Creating a Cover is this even the right approach?

1

Hey!
I tried to create a cover of the song “happy” by Pharrell Williams and I’m new to all of this.
My objective is that it should sound decent (it does not have to be a master piece) however it should not take too much time to create (a few days).

I tried the following:

  1. Get a midi file (I took this one Happy Pharrell Williams | MIDI DB | Free MIDI Files)
  2. Import midi into synthesizer V
  3. Find lyrics of the song
  4. Write the lyrics on the notes of the midi file (I did not change anything about the notes).

was this the right approach?
When I listen to it, it sounds like as if this is a terrible approach :sweat_smile:

However how do I do it the right way?
My assumption is that maybe the notes in the midi file do not always correspond to one word?

Any tips are highly appreciated!

2

It looks like the MIDI file you’re using was made for the instrumental parts, not vocals.

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So not only do the notes not match the actual vocal track, but they’re not connected properly in a way that SynthV Studio can sing smoothly; the gaps in between the notes cause it to insert silence, resulting in a “choppy” sound.

Most MIDI files on the internet will not be made with vocal synth software in mind. You’ll usually have more luck searching for a vocal synth project file and then converting it using UtaFormatix (UtaFormatix). Common file formats would be VSQx, UST, or SVP, but you can check UtaFormatix for a full list.

You might also be able to find sheet music for the vocal part, which may or may not be in a format you can convert/import to SynthV Studio.

Also keep in mind there’s nothing stopping you from charting the notes yourself. Try dragging the original song into SynthV Studio and entering notes that match what you hear. It’ll take a while, but you won’t always be able to use a file someone else made.

After all, that’s how people created those files you’re searching Google for in the first place.

As for general advice:

  • Pick a song that you can find an instrumental version of, because trying to recreate that yourself is a whole other big challenge
  • Make sure your project is at the correct BPM, or else your notes will be timed incorrectly (some project files or MIDI files will already have the tempo set for you)
  • Get familiar with SynthV at a basic level (start with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Happy Birthday, or some other simple song)

There can be a whole lot more to it (mixing, tuning, and other time-consuming things) but at a very basic level you just need to figure out the vocal note pitches and timings, enter the lyrics, and line them up with the instrumental track.

And for how to use SynthV Studio in the first place, I would recommend going through the Quickstart section of the unofficial online manual:

「いいね！」 3
3

omg I never expect to receive such a good answer! Thank you so much for your time and effort your put into this! This really helped a lot!

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4

I would also listen to that MIDI file first. I have some MIDI files in which the vocal part is “sung” by a piano, so it can perhaps still be used… No? (Clearly the notes would most probably need joining, separating, etc., for a vocalist.)

5

If the instrument follows the same melody as the vocals and is monophonic, then yes it would work as a guide.

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6

I think Pumafred means: some MIDIs do include the vocal melody, but with a piano instrument assigned to it. In that case, yes, you can import that into SynthV (and yes, expect to edit it for joined notes, etc.)

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