PowerFX has announced the release of "Oliver", their first product for Vocaloid 3, the updated singing synthesis software from Yamaha.

"Oliver" is modeled after a real vocalist, a 12 year old choir boy with a pure and clear voice. "Oliver has the best pronunciation of any Vocaloid to date", says Bil Bryant of PowerFX. "Improvements in the synthesis software and the addition of being able to record tri-phones have improved the quality and naturalness of the vocal."

The release of Vocaloid 3 is a departure from the previous two versions of Vocaloid where each title included the editor and the voice bank (the Artist). As of Vocaloid 3, an artist title includes the voice bank and a lite version of the editor. The lite version is only 17 bars long and allows one imported stereo track.

The full version of the Vocaloid 3 editor is sold separately and can be used with many different Vocaloid 3 artists as well as Vocaloid 2 artists. Another difference with Vocaloid 3 is that it is a standalone version only with no VST implementation. "I think the Vocaloid 3 editor is easier to use than previous versions", states Bryant, "we are really excited to hear what users are going to create with Vocaloid 3".

Vocaloid3 Editor Lite has the following functionalities:

• Piano-roll style note editor, importing functionality from a standard MIDI file (limited for 1 track and 17 bars).
• Inputting lyrics and automatic conversion to phonemes.
• Assigning musical expression templates from an Icon Palette.
• Sending notes, lyrics and musical expression to the Synthesis Engine as set forth below and activating synthesis.
• Saving vocal data as a wave file.
• Changing synthesis parameters.
• Effects (Reverb only).
• Playback .wav files.

Pricing & Availability

Oliver is available as a digital download for $129 and the DVD is $149, which includes free shipping. The Vocaloid 3 editor alone is $119.95 and PowerFX has an introductory offer of Oliver and the full Vocaloid 3 editor for $199 including shipping.

For more information on all the Vocaloid products from PowerFX go to: powerfx.com/vocaloid