A.I.VOICE (AITalk5) General News
- Thread starter uncreepy
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3rd A.I.VOICE live stream celebrating the Kotonohas 7th anniversary:
They showed old concept art for the Kotonohas. I'm not really gonna try to translate the notes because the handwriting is hard to read. (I translated a few of these in the past for someone, though, they were in an art book or something and they scanned a few pages to ask what they said, so those will have proper translations by me, but I'm not gonna bother more than this)
1st & 2nd pic: Clothes feels cool
3rd & 4th pic: Clothes feels cute
When it mentions SF-ish, I don't know what SF stands for
1st pic:
青 ききょうと水のイメージです Ao / Kikyo (flower type called Chinese bell flower) and water imagery
さわやか いやし系 Refreshing therapeutic
2nd pic: I can't read the handwriting very well
3rd pic: きいろ たまかんざしや あめだまのイメージ です Imagery of yellow ball kanzashi (hair pin) and round candy
Basic version, long boots version, bright color version
They showed old concept art for the Kotonohas. I'm not really gonna try to translate the notes because the handwriting is hard to read. (I translated a few of these in the past for someone, though, they were in an art book or something and they scanned a few pages to ask what they said, so those will have proper translations by me, but I'm not gonna bother more than this)
1st & 2nd pic: Clothes feels cool
3rd & 4th pic: Clothes feels cute
When it mentions SF-ish, I don't know what SF stands for
1st pic:
青 ききょうと水のイメージです Ao / Kikyo (flower type called Chinese bell flower) and water imagery
さわやか いやし系 Refreshing therapeutic
2nd pic: I can't read the handwriting very well
3rd pic: きいろ たまかんざしや あめだまのイメージ です Imagery of yellow ball kanzashi (hair pin) and round candy
Basic version, long boots version, bright color version
「A.I.VOICE™」新サードパーティー向けプラン「A.I.VOICE™ Junior」 の募集開始 | トピックス | 音声合成ソフトは株式会社エーアイ
株式会社 エーアイ(AI)の「AITalk®（エーアイトーク）」は、従来の機械音ではなく、人の声で合成する技術、コーパスベース音声合成方式を採用し、感情表現にも対応。より人間らしく自然な音声で自由に音声合成をすることが可能な、高品質音声合成エンジンです。
(My translation is kinda messy, but it gets the point across)
Now recruiting for the new 3rd party plan "A.I.VOICE Junior"
Aimed at those who want to make a new voice with A.I.VOICE but feel the cost is too high of a hurdle. With the Junior plan, the minimum amount (initial investment cost for only the normal/default voice type) to make the voice library. It is possible to increase the voice library's rank through crowdfunding stretch goals (aka stretch goals for additional emotion parameters). Even if you only get the minimum (normal/default voice bank), you can get the other emotions through voice fusion with other characters.
The cost for this Junior plan may change depending on how many people participate.
They want you to fill out their contact form, prepare stuff for the character (ex: voice, illustrations) in order to help them consult with you.
1st box is for their own voice banks (Kotonohas and Yuzuru), 2nd box is for 3rd party (Yukari and Akari), 3rd box is for Junior plan of paying the initial minimum investment cost (Adachi Rei)
I made a thread with the same info as my previous post, but added some ramblings about how much it would potentially cost to make a bank for the last 2 posts in the thread:
They ask us to please watch the video so we can give our feedback.
The video:
Basically, they are thinking about giving Tsurumaki Maki's original voice provider an A.I.VOICE because of being replaced for her CeVIO AI version by a different voice provider. (She is the one who got contacted by AI Inc)
They say it's unusual, but they want to hear the opinions of everyone in order to decide what to do.
They want the opinions of fans other than just Tomoe Tamiyasu's fans (because the questionnaire is on her account).
This is the form:
民安ともえボイスソフト企画ガチ投票
4/24(土)21時～5/2(日)24時まで集計されるアンケートフォームとなります。 詳しくは動画をご参照下さい。➡https://youtu.be/PDXJ-EiOEYo ★このアンケートについて、関係各所への質問などはご遠慮ください。 ★エーアイ、民安ともえもTwitter、DMやメールなど個別に質問があった場合、お答え出来ません。 ※名前はハンドルネームなど匿名可です。 ※各回答への補足欄は自由回答です。未記入でもかまいません。...
docs.google.com
VocaSphere has translated the questions here:
The character won't be Maki for A.I.VOICE. It will be a new one.
Japanese users were overwhelmingly ready to throw their money at her, even though they know this new character will have a different vibe compared to Maki. They are glad AI Inc took this into their own hands after AHS did her a dirty. (What they did ruined their reputation a bit and made fans feel like AHS doesn't care compared to Tomoe Tamiyasu and AI Inc.)
Some fans said they'd buy the product even though they didn't know what they'd do with it.
What really happened was AHS said during a live stream that Tomoe's company rejected their plan of updating Maki with her, so they have to get a new voice provider.
I find it highly likely that they would make her new product her VTuber character, Tammy due to having a following.
Japanese users were overwhelmingly ready to throw their money at her, even though they know this new character will have a different vibe compared to Maki. They are glad AI Inc took this into their own hands after AHS did her a dirty. (What they did ruined their reputation a bit and made fans feel like AHS doesn't care compared to Tomoe Tamiyasu and AI Inc.)
Some fans said they'd buy the product even though they didn't know what they'd do with it.
What really happened was AHS said during a live stream that Tomoe's company rejected their plan of updating Maki with her, so they have to get a new voice provider.
I find it highly likely that they would make her new product her VTuber character, Tammy due to having a following.
I..... don't like this at all.
Like I'm glad Tamiyasu Tomoe could get an updated talk synth after all, but I'd.... rather it be Maki? And it feels like a slap in the face after her agency rejected AHS' proposal of actually updating Maki herself and they didn't want to just leave Maki's character to rot.
This feels like unnecessarily riling people up for something AHS couldn't control. I don't really know how to feel. (And her agency suddenly would be okay with this now?)
Like I'm glad Tamiyasu Tomoe could get an updated talk synth after all, but I'd.... rather it be Maki? And it feels like a slap in the face after her agency rejected AHS' proposal of actually updating Maki herself and they didn't want to just leave Maki's character to rot.
This feels like unnecessarily riling people up for something AHS couldn't control. I don't really know how to feel. (And her agency suddenly would be okay with this now?)
I thought it was Tomoe Tamiyasu's agency who wronged her, not AHS 
didn't even consult her despite AHS'interest.
edit: ah got ninja'd but I gotta agree, I was thinking the same....like...I get it from a bussiness standpoint but damn if it isn't a dirty dirty move
didn't even consult her despite AHS'interest.edit: ah got ninja'd but I gotta agree, I was thinking the same....like...I get it from a bussiness standpoint but damn if it isn't a dirty dirty move
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I didn't know about this, it's either a weird change of their management of Maki/characters in general, or really a dirty move
I still love that Tamiyasu Tomoe gets a new Voicebank, but this kind of adds a sour taste to it
I still love that Tamiyasu Tomoe gets a new Voicebank, but this kind of adds a sour taste to it
Unfortunately, not all fans know what happened so they were upset/felt AHS was disrespectful, I only found one person citing the live stream about AHS getting denied by her keepers.
They can't have it be Maki and a lot of her fans thought her new voice bank would have a different vibe compared to Maki anyway. In the live stream, she said she was freelance now.
Personally, I think that Tomoe's agency ruining the opportunity to reprise her role as Maki was upsetting to her and her fans. I think that if she can have an A.I.VOICE, it would make a better memory + give her new opportunities to sell products (ex: plushies, acrylic stands) and maybe even make a singing synth. Vocal synth fans love to buy things and love crowdfunds, so I can't help but think this would only help her career endeavors. It would also broaden her fan base to include her VTuber fans and vocal synth fans. For example, English-speaking fans can't enjoy her YouTube channel, but they can enjoy synth products easier.
Lastly, both AI Inc and Tomoe were unsure, that's why they are asking for people's feedback because they didn't want to make fans upset. And the time frame for feedback is quite large.
I don't expect people to agree with me, but based on YouTube and Twitter comments, there were a lot of people saying they were ready to buy it right away if it gets made. I really enjoy Japanese TTS, so I can't say no to another character we could use voice fusion on.
Then I have to correct myself, sry, I thought she was still with her agency as far as the VB development goes
I think she's making the best she can out of the situation by going freelance and making a bank for a new character, and I really hope this project goes well
I think she's making the best she can out of the situation by going freelance and making a bank for a new character, and I really hope this project goes well
I didn't know she wasn't with her agency anymore, that's on me.
With knowing that, I do feel a little less bitter about the project, but I'm still.... eh. If the timing had been a little better, then maybe Maki's update could've been with her original voice provider after all (assuming Maki's VP mess wasn't what led to Tamiyasu Tomoe leaving them, anyway), at the cost of her English banks. I'm super happy with how Maki's shaping up to be now, but I still felt like her old VP was done dirty - so I am glad for her to have this opportunity at least.
I'd be more open to the idea if this came up like... after Maki released. There's no way this new product (I'm sure it'll be made) will release before Maki, but at least it wouldn't feel like a weird attempt at sabotaging AHS if they had waited longer to announce it. I'm sure they weren't purposely being nefarious, but that's just why this whole thing doesn't sit well with me.
With knowing that, I do feel a little less bitter about the project, but I'm still.... eh. If the timing had been a little better, then maybe Maki's update could've been with her original voice provider after all (assuming Maki's VP mess wasn't what led to Tamiyasu Tomoe leaving them, anyway), at the cost of her English banks. I'm super happy with how Maki's shaping up to be now, but I still felt like her old VP was done dirty - so I am glad for her to have this opportunity at least.
I'd be more open to the idea if this came up like... after Maki released. There's no way this new product (I'm sure it'll be made) will release before Maki, but at least it wouldn't feel like a weird attempt at sabotaging AHS if they had waited longer to announce it. I'm sure they weren't purposely being nefarious, but that's just why this whole thing doesn't sit well with me.
This is pretty grey area. On one hand, it could be AI inc being noble after her agency wronged her and giving her well deserved opportunity, on the other it could very well be them taking advantage of the situation, trying to make profit off of the controversy.
I think if they wanted to be genuine they should've just given her an opportunity, no questions asked, make her voice act in different voice and I don't think anybody would have had problem with that, but drawing people's attention to it in such manner, especially after it seemed like people have made peace with this situation, feels rather distasteful. Best case scenario: this is AI inc being well meaning but misguided. Worst case scenario: this is AI inc being malicious and taking advantage of unfortunate situation. But it's good they're playing safe by at least asking people....
I think if they wanted to be genuine they should've just given her an opportunity, no questions asked, make her voice act in different voice and I don't think anybody would have had problem with that, but drawing people's attention to it in such manner, especially after it seemed like people have made peace with this situation, feels rather distasteful. Best case scenario: this is AI inc being well meaning but misguided. Worst case scenario: this is AI inc being malicious and taking advantage of unfortunate situation. But it's good they're playing safe by at least asking people....
Can I just say to fans that can not understand the 13 minute video where she is explaining the timeline of what went down to not make assumptions that AI Inc is the bad guy/trying to make AHS look bad? It's pushing on making up info that is not there, honestly, since you are making assumptions that can not be confirmed due to the language barrier. Sorry if what I wrote before made people worry. I did not think I'd have to write a better summary of the Japanese video, because I didn't expect people to be upset + expect many people to care because not so many are into TTS. Both Tomoe and AI Inc said to watch the video BEFORE voting, too.
Tomoe is very genuine in the video and expresses her concerns/pros and cons. She explains each point in the time line but doesn't go into major detail on some things (maybe due to her old contract or being emotional about some things / it frankly being none of our business).
Listening to the video a 2nd time with slower playback speed, this is what is the summary:
AI Inc even shared this video on their page because they are aware some replies may be biased due to many being fans of her VTuber activities.
Personally, I think she wouldn't have made a long video about this if a part of her didn't want to make a new TTS character. She would have just said "No" and that was that. Seems that she is considering her own feelings and fan feelings (hence the poll).
Most of the video was explaining about being contacted by AI Inc, discussions with them, wondering about fan reactions, explaining the survey. Only a small section was dedicated to AHS out of the entire video at the beginning to explain Tomoe's relationship to the company and the topic of if selling her voice without the Maki character is desired.
Tomoe is very genuine in the video and expresses her concerns/pros and cons. She explains each point in the time line but doesn't go into major detail on some things (maybe due to her old contract or being emotional about some things / it frankly being none of our business).
Listening to the video a 2nd time with slower playback speed, this is what is the summary:
- Tomoe apologized for worrying fans when she was depressed after finding out she had been replaced.
- She said she became freelance on April 1st.
- When she got contacted by AI Inc after they heard she had been replaced, she wondered "Is this okay for a voice actor to do?". And thought that this wouldn't exactly be the Maki product people had initially been hoping for, so she's unsure if people will even want her to make an A.I.VOICE product. She has been in talks with AI Inc for a long time and even the person in charge there started asking the same questions.
- To put it clearly, their question is "Do fans truly want a voice bank that is not Tsurumaki Maki but still Tomoe?" (Since it can't be Maki) "Do they want her voice if it's not the character?"
- AI Inc is assuming that for fans that do want to use Tomoe's voice on their budding software line that it will make them happy, though. (Keep in mind that you can still buy old Maki's voice bank and that this is AI software, so the products would have differences.)
- Ending is outro and asking people not to fill out the form incorrectly, thank you, etc.
AI Inc even shared this video on their page because they are aware some replies may be biased due to many being fans of her VTuber activities.
Personally, I think she wouldn't have made a long video about this if a part of her didn't want to make a new TTS character. She would have just said "No" and that was that. Seems that she is considering her own feelings and fan feelings (hence the poll).
Most of the video was explaining about being contacted by AI Inc, discussions with them, wondering about fan reactions, explaining the survey. Only a small section was dedicated to AHS out of the entire video at the beginning to explain Tomoe's relationship to the company and the topic of if selling her voice without the Maki character is desired.
I said it in... admittedly harsher wording a bit ago (and deleted it five minutes later; forgive me), but it really does feel like AI Inc's taking advantage of people's lack of understanding about what went down and trying to make themselves look more noble. Whether that's the case or not, it's just bad timing. I agree that they should have made less of a spectacle of it. That would tone down the bad taste I think.
I feel like this is a lose-lose situation.
Ask before making = "How dare they ask fans if they can make a new character to replace Maki, this is sneaky even though they're publicly asking opinions!"
or
Make without asking = "How dare they secretly make a new character to replace Maki, how sneaky, they should have asked the fans what they thought before doing this!"
(Probably done speaking on the matter until more info comes out from her or AI Inc. They might talk about it at the next live stream anyway.)
I looked on Twitter for some humble opinions from Japanese users (compared to the YouTube audience). They are more skeptical due to being the target audience. Some know there are pros/cons, want a written statement about it from AI Inc, talkloid video makers not sure how to boot out Maki for the new character, many think this will be messy or they are surprised AI Inc is working hard, confusion about companies (AI Inc and Kafu thing) asking for opinions [but some are pleased they are asking opinions/taking this seriously]. General consensus is that this is a complex question. Maki fans seem ready with their money.
Maybe AHS will mention what they think about it soon?
Ask before making = "How dare they ask fans if they can make a new character to replace Maki, this is sneaky even though they're publicly asking opinions!"
or
Make without asking = "How dare they secretly make a new character to replace Maki, how sneaky, they should have asked the fans what they thought before doing this!"
(Probably done speaking on the matter until more info comes out from her or AI Inc. They might talk about it at the next live stream anyway.)
I looked on Twitter for some humble opinions from Japanese users (compared to the YouTube audience). They are more skeptical due to being the target audience. Some know there are pros/cons, want a written statement about it from AI Inc, talkloid video makers not sure how to boot out Maki for the new character, many think this will be messy or they are surprised AI Inc is working hard, confusion about companies (AI Inc and Kafu thing) asking for opinions [but some are pleased they are asking opinions/taking this seriously]. General consensus is that this is a complex question. Maki fans seem ready with their money.
Maybe AHS will mention what they think about it soon?
I can’t see this reaction happening at all. I think the vast majority of us would have been pleasantly surprised to discover a new bank had been made with her VP that takes a different direction. We’d only see it as an attempt to replace her if the VB was very Maki-like. If Saki Fujita went on to voice a more mature character for a lesser-known company, no one would see it as an attempt to replace Miku. I know the fandom can be inflammatory but I’d like to have that much faith
Edited to add: I am interested in knowing what AHS’s take is! I truly do hope there’s no bad blood and this project goes off without a hitch. I’m just skeptical and a little worried for right now.
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I have no problem with the product existing as I mentioned before and I know AI Inc. wasn't trying to stir things up on purpose - I just fully think the timing was poor, especially to have happened before Maki even released. I'd probably be fully for this if Maki at least had been out for a little bit before this started up orz
I'm glad they asked people about it, because it is a tricky situation - I'll support Tamiyasu Tomoe regardless of what happens. I just can't help but think that it's such a shame that things ended up having to turn out this way. I've seen people already unsure of how to treat the new Maki since she sounds different, so this just makes things a lot more complicated.
Definitely interested in what AHS would have to say, but I can see them staying silent since it's not really their business anymore (or at the very least wishing her the best of luck on this future endeavor if it were to happen).
I'm glad they asked people about it, because it is a tricky situation - I'll support Tamiyasu Tomoe regardless of what happens. I just can't help but think that it's such a shame that things ended up having to turn out this way. I've seen people already unsure of how to treat the new Maki since she sounds different, so this just makes things a lot more complicated.
Definitely interested in what AHS would have to say, but I can see them staying silent since it's not really their business anymore (or at the very least wishing her the best of luck on this future endeavor if it were to happen).
I kinda assume given the timing that the VP mess is why she left, I suppose- I'm sure she wasn't happy with her agency.
I feel like it complicates the situation even more that, technically, the voiceroid is not named Tsumari Maki -officially the product is Tomoe Tamiyasu which just so happens to have Maki as a mascot. It's a weird situation.
EDIT: wasn't aware the conversation had moved on woops; either way, I think this is both a good thing and probably going to happen.