Bought version 4 a while ago, rarely used it, couln't get it going like in the clip below, and now there's a hugely improved version 5 ... any users and opinions?
PS Was lured into buying version 4 it because of this clip (was not really impressed by all the Japanese dance music being produced so far with it):
That is a super impressive demonstration. I would say this audio track indicates Alberto Fernández Moldes is a very talented musician and programmer.
It will be interesting to read what forum member dcuny has to say. He likely has more experience with Vocaloids than anyone else in the forum.
The lead singer is "Sweet Ann" with harmonies provided by vocaloids "Avanna" and "Big Al". The overall effect is stunning but after close listening I can notice some words have all the formats correct but while the overall sound is pleasing the actual words are not distinct. I don't think someone can accurately transcribe the song lyrics using just this audio recording.
The backing tracks are impressive too. To my ear the weak instrument is the piano solo. That's some of the most natural sounding sampled or modeled guitar tracks I've heard.
WOW, an amazing demo. I've often been tempted to buy one to use with biab. You might just have tempted me to push the boat out next year sometime. Jim, I could make out ever word in this song. I've love Patsy Montanas' songs and would like to hear some more old country songs, maybe some ballads before I decide ?
Loved the fiddle work in this. Patsy herself of course was a great fiddler as well as singer / songwriter
Wow, it is the first time I have heard that song with Vocaloid. Very impressive.
I have played around quite a bit with Vocaloid (not v5 though) and I'm quite sure that you can get good results if you have A LOT of patience and time to program it.
It is - however - worth considering if you are not better off paying a real singer a small amount of money to do the vocals - if you check places like fiverr.com and others, you will see that it is not too expensive to get a real singer.
I guess it is a matter about how your value your time... you can for sure get good results with Vocaloid (or Realivox Ladies, etc.), but if you spend 3 days to make it sound good it might be worth considering other options.
Sweet ANN is a Vocaloid 2. That tells you something about the skill of the person who put together this demo.
Here's a demo I did using Avanna, which is a Vocaloid 3. The backing is BiaB, and I didn't do anything special to the vocal: The Water Is Wide
I think it's a good example of the sort of results you can expect from a Vocaloid.
Vocaloids can be used to create some very appealing vocals, but even with the improvements of Vocaloid 5, nothing that will be confused with an actual human singer.
If you've got the money to spend, go ahead purchase a Vocaloid to play with. They're a cool technology.
But if your English is fairly good, even if you're not a strong singer, you'll get better results either singing yourself, or getting a friend to do it, and pitch correcting the results if necessary. Or - as suggested - find an inexpensive singer online.
Either way, the results will be much better than with a Vocaloid.
Well it sounds nice enough, and maybe with some aftermath processing adding a bit of air and light distortion (often used mixing real vocals) can do some wonders to this track? Curious how much programming went into it. Compliments !
PS read a bit through your blog page. Quite interesting, but i am no programmer. But with the possible future of humanlike robots arriving more and more this all could be very important. Otherwise we might loose out on our verbal and quite limited communication with them, and might even go under as biological species while the robots take over due their own more efficient electronic ways like wifi, bluetooth, radio etc ...
There's another pretty good sounding option: Synth V. The first official version came out yesterday (I think), but you can still try it for free. Here is a song made with Eleanor Forte (the first English voice bank):
It is a program that is quite easy and fun to use (compared with Vocaloid) - and much cheaper as well.
From the demos I'd heard, I'm not convinced the results are much different than Vocaloid. Still, I'm very happy to see it in the marketplace.
The license becomes available on December 28, for 79 USD. It's not entirely clear what's being licensed - are you purchasing the editor, the voices, or what? How many versions is the license good for? What happens when new voices or versions come out? How many instances can you have running?
Does anyone know which BIAB user is the artist behind the Syvis Entertainment Project which uses vocaloids on some awesome BIAB song creations? I really want to get in touch...
That is a super impressive demonstration. I would say this audio track indicates Alberto Fernández Moldes is a very talented musician and programmer.
as is so often the case with demos of music products. Everything that wows you is POSSIBLE, but it relies heavily on the acquired knowledge of the person who made the demo. Buying the product doesn't give you that knowledge, so most people never come anywhere close to getting the results they heard in the demo.
Kind of like buying one of those harp-itars after watching an Andy McKee video, and expecting to make recordings that sound like his because you have a similar instrument. Nope, never gonna happen.
The other thing that I hear is he probably tried out several different styles of music before he hit on an old up tempo and busy country style. Fast, no long held notes, quick phrases and the vocal is partially covered up by lots of guitar picking. And a LOT of manipulation using Melodyne.
As a quick aside concerning AI robots taking over. The best scientists in the world today still have no idea what conscientiousness is much less how to recreate it. The term "Artificial Intelligence" is nothing but a scifi term used by geeks because it sounds cool. Don't be fooled by clever programming. Ok, mini rant over.
I've heard 2 good songs since I posted in this thread last time... one with Eleanor Forte and one with Alanna (Vocaloid 3).
They both sort of convinced me that if you use this kind of "vocal" software... it actually CAN work if it is used in the right musical context. Here they are... the first one is With Eleanor and the second with Alanna:
That second one is Avanna. She is a fantastic Vocaloid (V3) and can still be used in the latest Vocaloid 5 Editor... but SADLY only for Windows users. That might not affect the majority of you... but as a Mac user that means I would have to jump through some serious hoops to work with her, and the developers say they have not intention of releasing a Mac version update.
I tried to sneak it by Janice by quietly listening while she was reading. Two bars into the vocal she looks over and says “Another vocaloid...but country this time!”
But I’m not being dismissive of the technology or the skill level required to produce an effort like this. Getting that degree of country phrasing, infections, etc., is genuinely impressive. Janice sang, including yodeling, songs like that for years in our bluegrass bands for many years so it would be difficult to “fool” her even briefly. But I was surprised as we had not discussed or listened to a vocaloid track in quite a while.
BTW, I think some of the power pop ballads sound more authentic. FWIW.
Interesting post!
Bud
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos are here on our website.
Does anyone know which BIAB user is the artist behind the Syvis Entertainment Project which uses vocaloids on some awesome BIAB song creations? I really want to get in touch... Thanks in advance!
Zedd, perhaps you're asking about forum user "dcuny". Check out +++ his post +++ to this thread just above one of your posts.
Here some of my old personal tests with femal singer Vocaloid 3. In French, English (aVANNA) and Spanish langage (MAIKA). I find Maika too realistic in spanish langage. It's true than use Vocaloid singer requires a lot of work ;-)
But I think Synthesizer V is really the one to watch. The reason is because they're applying machine learning to tuning the vocals. Here's an example they posted of a song that was automatically tuned:
Although it's still synthetic, I think it's much better than anything that I've heard up to this point. This will be first available for the Japanese voices later next year, with support for other languages to follow.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
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FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
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Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
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All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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