SynthV Synthesizer V Studio 2
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Exploration time...
The Synthesizer V manual isn’t exactly exceptional, and it often leaves me wondering how one might use certain parameters in a practical setting. For example, why would I use “Tone Shift”?
Some time ago I learned that vowel sounds change as we lower or raise our voice. That is to say, vowels sound one way when we whisper, and another when we shout. This phenomenon is caused by a shift in emphasis of the harmonic frequencies of any given vowel.
For most pitched musical instruments, the fundamental frequency is the loudest partial, while the upper harmonics become progressively quieter. There are some exceptions, such as the oboe where the fifth harmonic (third overtone as oboes produce only odd harmonics) is the loudest. But the human vowel sounds are not so rigid.
“Don’t speak to me in that tone of voice!”
When you shout, the upper harmonics become emphasized. Whispering does the opposite.
In terms of singing, loud operatic singing emphasizes the upper harmonics, allowing the vocalist to be heard above an orchestra. (Remember, orchestral instruments become quieter in the upper harmonics, the opposite of a loud human voice.) Crooners, on the other hand, have stronger lower harmonics that sound like they are singing quietly into your ear. Or at least quietly into the microphone. (Note that microphone technology is crucial to the existence of crooning.)
Is this what the “Tone Shift” thing in SynthV is doing? Changing between an “outdoor” voice and an “indoor” voice? It kinda sounds like it, but I wanted to put my hypothesis to the test.
And here’s the result using the [a] vowel:
The red line represents a higher (not highest) “Tone Shift” setting, and the blue line represents a lower (not lowest) setting. Notice how the red fundamental is much quieter than the blue fundamental. Also note how the red upper harmonics are louder than the blue harmonics (except near the very top, which is getting to the limit of my hearing range.)
In practical terms, one could equate a higher “Tone Shift” setting to a louder voice, and/or one further from the microphone; and a lower setting to a quieter voice, and/or one closer to the microphone. Operatic versus crooning!
To be fair, however, the change is not super dramatic, but it’s enough to make a meaningful difference in the correct musical context.
Have fun!
The Synthesizer V manual isn’t exactly exceptional, and it often leaves me wondering how one might use certain parameters in a practical setting. For example, why would I use “Tone Shift”?
Some time ago I learned that vowel sounds change as we lower or raise our voice. That is to say, vowels sound one way when we whisper, and another when we shout. This phenomenon is caused by a shift in emphasis of the harmonic frequencies of any given vowel.
For most pitched musical instruments, the fundamental frequency is the loudest partial, while the upper harmonics become progressively quieter. There are some exceptions, such as the oboe where the fifth harmonic (third overtone as oboes produce only odd harmonics) is the loudest. But the human vowel sounds are not so rigid.
“Don’t speak to me in that tone of voice!”
When you shout, the upper harmonics become emphasized. Whispering does the opposite.
In terms of singing, loud operatic singing emphasizes the upper harmonics, allowing the vocalist to be heard above an orchestra. (Remember, orchestral instruments become quieter in the upper harmonics, the opposite of a loud human voice.) Crooners, on the other hand, have stronger lower harmonics that sound like they are singing quietly into your ear. Or at least quietly into the microphone. (Note that microphone technology is crucial to the existence of crooning.)
Is this what the “Tone Shift” thing in SynthV is doing? Changing between an “outdoor” voice and an “indoor” voice? It kinda sounds like it, but I wanted to put my hypothesis to the test.
And here’s the result using the [a] vowel:
The red line represents a higher (not highest) “Tone Shift” setting, and the blue line represents a lower (not lowest) setting. Notice how the red fundamental is much quieter than the blue fundamental. Also note how the red upper harmonics are louder than the blue harmonics (except near the very top, which is getting to the limit of my hearing range.)
In practical terms, one could equate a higher “Tone Shift” setting to a louder voice, and/or one further from the microphone; and a lower setting to a quieter voice, and/or one closer to the microphone. Operatic versus crooning!
To be fair, however, the change is not super dramatic, but it’s enough to make a meaningful difference in the correct musical context.
Have fun!
That's not quite it. Did you check the fan made manual too?
Tone Shift - Synthesizer V Studio Unofficial User Manual
It explains it pretty clearly. And if I remember correctly, the official video tutorial also explains this. But to reiterate, it can force the timbre and pronunciation of the voice to sound as it would if it were 4 semitones down, for example, or 4 semitones up. That's why it's in cents. So basically, if you have a voicebank that goes into falsetto at C5, and you don't want that for your song, you can use tone shift to take the tone from four semitones below that and use that at C5. So the most common usage is to change the register the voice is using.
The official video tutorial talks about tone shift at 1:49.
Tone Shift - Synthesizer V Studio Unofficial User Manual
It explains it pretty clearly. And if I remember correctly, the official video tutorial also explains this. But to reiterate, it can force the timbre and pronunciation of the voice to sound as it would if it were 4 semitones down, for example, or 4 semitones up. That's why it's in cents. So basically, if you have a voicebank that goes into falsetto at C5, and you don't want that for your song, you can use tone shift to take the tone from four semitones below that and use that at C5. So the most common usage is to change the register the voice is using.
The official video tutorial talks about tone shift at 1:49.
I wouldn't call that a clear explanation. It reads like someone trying to explain it to themselves while in the process of writing.
In my opinion, a good explanation would start with practical use scenarios for those that want to get up and go. That would then be followed by a detailed technical explanation for people (like me) who want further information.
Nevertheless, cents are just another way of measuring frequency, but in relation to note pitch rather than absolute frequency. When shouting or whispering, the frequency shift of emphasized harmonics can be measured in cents if one wishes.
The video says "kinda like moving between head voice and chest voice." I will concede that this is a good description. Head vs chest changes the timbre in a manner similar to loud vs quiet, and that's not a coincidence. Shouting increases airflow, which puts more pressure on the vocal folds, thereby changing how they vibrate. Head voice involves stretching the vocal folds, which puts more tension on the folds, also changing how they vibrate. In both cases, the resonant frequencies are altered in a similar manner.
It's important to remember that "head voice" does not mean singing with the head, and "chest voice" does not mean singing with the chest. These designations refer to human perception of frequency, which is influenced by our physiology. (As that weird-but-awesome mixing video mentions, the skull is a resonator.) So a voice with higher resonant frequencies is a "head voice," and one with lower resonant frequencies is a "chest voice." The same could be set for quiet vs loud voices. (e.g. Shouting your head off.)
Of course, the "Tone Shift" parameter is in reality neither head vs voice or loud vs quiet, as it is more of an artificial approximation.
(Finally, I'm not filled with confidence by any tutorial that uses "kinda" to describe functions.)
Is there a parameter that is similar to the Vocaloid parameter Portamento? I haven't been able to find one, and for now I'm just manually adding it, but that gets tedious after a bit.
No, you used to be able to adjust portamento on a note by note basis though, and select multiple notes as well.