| SELENA | VoiSona | | | Originals |
|---|
This article is about the VoiSona software known as a voicebank. If you are looking for the VoiSona character then click here.
History[]
2024[]
Q2[]
On May 22, 2024, Chorical LLC, a United States-based independent company specializing in the development and management of virtual instruments, posted a teaser video titled The First Transmission - Chorical 2024,[1] featuring a character obscured by a dark silhouette among the stars. A caption asking the question "Who is it…?", alluding to the mysterious character, was written in the description, and the year 2024 was shown at the end of the video. No additional information was provided; however, the official Techno-Speech, Inc. Twitter account reposted the tweet, alluding to a possible collaboration with the project.
On June 2, additional tweets were posted on the official Chorical LLC Twitter account featuring a series of "Communications system override" warning messages, including a loading bar, increasing at 25% increments, and mentions of a "utf-8 encoder" (actually a Base64 encoder that expects as input a stream of UTF-8 bytes).[2][3][4][5][6] Following was an encoded message addressed to "Earthlings",[7] which upon using a Base64 decoder to decipher and interpret the resulting byte stream as UTF-8 text (hence the term "utf-8 decoder"), reveals a message written in zalgo-fied English that could be read as "I̸ s̵e̶̳e t̸̬hi̵͔s̴͘ ̵l̶͘a̷͐n̷g̷̖͊u̷͇ä̴g̵̽è̸̞—̷̓ͅi̻t̴'̡s̷̀ E̵n̴͙ğ̵li̠̅s̴͊h̸̋" or "I see this language—it's English", implying the development of an English vocalist.[8] Following this message, the official Techno-Speech, Inc. VoiSona Twitter account reposted the tweet, further alluding that this was in fact a project related to VoiSona. This was later confirmed in a tweet by the vocal synthesizer cover artist, content creator, and Chorical LLC company lead, Infoholic.[9]
On June 9, more warning-message tweets of the same nature were sent by Chorical,[10][11][12][13][14] followed by another encoded message to "Earthlings"[15] that when decoded revealed another zalgo English message ("M̶y̴ ̴n̷a̴m̷e̴.̸.̵.̸?̴ ̵C̷a̸l̴l̸ ̸m̶e̸.̶.̴.̶S̷E̸L̸E̵N̵A̶" or "My name...? Call me...SELENA")[16] which revealed the project's name as SELENA. On June 16, yet another set of warning tweets[17][18][19][20][21] plus yet another encoded message[22] were posted by Chorical, which decoded into yet another zalgo message, describing SELENA's vocal attributes: "𝐁o̷ł𝐃, ma̴tur̶e̵,̵ ̸p𝐎wer̴fu𝐋 𝐀𝐍d̴ e̶xp𝐑e̸ss̵iv𝐄; 𝐈 𝐋o̷𝐍𝐆 to̷ s𝐈n̵g̵ fo̷r ̸yo̶u." ("Bold, mature, powerful and expressive; I long to sing for you.")[23]
Q3[]
On July 22, a second video transmission was uploaded to the official Chorical YouTube channel partially unveiling parts of SELENA's illustration as well as announcing her voice provider, revealed to be the YouTube cover artist Oktavia, and illustrated by toeknee. Her release date was also announced for the fourth quarter of 2024 (Q4) and would be available in both physical and digital formats. Her first demonstration "LIFEAWAY" was also announced to be coming soon.[24]
On September 6, a newsletter from Chorical was shared by Infoholic discussing details relating to the concept and creation of SELENA. It was stated that SELENA was first introduced nine years prior on UTAFORUM.net, initially described as a "new digital diva" with the unique ability to speak English.[25] She was planned to be developed for the then-announced text-to-speech synthesizer, Festival, which also had singing synthesis capabilities, and despite receiving a fair share of criticism, it also garnered substantial support, encouraging Infoholic to bring SELENA to fruition. Through the assistance of friends and acquaintances, Infoholic was able to enhance SELENA's visual presentation and deepen their technical understanding of synthesis. It was noted that from 2015 to 2017, Infoholic worked tirelessly to bring SELENA to life, and along the way, having the privilege of meeting various individuals who would become not only friends but also future collaborators who now hold significant positions within Chorical LLC to this date.
It was noted that production of SELENA encountered various financial, emotional, and technical challenges, and it was found that continuing the SELENA project in its initial form was not feasible, needing to look into alternative synthesizer engines for SELENA's production. Following a hiatus in 2021, Infoholic returned to finish the development of the SELENA project with the core team and following a partnership with Techno-Speech, Inc. and Oktavia, was able to move forward with a product that "fully utilizes the VoiSona applications potential." The aforementioned demonstration, "LIFEAWAY", was announced to be released the following week. SELENA was described as the flagship vocal of the company's upcoming Color Spectrum Series, designed to "showcase diversity and promote inclusion", with each vocalist representing a unique color, element, language, and supernatural species. The lineup was described to be encapsulated in a fantasy narrative to add a touch of whimsy. The song "LIFEAWAY," produced by Ex-P, was announced to premiere on the Chorical YouTube channel the following Wednesday on September 11th, at 5:00 PM Central Standard Time. Alongside the music video release, Chorical announced the launch of their official website and storefront, with pre-order reservations for the package edition(s) of SELENA to begin on Friday, September 13th. More information about the package edition(s) would be posted after the premiere of the music video.[26]
On September 13, SELENA's full illustration was revealed and her first demonstration was released. She was announced to be receiving a limited-edition physical version of her Song Voice, containing the voice library and limited merchandise such as a VoiSona license card, an acrylic stand, acrylic keychain, die-cut stickers, and an exclusive 4-panel double-sided insert; a merchandise-only edition was also announced as well, containing only the physical box and an acrylic keychain. Her Song Voice would include three Singing Styles, such as: "POWER", the default singing style, capturing Oktavia's signature sound with a strong timbre, powerful belts, and mature tone; "SOFT", the contrasting singing style to "POWER," delivering a soft timbre and weaker high; and "LIGHT", a singing style which produces a more feminine, bright tone. She would include seven expressions: "Falsetto", "Edge", "Exhale", "Pitch flip-up", "Whisper", "Growl", and "Rolled R"'s. SELENA's optimal range was noted to be F3 ~ F#5, and her optimal tempo is 80 ~ 180 BPM. This versatility allows her to adjust seamlessly to the producer's artistic vision.[27][28]
Q4[]
On November 12, Chorical LLC issued a press release announcing that SELENA would officially become available for purchase on November 22 starting at 6:00 PM Central Standard Time. A fourth singing style, "HEAVY", meant to be the counterpart to "LIGHT", was announced to be added to SELENA's Song Voice (then versioned 2.2.1) along with the three previously-announced styles. Also, two of the seven original expressions, "Growl" and "Whisper", were announced to be no longer available at launch for version 2.2.1, instead postponed until a later update (versioned 2.3.0) expected to release sometime between the first quarter and early second quarter of 2025; also an eighth expression, provisionally labeled as "(secret)", was announced to be added to version 2.3.0.[29]
VoiSona[]
SELENA Song Voice[]
Product Information[]
SELENA Song Voice library for VoiSona; A feminine vocal capable of English singing synthesis.
Demonstrations[]
| Demonstrations |
|---|
|
| |
|---|---|
| LIFEAWAY |  YouTube
|
| Amazing Grace - POWER Singing Style |  SoundCloud embed
|
| Amazing Grace - SOFT Singing Style | SoundCloud embed
|
| Amazing Grace - LIGHT Singing Style | SoundCloud embed
|
| REVOLVER GIRL | YouTube
|
System Requirements[]
- Supported Operating Environment
- Windows 10 ~ 11 Japanese / English edition (64bit)
- macOS 10.12 (High Sierra) ~ 10.14 (Sonoma) or later
- CPU: Intel / AMD dual core processor or higher (4 cores or higher recommended)
- Memory: 4GB or more (8GB or more recommended)
- HDD: 1GB or more
- Display: 1280 x 720 or higher full color
- DAW: DAW software compatible with VSTi that generates 48kHz waveforms
- Other: Internet connection is required for license activation and update.
Voicebank Libraries[]
| Product Information | |
|---|---|
| Optimum | |
| Language: English Genre: Rock, Ballads Optimum Range: F3～F#5 Optimum Tempo: 80～180BPM
| |
| Package details as noted: | |
|
SELENA is a next-generation singing voice synthesis voice library that uses AI technology to learn the voice quality, habits, and singing style of the English Youtaite singer, Oktavia. She is a female singer with a voice that can cover a wide range of musical genres – from bold, high tempo rock songs to melancholy, low tempo ballads. |
Trial Version/Starter Pack |
| Trial Version: No Starter Pack: No
| |
| Voicebank sample | |
|
POWER
SOFT
LIGHT
HEAVY
| |
References[]
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1793416562105618438
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1797372650991550629
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1797376897686581693
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1797380163455660429
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1797383980511297821
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1797387715690086762
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1797387968128414120
- ↑ https://x.com/13th_redux/status/1797388851326914679
- ↑ https://x.com/_inf0holic_/status/1797423859823673763
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1799926109540413514
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1799928206830546980
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1799931981645689096
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1799935756443566081
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1799939536035905562
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1799939783361466406
- ↑ https://x.com/13th_redux/status/1799940055341105363
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1802446047483949541
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1802449822332616752
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1802453597168488910
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1802457372125966748
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1802461147611926665
- ↑ Note the use of the term "Earthlings". https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1797387715690086762
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1802461398917607707
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD7wKujaMEY
- ↑ https://utaforum.net/threads/new-digital-diva-selena.10747/
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1832101454875914694
- ↑ https://shop.chorical.com/product/version-a-launch-edition-voisona-selena-package-edition/
- ↑ https://shop.chorical.com/product/version-b-voisona-selena-package-edition/
- ↑ https://x.com/Chorical_LLC/status/1856053113612067166