DIVA Sample Library showcased in Game Score

[sonicthreadz]

Hello NS!

I just wanted to take a moment to share my initial experiences with the DIVA sample library, produced by Francis Belardino (www.beladmedia.com). I\'m making extensive use of it in a game soundtrack I\'m working on (Freeworld Online MMORPG) and I am really enthusiastic about the great work he\'s done on this library.

DIVA is a haunting, rich, and colorful set of samples. It really adds a mystical quality to a composition, and it works well in any level of a mix. I\'ve used it to carry a solo line as well as a subordinate backup to soprano sections in other choir libraries. It blends very well with VOTA and other choral sets.

I\'m really anxious for DIVA Extended, an add-on that will really flesh out and \"extend\" the possibilities with this great library. For those of you who haven\'t checked out DIVA yet, you can hear it in action in the Freeworld Online score.

http://www.scottbmorton.com/freeworld_score.htm (\"http://www.scottbmorton.com/freeworld_score.htm\")

Tracks 2,3, 19, and 20 currently have DIVA in some form in them. More DIVA will show up in future tracks for this game.

Congrats, Francis, on a great library. I\'m really looking forward to your upcoming choral libraries.

-Scott B. Morton
Indy Game Composer

[Bela D Media]

This is wonderful news.

Thank you both for your support.

[Alan Lastufka]

Just got a chance to listen to the mp3\'s, very nice use of this great lib...

It\'s nice to see DIVA being used in a project like this, and fitting in so well. The compositions are lovely SonicThreadz...

AL

[Jared Hudson]

Ya know, I\'ve never commented on this library. I give praise to Francis for the fantastic attempt at capturing solo voices for sampling, and it indeed the best of its kind, but then again, isn\'t it the only one? Maybe it\'s just me, but I feel this library still sounds synthetic in the way the samples were used. It could possibly be because of the way you tried to give full control of the voice on every note and velocity, rather than a short style riff run through. I personally prefer a real soloist anyday of the week, and I\'m sure you all can agree. Isn\'t there anyone you would know with a decent singing voice? DIVA just sounds a little \"flat\", and unemotional, like a robot trying to emulate a human voice. It sounds good, but deep down you KNOW it\'s not a real person. Great library if you don\'t have access to a good singer though, but then again, I think there\'s a big spread between the two also. images/icons/cool.gif

Jared

[Houston Haynes]

Originally posted by Jared Hudson:
Maybe it\'s just me, but I feel this library still sounds synthetic in the way the samples were used.

[snip]

DIVA just sounds a little \"flat\", and unemotional, like a robot trying to emulate a human voice.

Jared <font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">Dude, it\'s just you... images/icons/rolleyes.gif

[Scott Cairns]

I personally prefer a real soloist anyday of the week, and I\'m sure you all can agree. Isn\'t there anyone you would know with a decent singing voice?<font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">Two things;

- the budget may not allow for a real vocalist/hiring a studio (if a studio is required)
- you may not have the time. For example, its 11pm and the project is due tomorrow morning.

Actually a third one; you may not have access to decent talent in a specified period of time. (Soloist is booked out or there are no great ones in your area)

[Jared Hudson]

Originally posted by Scott Cairns:
</font><blockquote><font size=\"1\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">quote:</font><hr /><font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">I personally prefer a real soloist anyday of the week, and I\'m sure you all can agree. Isn\'t there anyone you would know with a decent singing voice?<font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">Two things;

- the budget may not allow for a real vocalist/hiring a studio (if a studio is required)
- you may not have the time. For example, its 11pm and the project is due tomorrow morning.

Actually a third one; you may not have access to decent talent in a specified period of time. (Soloist is booked out or there are no great ones in your area) </font><hr /></blockquote><font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">Well, I meant if maybe you knew any nearby relatives, or friends that would do it. images/icons/grin.gif Don\'t get me wrong. DIVA is one of a kind, and definitely worth it if you didn\'t have anyone.

Jared

[Bela D Media]

Of course DIVA could never replace a real opera singer. But please know this - both women that were sampled are just that. They are both full time singers for the Philadelphia Opera Company.

- Just a quick defensive of the talent used. images/icons/smile.gif

Back to the topic:

I believe what you are hearing is the beat of the vibrato. Diva Extended, featuring straight tone and delayed vibrato, will help us convince you and your clients even more. But of course, even with this extended version, it will always fall short of a \"live\" vocalist.

Do other voice libraries replace what they have sampled? Of course not.
Do they capture every possible nuance? Not even close.
Are they amazing and powerful tools? Without question.

I appreciate and respect everything you had said.

Best
FB

EDIT IN:

\"It could possibly be because of the way you tried to give full control of the voice on every note and velocity, rather than a short style riff run through\"


Finally, yet importantly, Performance Files. Possibly the most exciting section of DIVA is a trilogy of mood driven phrases. All captured with natural legato and a varying degree of breathing, and mouth noises.

[Markus S]

Originally posted by sonicthreadz:

DIVA is a haunting, rich, and colorful set of samples. It really adds a mystical quality to a composition, and it works well in any level of a mix. I\'ve used it to carry a solo line as well as a subordinate backup to soprano sections in other choir libraries. It blends very well with VOTA and other choral sets.

<font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">I second that, it really works well with vota (I tried it with the angels pad). I am crazy about the voice of solist 2, which is very dark and doomful. Diva has it\'s own human expression, which seems the only possibility for a solo vocal library. I mean you can\'t create a solo voice library without the expression of a specific \"feeling\", which excludes of course all the other feelings. That Diva has such a personal charactere is certainly an advantage, if not it would not sound so human (IMO). Let\'s imagine this: you have one pad for joy, one for sadness, one for religios expression, one for agressif expression :-D. There\'s still lot to sample!
Anyway, good luck for Bela D Media!

[KingIdiot]

I\'ll back Jared because Houston is being a jerk images/icons/smile.gif

I dont think the syntheticness has anything to do with the recording or the talent tho. Its just the fact thats its samples. Piecing ahhs and oohs together jsut never sounds real. Its most noticable with solo voice since its pretty much impossible to recreate it with samples (without some sort of legato option, and dynamic controls).

I have heard samples of solo voice from custom recordings that do tend to make me forget its a sample, but they are a totally different style of voice, not to mention also sampled by someone who knows how to sample what he needs, which is different than sampling for a library for many people that have different needs.

[damoy]

its pretty much impossible to recreate it with samples (without some sort of legato option, and dynamic controls). <font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">Well I have to agree with this to some degree; even Francis said that a real opera singer could not be replaced. But have you had a chance to play with Diva yet? It has a pretty nice bag of tricks that allow you to achieve some fairly convincing results (until the v.XX update when we have the \"King legato option\" and \"King dynamic controls\" that will allow us to get freakishly convincing results images/icons/grin.gif ). And when not comparing to a real vocalist, I think you\'d agree that Diva pretty much has to be the top in it\'s category, wouldn\'t ya? Beyond realism, this has definitely been one of the most expressive, vibrant, inspiring libs that I\'ve worked with.

[KingIdiot]

you\'re right, I haven\'t had a chance to play with Diva yet. I will at some point, maybe. Francis made a point in another thread, that I\'m not so sure I agree with yet. If I dont like the sound of it in the demos, I probably wont like it when I get it. I usually think I can get a bit more (or even different sound) out of libs than they originally intend, but I jsut dont have the $$$ to justify buying a lib I dont need just yet, not to mention I\'m not sure of what I could do with it.

Anyhow, I\'m not really passing judgement on what this library can and cant do, just trying to get to the idea behind what Jared\'s probably hearing.

I\'m not sure if its really me comparing to a real voice conciously, but its something we\'re jsut so used to.

[Markus S]

Maybe we should not judge too hard on what sounds like the real thing and what not. After all, there are not very much sampled instruments that could fool a trained ear. Especially section strings, even the best, sound very synthy to me. That\'s no reason not to use them or sample them. It\'s even necessary to sample them to get better and better in it. So about solo voices. I, for myself, really like the sound of DIVA, and to me it\'s not synthy. It might be a matter of taste, I heard some new libraries, very praised for it\'s realism and found them very artificial sounding.

[sonicthreadz]

My opinion on DIVA and other sample sets is this: Performance realism is a great thing to strive for if you\'re into that, but samples aren\'t just about trying to imitate the real. Samples can have sonic value themselves by just the way they sound. Is there something better about a live choir than a sampled or even a synth choir? Maybe . . . but only in certain settings. For some, (me included) the \"sampled\" or \"synth\" sound quality is a compositional element all its own.

I think the bottom line is, let\'s judge DIVA and other sample libraries not on what they \"should\" be, but rather, what they ARE and in what character they can serve in the compositions you write today. And in that aspect . . . DIVA is an even more unique and wonderful product simply for the character it can add to a piece, regardless of the fact that it\'s not a real opera singer.

(grin)

-Scott