I’ve been noticing a lot of issues lately when working with Stardust, particularly that she’s got a lot of engine noise that’s super difficult to mix out. She’s always had a bit more than other AI vocals, but it’s especially harsh on recent projects I’m noticing to the point where I’m struggling to use her in anything without her sounding like a lite database. It doesn’t seem to be present in vocals that I exported previously, meaning it may be caused by 1.7.0 and 1.7.1. She didn’t get an HDVM-optimizing update, and it’s worth noting neither did Rikka and I saw someone either here or on Twitter saying the notice a quality drop with her as well, so it may be an issue fixed by updating her voice to the next level (which we don’t have any confirmation that she will receive any such upgrades). As one of the most expensive AI vocals (and my favorite) it’s becoming frustrating to not be able to use her.
Is anyone else noticing this issue? Is it something caused by the recent updates or am I just noticing it? And if nothing else, how do y’all reccomend dealing with engine noise other than sweeping through frequencies with an EQ and reducing problem areas (or does anyone at least have a strong, in depth tutorial on how to do it)?
Personally I can’t say I’ve encountered anything I’d describe as “engine noise”, unless I’m misunderstanding your use of the term. In my experience “engine noise” refers to the artifacts or distortions caused by the synthesis engine “filling in the gaps” when rendering audio, and while that is inevitable to some degree it seems odd that Stardust would have a more significant issue with it than other voices since she has generally been regarded as one of the more robust and high-quality voices to date.
Many users have mentioned relatively unpredictable and strange results due to HDVM, specifically inconsistent or “wavering” dynamics with odd fluctuations in loudness and clarity.
Have you tried reinstalling an old version (pre-1.7.0) and comparing?
No I believe what you’re describing it what I’m experiencing. Tried out 1.6.1 just now and seemed to have very similar (if not the same) results. Going back to 1.7.1 and turning off tension and gender slightly helped I think but it’s still sounding just off in some places. I think ultimately this is an issue Stardust has on “stronger” vocals and there may be no way to solve it other than smart and precise mixing Thank you for your help though!
Yeah That’s what I thought too, I also own Xingchen and I feel like her Voice quality went down a bit. But it’s not to the point where she sounds like a lite voice database. Personally, I just found her to be very sensitive to parameter changes. Bring her to -0.10 tension and you can get engine noise, or a scratchy voice. The only way I get her voice soft without the noise is using tone-shift.
But yeah, hopefully MEDIUM5 can update Xingchen soon
Thank you for your help though!