I honestly think the accent is adorable! I knew Maki wasn't going to be aimed at Westerners anyway, but I still liked what I heard in those demos, that one bizarre sentence aside. It's accented, but not really difficult to understand.
SynthV CeVIO AI / Synthesizer V Tsurumaki Maki
- Thread starter Rylitah
- Start date
Honestly, even the nonsense sentences are growing on me. She sounds like she’s stoned off her gourd and trying to be philosophical. I just keep imagining Yukari in the background, nodding and telling her that yes Maki, that makes perfect sense, you’re so enlightened.
No one was upset with you just because you simply don't like Maki, you don't need to justify not liking her to us because you have full right to hold that opinion.
Again, whether Maki is understandable depends from person to person and people are not in the wrong when they don't understand her.
But it's again very subjective matter and when Maki doesn't work for you in such environment doesn't mean there won't be a person who won't find her useful in this field. There is argument to be made about her flexibility in what she can be used in but it doesn't change the fact that she's perfect for the demographic and purposes she was made for and claiming she's objectively bad product just wasn't fair because she doesn't fullfill a specific niche.
And yeah I think we can all agree that we'll get to judge her fully once her demo is out.
And I don't think anybody was pointing fingers at you specifically for not liking japanese accent, moreso it was conversation that resulted from this one and aimed at people genuinely upset she doesn't sound native.
I get that you use TTS for accessibility purposes, I do the same as well when I´m unable to read certain texts. I'm also not sure where you're getting that we're accusing of you anything? Especially me since that's the post you're quoting? All I'm saying is that Maki really isn't the TTS you want to go for or even complain about when Maki, even looking from a product standpoint, is made one purpose over another. It's clearly not aimed at native English speakers for native English use and that was the point I was trying to make. I'm sorry if I made you feeling attacked or anything of the sort, that was not my intention.
I just quoted you since you had the longest reply/talked about how I was not the intended customer for Maki, so I just wrote my whole general reply + extra thoughts in the same long post. So it wasn't all directed at you, I should've split it apart better.
A lot of the anger directed at me happened on Twitter, because that's where I posted the Maki clip/the tweet blew up (the video has like 3k views at the moment not counting the reactions to my thread writing my grievances with the product). So I had people quote tweeting me / trying to grill me for an explanation about about how wrong I am for having wanted to use Maki for narration instead of skits / telling me I do not respecting technology / getting PMed and laughed at for not being able to understand Maki and what did I expect from a Japanese product / people angry that they thought I hate Japanese accented products. So the number of people that were disappointed in Maki instead of highly enthused and praising it are in the minority based on the notification swarm I got today. I get that I was a dumb bozo and should have written my reactions calmer so that didn't exactly set the mood, but I didn't expect to get so many people scoffing at me every couple of minutes and telling me so bluntly how dumb they think I am. (I had to mute the thread and I deleted my posts, couldn't take it anymore)
So I'm pretty sorry I opened my mouth in the first place about TTS to other people, but I learned that a lot of us have different TTS goals. I will say one thing, though, I find it highly ironic how people are okay with Maki English but were flipping their lids about the possibility that Maghni AI voice banks might be voiced by non-natives. But yeah, I don't think I'll be sharing my humble opinions on TTS (especially English TTS) again any time soon.
A lot of the anger directed at me happened on Twitter, because that's where I posted the Maki clip/the tweet blew up (the video has like 3k views at the moment not counting the reactions to my thread writing my grievances with the product). So I had people quote tweeting me / trying to grill me for an explanation about about how wrong I am for having wanted to use Maki for narration instead of skits / telling me I do not respecting technology / getting PMed and laughed at for not being able to understand Maki and what did I expect from a Japanese product / people angry that they thought I hate Japanese accented products. So the number of people that were disappointed in Maki instead of highly enthused and praising it are in the minority based on the notification swarm I got today. I get that I was a dumb bozo and should have written my reactions calmer so that didn't exactly set the mood, but I didn't expect to get so many people scoffing at me every couple of minutes and telling me so bluntly how dumb they think I am. (I had to mute the thread and I deleted my posts, couldn't take it anymore)
So I'm pretty sorry I opened my mouth in the first place about TTS to other people, but I learned that a lot of us have different TTS goals. I will say one thing, though, I find it highly ironic how people are okay with Maki English but were flipping their lids about the possibility that Maghni AI voice banks might be voiced by non-natives. But yeah, I don't think I'll be sharing my humble opinions on TTS (especially English TTS) again any time soon.
I’ve... I’ve heard many complaints and criticisms towards Maghni AI, and that’s not at all one of them. Or if it is, it’s not at all on a large scale. Criticisms towards Maghni AI tend to be more focused on their general lack of transparency and their hyperfocus on all the future plans they have when they don’t even have a functioning engine and VB built yet. I understand you’re upset about people’s reactions and MAI is close to your heart, but I feel like this is grasping at straws. Maki’s issues and market and MAI’s aren’t the same and shouldn’t be compared in the same breath.
But to stay on-topic: as I haven’t been able to watch the whole thing yet, do we have an estimated release date? Forgive me if this has been answered, it’s been a hectic day
When I was on the team, we literally had meetings (with an S) about the native speaker criticism. We would read ALL complaints/compliments on various websites. It happened within the first month of announcements but gradually shifted to be about transparency/have too many over-the-top ideas in current months. So no, I don't think I'm grasping at straws when I compare the reaction by English speakers about vocal synth product pronunciation issues.
By the way, when I think of it, Tianyi got a Japanese voice actress, Zunko was going to bring in an English voice actress, Yamaha got native English speakers in Japan for their vocals. Also, I checked back at Techno-Speech's website and it touts the fact that their TTS can be used for game/anime voice acting, announcements and Let's Plays, medical use, so I realized that yes, I am salty that I got quote tweeted and PMed about being dumb and wrong for assuming the product would work for those things instead of just skit videos.
I don't remember them mentioning a date when I watched the parts of the stream, AHS' Twitter doesn't mention it, Maki's product page doesn't mention a date, and Techno-Speech's site doesn't mention a date.
Speaking of Maki ENG I am excited to hear her Synth V voice since SV results tend to be fun and impressive.
Ah, I hope we see a release by the end of Q3... I’m so excited
She’s coming along so well, and if she’s anything like Rikka she’ll be well worth the wait!
I hope her SynthV box is at least more exciting than Rikka’s. Rikka’s CeVIO box is so gorgeous, but her SV box... ah, I really want a cool box for Maki, she deserves it~
She’s coming along so well, and if she’s anything like Rikka she’ll be well worth the wait!I hope her SynthV box is at least more exciting than Rikka’s. Rikka’s CeVIO box is so gorgeous, but her SV box... ah, I really want a cool box for Maki, she deserves it~
I do understand her, but yeah, her English talk seems to get something that makes her a little bit muddy-sounding, and it is a bit sad =C (also omg I need to listen back to it tomorrow because she reminded somebody but I wonder whether it is because she shares a same voicetype or because I'm ired OTL )
Nonetheless, it is exciting to get an english TTS !
@uncreepy : you have the right to get your opinion, I dont' get why people feel the need to publicly bash and harrass somebody because they think different =__= and yet we're in 21 st century...
Nonetheless, it is exciting to get an english TTS !
@uncreepy : you have the right to get your opinion, I dont' get why people feel the need to publicly bash and harrass somebody because they think different =__= and yet we're in 21 st century...
It can be used, no one will stop you, doesn't change that she's made for specific niche.
And I honestly don't think she'd be particularly bad at any of those things maybe except the medical part, maybe you personally wouldn't use her for that and that's okay but that doesn't mean others won't. The opinion that she wouldn't isn't a bad one but a subjective one.
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There's a difference between the TTS engine and the voice that is using it. Vocaloid can be used for movie soundtracks, games, teaching, etc. but you're not going to be seeing people complaining about Gachapoid and asking why he doesn't have the quality of VY1 or why he's more limited in terms of usage compared to other voices. That's just not how it works. Some companies release general use products, some release for niches; and Maki is definitely for the niche.
It definitely would be nice if we got a more general-purpose TTS from them in future, the technology is very good, and it would really open up options for users! So far, Maki has me hopeful for the future.
oh boy did not expect to open this thread to 3 new pages on Maki's news. im not super big on the anime/moe girls coming to synths so obviously shes not anything id expect to use, but i do look forward to hearing more oc Cevio AI and Synthesizer V to see how things seem to but.
i think i can definitely agree Maki fits a kinda niche, and honestly ever anime girl synth does mostly when it comes to TTS. like personal dislikes to why i wouldnt use Maki say, not too different than why i wouldn't use a vocaloid like Macne nana english-- saying that doesnt mean theyre bad just for that though, because i think theyre fine for the crowds that want that. I dont doubt many are gonna like the accent Maki has and all that bc often i think the focus on these kinds of characters is just that- they sound cute, look cute, generally good quality and arent really made by native japanese/non english speakers thinking about native english crowds going for them out of being understandable.
i will say i could not understand the first few words from that english sample and i feel like im very experienced in understanding japanese voices speaking hard to understand english with all the engish i tend to make in vocaloid and just listen to in general lol. but it doesnt change the fact we heard some of her vp speaking english and its like, exactly what i wouldve expected...
i will say all her different types/tones are real nice. they all sound really good. i look forward to her singing voice's tone more now after hearing these!
aside from recognizing the niche a voice like maki is, i of course would love to see some more neutral voices for TTS. its cool to know theyve done an english bank at all, even if i wouldnt find it usable. i cant say i expect a fluent english tts to come out of any of these japanese companies tbh (at least not any time soon) so at the very least i hope they have more variation in the options as more gets made in the future, like less specific character voice tones too.
i think i can definitely agree Maki fits a kinda niche, and honestly ever anime girl synth does mostly when it comes to TTS. like personal dislikes to why i wouldnt use Maki say, not too different than why i wouldn't use a vocaloid like Macne nana english-- saying that doesnt mean theyre bad just for that though, because i think theyre fine for the crowds that want that. I dont doubt many are gonna like the accent Maki has and all that bc often i think the focus on these kinds of characters is just that- they sound cute, look cute, generally good quality and arent really made by native japanese/non english speakers thinking about native english crowds going for them out of being understandable.
i will say i could not understand the first few words from that english sample and i feel like im very experienced in understanding japanese voices speaking hard to understand english with all the engish i tend to make in vocaloid and just listen to in general lol. but it doesnt change the fact we heard some of her vp speaking english and its like, exactly what i wouldve expected...
i will say all her different types/tones are real nice. they all sound really good. i look forward to her singing voice's tone more now after hearing these!
aside from recognizing the niche a voice like maki is, i of course would love to see some more neutral voices for TTS. its cool to know theyve done an english bank at all, even if i wouldnt find it usable. i cant say i expect a fluent english tts to come out of any of these japanese companies tbh (at least not any time soon) so at the very least i hope they have more variation in the options as more gets made in the future, like less specific character voice tones too.
Not to be contrarian, but I have definitely seen this complaint/concern, esp after the MAI staff suggested that their VAs could make a bank in any language possible because of the scripts they were using.
Back on topic: I think she sounds cute! I thought I understood her, but after someone else wrote what she's saying I realize I had part of it wrong........ but anyway, she'll be cute for her target audience, and that's probably what matters for now
Ah, now THAT I can see! Forgive me. I tend to stay faaaaaaaar away from the mess that is VocaTwitter, so I tend to have a limited perspective.
nnn... I feel a little discouraged now, reading through, but I really hope she does well. I like her a lot.
I think Maki will do fine tbh. There's nothing wrong with making a synth marketed towards synth fans (take notes, Yamaha LOL), and from what I've seen the majority of people are satisfied with her. She'll do fine for herself! :D
Finally listened to her, she does sound cute, but after working too much on Engrish and on English tuning.... I almost have an urge to try to tune her to sound a bit more clearer on the words. 
The person who tuned (?) made some words trail too long and if they edited the words a bit more, she would be so good to me. 
But then, I don't know how to tune CeVio Talk so I don't really know how it is.... 
The person who tuned (?) made some words trail too long and if they edited the words a bit more, she would be so good to me. But then, I don't know how to tune CeVio Talk so I don't really know how it is.... In regards to her English talk bank, if I remember correctly, doesn't Cevio talk allow you to adjust the pitch/timing/etc of the different parts of the sentence? Because to me, those are the only things about these demonstrations that sounded like they could use some work. her pronunciation of the phonemes themselves didn't seem too terribly accented. If the software works the way I think it does, it may not make a good plug-and-play TTS, but it will be great for generating female character voices for animations and talkloid type things.
The Cevio noise(?) bothers me just a bit, but the tone of her voice is really nice, she's not too difficult to understand either! Now I'm kinda hoping there will be another talk vb with a new character soon if only because it's more fun watching videos with two characters talking. But I guess until that happens, people can just edit Maki's voice to sound like another Synth 
Even if it's not from Voiceroid, I'm glad there will finally be an English talk vb after all these years. It will be fun to see how people use it!
Even if it's not from Voiceroid, I'm glad there will finally be an English talk vb after all these years. It will be fun to see how people use it!
Late to listening, but man, i love that clip
To me, personally, she sounded a little like Miku English at one point, but I'm sure it was just the way she was tuned
I'm hoping to see more uses of this bank to see how it works in the hands of users!
To me, personally, she sounded a little like Miku English at one point, but I'm sure it was just the way she was tuned
I'm hoping to see more uses of this bank to see how it works in the hands of users!