About

UTAU is a Japanese singing synthesizer application created by Ameya/Ayame (飴屋/菖蒲). Similar to Vocaloid, the software allows users to create synthesized singing voices, though UTAU differs in that it is freeware/shareware rather than commercially licensed. Released in 2008 as a free support tool available for download from its official website, the program’s name means “to sing” in Japanese.

The voice libraries created for the software are officially called “UTAU,” though fans commonly refer to them as “UTAUloids,” as well as “voicebanks” or "libraries." Over the years, countless voicebanks have been developed by independent creators.

History

UTAU grew out of the “Jinriki Bōkaroido” (Manual Vocaloid) practice, where users edited and reconstructed existing vocals into synthesized singing.^[1] The development of UTAU began when Ameya experimented with recombining vocal samples from existing singers using Audacity, while Melodyne was used to correct pitch and arrange the samples into songs. This process became known within the community as “human-powered VOCALOID.” The software was first announced on the Japanese video-sharing website Nico Nico Douga in 2008.

On February 5th, 2008, a demonstration video^[2] showcasing the program’s graphical user interface was released. At this stage, the software had expanded to include features such as time-stretching vocal samples, creating oto.ini configuration files, and editing pitch bends for notes.

A more detailed video explaining the software’s specifications was uploaded to Nico Nico Douga^[3] on March 5, 2008, and on March 15th, 2008, the program was officially renamed UTAU.

Spread

Much of the UTAU program's spread is centered around the versatility of the program, allowing anyone to record and create new UTAUloids for free. Further spread can be largely attributed to the eventual popularity of Kasane Teto, a character and voicebank created in 2008 as part of an April Fools’ joke parodying a new Vocaloid release.

Teto made her debut on April 1st, 2008, on the message board 2ch. After the April Fools’ prank gained unexpected popularity, the character continued to attract a large fan following and was later adapted into a UTAU voicebank.^[4] The earliest video of Teto singing was posted to nicovideo by user^[5] tattoo2003 on April 6th, 2008.

The character quickly gained popularity within online music and anime communities following the release of several viral songs and videos.

For example, the 2008 song "Triple Baka," produced by LamazeP and featuring Teto, Hatsune Miku and popular fan character Akita Neru became a staple of early internet culture.

A reupload of the original Nico Nico Douga video, posted to YouTube^[6] by user @seisatsu, has amassed over 24 million views since it was posted on November 13th, 2010.

Similarly, the song "Fukkireta," also produced by LamazeP, spread rapidly throughout both Japanese and English-speaking online communities and video-sharing websites. An extended and fully colorized version posted by Niconico^[7] user F91 on May 15th, 2010, has since reached over 1 million views, with other reuploads across different sites amassing millions of views.

The software continued to see wide use throughout the years, with the ability to create custom voicebanks remaining the primary draw of the program. As the software became more and more advanced, internet users began making custom UTAUs for celebrities, public figures, characters and more.

For example, on September 1st, 2019, YouTuber^[8] @Minnemi uploaded a cover of "Suki Kirai" utilizing custom SpongeBob and Squidward UTAUs. The video has received over 1.2 million views in about six years.

Another Example, posted by YouTuber^[9] @yorumeityou7647 uploaded a cover of "We Don't Talk Anymore" by Charlie Puth, which uses the voices of custom "Obamaloid" and "Trumploid" voice banks. The video received 16,000 views in about six years.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References