Other Software Western VSynth Market Survey

[Calories]

Hello! I'm conducting a short anonymous survey about the Western singing-synthesis community as part of market research for a business proposal.

As for myself, I'm a representative of a relatively small company that sees an opportunity in the western vocal synth market. I've spoken with some connected individuals and have come to my own conclusions. Much of the information I am collecting is preliminary research that will play a part in deciding the outcome of a licensing agreement between my business and another, with the goal being that my company interests are aligned with the western vocal synth community. Put simply: I want to make products that people will actually want to buy, rather than assuming I already know what the market wants.

This is an opportunity to have your opinions counted in research that will be presented directly to developers and companies in the vocal-synthesis industry. I'm particularly interested in what users actually want from voicebanks, what they currently spend, what makes them choose or reject a voice, and what they think is missing from the market.

The survey takes about 5–10 minutes, and you don't need to be a producer or purchaser to participate. Anyone with an interest in singing synthesis is welcome.

Western Singing-Synthesis Market Survey

This anonymous, 21-question survey is being conducted to better understand consumer preferences and purchasing behavior within the Western singing-synthesis community. Responses will be used as market research for a business proposal concerning singing voice synthesis technology and voicebank...

docs.google.com

Please understand that I will not, and in some circumstances cannot, answer every question regarding the survey. I will gladly answer any questions that will not compromise its integrity.

Some FAQs from previous responders:

Q: Who are you? Who are you talking to?
A: I'm sorry but I won't say as that would skew the results of the survey. I do not represent an existing "vocal synth company", nor do I have a formalized affiliation with existing vocal synth companies.

Q: Do you wish to update old voices?
A: Only if there is reasonable demand not being being met by other companies, in-development or otherwise.

 

[Bookworm2]

I've filled out the form. I hope that your company decides to move forward with vocal synthesis, it's always nice to see more companies get interested. A word of advice, though: don't try to promise something huge or over promise and under deliver. That's lead to many an issue with up-and-coming companies.

 

[Calories]

I've filled out the form. I hope that your company decides to move forward with vocal synthesis, it's always nice to see more companies get interested. A word of advice, though: don't try to promise something huge or over promise and under deliver. That's lead to many an issue with up-and-coming companies.

Thank you for completing it, and your advice is reasonable. This is an industry I've been on the sidelines looking-in for a while and I don't wish to repeat the same mistakes as others. To be frank with you, I will not be making a single promise to anyone publicly because I don't think that's good business.

 

[Haiyin-6]

I filled out the form as well, good luck and I'm looking forward to seeing what is planned!

 

[Grzesiek11]

First things first, it's very cool that you're getting feedback directly from the community. I appreciate that!

I am not a producer - you did say that you are looking for opinions by non-producers as well, but I have personally found it difficult to fill out the survey, and as such I have so far not filled it out. I have played around in OpenUTAU to get a feel for how producing a voice works, but I have never considered buying a voicebank, because realistically I have no reason to, and it'd be a waste of money, as I am not a producer.

For example, question 10: "When deciding whether to purchase a singing voicebank, how important are the following characteristics?", well, I never decided whether to buy one or not. Similarly, question 9 "What are the most common reasons you decide not to purchase a voicebank?" is required even if you selected "No" in question 8 "Have you ever decided not to purchase a voicebank because it was too expensive?".

Should I answer from the perspective of "if I was a producer, what would I do"? I could answer from that perspective, because I have, for example, looked at voicebank prices (my reaction was usually "how can anyone ever afford that", but I also have looked at the prices of other music production software like DAWs and plugins, and well, this seems to be a trend).

 

[Calories]

First things first, it's very cool that you're getting feedback directly from the community. I appreciate that!

I am not a producer - you did say that you are looking for opinions by non-producers as well, but I have personally found it difficult to fill out the survey, and as such I have so far not filled it out. I have played around in OpenUTAU to get a feel for how producing a voice works, but I have never considered buying a voicebank, because realistically I have no reason to, and it'd be a waste of money, as I am not a producer.

For example, question 10: "When deciding whether to purchase a singing voicebank, how important are the following characteristics?", well, I never decided whether to buy one or not. Similarly, question 9 "What are the most common reasons you decide not to purchase a voicebank?" is required even if you selected "No" in question 8 "Have you ever decided not to purchase a voicebank because it was too expensive?".

Should I answer from the perspective of "if I was a producer, what would I do"? I could answer from that perspective, because I have, for example, looked at voicebank prices (my reaction was usually "how can anyone ever afford that", but I also have looked at the prices of other music production software like DAWs and plugins, and well, this seems to be a trend).

I must admit the most useful data to me is that from producers and those who purchase voicebanks. While I did say producers and non-producers alike could participate, I mostly geared towards the former. I'll make slight adjustments to what is required on the survey, thank you for pointing this out.