Help:UTAU User Manual - 1

UTAU manual TOP > 1. Introducing UTAU

1. Introducing UTAU

1-1. Operating Environment

1-2. Installing UTAU

1-3. Adding UTAU singers (voice banks) to the default singer

1-4. Updating UTAU

1-5. Registering UTAU shareware Ver0.2.61 and later

1-6. Uninstalling UTAU

1-1. Operating Environment

UTAU's author Ameya/ayame san has tested the development and execution in the following environment: WindowsXP Professional SP2, Pentium4 2.66GHz 1GB RAM

Supported OS: Windows2000, WindowsXP, WindowsVista

Note: For the moment being UTAU seems to be working in Windows7 (64bit version), but as its execution has not been tested, please use it at your own risk. (Windows7 (64bit version) users have reported it to work in the UTAU exchange board -> http://utau2008.bbs.fc2.com/?act=reply&tid=3819714)

Warning: ''' With Windows versions other than the ones mentioned above, there are errors in the creation of WAV file and it doesn't work properly. With Windows98 (SE) and Windows Me, there is a way of using which prevents the error, but we cannot recommend it because the UTAU application and the OS can crash suddenly, with the consequent risk that at worst the OS stops starting. If you really want to use it, carefully read Ameya/Ayame san's blog post  http://utau2008.blog47.fc2.com/blog-entry-49.html#more , but use it at your own risk. Regarding this case, please understand that Ameya/Ayame san and Kenchan can't provide any support. '''

Note: Mac, Linux and other non-Windows OS are not supported. (There is a Mac version currently under development. -> Project Ameya.)

※ Another author is developping a free Vocal Synthe software for Mac (SugarCape) -> Building a Vocal Synthe operating on a Mac.

Note: Regarding the specifications of a suitable PC, the old notebook I was using before (made in 2002, WindowsXP HomeEdition SP2, AMD Duron 950MHz 256MB RAM) could, in 3 minutes, successfully read a (116KB) UST file (UTAU private project files), play it and export it to a WAV file, but ''' when reading or drawing a particularly big project file, be careful that it may not execute very well on a PC whose memory capacity is small because this consumes a large amount of memory. '''

1-2. Installing UTAU (Described on WindowsXP)

As MimiRoboP san has created an easy to understand video on the operating instructions, please refer to it too.

Installing UTAU and Kasane Teto video (2009/3/24 edition)

1. Go to the UTAU support page. http://utau2008.web.fc2.com/index.html

2. Click download (ダウンロード).

3. Click on the installer on the top. (The zip version below must have the VB6.0 runtime installed separately. If you are installing UTAU for the first time, use the installer version.)

4. Click the "Execute 「実行」" button. (The picture below is from an older version, but the procedure is the same as the latest version)

5. Click the "Install" 「実行する」 button to start installation.

6. Click the "Next" 「次へ」 button.

7. The previous destination folder appears in 2. If you want to change the installation location, click the "Browse" 「参照」 button in 1and change the folder path. (There is usually no problem in keeping the default value.)

Next, chose UTAU user rights with the radio buttons 3, between "All Users" 「すべてのユーザー」 or "This (currently logged in) user only" 「（現在ログインしている）このユーザーのみ」.

When the settings are done, click the "Next" 「次へ」 button 4.

8. Click the "Next" 「次へ」 button.

9. If the screen below appears, the installation was successful. Click the "Close" 「閉じる」 button to exit the installer.

Note: On some versions, a pop-up like the following appears if it is necessary to restart your PC.

10. A UTAU start icon is automatically created on the desktop: double-click to start UTAU. (You can also select "Start button" -> "Programs" -> "UTAU" -> "UTAU-voice synthesis" 「UTAU-歌声合成ツール」 to start UTAU.)

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1-3. Adding UTAU singers (voice banks) to the default singer

UTAU comes with a default voice bank, a female voice created with AquesTalk voice, but you can also add and use voice banks created and published by supporters, like e.g. my own voice banks or Kasane Teto.

Please check in UTAU Users Mutual Support@Wiki the location where each voice bank is distributed.

Note: For a UTAU Voice introduction video (UTAU voices are referenced in the 2009 and 2010 editions of the NikoNiko Douga Encyclopedia on Voice Synthesis produced by Twinkle Zter san) -> UTAU voice bank introduction video

Note: Among the currently published voice banks, the are some in which sound setup is not done, or sound setup is done but may require re-adjustments. It is UTAU author's (Ameya/Ayame san) policy that the user performs the primary sound setup, and that publishing voice banks with primary sounds not prealably setup is admitted, thus do not request the setting of primary sounds to the voice contributor.

Warning''': Never use VOCALOID's voice output as UTAU's voice bank. (Article 4 of the VOCALOID End User License Agreement applies: (Prohibitions)(3) "Using all or part of this product as a component of your or a third party software.") '''

Reference: VOCALOID2 Hatsune Miku End User License Agreement -> http://www.crypton.co.jp/download/pdf/eula_cv01.pdf

''' 2010/01/15 Addendum: Installing voice banks through the automatic installation feature available starting from Ver0.2.61. '''

Starting from UTAU version 0.2.61, a function has been added to automatically install voice banks, just by dragging and dropping adapted voice banks onto the main screen.

Note''' The automatic installation is limited to valid voice banks, which are archive files built according to "install.txt" instructions, with a .ZIP or .UAR extension. A .ZIP file not conforming to "install.txt" cannot be installed by drag and drop and produces the following error, and must thus be installed manually -> Manually installing a voice bank the traditional way.'''

"Installation data can not be found. This archive is not a UTAU auto-install file"

1. Launch  Ver0.2.61 of UTAU or later , then drag & drop on the main screen a  non-decompressed  voice bank in ZIP or UAR format compatible with automatic installation.

2. In the "Installing 'Name of the original sound' 「’原音名’をインストールします」" pop-up, press "OK".

※ If a voice bank with the same folder name is already installed, a message opens offering to select between "Installing Over" 「上書きインストール」, or changing the name of the folder before installation 「フォルダ名を変更してインストールする」.

Select "Yes" 「はい」 to install over, "No" 「いいえ」 to change the folder name before installing. If "No" is selected, it will be installed as a separate voice bank in a new folder, which name is the original folder name plus a number, like in the following lower right picture.

3. Please wait while a progress bar displays the current installation progress status. (Big voice banks filled with continuous sounds and primary sounds etc. may take more than 5 minutes)

4. When installation is complete, the voice bank profile screen is automatically displayed. In the "readme.txt" appearing in the lower half of the screen are described the terms of use of the installed voice bank, so read them carefully to the end. When you understand the rules to be observed when using this voice bank, close the window with the [X] button at the upper right corner.

5. Select "Project Properties" 「プロジェクトのプロパティ」 from the "Project" 「プロジェクト」 menu to open the "Project Settings" 「プロジェクトの設定」 screen.

6. Select the installed voice bank from the "Voice Bank" 「原音ファイルセット」 pulldown menu, then press "OK".

Press the "info" button at the right of the pull-down menu to display the voice bank profile screen.

7. If the voice bank name and illustration are displayed on the upper left of the main screen, everything is OK.

※ Starting from Ver0.2.61, the illustration is displayed too. However, if no illustration comes with the voice bank, only the voice bank name will be displayed.

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Manually installing a voice bank the traditional way

MimiRoboP san has created a video course on how to manually install voice banks, using Kasane Teto as an example, and you can refer to it too.

Installing the Kasane Teto data in UTAU (2009/03/24 edition)

1. Download the voice bank you want to install (in this example, Kasane Teto), and save the ZIP file on your desktop.

2. Right-click the ZIP file icon, or use some decompression software, and decompress it on your desktop.

3. Move the decompressed "tetovoice-02" files under the "voice" folder within the UTAU program folder (it is the folder containing the default "oto" voice bank). (If you previously installed UTAU using the default installation, move the files under C:\Program Files\UTAU\voice.)

Note: ''' Depending on the voice bank, the primary WAV sound files may be stored in a 2-leveled folder after decompressing the ZIP file. If the two-leveld folder is placed as-is in the "voice" subdirectory, it is not recognized as a voice library by UTAU, so please ensure to get and place the internal folder. For example, placing in C:\Program Files\UTAU\voice\outside_folder\inside_folder is no good, thus place the voice bank in C:\Program Files\UTAU\voice\internal_folder. '''

4. Launch UTAU, then select the name of the installed voice in the "Project Settings" screen in order to use the corresponding voice. For details on how to select a voice, please refer to 2-13. Using and changing the voice files (sound libraries)

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How to use a voice bank in a folder other than the UTAU program file's "voice" subdirectory.

(1). Registering voice banks one at a time, using "Bank Registration" 「原音の登録」.

(2). Registering voice banks in any folder all at once, using the "voice root change" feature (Available only starting from Ver.0.2.30.)

(1). Registering voice banks one at a time, using "Voice Registration" 「原音の登録」.

1. Select "Options" 「オプション」 from the "Tools"「ツール」 menu.

2. Click on the "Bank Registration" tab to display the Bank Registration screen. Enter the Voice bank name in the "Name" 「名前」 text box, and specify in "Location" 「場所」 the location of the voice bank. When pressing the "Select" button below the "Delete" 「削除」 button, the "File Open" screen opens and you can select the voice bank.

3. When the WAV files contained in the voice bank are displayed, press "Open" 「開く」 a second time.

4. Check that the voice bank path is properly displayed in "Location" 「場所」, then press "Add" 「追加」.

5. Check that the voice bank name and path are properly displayed, then press "OK" to apply. Finally, select the corresponding voice name from the "Project Settings" screen -> 2-13. Using and changing the voice files (sound libraries)

(2). Registering voice banks in any folder all at once, using the "voice root change" feature (Available only starting from Ver.0.2.30.)

Select "Options" 「オプション」 from the "Tools"「ツール」 menu, then open the "Path" 「パス」 tab screen. Check "Change voice root dir" 「voiceルートを変更する」, specify the path of the folder containing the voice banks (when pressing the square button at the lower right of the screen, a "File Open" screen is displayed), then press "OK" to register all the voice banks located within the specified folder.

Finally, select the corresponding voice name from the "Project Settings" screen -> 2-13. Using and changing the voice files (sound libraries)

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1-4. Updating UTAU

Note: ''' You can update with the "Installing Over" 「上書きインストールする」 method of the latest version of the installer, but as the voice bank Settings of the primary sound are reinitialized, you must take care of making backups of the voice bank settings file "oto.ini" if necessary. '''

Reference: About UTAU UTAU Ver0.2.60 for the time being

1. In UTAU Download Page http://utau2008.xrea.jp/index.html, download the latest version of the zip archive file and decompress it on e.g. your desktop.

2. Overwrite the UTAU files (if you previously installed UTAU with the installation defaults, their path is C:\program Files\UTAU) with the decompressed archive files.

3. Select "Version" 「UTAUについて」 from the "Help" 「ヘルプ」 menu to open the version information display screen, and verify that the version is now the latest version. (The latest version as on January 14, 2010 is Ver0.2.61.)

※ Starting from Ver0.2.61, you can check the version in the splash screen that appears when you start UTAU. (The start-up screen below is the unregistered Ver0.2.61.)

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1-5. Registering UTAU shareware Ver0.2.61 and later

Until now, UTAU was published as free software, but starting from Ver0.2.61 it has been registered as a shareware with Vector and DL-MARKET. (The price is 3,400 yen including tax.)

''' However, you can still indefinitely use Ver0.2.61 and later as a free software without functional restrictions, as before, even if not registered. The only benefits of registering the shareware are small design changes in the main screen. UTAU's author would like to ask for a contribution if you have money to spare to support future developments of UTAU. '''

Note: Vector will only accept credit card as shareware payment method. With DL-MARKET, bank deposit is possible too.

Reference: About UTAU Bank transfer with Vector.

 Purchasing a license key with Vector 

※ To purchase a license key with DL-MARKET, please refer to the explanations in Singing Synthesis Tool UTAU Registration Code.

1. Access Vector's UTAU publication page http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/winnt/art/se480995.html, then click "Pay" 「お支払い」.

2. Click "Go to the payment procedure" 「お支払い手続きへ進む」.

3. Check that the "Brand name" 「商品名」 is "Voice synthesis UTAU" 「歌声合成ツールUTAU」, then click "Checkout" 「レジへ進む」.

4. Enter your registration information then click "Go to payment method selection" 「お支払い方法選択へ進む」. (Enter in the E-mail address 「メールアドレス」 the address where you want the licence key information to be sent.)

5. Enter the credit card number, the name written on it and the expiration date, then press the button to confirm the payment.

Note: At the present time, you can only select a credit card payment.

6. Enter the credit card password (Vpass) to finalize the payment. Be sure to note the issued subscription number. (Because on UTAU's author side, the subscription number is the only mean to identify a specific registrant.)

Reference: Contact information for each Vpass card company -> http://www3.vpass.ne.jp/index.jsp

7. The mail stating the URL where is recorded the licence key, is delivered to the mail address stated in (4). Click the specified URL, verify the license key in the displayed WEB page, and be sure to note it.

 Entering the registration key in UTAU 

8. Launch UTAU and select "Input Register Key" 「レジストキー入力」 from the "Help" 「ヘルプ」 menu. In the displayed input screen enter the registration key using Cut and Paste from the WEB page, then press "OK". (As the registration key is quite long, it is better to enter it with Cut and Paste to prevent mistakes.)

9. Select "Version" 「UTAUについて」 from the "Help" 「ヘルプ」 menu. If "Personal licence version" is stated in the displayed "UTAU version information" 「UTAUのバージョン情報」 screen, evrything is OK.

※ If it can confirm the registration after connecting to the Internet, the "1 registration confirmed" 「１レジスト確認済み」 string and a small red note are displayed in the lower left of UTAU's startup screen.

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1-6. Uninstalling UTAU

Open "Start" -> "Settings" -> "Control Panel" -> "Add or Remove Programs", select "UTAU voice synthesis" 「UTAU歌声合成ツール」 then click the "Delete" 「削除」 button.

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Next: 2. Entering notes, rests and lyrics

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