FAQs - READ BEFORE POSTING

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Welcome to the Synthesizer V Forums! This post includes a list of helpful links and frequently-asked questions, so please check here before making a new topic.

First off – This is an official forum, but Dreamtonics does not actively participate in the discussion or engage with users here. Please keep in mind that the people here are users just like you. If you need an official response from Dreamtonics, contact them via email at [email protected].

Similarly, if your topic requires the attention of the development team (feature requests, product feedback, etc.), send your message directly to Dreamtonics via email. There is no guarantee that the developers will see anything posted on these forums, so the forums are best treated primarily as a discussion space and an opportunity for users to help each other.

The content below reflects the current version of the software. For information about ongoing beta tests, check the latest news postings on the Dreamtonics website.

What is Synthesizer V Studio?

Synthesizer V Studio is a singing synthesizer created by Dreamtonics, which creates synthesized vocal sequences based on the notes and lyrics input by the user via a specialized piano roll.

The synthesized vocals are based on voice databases, which are commercial products created by Dreamtonics and their partnered third-party developers. Some of these voice databases have free “lite” versions (see below).

Each voice database is based on the voice of a human voice provider. Depending on the details of their contract, the voice provider for a voice database is not always publicly known, but the voice provider has always been hired for the purpose of creating a singing syntheizer and has consented to having their voice reproduced in this way.

SynthV Studio is a virtual instrument similar to a piano or violin synth; it is not a voice changer, voice filter, or song generator. As of version 1.11.0, there are features to analyze and reproduce a wav file as notes within a SynthV Studio project, however it is still normal for this to require some manual cleanup and adjustment of the transcribed sequence; the software will not automatically generate a finished result for you.

Where should I start?

If you haven’t set up the software yet, download Synthesizer V Studio Basic and a lite voice database to get started for free.

If you’re new to Synthesizer V Studio, it is recommended to check the Official User Manual, which covers installation of the software as well as everything you need to know to start generating vocal sequences.

How difficult is it to use the software?

This depends entirely on your goals. There’s a lot to learn, but you can still create relatively convincing sequences with minimal effort.

To use guitar VSTs as a comparison, it’s very common for digital musicians to create nonsensical guitar solos or unnatural sounding chords when using a virtual guitar. There is some amount of knowledge required about the instrument to use a VST effectively, and even people familiar with the instrument will need to learn how to translate their ideas into a MIDI format and configure the VST correctly.

These same ideas all apply to vocal synthesis as well. Luckily, with the AI-generated pitch patterns introduced by Synthesizer V Studio, it’s a lot harder to accidentally create completely unnatural or nonsensical results than it is with most virtual guitar plugins. Users will benefit from knowledge about singing techniques, phonetics, and the human vocal tract, but you don’t need this knowledge to get started.

As mentioned above, this all depends on your goals. If you want to create synthesized vocals that are indistinguishable from a human vocalist, you will face more nuanced challenges and have more to learn. If you are creating EDM-style or heavily processed vocals with a stereotypical “Auto-Tune” feel, you might be able to simply keep the quantized phonetics, remove all AI-generated pitch patterns, and call it a day (though there’s still plenty you can learn to improve the results).

Keep things simple at the start. There are a lot of powerful tools in the software to customize pitch patterns, timbre, phoneme timing, pronunciation, and more, but these topics can get overwhelming if you try to tackle them all at once.

Helpful Links (official)

The Official User Manual from Dreamtonics

Search the Forums

The “Meet our voices” section of the Dreamtonics website allows you to preview any AI voice database with various demonstration songs.

Stores

Free Downloads

Other

Customer Support & Contact

Helpful Links (unofficial)

FAQ

Where can I learn about the software?

Dreamtonics publishes an Official User Manual containing comprehensive information about the latest version of the software.

The Dreamtonics video tutorial series on YouTube shows practical examples of the software being used, however videos are difficult to maintain and therefore sometimes show an older version of the software.

Video demonstrations for each software update also available: Synthesizer V Studio update demonstrations.

I encountered a problem, what do I do?

Search these forums for someone else with the same issue. If you can’t find an existing topic, consider making your own, perhaps other users will be able to assist you.

If you need a response from Dreamtonics, you must email them directly ([email protected]).

The best way to report a bug or provide feedback to Dreamtonics is by email.

If you choose to make a new topic on the forums, please use a descriptive title. Including a short summary of your question/topic in the title helps others find it if they also want to know that information, as well as making it more likely that people who know the answer will click on your topic because they can see at a glance what information you are looking for. “How do I change the track color” is much more helpful to other users than “I have a question” (though if that is your question, the answer is lower down in this FAQ). Similarly, including the error message in the topic title will be much more helpful than just saying “I found a problem”.

Which version of Synthesizer V do I need?

Synthesizer V Studio is the current software, with Basic (free) and Pro (paid) versions.

There is an older product simply called “Synthesizer V” (also known as “Synthesizer V Editor”, “R1”, “Gen-1”, “the tech demo from 2018”, etc.), however this was based on a different synthesis engine that is not compatible with any of the current voice databases. All voice databases for the original release of Synthesizer V have been ported or re-released for SynthV Studio.

This is what Synthesizer V Studio looks like. If the software you installed looks different, then you’ve downloaded the wrong thing.

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What is the difference between “Basic” and “Pro”?

The Basic edition of Synthesizer V Studio has a limited feature set compared to the Pro edition. The list of features that are limited or unavailable in the Basic edition can be found on the store page for Synthesizer V Studio Pro.

Paid voice database products can be used with either edition of the software, however the feature limitations of the Basic edition will often mean you cannot leverage the full capability of the voice database.

There is no trial version of SynthV Studio Pro.

What are “Lite” voice databases?

Lite voice databases are lower quality versions of paid products, which are available for free but have limited functionality.

  • No vocal mode support
  • No cross-lingual support
  • Reduced vocal range
  • Lower quality output (more noise/artifacts)
    • Lite voice databases are restricted to the “Prefer Speed” render mode in the Voice panel
  • Less natural generated pitch patterns

Lite voice databases are subject to the following terms:

  • You may not use the Lite version for commercial purposes
  • You may not publish your work using the Lite version on behalf of an organization
  • If you wish to publish a work created using the Lite version, you must clearly state the name of the voice database used and the fact that a Lite version is used
  • You should acknowledge that the Lite version does not represent the quality of the full version of the same voice database. Dreamtonics makes no quality or quantity guarantee on the Lite version of a voice database.

Are all voice databases “AI”?

No. Synthesizer V Studio originally released in July 2020, but the AI synthesis functions weren’t added until December of 2020. For a short time after, many voice databases had both “Standard” and “AI” versions.

Development has now shifted exclusively to AI voice databases.

Standard voice databases are not compatible with many features, such as cross-lingual synthesis, vocal modes, sing/rap pitch modes, AI retakes, phoneme strength adjustment, and tone shift.

List of Standard voice databases which do not have an AI counterpart
  • AiKO
  • Cangqiong
  • Chiyu
  • Genbu
  • Haiyi
  • Kotonoha Akane/Aoi
  • Minus
  • Muxin
  • Shian
  • Yamine Renri
List of Standard voice databases which also have an AI version
  • Koharu Rikka
  • Kyomachi Seika
  • Saki
  • Tsuina-chan
  • Tsurumaki Maki

Which languages can I make songs in?

The officially supported languages are Japanese, English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Spanish. Rap functions currently only support English and Mandarin Chinese.

AI voice databases can use cross-lingual synthesis to sing in any supported language, however each voice database still has a “native” language and it is normal for them to have an accent when utilizing cross-lingual synthesis.

It is possible to create an approximation of an unsupported language using the existing phonemes, however this will often result in awkward timing and pronunciation.

Will <language> be added?

Dreamtonics does not comment on unannounced features or improvements to the software. Until an official announcement is made, there is no public information available about the progress toward additional language support.

Dreamtonics is a small company with limited resources, so while they are actively working on adding new languages to the software, there is a limit to how quickly they can do so. So far, beyond the initial releaes of the software, Cantonese has been introduced by Dreamtonics and Spanish by Eclipsed Sounds.

Based on the languages added so far, we can assume that the addition of a new language requires some or all of the following conditions:

  • At least one developer with an adequate computer science and vocal synthesis background to conduct the research and development work
  • Consultants versed in phonetics and/or vocal synthesis, who are native speakers of the language to be added
  • Adequate market research
  • Sufficient budget to complete the development work and compensate the consultants, vocalists, and others involved

Additionally, if the development is performed by a partner, Dreamtonics must dedicate resources to offer consultation, which further limits the number of partner companies that can concurrently work on new lanuages.

If you believe your company is in a position to become a third party developer for Synthesizer V Studio, contact Dreamtonics at [email protected].

How does product activation work?

When you purchase a product you will receive two things in the order confirmation email; a download link, and a product activation code. Do not delete your order confirmation email, and be sure to save your product activation code in a safe place.

License Terms

Each activation code has three uses to account for hardware failure or accidental loss, however not all products allow for multiple concurrent uses, and all licenses are only valid for a single user (so even if a license allows two concurrent installations, it must be the same person who is using the software on those computers).

The Dreamtonics voice database EULA can be found on the Dreamtonics website, however the terms will vary between developer. The license terms can always be found in the license.txt file in the installation directory for the product, and are also displayed in the installation dialog when installing or updating a product.

Activation and Deactivation

Activating a product requires an internet connection and will reduce the number of uses for the activation code by one. An internet connection is not required once the product is activated, however this also means that the Dreamtonics servers are not able to revoke your activation remotely; deactivation must be performed on the device that has been activated.

In order to reclaim a use of the activation code, you must deactivate the software before uninstalling it. This allows you to move the activation to new computers without limit. The extra uses for each code allow for situations where deactivation is impossible, such as hardware failure. Deactivation requires an internet connection.

Your activation may be automatically invalidated if the computer is no longer detected as the same one the product was activated on. This can occur if you replace computer hardware, upgrade your motherboard firmware, or reinstall your operating system without first deactivating SynthV Studio.

Always deactivate the software before making hardware changes, reinstalling your operating system, or moving the license to a new device.

Is commercial use of the software allowed?

Yes! Commercial use is subject to the license terms of the voice database. You can see the terms for Dreamtonics voice databases on the Dreamtonics website, while the terms for voice databases from other developers may vary.

At the time of writing, all paid voice database products allow for commercial use, however some require you to contact the developer prior to publishing your song.

Please be mindful that use of the synthesized voice and use of the copyright image and associated character design are often subject to different terms. The license terms for each product can always be found in its installation directory.

Voice databases which are tightly associated with a media brand (such as POPY & ROSE) may have more strict commercial usage terms than others, and these terms may be difficult to adhere to if you do not live in Japan.

Do I need to credit or attribute the software?

No, there is no requirement to give credit or attribution to either Synthesizer V Studio or the voice database (unless you are using a Lite version, as mentioned above).

The main restriction on attribution is that you cannot claim the synthesized vocals were produced by different means. If you used SOLARIA for your song, you must either not attribute the vocals at all or credit the voice/vocalist as “Solaria”.

You may not claim that a human or different vocal synth was the original source of vocals which were created with Synthesizer V.

Some voice databases, such as POPY & ROSE, are subject to more restrictive terms of use and do require attribution. You can always find the terms in the license.txt file in the installation directory.

Can I use SynthV Studio in my DAW?

Synthesizer V Studio Basic can only be used standalone. The output can be rendered to a wav file and then be imported to your DAW just like any other vocal recording.

The Pro edition can also be used as either a VST3 or AU instrument plugin. Please note that the AU plugin was made specifically for Logic Pro, and Mac users with other DAWs should use the VST3 version instead.

ARA2 support was added with version 1.11.0, though the exact level of integration will vary with each DAW. Certain supported DAWs have had full ARA integration implemented and tested by Dreamtonics, and will have special track synchronization capabilities. Other ARA2-capable DAWs will only offer improved tempo and playback synchronization using the ARA Bridge.

Refer to the official instructional content provided by Dreamtonics for more information: Synthesizer V Studio ARA Plugin Guide

Can I change the color of the tracks/notes?

Track color is automatically set when a new track is created, or will be the same as the original track when after a track has been duplicated.

A new color can be chosen by right clicking on the track on the left side of the Arrangement panel.

The track color will affect the preview in the arrangement panel, as well as the thin lines in the background of the piano roll which show note positions from other tracks.

Note color in the piano roll for the current track is based on each note’s Pitch Mode setting in the Note Properties panel, not the track’s assigned color.

Where is the glottal effects option?

Glottal effects have not yet been implemented for Synthesizer V Studio.

Can I create my own voice database?

There is no support for user-created voice databases for Synthesizer V Studio. If you are a company looking to create a commercial product, send your proposal to Dreamtonics at [email protected].

Other options for user-made vocal synths or voice changers include UTAU, DeepVocal, and DiffSinger.

You can find more extensive discussion of the topic here: Custom voicebanks

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