Tips and Tricks on How to Record a Male UTAU Voicebank

Animé Fan

Head of the Shonen Academy
Defender of Defoko
Some UTAU users might want to make a male UTAU voicebank, but are not sure how to do so. Well, look no further. This thread contains numerous tips and tricks on how to make a male voicebank. Here are some essential elements that one should consider when working on one:

1. Age
There are three known age ranges for the male voice I personally like to use: boy, guy, and man; simply stating, is the male UTAU you're working on a child, an older teenager, or an adult? Probably one of the most important things to focus on when recording a male voicebank is to determine the age of the voice, since it serves as the main base for the UTAU's voice, whether the UTAU has a design or not. It's really important to decide on an age range for the voicebank you're working on before you start recording; otherwise, if not taken into consideration, an adult male UTAU might end up having a voice too shrill or if a boy UTAU with a voice too macho.

2. Voice Type
Now when people hear "male" voice, they usually think "deep and manly" or "use g+20 or higher flags". That's obviously not the case! Much like with determining an UTAU's age, there are actually all sorts of voice types that work for a male UTAU. Are you going for a firm voice for your UTAU? Raspy? Gentle? Childlike? Finding the right voice type for your UTAU is usually based on his personality, design, and most important of all, age/physical appearance. Why is age/physical appearance most important, you ask? Well, some UTAU have ages that defy their physical appearance and sometimes this trait contributes to their voice types.

3. Recording Process
Once you've selected the age and type of voice for your UTAU, it's now time to finally put it to the test. Being the hardest of creating any voicebank, here's some advice on maintaining age consistency while recording:
  • Boy-Keep the voice young! Since a boy's voice is generally in the higher range, recording an UTAU around this age range is very similar to recording a female UTAU. Whether you want to use flags is up to you.
  • Guy-Really depends on the creator. Though it mainly applies to older teenage (postpubescent) voices, whether you record with a high or low voice can result with a male UTAU in this age range. If going for a low guy voice, simply lower the octave on the UTAU program (Move Region Number by 12). Whether you want to use flags is up to you.
  • Man-Once again, really depends on the creator. The process to recording a male UTAU of this age range is very similar to recording a guy voicebank. To attain that masculine range, simply lower the octave on the UTAU program (Move Region Number by 12). For those who want manlier results, g+ flags are usually the way to go.
Same goes for voice type consistency:
  • Firm Voice-The so-called "ideal" voice for a male UTAU. Make sure not to speak or sing too loud when recording this voice type. Most of all, do not scream into the microphone. Doing so will actually mess up the results on the UTAU program! Instead, try using your chest voice or speaking with a husky voice. This is highly recommended for female users who want to record a strong voicebank or an adult male UTAU.
  • Raspy Voice-The second-most common voice type that users tend to aim for when recording a male UTAU. To get that nice whispery tone, try recording with a soft voice and at a really high or really low range or, though not really the best method, pretend to speak with a sore throat. Like recording with all kinds of vocal impressions, don't overdo it or else you'll strain your voice and throat.
  • Gentle Voice-To aim for this voice type, the process is pretty similar to doing a raspy voice, only you don't have to go so high and you can pick a more medium range to record at. Mixing this voice type with the firm voice will result in a Mature voice type.
  • Childlike Voice-Also known as the Shrill voice and usually recommended for boy UTAU. Whether going for soft or loud, try using your head voice when recording this type of voice. If you're aiming for a more comically high voice, then add some flags.
If you're still unsure about how to make a male voicebank, here are some extra tips that you can try out:

Finding Your Comfortable Range
If you're female and you want to record an older teen or man UTAU, find the lowest comfortable range you can reach. Look for the highest comfortable range if you're a male who wants to voice a boy UTAU. Pay most attention to the "comfortable" part of "highest/lowest comfortable range"; otherwise, you will severely strain your voice if you're unable to stay at that range while recording and that won't be good for your well-being, wouldn't it?

Voice References
Listen to the voices of voice actors from your favorite TV series, video games, movies, etc. and use that as an idea for the voice(s) you're going for. Though the results may not sound similar, voice references also serve as a good base for finding the age range and voice type for your UTAU.

If there are other tips and tricks that should be added to this thread, feel free to share them. It's always nice to hear how others record their male UTAU!

Also, feel free to ask me any questions on making a male UTAU voicebank. Though I solely specialize in boy UTAU, I'm willing to help with all kinds.
 
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partial

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THIS is my THREAD YO

@Animé Fan I've got a question for you! What kind of voice would you say my current UTAU already has? Now I'm very curious.


Since his voice is my default voice, do you have anything you can recommend for going younger? (Or alternatively, older?)
 

Animé Fan

Head of the Shonen Academy
Defender of Defoko
Thread starter
THIS is my THREAD YO

@Animé Fan I've got a question for you! What kind of voice would you say my current UTAU already has? Now I'm very curious.


Since his voice is my default voice, do you have anything you can recommend for going younger? (Or alternatively, older?)

TYPE's voice is a firm yet gentle boy voice. Though his voice is strong, it's got a gentle feel, especially when heard through headphones. To make a voice like that sound younger, try going for a more childlike or higher range from your normal voice or find your most comfortable range. Same process applies when going for an older voice, only you pick a lower range instead.

I hope that makes sense. If you need me to clarify more, let me know.
 
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partial

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TYPE's voice is a firm yet gentle boy voice. Though his voice is strong, it's got a gentle feel, especially when heard through headphones. To make a voice like that sound younger, try going for a more childlike or higher range from your normal voice or find your most comfortable range. Same process applies when going for an older voice, only you pick a lower range instead.

I hope that makes sense. If you need me to clarify more, let me know.
It does make sense, but if you don't mind, I'm also interested in further clarification! Heh.
 

Sors

Local Guppie & UTAU Korean Advocate
Tutor
Defender of Defoko
https://clyp.it/user/33b12kdg

also, as you know, I attempt to make a Young Boy Append for my UTAU, do these recordings sound childlike enough? I'd probably use flags, but I wonder if these sound like they could come from a 11-14 year old?
 

Animé Fan

Head of the Shonen Academy
Defender of Defoko
Thread starter
It does make sense, but if you don't mind, I'm also interested in further clarification! Heh.
For a younger voice, you can either try speaking with your head voice or imitate characters with high or shrill voices. Since your voice is around the mid-to-high range, to aim for an older or deeper voice, I always suggest listening to voice actress Mitsuki Saiga as a voice reference; because her voice is naturally deep, she's often cast as gender-ambiguous or male characters who are often dubbed by men.
[doublepost=1497042144][/doublepost]
https://clyp.it/user/33b12kdg

also, as you know, I attempt to make a Young Boy Append for my UTAU, do these recordings sound childlike enough? I'd probably use flags, but I wonder if these sound like they could come from a 11-14 year old?
I can't find access to the recordings, since the account is private.
 
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Animé Fan

Head of the Shonen Academy
Defender of Defoko
Thread starter
They all sound like they'd work for a childlike voice, but for the sake of you not straining your voice too much, the first two samples are the plausible choices. I've got nothing against flags; they're intended to improve an UTAU's voice and help the user achieve the voice they're looking for. I use them for my UTAU all the time.
 

Sors

Local Guppie & UTAU Korean Advocate
Tutor
Defender of Defoko
They all sound like they'd work for a childlike voice, but for the sake of you not straining your voice too much, the first two samples are the plausible choices. I've got nothing against flags; they're intended to improve an UTAU's voice and help the user achieve the voice they're looking for. I use them for my UTAU all the time.
Good to know! Thanks!
 
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partial

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Why did this thread die?

Anyway, question for you Anime Fan!
I recently recorded an UTAU called TYPE B. I was worried he sounded far to similar to TYPE A, so I removed this weird hum from all his samples (not sure why it was there, the house was dead silent and it was laaaaate at night) and pitched all his samples down in Audacity after my buddy fixed up his OTO. I then released this voicebank.

What is your opinion on pitching samples, and do the two boys sound too similar even with pitching?
I have both TYPE's singing the same thing, TYPE B and then TYPE A.
 

Nohkara

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Sorry for saying this @partial but Anime Fan has left UTAU and this fandom long time ago (I'm not going into details why she left here so look up by yourself). She's has not log in here since then.

Yes, Type B is similar to A but I think that they sound different enough. If you want to make they to sound more far apart, you might want to use different voice on another/voice act.
 
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partial

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Sorry for saying this @partial but Anime Fan has left UTAU and this fandom long time ago (I'm not going into details why she left here so look up by yourself). She's has not log in here since then.

Yes, Type B is similar to A but I think that they sound different enough. If you want to make they to sound more far apart, you might want to use different voice on another/voice act.
I tried to voice act type b//cries
It was only when I tested something with them together that I realized, crap, they can easily be mistaken for the other.

ah dang i forget they left :/
 

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