Originally Posted By: Rob Buford
-- Cost is a very real consideration for this piece of gear. I still have another three weeks to evaluate it before I have to make the decision to keep or return it. A lot of vendors offer that option. However, after only a few days with it I'm about 90% sure I'll keep it. I know it's hard to believe it will do what it claims, but it does. I was skeptical too. -- "What'll they think of next?!" (common old-person rant) --


Been thinking, especially because of your enthusiasm, about getting the VL3x for studio work. Tried other stuff like Antares Harmony engine VST, costs over 200 bucks if you buy it LoL. Antares, well if one is happy with a kind of Mickey Mouse voice singing along the latter seems OK.

But indeed for the costs the VL3x is a bit steep. My experience so far with quite expensive gear that is a selling success prices might drop quite a bit even within a year or so, so investing is only wise if one can make good use of it straight away. Seems a bit cheaper BTW here in Europe, around 800 to 850 Euros. But i'd like to get my hands one one, but probably only would use it to create a specific harmony, and experiment with transgender (female) vocals.

BTW I bought Vocaloid 4 a while back, but it's far to complicated regarding phonetics editing, if you want to work fast, and the software really hicks and slows down your DAW if you want to connect it via rewire or use the specific Cubase related VST plugin.

But some get amazing results, by a lot of work experimenting with controlling it via phonetics and symbols plus pitch and filter controllers not even found in the manual. Probably using them from Japanese or Chinese versions. Example of a Vocaloid 2 done by a real expert (IMO the older voice database "Sweet Ann" was imported into the Vocaloid 3 standalone editor):



As for the VL Rack you might be right; an updated version might be at hand, prices are about the same for the VL3x still, but prices for the VL Rack are sometimes about 30% lower if you shop around.