☢ GuideBGMs ☢

☆ Simple GuideBGMs ☆ 単純なBGM ☆

Each package includes 49 guideBGMs spanning 4 octaves from C2 to C6. This should cover just about any pitch you'd want to record at.

All guideBGMs are compatible with OREMO and RecStar. MIDIs are also included if you want to edit them and make your own.

それぞれパッケージの中にC2からC6まで4オクターブにわたる49BGMがあります。あらゆる多分録音したい音程についてこれは十分だろう。

BGMはOREMOとRecStarに対応しています。変更したくなら、MIDIも含められています。

Downloads (v2.0.0)・ダウンロード（v2.0.0）

4 beats・4拍	8 beats・8拍	12 beats・12拍
100 BPM (7.2 sec)	100 BPM (9.6 sec)	100 BPM (12.0 sec)
120 BPM (6.0 sec)	120 BPM (8.0 sec)	120 BPM (10.0 sec)
150 BPM (4.8 sec)	150 BPM (6.4 sec)	150 BPM (8.0 sec)

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How it Works・仕組み

The woodblock will count you off for 4 beats before a piano starts playing quarter notes. A chime will sound on the 4th beat, cueing you to inhale and get ready to start singing on the 5th beat.

The recording starts 2 beats before the utterance and ends 2 beats after the last piano note, giving between 800 and 1200 msec of padding on either side (depending on tempo).

ウッドブロックが4拍で演奏します。それから、ピアノが四分音符を弾いて始めます。4番目の拍でチャイムが鳴らします。これは吸って五番目の拍で歌って始めるキューです。

録音は発声の2拍前に初めて、ピアノが終わりの2拍後に終わります。だから、テンポによる、両側に800から1200ミリ秒のパディングがあります。

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Example of Usage・使用例

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Which BGM to Use・どのBGMを使うか

Normal time (1/1) = each syllable/mora is held for 1 beat.
Half time (1/2) = each syllable/mora is held for 2 beats.
Quarter time (1/4) = each syllable/mora is held for 4 beats.

通常のタイム(1/1) = 音節かモーラは1拍で歌います。
ハーフタイム(1/2) = 音節かモーラは2拍で歌います。
クォータータイム(1/4) = 音節かモーラは4拍で歌います。

Syllables・モーラ	Time・タイム	BGM
1 - 5	1/1	4 beats・4拍
5 - 9	1/1	8 beats・8拍
9 - 13	1/1	12 beats・12拍
14+	1/1	custom・カスタム
1 - 2	1/2	4 beats・4拍
3 - 4	1/2	8 beats・8拍
5 - 6	1/2	12 beats・12拍
7+	1/2	custom・カスタム
1	1/4	4 beats・4拍
2	1/4	8 beats・8拍
3	1/4	12 beats・12拍
4+	1/4	custom・カスタム

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Changelog・変更履歴

v2.0:

• Piano is a little bit louder so hearing the pitch is easier (hopefully)
• Added 2nd and 5th octaves; total range is now C2 to C6
• Added 4-beat guideBGMs at 150 BPM
• Added 8-beat guideBGMs at 100 and 150 BPM
• Added 12-beat guideBGMs at 100, 120, and 150 BPM
• Added utterance stopping/starting markers to configuration files + Japanese translation
• Added readme file in English and Japanese

• ピアノはもっと大きいから音程が聞きやすくなった
• 二番目と五番目オクターブが追加した。範囲はC2からC6になった
• 150BPMで4拍のBGMが追加した
• 100、150BPMで8拍のBGMが追加した
• 100、120、150BPMで12拍のBGMが追加した
• コンフィグのファイルに発声の音始めと終わりのコメントが追加した + 日本語訳
• 英語と日本語でreadmeのファイルが追加した

v1.0:

• Initial release
• Included 4-beat guideBGMs at 100 and 120 BPM
• Included 8-beat guideBGMs at 120 BPM
• Pitch range was C3 to C5

• 初回リリース
• 100、120BPMで4拍のBGMが含んだ
• 120BPMで8拍のBGMが含んだ
• 範囲はC3からC5だった

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Terms of Use・利用規約

Feel free to edit the .midi, .wav, and .txt files to your liking.

Distribution of edits and original files is allowed, but credit to me (FelineWasteland) is appreciated if you do so.

Attribution for usage in voicebank development is unnecessary.

.midi、.wav.、.txtのファイルを変更することは許可されています。

再配布は許可されていますが、作者の氏名（FelineWasteland）を表示してが歓迎します。

音源の開発の使うことについて、作者の氏名を表示することは不要です。

☆ Guide to GuideBGMs ☆

GuideBGMs (guide background music) are audio files meant to be sung along with while recording to help keep you in-time and in-tune.

Generally, keeping your audio samples as consistant as possible allows for better synthesis. Tempo affects the length of the phones, and recording pitch affects both tone of voice and transitions between samples. While it's strongly recommended to record with a metronome of any kind, a guideBGM can provide not only the tempo, but also the pitch to match while singing.

How to Use

Step 1. Download one or more guideBGMs you want to use and place them where ever is convient for you. I recommend the guidebgm folder in your OREMO program files because it will be easy to find them. You can create subfolders inside this for more organization.

Step 2. Launch OREMO.

Step 3. Go to Options > Recording Style Settings.

Step 4. Click on the folder icon next to Guide Music File., find where you saved the guideBGM you wish to use, and select the .wav file, NOT the .txt file.

Step 5. Select either Automatic Recording 1 or Automatic Recording 2.

Automatic 1 will play the guideBGM only once when <R> is pressed, and you will move on to the next string manually.

Automatic 2 will play the guideBGM in a loop when <R> is pressed and automatically move to the next line after each play. You will have to press <SHIFT+R> to stop it.

Step 6. Return to the main application and hit <R> on your keyboard when you are ready to record. The guideBGM should play according to your settings.

Step 7. Repeat until the voicebank is fully recorded

☆ How to Make GuideBGMs ☆

Writing the BGM

The first step to making the guideBGM is, unsurprisingly, to make the BGM itself. You can use any DAW that will let you export .wav files.

There aren't really any restrictions of what the BGM can be, but remember that the purpose is for the singer to match pitch and tempo, like using a tuning fork and metronome at the same time. In other words, it should have a clear pulse for syllable/mora timing, and the target pitch should be easy to parse.

Yours does not have to be as bare-bones as mine are, but personally I find that the more "musical" BGMs are harder for me to follow, or become annoying to listen to over time. Others may find that BGMs with more layers or complexity make it easier to feel like they're singing a song.

It's probably best to build the BGM as a MIDI, for two reasons: 1) it will ensure the pitch and tempo are exact, and 2) it will make it much easier to export it at a variety pitches and tempos. The second factor may not apply if you're creating one for a specific purpose rather than general use, but nonetheless it's good to keep in mind.

Here's some general tips:

• You (or whoever is using the BGM) will be listening to it dozens if not hundreds of times; try not to write anything that you'll find irritating to hear over and over.
• Quarter notes in 4/4 time are usually the easiest to count. It can also be helpful to have an obvious downbeat (first beat of each measure).
• While you don't have to keep all instrument voices in monotone, remember to write in the key of the target pitch. Also, harmonies can be distracting and might cause the singer to match to the wrong pitch, so keep the main instrument voice solo.
• Keep in mind the string lengths that the BGM will be used to record; you don't typically need an eight bar tune (32 beats) since most reclist strings are only about 1 to 10 syllables/morae long.
• Make sure to leave some "padding" on either side of the expected recording area to ensure none of the utterance is cut off. One or two measures before and after the expected utterance is plenty. This also gives the vocalist time to read the new string, inhale, and get ready to start singing it; the utterance should not be expected to start on beat 1 of measure 1.

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Syllable Timing

The most convinient tempos to use are 100 BPM, 120 BPM, and 150 BPM. The reason is because the duration of each beat plays an important role in setting up the BGM configuration file as well as in configuring the oto of any voicebank recorded with it, and these three tempos give us easy numbers to work with.

	100 BPM	120 BPM	150 BPM
Duration of 1 beat (normal time)	600 msec	500 msec	400 msec
Duration of 2 beats (half time)	1200 msec	1000 msec	800 msec
Duration of 4 beats (quarter time)	2400 msec	2000 msec	1600 msec

^{100 BPM in half time = 50 BPM in normal time, 120 in half time = 60 in normal time, and so on.}

We don't typically want syllables to be held less than 400 msec because that gives us hardly any vowel to work with and can make it difficult to articulate consonants. Syllables more than ~2000 msec long are more prone to irregularities in the vowel and just really aren't necessary.

As far as pitch goes, this will simply be dependant on the intended pitch of the recordings.

If you plan to export the same BGM at multiple pitches and tempos, use a folder and filename system that makes it easy to tell which .wav file is for which combination.

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Writing the Configuration File

The configuration file will be a .txt file with the same name as its corresponding .wav file. If the names aren't identical, OREMO and RecStar won't know what BGM it goes with.

The format is very simple. The first line of the config will declare one of three units of measurement: msec, sec, or sample. I recommend using milliseconds, as this is what the oto uses, and means you won't have to mess with decimals. (Admittedly, I don't know what is meant here by "samples"; I haven't experimented with that unit). Be sure not to include whitespace in this declaration.

Below that, there will be one empty line, followed by the rest of the config. The format for these lines is as follows:

The event number will start with 1 and increase numerically for as many lines as there are in the config.

The timestamp is the position at which the event will occur. Playback of the BGM will always start at the timestamp declared in line 1. Make sure that each timestamp is larger than the one before it to prevent recording errors.

Note: If you don't want to calculate the timestamps manually, or if you want to check your work, you can look at the guideBGM file in a software like Audacity that will let you see the precise timestamps.

The next four numbers are binary variables that tell the software what type of event will occur at that position. These will only ever be 0 or 1, and only one event of each type should occur per BGM, otherwise it can cause errors.

The repeat BGM event should go on the same line as the move to next string event.

The comment is what will be displayed at the bottom of the screen in OREMO when each event is occuring; this is not to be confused with a comment line headed by #.

At minimum, a BGM config will have 2 lines (plus the unit declaration):

But it's better to separate the events to help with pacing and prevent recording errors. So, a true minimalist approach to a BGM should look more like this:

To include "empty" events — as in, events which only display comments and don't do anything else — simply set every event value to 0. These can go anywhere past the first line and before the move to next string event, but remember to number them as well.

Additionally, the repeat event line does not have to go back to line 1 if, for example, your BGM has an intro that you don't want to repeat every time. Likewise, the timestamp of line 1 does not have to be 0 if you don't want playback to start at the beginning of the .wav file.

Here's an example of a BGM made for a 4-beat utterance at 120 BPM:

And for an example of an actual config file made for one of my BGMs:

Double check your BGM carefully for typos, since OREMO does not have a lot of failsafes in place for errors, and always test them yourself before distribution to make sure the timing works as intended.

One final note: if you are using OREMO and you have Japanese characters in your comments, remember to encode the config files in Shift JIS so that OREMO will display them correctly.