What to Buy Thread

[samth1815]

Since VO has one and I think it's a great idea, I figured I'd make one here on good old UF as well!

Basically, if you are pondering over which VOCALOID or related thing (CeVIO, etc) to buy, post here, and you can get the community's opinion on your upcoming purchase!

Or if you want a VOCALOID but you aren't sure which one, post here and people can help you in your decisions!


Have fun!

 

[FluoroLime]

Ok guys, I want to buy an Engloid (preferrably cheap). What would you recommend for a complete newbie to the VOCALOID program?

 

[Aika Anno]

Ok guys, I want to buy an Engloid (preferrably cheap). What would you recommend for a complete newbie to the VOCALOID program?

Sweet Ann(if $129.00 is ok) or Avanna(Like $70) both clear and easy to use.

 

[FluoroLime]

Sweet Ann(if $129.00 is ok) or Avanna(Like $70) both clear and easy to use.

Thank you! I was planning on getting AVANNA.

 

[Hentai]

I second the recommendation of Ann. I haven't worked with Avanna but I have heard nothing but positive things about her.

As for males... Big Al is really the only choice. Outside of these 3 the others are to niche, heavily accented, or too low quality for me to recommend with any confidence. I would recommend both LEON and LOLA as both are still excellent banks (LEON especially) but the VOCALOID 1 series has since been discontinued and no longer available for sale by Zero-G.

 

[수연 <Suyeon>]

I second the recommendation of Ann. I haven't worked with Avanna but I have heard nothing but positive things about her.

As for males... Big Al is really the only choice. Outside of these 3 the others are to niche, heavily accented, or too low quality for me to recommend with any confidence. I would recommend both LEON and LOLA as both are still excellent banks (LEON especially) but the VOCALOID 1 series has since been discontinued and no longer available for sale by Zero-G.

Yohioloid is an all-around vocal, though. He's accented (Swedish), but all of the Engloid vocals are accented (Big Al, being the only American exception).

FluoroLime, which ever voice you choose, pick the one best suited to the genre/vocal registers you want to work with. The English vocals are niched/best used as such:

Females:
Luka: Pop; Jazz; Dubstep. Heavily accented Japanese. Best used in lower/mid registers.
Miku: Pop; Ballad. Strange accent: Japanese trying very hard to hide accent. Best used in same registers as Miku Dark.
Nana: Pop; Ballad. Heavily accented Japanese. Best used in mid/high registers.
Gumi: All-round. Slight Japanese accent. Best used in mid registers.
Meiko: Pop; Rock; Ballad. Slight Japanese accent. Best used in mid/high registers.
Prima: Opera. American accent. Can be used in high and low registers.
Sweet Ann: Pop; Rock; Country. Australian accent. Best to use if you want powerful vocals.
Sonika: Pop; Ballad; Techno. British. I highly discourage buying this bank. She's very flawed and even the Japanese accented vocals would be a better replacement if you want a high vocal.
Avanna: Celtic; Folk; Ballad. British. Best one to use if you want HQ soft vocals.
Lola (no longer officially distributed): R&B/Soul. British - Carribean when used out of intended genres. Best used in low registers.
Miriam (no longer officially distributed): I don't know her best genres. South African. Best used in mid/high registers.

Males:
Big Al: Rock. American. Best one to use for strong, bass vocals.
Yohioloid: All- round. Swedish. If you want a young, but not childish vocal. Voicer was 17.
Oliver: Ballad; Choir. British. Child vocal. Heavily accented due to being a choir-boy. Can reach feminine pitches.
Tonio: Opera. American. Same as Prima.

 

[FluoroLime]

Yohioloid is an all-around vocal, though. He's accented (Swedish), but all of the Engloid vocals are accented (Big Al, being the only American exception).

FluoroLime, which ever voice you choose, pick the one best suited to the genre/vocal registers you want to work with. The English vocals are niched/best used as such:

Females:
Luka: Pop; Jazz; Dubstep. Heavily accented Japanese. Best used in lower/mid registers.
Miku: Pop; Ballad. Strange accent: Japanese trying very hard to hide accent. Best used in same registers as Miku Dark.
Nana: Pop; Ballad. Heavily accented Japanese. Best used in mid/high registers.
Gumi: All-round. Slight Japanese accent. Best used in mid registers.
Meiko: Pop; Rock; Ballad. Slight Japanese accent. Best used in mid/high registers.
Prima: Opera. American accent. Can be used in high and low registers.
Sweet Ann: Pop; Rock; Country. Australian accent. Best to use if you want powerful vocals.
Sonika: Pop; Ballad; Techno. British. I highly discourage buying this bank. She's very flawed and even the Japanese accented vocals would be a better replacement if you want a high vocal.
Avanna: Celtic; Folk; Ballad. British. Best one to use if you want HQ soft vocals.
Lola (no longer officially distributed): R&B/Soul. British - Carribean when used out of intended genres. Best used in low registers.
Miriam (no longer officially distributed): I don't know her best genres. South African. Best used in mid/high registers.

Males:
Big Al: Rock. American. Best one to use for strong, bass vocals.
Yohioloid: All- round. Swedish. If you want a young, but not childish vocal. Voicer was 17.
Oliver: Ballad; Choir. British. Child vocal. Heavily accented due to being a choir-boy. Can reach feminine pitches.
Tonio: Opera. American. Same as Prima.

I second the recommendation of Ann. I haven't worked with Avanna but I have heard nothing but positive things about her.

As for males... Big Al is really the only choice. Outside of these 3 the others are to niche, heavily accented, or too low quality for me to recommend with any confidence. I would recommend both LEON and LOLA as both are still excellent banks (LEON especially) but the VOCALOID 1 series has since been discontinued and no longer available for sale by Zero-G.

Thank you both! Tsukine, I will definitely keep that post close.
I wanted to try Avanna because I've heard from a couple of people that she's a good beginner's Vocaloid. So far, the only experience I've had with Vocaloid is trying Maika's trial for an hour. Well, also UTAU obviously, but Vocaloid seems pretty different.
Price is also an issue. I don't want to spend too much on a Vocaloid that I don't really know how to use yet.
However, if I know enough about Vocaloid, I will most definitely buy Ruby.

 

[Hentai]

@FluoroLime If price is an issue I would recommend starting with a Vocaloid 2.

While the individual voicebanks appear cheaper, Vocaloid 3s have a hidden cost where to get their full functionality you need to buy the full Vocaloid 3 editor which costs approx $120. This is a one-time expense but its something many people aren't aware of.

One of the advantages of starting in Vocaloid 2 is all Vocaloid 2 voicebanks are compatible with the Vocaloid 3 Editor and down the road when you do decide to upgrade your V2 voicebanks will still be relevant and in some cases, Big Al especially, V3 can make a quite the difference.

Contrary to @Tsukine Sayuri as a person who has worked closely with I'llSeeU-P and have seen some of the frustrations he has had working with Oliver and to a lesser extent Yohioloid I recommend against either of these VBs. When it comes to males Big Al is the only choice.

Also unless you are comfortable working in Japanese I recommend against starting with a bilingual voicebank. Many have SIGNIFICANT compromises made in accent, usability and understandably due to said bilingual-ness.

Unless you plan on doing significant work in Japanese I do not recommend bilingual banks for beginners.

 

[samth1815]

Sweet Ann is definitely a good choice, although I haven't used her so I don't have any firsthand knowledge to offer.

If you can afford the editor, Avanna is definitely a great first Engloid. She was my first, and she's still my currently only native Engloid, and I love her.

 

[FluoroLime]

Hey everyone, would you guys recommend Luka V2? I mean, she's like the cheapest boxed edition that I can find of an Engloid, and I like her voice, but her accent is kind of... Or would you recommend I wait until after Christmas (money from relatives) and get Maika along with the editor? I love Maika with a PASSION, but $300 is SO MUCH. If I save, I should be able to buy her though. Like, it might take a couple months or so.

 

[IrisFlower]

I think a big problem with Luka is that people like to plug and play her and you CAN'T do that. You gotta be willing to edit her phonetics or yes she is going to sound terrible ;; Not saying editing her phonetics will make her accent disappear but it helps a lot. Luka needs patience. I wouldn't peg her as hard to use but again...she can't be plug and played.

The V3 editor actually helps her a lot too, it clears up her voice and some sounds that are weird in V2. /Icangetasampleifyouwant

But if you're planning to only use her V2 then would I recommend her? If you're willing to put in the work and aren't a huge stickler for her accent then go for it. Otherwise no.

I've never used Maika but I've heard good things about her. IMO She has an accent and can be hard to understand too but she sounds smoother than Luka when it comes to her transitions. She doesn't have a separate English bank but instead extra phonemes for English. I don't know if that would make her harder or easier to use though. You'll have to ask someone who has used her ;;

EDIT: Again with Luka...you can smooth some of her transitions out with phonetic editing...I figured this out from working with UTAU lol But again that goes into no plugging and playing~

 

[FluoroLime]

I think a big problem with Luka is that people like to plug and play her and you CAN'T do that. You gotta be willing to edit her phonetics or yes she is going to sound terrible ;; Not saying editing her phonetics will make her accent disappear but it helps a lot. Luka needs patience. I wouldn't peg her as hard to use but again...she can't be plug and played.

The V3 editor actually helps her a lot too, it clears up her voice and some sounds that are weird in V2. /Icangetasampleifyouwant

But if you're planning to only use her V2 then would I recommend her? If you're willing to put in the work and aren't a huge stickler for her accent then go for it. Otherwise no.

I've never used Maika but I've heard good things about her. IMO She has an accent and can be hard to understand too but she sounds smoother than Luka when it comes to her transitions. She doesn't have a separate English bank but instead extra phonemes for English. I don't know if that would make her harder or easier to use though. You'll have to ask someone who has used her ;;

EDIT: Again with Luka...you can smooth some of her transitions out with phonetic editing...I figured this out from working with UTAU lol But again that goes into no plugging and playing~

Thanks for your advice on Luka, but phonetic editing is so...

I have used Maika's trial, and I think she's really fun to use.

 

[Info-Chan]

Hey everyone, would you guys recommend Luka V2? I mean, she's like the cheapest boxed edition that I can find of an Engloid, and I like her voice, but her accent is kind of... Or would you recommend I wait until after Christmas (money from relatives) and get Maika along with the editor? I love Maika with a PASSION, but $300 is SO MUCH. If I save, I should be able to buy her though. Like, it might take a couple months or so.

I'm pretty sure you can find MAIKA for way cheaper. If you are buying from Ebay I definitely think you shouldn't and buy from the VOCALOID store.

 

[Zircon]

Hi I'm looking to buy a vocaloid with an editor. I was leaning towards Rana but I didn't want to pay something monthly in order to keep using it , I mainly wanted to buy a-one-off vocaloid.
I was researching IA duo starter pack but it's a tad bit pricy.
Are there any vocaloid other that comes with an editor? Also do one really need an editor to make a vocaloid sound good.
What are the best beginner vocaloids to buy?
Also I dont mind buying a multi-language vocaloid.

Thanks in advance.

 

[IrisFlower]

Stay away from Rana. Not because she's bad or anything but because it's impossible for an overseas user to keep her permanently right now. Eventually, people who have all the tickets will get her for keeps but only in Japan.

Normally...V3s + the editor are gunna be pricey and up there in the $200+ range. Some packs can be a bit cheaper...but still. You can see which ones there are here but like the page says, some of the packs may not be available anymore.

As someone who has gone from V2 to V3 recently I can say the V3 editor is pretty nice and can make a V2 sound nicer but you can make quality work in V2 as well or Vocaloid wouldn't be where it's at now so don't rule out V2's either. They're also known to be a bit on the cheaper side and you can always upgrade to the V3 editor later since it supports V2 voicebanks.

I have only ever used Luka and Iroha's trial so I'm not sure about voicebanks that are good for beginners. What voice type are you looking for?

 

[Zircon]

I mostly want the voice type to be unique, powerful and strong sounding.
Like Maika, but the problem with maika she is a Spanish vocaloid and since I didn't used a vocaloid before I might get confused of its phonemes. But I will buy maika if she’s the best vocaloid to go for.


I don’t want the high-pitch generic voice type like most vocaloid are, but that's going to be difficult to find since the majority are like it.


Also I don’t mind if the vocaloid are male or female. If there unique sounding I’m good.

 

[IrisFlower]

No kawaii desu, huh? Okay then here are voices that in my opinion are not "high pitched generic". It excludes MAIKA and IA since you already have those in mind and are in no particular order:

Spoiler

• Lily
• Megurine Luka - See my response to Fluoro she is not for the impatient or lazy
• CUL
• MEIKO - She has appends but on her own is pretty strong imo
• KAITO - again we have appends
• Gackupo - Appends/Extends/What the frick ever
• Anon and Kanon - Specifically Kanon has a more powerful voice than Anon; But Anon is good too she's just softer and more sweet sounding. And you can't but one without the other so lol
• Iroha Nekomura
• VY1
• VY2
• Big Al
• Mew
• Piko Utatane
• YOHIOloid
• Yuzuki Yukari
• Merli - Doesn't sound as mature as I thought she would but hey she's no Aoki Lapis that's for sure
• v flower
• Hiyama Kiyoteru
• SeeU - I know but design=/=voice SeeU can sound mature and nice
• ZOLA
• Avanna

I'm sure I left some people out...I tried not to leave out males and Engloids unless I felt they were too hard to use to consider listing...but as you can see there are in fact plenty to choose from. You didn't specify language only that you don't seem to want to spend too much money? Which is uhh...hard with Vocaloid but here is a tumblr post that might be able to help with pricing a bit.

At the very least it should help point you in the right direction. Keep in mind those prices exclude the cost of the V3 editor. Out of all of those...

I've heard good things about Avanna when it comes to beginners. You didn't specify a language though...are you going to be making originals or just covers?

 

[Zircon]

I don't mind what language it is, if it has some Japanese phonemes in it.

My budget: Can’t go over 200 (euros).

I want to make my own originals music, But starting with covers to get use to the vocaloid program.

Now I,ve sum it down to a couple of vocaloid with your help.
Thank you very much IrisFlower

 

[FluoroLime]

I don't mind what language it is, if it has some Japanese phonemes in it.

My budget: Can’t go over 200 (euros).

I want to make my own originals music, But starting with covers to get use to the vocaloid program.

Now I,ve sum it down to a couple of vocaloid with your help.
Thank you very much IrisFlower

Don't worry. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a single VOCALOID over €200

 

[Zircon]

Don't worry. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a single VOCALOID over €200

Yeah your right, but with the vocaloid editor and packaging&posting from japan to Ireland, it's creeping up there.