This article is about the VOCALOID3 software known as voicebanks, dubbed YUU, KYO, and WIL. If you are looking for the VOCALOID characters then click here.
History[]
The project was first hinted at early in in the month of February 2013, then officially announced in the following month of March that same year.[1]
More information was published in an issue of “VOCALOID wo Tanoshimou” (Let’s Enjoy VOCALOID), which came out on March 11. The singers were picked out of 40 voices, two being picked fairly quickly. Over 100 hours was spent recording them.
ZOLA PROJECT was released on June 20, 2013, along with a special live-talk event on Nico Nico Douga.[2]
In late April, a special event was held. The event was to present their final drawings and concepts, as well as voice samples.[3]
In May 2013, there was an interview on the YAMAHA Panel at niconico Chokaigi 2. Yuki Seto described three main features he believed ZOLA brings to VOCALOID:[4]
- The ability to create songs that haven't been possible until now.
- The highest quality audio due to thorough quality checking.
- Ease of use for beginners and experts alike.
To back up his first point, Seto mentioned that this was the first time a compound sound bank consisting of three male singers had been released, and consequently the sound bank supported trios, duets, backing harmony, and unison out of the box.
Regarding his second point on audio quality, Seto outlined the process for the creation of the sound bank. Previous sound banks were created by first deciding on a person, and then recording his or her voice. However, this was no guarantee that the person’s voice would be suitable for VOCALOID. Keeping this in mind, YAMAHA started with a total of forty candidates in their teens and twenties, and recorded temporary sound banks for all of them to test the sound quality before deciding on who the final three people would be. For these three, YAMAHA made them undergo over a half-year’s worth of “training” in practising to read the "incantations" from which the phonemes could be extracted. Seto noted that this was because these incantations were very different from what would normally be on a dialogue script, but after training, the vocalists would be able to recite it all. The final stage of the process was that the staff at the YAMAHA Research and Development Center worked to put the data together into a sound bank.
For the final point, Seto highlighted several features of the product that he believed made it easy for both beginners and experts to use. First, it comes with a "Job Plugin" that makes it easier to make vocal data for groups of singers. Second, the sound bank is described as sounding good even without tuning, although further tuning improves it even further. Finally, the software package comes with a how-to booklet, as well as tutorial videos to assist people who are new to the software.
Prolific people of their fields have featured in ZOLA's creation, as well as famous illustrator Amano. The demo songs released in June were composed by Daisuke Asakura (a prominent composer who has produced albums for famous bands such as T.M.Revolution) with lyrics by Yukinojo Mori (a prolific composer and the lyricist for CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA, the first opening song to the Japanese version of the anime Dragon Ball Z).
In 2013, a Mac version of ZOLA Project called "ZOLA Project NEO" was released. This used the new VOCALOID NEO engine to work on Mac computers.
On May 26, 2014, Yamaha revealed the voice providers of ZOLA PROJECT: Minorun as YUU, NANOX. as KYO, and Maui as WIL. The trio, known as "ZOLA", were introduced as the world's first "VOCALOID Boy Group you can meet!", a way for ZOLA PROJECT to "expand into the real world" as if the VOCALOIDs were "installed" into them.[5][6]
V6 Update[]
ZOLA PROJECT was later updated to the VOCALOID6 engine as AI voicebanks on June 20, 2023. KYO's voice was completely rerecorded while YUU's and WIL's voices were reconstructed using the VOCALOID3 versions. Despite the V6 version's release, Yamaha announced that they would still have the V3 version available for purchase.[7]
Product Information[]
Demonstrations[]
| Demonstrations |
|---|
|
| |
|---|---|
| YAMAHA's Livestream (Voice samples only) | NicoNico |
| Cha-La Head Cha-La[8] | NicoNico YouTube |
| 想い出がいっぱい (Omoide Ga Ippai) | NicoNico YouTube |
| PIECES OF A DREAM | NicoNico YouTube |
| 愛唄 (Ai Uta) With BG | NicoNico YouTube |
| 愛唄 (Ai Uta) W/O BG | NicoNico |
| フライングゲット (Flying Get) | NicoNico YouTube |
| BORDERLESS | NicoNico YouTube |
System Requirements[]
- Correspondence OS: Windows8 (32/64bit) / Windows7 (32/64bit) / Vista (32bit) / XP (32bit)
- Works in 32bit compatibility mode (WOW64) in 64bit version Windows 7.
- CPU: Celeron Dual Core 2.1 GHz or more
- Memory: 1GB or more
- HDD: 2GB or more
Voicebanks[]
GENERAL USAGE[]
| Product Information | |
|---|---|
| Versions | |
| Trial/Demo Vers?: Yes Starter Available?: No App vers.?: Yes | |
| Package details as noted: | |
|
The vocal project is centered around 3 vocals, all of them being male. They are developed to harmonize with each other and therefore act as a chorus when together. The three are being released as a limited/special release. They fulfill a variety of purposes such as a trio of singers, a duet, a backing group to other VOCALOIDs, or simply normal solo singing roles. Software comes with its own Plug-in called "ZOLA_Unison" which is designed to help them sing together. In addition, their package comes with the VSQX, .WAV files and MP3 from their demo songs BORDERLESS, CHA-LA HEAD CHA-LA, PIECES OF A DREAM and 想い出がいっぱい. BORDERLESS also comes with additonal .pdf data. VOCALOID NET also had some variations of these vocals with "Tenor Yuu" being one of the vocals known to exist. These vocals became unavailable on 27 September when the cloud service shut down and can no longer be accessed. These 3 vocals also appear in the Mobile VOCALOID Editor. | |
| Vocal traits as noted: | |
| |
| Software issues as noted: | |
| |
Individual Vocals[]
| Product Information | |
|---|---|
| Optimum | |
| Genre: Pop, Dance, Jazz Optimum Range: F2 ~ B3 Optimum Tempo: 70 ~ 210 BPM Total Tempo (min-max): 140 BPM No. of Keys: W ~ 11, B ~ 8, Total ~ 19 | |
| Package details as noted: | |
|
YUU's goal within the group is to handle the higher pitch notes within the lower octave ranges all 3 members can achieve. | |
| Vocal traits as noted: | |
| |
| Voicebank sample | |
|
YUU VOCALOID3
| |
| Product Information | |
|---|---|
| Optimum | |
| Genre: Pop, Rock, Electro Optimum Range: B1 ~ E3 Optimum Tempo: 70 ~ 210 BPM Total Tempo (min-max): 140 BPM No. of Keys: W ~ 11, B ~ 7, Total ~ 18 | |
| Package details as noted: | |
|
KYO's role within the group is to cover the lower ranges more than YUU and WIL. | |
| Vocal traits as noted: | |
| |
| Voicebank sample | |
|
KYO VOCALOID3
| |
| Product Information | |
|---|---|
| Optimum | |
| Genre: Pop, R&B, Ballad Optimum Range: C2 ~ F3 Optimum Tempo: 70 ~ 200 BPM Total Tempo (min-max): 130 BPM No. of Keys: W ~ 11, B ~ 7, Total ~ 18 | |
| Package details as noted: | |
|
WIL is the medium vocal within the package and acts as a link between YUU and KYO's vocal ranges. | |
| Vocal traits as noted: | |
| |
| Voicebank sample | |
|
WIL VOCALOID3
| |
References[]
- ↑ link
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ link
- ↑ http://www.vocaloidism.com/yamaha-panel-at-niconico-chokaigi-2/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20140704042122/http://www.vocaloid.com/news/event/zola_debut_release.html
- ↑ https://twitter.com/younanox0125/status/470761432179433472
- ↑ https://twitter.com/vocaloid_yamaha/status/1671048346063237121
- ↑ YouTube broadcast was privated.
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