2026 Vocal Synth Predictions

[lIlI]

It's that time of year again! Now Dreamtonics has officially bamboozled us and not dropped any major news over the holiday period, it's a good time to make some predictions for 2026.

Last year's thread - did any of your guesses come true?

In other news: By October of 2026, four years will have passed since the release of VOCALOID6. This is the traditional length of Yamaha's dev cycle, which may herald the announcement of a new version. As we did for VOCALOID5, I've posted a poll for fun.

My old predictions

• SynthV 2 is briefly controversial on Twitter, but not for anything significant. The voices sound smoother now, and the horizontal scroll bars don't require military precision to find and click - neat!

Unfortunately, SV2 has generated mild but continuous controversy since it's launch. One of the most common problems is that the voices are actually wobblier, thanks to the engine's pursuit of greater realism.

• Voisona finally kills CeVIO IN COLD BLOOD ...or just takes up all the new releases. Most CeVIO AIs get ported, except for Kafu.

The Hakoniwa's might count as CeVIO's released this year - but their backer release was in December 2024, so maybe this prediction came true?! It's been a year of VoiSonas, while CeVIO has gone quiet.

• Its shiny new iPad version also brings in a lot of young new English-speaking users.

Sadly, no. VoiSona hasn't been able to get a hold in the English-speaking market, even with its generous price proposition.

• The first new Spanish-native vocal is announced by Eclipsed Sounds, they have a down-to-earth design inspired by the traditional dress of a country in South America.

Nope, while we were given a new vocalist for Spanish, Galenaia is anything but down-to-earth!

• A few current/former employees of Maghni AI have a public scuffle, but its beta release shows great potential.

While the scuffle was mostly contained to jabs and grumbling, we unfortunately did not see the beta release.

• Someone gets behind-the-scenes tea on GEMVOX. There's like a 50/50 chance it's fake, but fans run wild with it.

Tragically, we were robbed of this.

• Dreamtonics changes the design of their letter voicebanks to something that doesn't challenge the eyes. They even choose a font to stick to; a nice respectable sans serif

I wish. I wish. Dreamtonics must pay for their crimes against typography. aaaaghghghe!!!

My predictions for 2026:

1. Following their teaser, Dreamtonics releases a choir voicebank in Q1, similar to VX-Beta's multiβ-N.
2. Eclipsed Sounds releases a feminine pop vocalist for their Tone Chroma series: her colour is pink.
3. Another VTuber gets a vocal synth, but this time .......it's a bloke (whoaa)
4. Flavor Foley song with Iroha. it goes crazy
5. Maghni AI's beta is quite humble in its feature set, but we are all nice to them because they need the encouragement.
6. A popular UTAU with a Japanese creator is announced for Mikoto Studio
7. Lily gets put on VOCALOID6, why not
8. Teto surpasses Miku in popularity by some metric, specifically for or as a result of the Western fandom

 

[Bookworm2]

Oh! I wasn't here for these last year, but they seem fun! I'll bite:

• Vocaloid 6 gets exactly one (1) new voicebank, and it's Adachi Rei V6. Nothing else happens. Fans are not surprised at all.
• Luka NT is teased with English support, but is given 0 release dates and 0 demos. The Luka fans go into hysterics, fearing that she sounds like SP.
• Meiko and Kaito remain forgotten, and nothing happens with them.
• Eclipsed Sounds releases/teases a new Tone Chroma voicebank, it's a country focused bank. Color: Rust Orange.
• Dreamtonics gives up on the alphabet soup voicebanks and only works on SynthV's engine.
• The Starry Court upgrades get fixed from the issues they currently have. NYL lite comes out (wistful thinking).
• Literally nothing happens regarding the software in the UTAU scene, they're just stuck with what they have.
• Maghni AI releases an open beta, with limited features. People don't slam them for this, but give kind support because they need it. (wistful thinking)
• Big Al is announced for Maghni AI/SynthV (i'm delusional and want big al).
• The Teto/Miku duet trend starts to die off by November.
• Adachi Rei V6 is met with an EXTREMELY good response, she surpasses most other V6 banks in popularity.
• Miku V6 is delayed to 2027, with Chinese coming in 2028.
• Emvoice finally dies. The fandom rejoices
• Chipspeech gets a surge in popularity among the UTAU scene (wistful thinking).

 

[Blue Of Mind]

Last year's predictions

• French and Korean support in SynthV will be locked behind SynthV 2, including a bonus language that hasn't been rumoured yet - Alas, there doesn't appear to have been much news or further development on additional languages for SynthV, and Korean took a nasty hit with Uni SynthV being quickly pulled from sale.
• An annoucement will be made on Kafu SynthV - either she's been heavily reworked to sound more like her CeVIO and will finally be released, or it will be officially canned. A third option is a port to a less realistic synth, possibly V6 - Called it! She got cancelled.
• Crypton will finally say something about NT and V6 updates for their other characters - an obvious prediction, but I still called it. Every Cryptonloid is currently aimed to be ported to both V6 and NT.
• An unexpected, famous VP will be announced for a vocal synth, attracting controversy outside the fandom for being an AI bank - this didn't happen this year, but I'm still half expecting this to happen in the future, considering the way AI development in general has been going.

2026 predictions:

• The Kamitsubaki girls will remain in limbo this year with no significant news or updates, still reeling from Kafu SynthV's lack of release.
• At least one Vipperloid or other classic UTAU will be added to Yamaha's V6 crowdfunding service.
• The next ES Tone Chroma bank will be coloured green.

 

[Bloopy]

My 2026 Predictions

• French for SynthV maybe news of another planned language (Russian PLEASE)
• ONE is announced for V6
• V7 Drops with no big updates to the software
• Another UTAU announced for V6
• A Vtuber announced for SynthV
• At least 2 more voicebanks discontinue
• Adachi Rei takeover
• Remmant becomes very popular (delusional)
• Internet Co updates someone else
• Some random fanloid utau is relevant again for a month
• A meme more annoying than Pearto takes hold
• Miku Teto duets finally fizzle out
• Gumi's glorious rise

Also, Emvoice is already gone. Their website has been down for months.

 

[Rylitah]

I have not participated in these threads since apparently 2021 (I kept going back each thread going "surely this is the one" and it kept not happening lmao). Soooo let's see if my last predictions happened at all within the last.... five years.

2021 predictions (lol)

- Maki Synth V releases in the first half of the year, does pretty well! I think her English will be one of the most widely used ones going forward. CeVIO Talk will probably do alright as well since she's also getting English there, but attention will mostly be on Synth V.

Apparently she released in June 2021, which technically counts as first half of the year! She's not really used that much though, which is disappointing! SV certainly was more popular than her CeVIO talk, though I've seen maybe three usages ever of her English talk bank in the years since.

- Tsuina-chan Synth V releases, does okay, popularity will probably be about the same as the Kotonohas.

I don't really know how well she did, actually. But I've seen her around here and there compared to absolutely nothing of the Kotonohas since (probably because they never got AI upgrades for SV), so there's that.

- Seika Synth V releases and does about as well as her Voiceroid. That's pretty much it.

yea

- AHS will continue moving their characters over. This pretty much just means Sora at this point and giving her a second chance on a new software, maybe Kiyoteru or Kou, though I'm not expecting much with either of them. ... None of their other characters (Yuki, Ai, Shouta) can be moved without them being ports, so nothing will be done with them.

HIYAMA KIYOTERU SYNTH V AI BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY oh yeah I guess Sora happened too. And like everyone else again with SV2. I can't even hope for Kou anymore since I was told his VP doesn't know how to sing

- CeVIO AI Flower sounds exactly like Vocaloid Flower, but on CeVIO. Opinions will be very mixed. Probably will release first half of the year.

She doesn't sound exactly like Vocaloid Flower, actually! I think she sounds more like Flower than a lot of other people seem to think, though. Opinions were definitely mixed. She released in March..... 2023, so an entire year after I expected. But it was first half of the year!

- CeVIO AI Kizuna Akari.

No, actually. She stayed on Vocaloid. Which came out years after this prediction was made.

- Maghni AI kickstarter launches, does... okay? Will probably make the goal, but it'll be close. Will definitely get a few thousand in the first day. (I will not remember how much it got on the first day when it comes to reflecting over this post in 2022.)

2022, more like 2025. I do not remember how this went.

- Still quiet on the Vocaloid front. Yamaha continues doing their own thing, does small V5 sales here and there, more private vocals and projects.

No, they jumpscared me and released V6.

- AI VOICE does okay, people pretty much only care for the Kotonohas though. Any new vocals for it will be met with silence unless AHS is involved (which I don't believe they will be)

AHS indeed is not involved. I don't really know how AI VOICE is doing, but I think they're still getting new characters every so often (Vocalomakets especially is carrying in terms of third parties) and updates to the engine itself, so good for them.

Now to make predictions again for 2026.

- Honestly, yeah, V7. Every single engine release has happened every three or four years (2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2018, 2022), and even though V6 was a surprise after how quiet V5 was, it still followed the pattern. If the pattern continues to be followed, then V7 will be announced and released next year since it didn't happen this year.
- UNI SV will be announced (launches?) again with a new voice provider. Opinions are very mixed (and soured due to the entire situation that caused this to happen), but overall hopeful for the future.
- Nurse Robo TT moves to another engine after conquering Vocaloid and Voisona. Synth V.........?
- Vocalomakets makes up with AHS and releases Yukari for Synth V. I'm not really expecting it, but I want to look back on it next year.
- no minase kou sv
- Iori Yuzuru crowdfund happens, makes its goal. Unsure if a release within the year is likely, but if so, he'll have a moderate reception. Does really well with his current fans, but won't be a smash hit or anything.
- Maghni AI still doesn't release next year, but updates are hopeful.
- Internet Co. continues to tease Gakupo Synth V but doesn't actually announce or do anything about it. Fans are frustrated but still holding on.

rather safe guesses but I think next year will be an exciting one for the scene no matter what happens

 

[MagicalMiku]

2025 has been a year full of announcements and new nice things to happen, and these are my predictions for 2026:
- regarding Vocaloid 7, while I think it might be at a good development level, from a marketing perspective I feel 2027 might be better, because there is already the recently released Mobile Vocaloid Editor, and in a few months there will be Miku V6. Since 2027 will be Miku 20th Anniversary, it would be a good point to release Vocaloid 7 in 2027 too;
- about Miku V6, since the Early Access version is already very good, I think a March release is very very likely to happen. We also know that her Chinese voicebank will be available later for free, by summer I think.
- Miku NT2 will be improved more and more, thanks also to Rin&Len NT (since they share same engine, so each new feature is for all of them) and..
- Luka NT, 100% sure in 2026 she will be announced for NT engine (japanese voice). Probably on her birthday, so a spring release.
- Kaito and Meiko NT too, I think both will be announced in August during Magical Mirai and release in autumn (October/November).
- How about V6 for the Piapro Characters? I think Crypton first want to complete the full NT lineup, then focus on V6. Probably Rin&Len V6, Luka V6 too, for late 2026.
- Given Teto popularity right now, and she is in various official concerts of 2025 and 2026, it might be possible to see her on NT engine too, who knows?
- Now that I think better, Teto NT and Gumi NT would be a good thing to happen. Let's do this.
- And for SynthV, talking back to Miku 20th Anniversary in 2027, it would be interesting to have a sort of collaboration / cross project between SynthV and CFM.