Damn, dt is kind of a bitch here
Gotta be honest I am partially kinda with DT on this one... Like as much as their weird "brand image" obsession annoys me, from a pragmatic standpoint plus just wasn't gonna be a good idea. Standard samples means no vocal modes for example, and like they are not a mandatory feature but like it's a very popular one so it's kind off expected nonetheless. Standard samples only also means that any and all updates that makes new recordings neccesary becomes impossible.
You
could use a combination of new recordings and the old standard samples but you are going to run into quality control problems that are not only going to be a problem for DT and their "brand image" but also just the average end user. Don't get me wrong, I do think straigth up going "no u can't release this" is stupid (Dear Dreamtonics at least two thirds of your customer base are neurodivergent weeb gay young adults don't go acting like you have a "brand image" to keep up for an audience that does not give two fucks about that you dorks) but like, I'm also a bit sypathetic to that cause wasting time and money and resources to an inferior and limiting method of developing voicebanks does not sound like something I would wanna do as a developer.
And I know me calling plus inferior to full AI banks sounds mean, and I legit don't want to be but I gotta be honest most plus banks just sound like very well tuned standard banks to me. Their crosslingual does sound impressive for the training method and they don't sound
bad, just not as good as they could be with new data+recordings. To make an extremely specific and slightly weird analogy Plus banks as a whole to me are the vocalsynth equalient of plating your spagetti on the plate spinning in your microwave cause you really really did not want to wash the dishes*. It kind off works but you either run out of plates and eat from your hand or have to eventually bite the bullet and do your dishes.
(*in case if you are wondering wtf does this mean, a popular hungarian comedian has a well known anecdote about doing exactly this because they hate washing dishes that much.)
That's said, I do think they should allow the release of Plus cause it's clearly differentiated from full AI banks by name already so like... no harm no foul? Seriously...
I love the Plus covers, but a small part of me does kind of agree with the take of "don't show us the fun new thing just to tease us if you're not gonna actually give it to us"... Not to say I wouldn't love to spring for AI banks of all the Quad std banks, but part of me doubts Quad can afford to make AI banks of them all. And of course, if only Chiyu and Minus get AI banks I will be a little sad, since my favorite Quad standards are Cangqiong and Muxin :')
I feel you on that one very much... Like don't twist the knife guys... :(
I wouldn't be so sure about not getting the rest of the squad's full AI yet, stranger comebacks have happened. M5's situtation is not great but not hopeless.