Engloids.Info - English Language "Vocaloid" Voice Synthesis Software Infosite
Home > BigAl
With all the existing English-Language Vocal-Synthesis Voicebanks, and new ones on the horizon, it’s sometimes hard draw a line between which are “Engloids” and which are “Engroids”.
Luckily for us, some people got together and decided to create an English Test for Voicebanks and figure out whcih ones can ‘passably’ sing English.
We like to call it the “Kit Kat Challenge”.
Continue reading “The English Test (aka the “Kit Kat Challenge”)” »
This article is the first in a series written to provide you, the reader, with all the information you need to know about each English VOCALOID voice. All the information in this article is either from the Internet or, as is more often the case, from the opinion of the author. If you find any incorrect information, please tell us by leaving a comment and we will correct it as soon as possible.
There are usually two things that a first-time listener to Big Al will notice immediately.
The first is his undeniably masculine voice. Prior to Big Al’s release there were only three male VOCALOID2 voices, two of which capitalized on their higher, more feminine vocals, while the third had been released less than two weeks prior. When compared to these other voices, Big Al’s voice comes more or less as a shock (though many had been prepared by earlier demos with his first voice-provider). It is both naturally deeper than his Japanese counterparts’, and in addition, harder and rougher. Overall, it has an immediate impression of masculinity.
The second thing one might notice about Big Al is his American accent. While most English VOCALOID voices have a neutral or British English accent, Big Al’s is the first to have phonemes recorded so as to sound American in origin (while this was by choice or happenstance is unclear). This accented bank is one of the things that makes Big Al’s voice very unique among the Engloids. While it can be counted as both a blessing and a curse, it is a major point of definition for Big Al in either case.
Big Al’s voice can be described as “bassy”, meaning it has a lot of bass-frequency sound to it. This means that he has a booming voice which is, more often than not, in need of equalization to make manageable. While these bass tones are what give him his masculine sound, they are sometimes also a contributing factor to his difficulty to understand when coupled with a backing track.
Despite the extra bass in his voice, Big Al’s most natural ranges are actually not that low. In fact, as his voice goes lower, it reaches a threshold where it begins to develop a raspy quality (around C2 for many phonemes). This rasp is, like his accent, either a blessing or a curse, depending on how you intend to use Big Al’s voice.
Because Big Al’s accent is, at the moment, unique, he has a few phonemes which are notorious for being difficult, or just different.
Continue reading “Big Al’s Big Article” »
For some reason Halloween seems to be the favorite holiday of the Vocaloid fandom. As a little gift to their fans PowerFX & VocaTone have collaborated and released this “gift” (I wouldn’t exactly call it a demo) to their fans featuring Sweet Ann, Big Al, and our first real listen to Oliver.
Beyond that we here at Engloids.Info would like to wish you a happy and safe holiday. Our own Koda-P continues his tradition and with yet another Halloween timed/themed release with [VOCALOID Original] Succubus feat. Sweet Ann. Special thanks to Mooncrafter for that simply sexy Sweet Ann art.
Big Al as the Dancing Samurai
O.G. here~
I’ll start filling this here Art Pot (that has kind of just been sitting here, with no purpose… *sobbu*) with artists who help contribute to the Engloid community; both Western and Eastern.
So we’ll start with a Biggie (see what I did there?) and showcase… 生ハムばなな aka Namahamu Banana.
He’s most known for drawing Big Al and is probably most famous for his contribution to Big Al’s version of Dancing Samurai
[BIG-AL, Gakupo] \”DANCING☆SAMURAI ~branch Ham Handed Traveler\”
Here are a few pics by him:
Continue reading “Artist Spotlight on… NamahamuBanana” »
When I found this classified under the Vocaloid “Crowning Music of Awesome” @ TvTropes I knew this just had to be our next feature.
Done in an Electronic style and marked by its driving beats, haunting vocals, clear rythm, and one hell of a catchy hook this song represents MsConstantine’s first real attempt an an Original Song. She is relativly new to making music, is looking to improve and is requesting some feedback/constructive criticism. Drop her a line on the video page or the various links at the end of the post.
Ok, so this was my first real attempt at an original song. I was going for a techno-ish feel, as that’s the genre I’m most comfortable starting out in. I tried to make a song that would fit Big Al’s vocal range well, so I hope it turned out ok. I’m completely new and untrained to actual music, so this was kind of a shot in the dark for me. I really want to improve and keep making music, so please tell me what areas I can improve in. Also, as you may have noticed, I’ve disabled the thumbs up and thumbs down on this because I really, really want feedback. If you hate it, please at least leave a comment to tell me why, and what I can do to fix it in the future. I really appreciate all constructive criticism, and I value your opinions, so please let me know what you think. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this! It really took a lot of work!
Nico: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm14730534
Here’s the MP3 if you want it: http://www.4shared.com/audio/UHpz6DSv/Frcture.html
VSQ: http://www.4shared.com/file/wNnvYuid/Frcture.html
Please post your version as a video response so that I can see it
