.
After selecting an audio track, choose Inspector > Inserts and click on the location where you wish to insert the plug-in.
From the list of Effects displayed, choose VoiSona Song Editor (Effects). The VoiSona Song Editor (Effects) window is displayed, as shown below.
* When used as an effect plug-in in Logic Pro, GarageBand, or Cubase, some kind of audio waveform (e.g., wav file) must be set in the audio track that serves as the input for the plug-in. Note that no synthesized sound will be output in sections where no audio waveform is set.
Using VoiSona as Standalone App
If you do not have a DAW, you can use VoiSona as a simple host application to try it out.
First, launch the installed VoiSona.
Click the + icon.
Select Add Song Track.
After the track is added, click the track’s Keyboard icon.
VoiSona’s Song Editor window is displayed.
Explanation of Song Editor Window
Select Voice Library
Click the Library pull-down to view a list of available Voice Libraries. If there are Voice Libraries that have not yet been downloaded, Download buttons will appear on their right side.
Some Voice Libraries may not be supported because the version of the Editor you are using is not up to date.
In such a case, click the button displayed to go to the Download page. Download and install the latest version of VoiSona.
After you launch the updated VoiSona, Download buttons for the Voice Libraries will now appear.
Tempo, Beats, Key Signature and Dynamic Symbols Properties
Buttons to display/hide their editor areas.
Double-clicking on each editor window opens its Properties window.
Specifying the correct key signature is critical in getting good singing results from the singer.
Specifying the dynamics symbols gives the singer a modulated voice.
* Depending on the voice library or the score, it may be difficult to tell the effects of dynamics symbols.
Global Parameters
Edit parameters that apply to the entire song.
・TUNE: Fidelity to the pitch of the notes. The lower the value, the more the note strays from the correct pitch. The higher the value, the closer the note is to the correct pitch.
・VIA: Vibrato frequency. Lowering the slider results in a soft vibrato, while raising it makes it narrower.
・VIF: Amplitude of vibrato. Raising the slider makes the vibrato wider.
・ALP: Voice quality. Lowering the slider makes the voice sound more childlike, while raising it makes the voice sound more mature.
・HUS: Degree of huskiness. Increasing the value makes the voice huskier.
Standard Pitch
Edit the standard pitch of the entire song.
Freeze Track
Normally, voice synthesis processing is performed in real time during playback. However, computing resources may become overloaded on some PCs, resulting in choppy playback.
In such a case, the Freeze function can reduce the load during playback by performing voice synthesis processing in advance of playback.
You can select a Waveform Generator for freezing a track. Besides the less resource-intensive “Default” Waveform Generator used for normal playback, some Voice Libraries allow you to choose from multiple Waveform Generators.
When choosing from among non-default Waveform Generators with identical names, we generally recommend using the newest version.
To use a non-default Waveform Generator, click the Download button to download it first. Here, “Prototype A 1.1.0” is being downloaded.
When you click the Freeze button, the voice synthesis process begins. Depending on the type of Waveform Generator and your PC’s capabilities, this may take some time.
When voice synthesis processing is complete, the Freeze button becomes orange, indicating that the track is frozen.
Transfer MIDI from DAW
You can transfer MIDI information entered in a DAW to VoiSona.
Note that only the MIDI information of the playback section will be reflected in VoiSona.
Audio input
With VoiSona Song Editor (Effects), besides synthesizing audio effects, you can add a singer’s voice to the audio input by clicking the Audio Input button to turn it ON.
(These features are currently in test function. They are available only to current subscribers of paid libraries.)
* When audio input is enabled, some functions such as PIT and HUS parameters are disabled.
* 48 kHz is recommended for the audio input function. If a sampling rate other than 48 kHz is set, the synthesized sound output will be slightly delayed.
Import
Select File from the menu, then Import. The following file types are supported.
tssprj: Import project file in VoiSona’s proprietary format
CCS/CCST: Import CeVIO Creative Studio and CeVIO AI project files
Music XML: Import music score in Music XML format
MIDI: Import MIDI file. Tracks can be selected.
Export
Select File from the menu, then Export. The following file types are supported.
CCS/CCST: Export CeVIO Creative Studio and CeVIO AI project files
Music XML: Export music score in Music XML format (note that adjustment parameters are not exported)
MIDI: Export MIDI file
WAV: Output synthesized voice waveforms. The Waveform Generator can be selected. As an option, lab files can be exported at the same time.
Preferences
Select Edit from the menu, then Preferences to configure language settings, editor-wide settings, and shortcut keys.
Use shortcut keys to make creating songs faster!
Score Editing
Enter/Remove Notes
To enter a note, select the Pen tool from the Tools menu. Enter the note by dragging left or right the area where you want to place the note.
You can change the quantization settings for the notes from the QUANTIZE pull-down list on the left side of the editing window.
To remove a note, select the Eraser tool from the Tools menu. Click on the note you wish to erase.
When the Pen tool or Line tool is selected, you can switch to the Eraser tool by holding down the Ctrl key.
In the Score Editing window, notes entered on other tracks are also displayed.
Note Editing (Pitch, Length)
Drag the note up or down to change the pitch.
Drag the note left or right to change its length.
Select notes together at once to move, copy or delete them at the same time.
Splitting and merging notes
To split or join notes, select the Split/Join tool from the Tools menu.
Click on the position in the note where you want to split.
To join notes, click on the end of a note to join it with the note before or after it.
Lyric Syllables Entry
Double-click on a note to enter lyric syllable(s) for that note. Press Tab to move to the next note, or Shift+Tab to move to the previous note.
You can also enter English lyrics.
If you want one lyric syllable to stretch across multiple notes, add a hyphen to the syllable that follows a note.(Example: “li” + “-ke” => “like”)
By right-clicking on the piano roll and turning on "Auto Split English Lyrics," English words are automatically split by syllable and assigned to multiple notes.
Bulk Lyric Syllables Entry
Right-click on a note and select “Bulk Lyrics Entry” to open the “Bulk Lyric Syllables Entry” window.
You can enter lyric syllables to be assigned to multiple notes at once.
If the “Separate with space” option is selected, each group of lyric syllables, separated by space, is assigned to one note.
If “One note, one character” is selected, each character/syllable is assigned to one note.
You can also enter English lyrics.
If you want one syllable to stretch across multiple notes, prepend a hyphen to the syllable that is stretched to the next note.
Special Symbols
Vowel drop
You can drop a vowel by adding full-width ’(apostrophe) after the lyric syllable.
For example, if the lyric syllables are vocalized as “y, e, s, u,” adding ’(y, e, s, u ’) causes the “u” to be dropped, and the lyric syllables are vocalized as “y, e, s”.
Falsetto
Indicate falsetto by including half-width “$”, full-width “＄” or full-width “※” in the lyrics.
- * Depending on the voice library and the pitch of the voice, it may not be easy to create a falsetto.
Other Special Symbols
You can bring out each singer’s distinctive vocal characteristics by using “training labeling symbols.”
VoiSona achieves highly accurate voice libraries by training AI models with recorded data labeled with each voice provider’s singing style characteristics.
In VoiSona, you can add these labeling symbols to lyrics to bring out the special characteristics of the voice provider’s singing style.
- * Depending on the voice library and its version, the lyrics, the pitch of the voice, etc., the desired characteristic may not be readily produced.
- * Because labelling is a mechanism for improving the accuracy of the training model, there may be cases where the characteristic cannot be produced.
- * Even if a vocal characteristic is not specified (shown as blank) for the voice library, entering a symbol may cause some changes in the synthesized voice.
| Half-width “$” Full-width “＄” Full-width “※” | Half-width “@” Full-width “＠” | Half-width “^” Full-width “＾” | Half-width “%” Full-width “％” |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chis-A | Falsetto | Roughness | ||
| Sato Sasara | Falsetto | |||
| Kirune | Falsetto | Bounce-up pitch | Roll r’s | Head fall |
| AiSuu | Falsetto | Bounce-up pitch |
Phoneme Editing
You can edit a phoneme sequence directly by double-clicking on the area of a phoneme you wish to edit.
Ex. d, o 🡪 d, a
The edited phoneme sequence is shown in green.
When editing phonemes, the Phoneme Palette will appear.
By clicking on a phoneme in the palette, you can enter the phoneme.
English phonemes
The relationship between phonemes and IPA symbols in English is as follows.
| Phoneme | IPA symbol |
|---|---|
| aa | ɑ |
| ae | æ |
| ax | ə, ɜ |
| axr | ər (ɚ), ɜr (ɝ) |
| ah | ʌ |
| ao | ɔ |
| aw | aʊ |
| ay | aɪ |
| b | b |
| ch | tʃ |
| d | d |
| dh | ð |
| eh | e, ɛ |
| ey | eɪ, ɛɪ |
| f | f |
| g | g |
| hh | h |
| ih | ɪ |
| iy | i |
| jh | dʒ |
| k | k |
| l | l |
| m | m |
| n | n |
| ng | ŋ |
| ow | oʊ |
| oy | ɔɪ |
| p | p |
| r | r |
| s | s |
| sh | ʃ |
| t | t |
| th | θ |
| uh | ʊ |
| uw | u |
| v | v |
| w | w |
| y | j |
| z | z |
| zh | ʒ |
| tt | Flapping t (better, little etc.) |
| dd | Flapping d (middle etc.) |
Other properties
Right-click on a note and select Properties to open the Note Properties window.
You can set various properties related to the note (some settings can also be applied with shortcut keys).
Setting a slur is especially effective when you want multiple notes to be sung smoothly connected.
* Depending on the voice library and the score, it may not be easy to produce the desired accent, staccato, slur or falsetto.
Bulk Selection
To adjust notes, timing, and other parameters all at once, select the Bulk Selection tool.
With this tool, you can copy or delete all parameters at once.
Measure Editing
By right-clicking on the piano roll and selecting "Measure" → "Insert Measure"/"Insert Measures", any number of measures can be inserted based on the playback position.
Parameter Adjustments
Explanation of Tabs
・TMG: Timing adjustment
・VOL: Volume adjustment. Unit is decibels (dB).
・PIT: Pitch adjustment. Unit is Hertz (Hz).
・VIB: Vibrato adjustment
・ALP: Voice quality adjustment. The lower the value, the more the voice sounds like a child’s. The higher the value, the more the voice sounds like an adult’s.
・HUS: Degree of huskiness in voice. The higher the value, the more husky the voice.
Timing parameters adjustment
Adjust when a phoneme starts and ends.
For even finer granularity, open the Editor tab in the Preferences and select the Timing Status Line checkbox.*It may be different to tell the effects of timing adjustment in a unit finer than a phoneme.
Vibrato Parameter Adjustment
There are two modes for adjusting vibrato: Simplified and Detailed.
Switch the mode using the button in the upper right corner of the window.
In Simplified mode, the section where vibrato is applied is indicated by a frame.
You can adjust the vibrato by adjusting this frame.
In Detailed mode, you can adjust AMP (amplitude – unit: Cent; 100Cent for half steps) in the top half of the window and FRQ (frequency – unit: Hz) in the bottom half of the window.
Each parameter is adjusted in the same manner.
Other Parameter Adjustments
You can adjust VOL (volume), PIT (pitch), ALP (voice quality), and HUS (huskiness) parameters.
In the Pitch and Vibrato Amplitude/Period adjustment windows, you can hold down the Shift key and drag to delete (disable) the original values.
You can copy parameters as follows.
Need Help?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. Can I use VoiSona Voice Libraries on CeVIO AI and CeVIO Creative Studio?
No, Voice Libraries released for VoiSona can be used only on VoiSona.
Due to popular request, we are considering cross-platform compatibility of Voice Libraries between VoiSona and sister brand CeVIO.
Q. Can I change my login password?
To change your login password, click the Reset Password link on the login page.
Q. I want to delete my VoiSona account.
Please contact us using the Contact Us page.
Q. I want to use a file saved as a DAW project created using CeVIO Pro (tentative name) on VoiSona.
Because CeVIO Pro (tentative name) and VoiSona have different names, a DAW treats them as different plug-ins. If you have CeVIO Pro (tentative name) data saved as a DAW project file, export the track data using CeVIO Pro’s export function and save it as a .tssprj file. Then import the file into VoiSona using VoiSona’s import function.
Note that earlier versions of CeVIO Pro (temporary name) can no longer be used. Download the final version of CeVIO Pro (temporary name) from its download page and install it.
Q. I cannot download a voice library.
See the “Using VoiSona as Standalone App” > “Select Voice Library” section on this webpage and try again.
Q. Selecting a voice library failed.
Delete the voice library, re-download it, and try again.
Q. Export or Freeze fails when I select a non-default Waveform Generator.
Delete the Waveform Generator, re-download it, and try again.
Q. Shortcut keys do not work.
If you are using VoiSona as a plug-in on your DAW, and the DAW has shortcut keys that are the same as VoiSona’s, the DAW’s shortcut keys may take priority and negate the VoiSona’s shortcut keys.
In such a case, open VoiSona’s href='#manual_environment'>Preferences, go to the Shortcuts tab, and change the affected shortcuts.
Q. Keyboard shortcuts using the Alt key do not work.
In some DAWs (e.g. Studio One), keyboard shortcuts using the Alt key do not seem to work with plug-ins.
In such a case, open VoiSona’s Preferences, go to the Shortcuts tab, and change Alt key shortcuts to keystrokes that do not require the Alt key.
Q. Is it possible to enter extremely short notes such as a sixty-fourth note?
You can only enter up to a thirty-second note. Use the Timing (TMG) adjustment window to edit vocal timing in finer detail.
If you turn ON the eye icon on the volume (VOL) tab, the volume line is displayed. This makes it easier to make TMG adjustments.
Q. The maximum number of activations is reached when I try to use GarageBand.
You can activate VoiSona on up to two PCs, and you can use multiple DAWs on one PC. However, unlike other DAWs, GarageBand is recognized as a separate PC.
To resolve this issue, go to your VoiSona account webpage and deactivate registered PCs before launching GarageBand.
Q. I can’t use a downloaded voice library on GarageBand.
Change macOS privacy settings: Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Security & Privacy > General. In Allow downloaded applications to run, choose allow dylib that begin with ts_.
Launch GarageBand again after changing these settings.Although dylibs are signed, GarageBand has stricter security than other DAWs. Permission is required even for signed dylibs.
You may need to follow these steps again when you download and use a new voice library on GarageBand.
Q. Is it possible to specify the playback start position in the Song Editor?
Yes, you can start playback from a specified position with the following steps.
First, click on the Ruler on the Song Editor window (the area where the dynamic and key signatures are displayed) to specify the playback start position.
Next, click the Playback button on the left side of the Song Editor window. The audio will play from that position.
However, in many DAWs the Song Editor window is not linked to the DAW’s playback start position. When you play back on the DAW side, the position you specified in the Song Editor window may be ignored (even if you start playback by using the space key).
Q. How do I cancel my voice library subscription?
Please turn off the auto-renewal of your voice library subscription.
You can turn off auto-renewal by going to the license page (login required) and clicking the Cancel Reservation button for the voice library subscription.
Once auto-renewal is turned off, the license will change to show “Status: Subscription Cancellation Reserved” and will be cancelled when the subscription expires.
You can continue to use the voice library until the expiration date.
