2023 was an all-time high for vocal synths, with Synthesizer V dramatically expanding its roster, Voisona pushing CeVIO's technology to new heights, VOCALOID surprising us with B-Studio, a big update on Maghni AI, and we even got a teaser of new software from the creator of UTAU! Teto, Gumi and Kafu changed everything we thought we knew about multi-engine voicebanks, we received two new languages for a major engine, and multiple companies improved their support for rap.
The number of completely unexpected announcements makes next year the hardest to predict yet, but that doesn't mean we can't try.
Did any of your predictions for 2023 come true?
My 2024 predictions:
The number of completely unexpected announcements makes next year the hardest to predict yet, but that doesn't mean we can't try.
Did any of your predictions for 2023 come true?
- Synth V releases a powerful alto I really like. But for real this time.
- Yanhe and Tianyi V5 are lost at sea and don't turn up until at least Q3.
- Dreamtonics' first party releases slow down, but VOCALOID6 releases ramp up, resulting in a year that's equally busy.
- SOLARIA starts being spotted in the wild more often, normal producers are baffled by the SynthV stans, but appreciate the engagement.
- A new weirdo US tech startup tries to release AI voices, but their marketing undercuts the spirit of the vocal synth fandom by being transparently profit focused and anti-art. A bunch of obnoxious thinkpieces about a 'new age of music' are published, in which journalists react to vocal synths as though it's a brand new concept for the 5th time this decade. Someone manages to use the word 'metaverse', somehow. This results in backlash from real singers, and vocal synths become the subject of fear and controversy for a few months. Then CeVIO or AHSoft release a new anime character and everyone gets back to business.
My 2024 predictions:
- Maghni AI delayed, hello darkness my old friend
- A Vocaloid B-Studio voicebank jumps to V6
- Synthesizer V voicebank for...*throws dart*...Galaco!
- Crypton announce a new voicebank for literally anyone, on anything
- 'Synthesizer V can only do realistic voices' is put to bed at last by a kooky experimental voice
- New Korean vocal synth, but it's also on a brand-new Korean engine
- New English deep powerful alto SynthesizerV who can kick my ass with a good licence IT'S HER TIME