All About CeVIO
TLDRCeVIO, a software suite developed by a consortium of companies including Techno-speech and the Nagoya Institute of Technology, is renowned in the vocal synthesis community for its innovative approach to user-generated content. Launched with a free speech demo featuring Sato Sasara in 2013, CeVIO has evolved to incorporate advanced technologies like the Hidden Markov Model for voice synthesis. Despite initial development challenges, such as engine noise and AI tuning issues, CeVIO has won awards like the Microsoft Innovation Award and offers a 30-day trial version. The latest addition, CeVIO AI, developed with Nagoya University, integrates AI for improved tuning and synthesis, showcasing a significant leap in voice synthesis technology. While CeVIO AI has faced mixed reception, its impact on the industry is undeniable, contributing to the advancement of voice synthesis and setting the stage for future developments.
Takeaways
- 🎉 CeVIO is a software suite aimed at promoting and supporting user-generated content within the Vocal Synth community.
- 🤝 The CeVIO Project is a collaborative effort involving Techno-speech, Nagoya Institute of Technology, SME, Upfield, Frontier Works, V-Sync, and other companies.
- 🗓️ CeVIO's speech demo using Sato Sasara was released for free on April 26, 2013, with the full version becoming available on September 26, 2013.
- 🤔 Development of CeVIO likely began around 2009 or 2010, considering the development timeline of Vocaloid.
- 🚀 CeVIO's technology is distinct from Vocaloid, with its roots in the Hidden Markov Model (HMM), which was researched by Keiichi Tokuda since 1995.
- 📈 The HMM system allows for efficient and flexible voice synthesis, with the ability to be trained and adjusted for various voice characteristics.
- 📝 The voice synthesis process involves three main stages: text to words, words to phonemes, and phonemes to sound.
- 🎶 CeVIO has faced criticism for its engine noise, which is more pronounced compared to other voice synthesis systems like Vocaloid.
- 🏆 Despite some issues, CeVIO has received recognition, including the Microsoft Innovation Award in 2013.
- 🆕 CeVIO AI, released on January 29, 2021, is an advanced voice synthesiser that utilizes AI for tuning and synthesising vocals.
- 🌟 The impact of CeVIO AI on the voice synthesis scene is significant, introducing AI to a broader audience and enabling producers to create high-quality songs.
- 💡 While some long-time Vocaloid fans may not fully embrace CeVIO AI, its contribution to the field of voice synthesis and the use of AI for realism is undeniable.
Q & A
What is CeVIO and what is its primary goal?
-CeVIO is a group of proprietary computer software designed to promote and support user-generated content. It is part of the CeVIO Project, maintained by the CeVIO Team, and operated by a collaboration of different companies.
How many companies are involved in the operation of the CeVIO Project?
-The CeVIO Project is operated by a collaboration of 5 different companies: Techno-speech, Nagoya Institute of Technology, SME, Upfield, Frontier Works, and V-Sync, along with a few other companies providing the voicebanks.
When was the speech demo using Sato Sasara released for free?
-The speech demo using Sato Sasara was released for free on 26 April, 2013.
What is the estimated start year for the development of CeVIO based on the development timeline of Vocaloid?
-While the exact start year is unknown, it is estimated that CeVIO probably started development around 2009 or 2010, considering Vocaloid took about 4 years to develop.
How does the Hidden Markov Model (HMM) contribute to voice synthesis?
-The Hidden Markov Model uses statistics, context, and machine learning to predict and decide the best way to synthesize voice, making the process more efficient and flexible.
What are the three segments of the process from text to synthesized voice in CeVIO?
-The three segments are: text to words (pre-processing or normalization), words to phonemes, and phonemes to sound.
What is engine noise in the context of voice synthesis?
-Engine noise is the noise produced by the voice synthesizer when synthesizing vocals, which can vary depending on the synthesizer and voicebank used.
What award did CeVIO win in 2013?
-CeVIO won the Microsoft Innovation Award in 2013.
When was CeVIO AI announced and released?
-CeVIO AI was announced mid-2020 and released on January 29, 2021.
How does CeVIO AI differ from other voice synthesizers in terms of tuning?
-CeVIO AI uses AI to assist in tuning and synthesizing vocals, which can make a significant difference in the final output, as demonstrated by the comparison examples provided in the script.
What is the impact of CeVIO and CeVIO AI on the voice synthesis community?
-CeVIO and CeVIO AI have contributed massively to the voice synthesis community by pioneering a new method of voice synthesis and the use of AI for realism. However, their influence on the scene is debatable, with some producers and listeners having different opinions on the impact of AI tuning on song variety.
What is the general opinion on CeVIO Creative Studio before major voicebank releases?
-Many people were not aware of CeVIO Creative Studio's existence until major releases of voicebanks like ONE in 2015 brought it into the spotlight.
Outlines
🎤 Introduction to CeVIO and its Technology
CeVIO is a set of proprietary software developed to support user-generated content within the Vocal Synth community. It is part of the CeVIO Project, overseen by the CeVIO Team and operated by various companies. CeVIO's development likely began around 2009 or 2010, aiming to improve upon Vocaloid's technology from the 1980s. The project utilizes the Hidden Markov Model (HMM) for voice synthesis, a method developed by Keiichi Tokuda since 1995. CeVIO's process involves converting text to words, words to phonemes, and then phonemes to sound. Despite some issues such as engine noise and AI tuning challenges, CeVIO has received recognition and awards, including the Microsoft Innovation Award in 2013. The software also offers a 30-day trial version, which is no longer available with Vocaloid.
📈 CeVIO AI: Advancements and Reception
CeVIO AI, developed since 2018 in partnership with Nagoya University, is a newer voice synthesiser that uses AI to assist with tuning and synthesising vocals. It was announced in mid-2020 and released on January 29, 2021, alongside the voicebank Yuzuki Yukari Rei. The AI significantly improves the quality of the synthesised vocals, as demonstrated by a comparison of a song with and without AI tuning. When compared to other voice synthesisers like Neutrino and Synthesizer V, CeVIO AI holds its own, though the quality can vary based on user tuning and the specific voicebank used. CeVIO AI's impact on the voice synthesis scene is mixed; it has introduced AI to the masses and enabled producers to create better songs, but some long-time Vocaloid fans are less enthusiastic, fearing over-reliance on AI tuning could lead to a lack of diversity in music. Regardless, CeVIO and CeVIO AI have made significant contributions to the field of voice synthesis.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡CeVIO
💡Voice Synthesis
💡Hidden Markov Model (HMM)
💡Voicebank
💡Prosody
💡Engine Noise
💡AI Tuning
💡CeVIO AI
💡User-Generated Content
💡Synthesizer V
💡Professionally Created Voicebanks
Highlights
CeVIO is a group of proprietary computer software aimed at promoting and supporting user-generated content.
The CeVIO Project is maintained by the CeVIO Team and operated by five different companies.
The speech demo using Sato Sasara was released for free on April 26, 2013.
CeVIO's full version became publicly available on September 26, 2013.
CeVIO likely started development around 2009 or 2010, considering the development time of Vocaloid.
CeVIO uses the Hidden Markov Model (HMM) for voice synthesis, a method developed by Keiichi Tokuda.
The HMM system was first published in 2005, offering natural-sounding speech and customizable voice characteristics.
CeVIO's voice synthesis process involves three segments: text to words, words to phonemes, and phonemes to sound.
CeVIO has faced criticism for its engine noise, which is more pronounced than in Vocaloid.
CeVIO AI automatically applies AI tuning, which can be manually overridden if desired.
CeVIO has won awards, including the Microsoft Innovation Award in 2013.
CeVIO AI was announced mid-2020 and released on January 29, 2021.
CeVIO AI uses AI to assist in tuning and synthesising vocals, making a significant difference in the quality of the output.
CeVIO AI's impact on the voice synthesis scene is debatable, with some appreciating the AI advancements and others preferring traditional methods.
CeVIO AI has been used to create popular songs, such as 'Jealousies' by Chinozo, which has over 2 million views on YouTube.
CeVIO AI's professional voicebanks, created by different companies, offer varying qualities of synthesized voices.
CeVIO and CeVIO AI have contributed significantly to the field of voice synthesis, introducing a new method and the use of AI for realism.
The future of CeVIO and CeVIO AI is expected to involve continued development and improvement.