Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro: Complete Guide and Production Tips

First, listen to the song used in this tutorial.

You may be surprised by how difficult it is to distinguish the voice from a human singer.
The ability for anyone to work with realistic vocals could mark a major shift in music production.

Create an Instrument Track and Set It Up

To use Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro in a DAW, as with any other synth, create a new instrument track.

For information on launching it with ARA, see the linked documentation.
https://sv2.docs.dreamtonics.com/ja/plugins

For the instrument, select Synthesizer V Studio 2 Plugin.

A new project for Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro opens automatically.

The center of the screen has two areas: Tracks and Piano Roll.

In Tracks, you can arrange multiple parts, such as lead vocals and harmonies, and assign different voice databases to each part.

Prepare a MIDI Keyboard (Optional)

In the Piano Roll, you enter notes and lyrics.
You can enter notes with a mouse, but a MIDI keyboard is useful if you want a more intuitive and faster workflow.

Connect the MIDI keyboard to your computer with a USB cable and arm recording on the DAW's instrument track. You should then hear sound from Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro.

The Piano Roll will also respond in real time.

If the MIDI keyboard does not respond, check your DAW's MIDI input settings or, instead of using a USB hub, connect the keyboard directly to the computer.

Set the Tempo and Time Signature

Before you start producing, set the tempo and time signature.

When you create a project, the DAW and Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro normally sync their tempos automatically.

If they do not match, choose Project → Tempo → Sync with Host from the menu.

The default time signature is 4/4.
The DAW's time signature is not automatically reflected in Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro.
Therefore, if your song is not in 4/4, set the time signature in Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro as well.

Click the time signature to open its editor, then change it if necessary.

Save the Project

Managing your work is also important.
Save the setup you have made so far.

By default, Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro uses File → Save inside Host for its project file.

With this setting, Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro data is included automatically in the DAW project, so saving the DAW project also saves the vocal work.
Save frequently as you work to protect against unexpected data loss.

Prepare to Enter Notes and Understand the Piano Roll

First, enter the melody for the first verse.

Having a guide melody in your DAW beforehand can make the process easier.

You will enter the notes in the main Piano Roll.
As in many DAWs, the vertical axis shows pitch and the horizontal axis shows time.

Bar numbers appear along the top. Click one to move the playhead to that position.

Vertical lines called the grid appear in the Piano Roll. Change the grid setting at the top to adjust the note division freely.
This example uses eighth notes.

Enter and Edit Notes

To enter a note, choose the Note Edit tool and double-click the desired position in the Piano Roll.

To check a pitch first, click the piano keyboard on the left side of the Piano Roll.

If a note lands in the wrong place, drag it vertically or horizontally to correct it.

If moving notes causes several notes to overlap at the same time, their lengths are adjusted automatically to prevent playback problems.

Move the pointer to a note's start or end until the cursor changes.
Then drag left or right to change the note's length.

You can also double-click and keep the mouse button pressed while dragging horizontally to set the length as you enter a note.

Press Delete to remove an unwanted note.

Navigate the Display Efficiently

If the work area is hard to see, use these controls to zoom in or out:

• Mac: Command + mouse wheel
• Windows: Ctrl + mouse wheel

Use Shift + mouse wheel to scroll horizontally and the mouse wheel alone to scroll vertically.

Assign a Voice and Play with the Accompaniment

Press Space or click the transport's Play button to hear the result.

At first you will hear a synthesizer sound because no voice has been assigned yet.
Click the relevant part on the track and select the voice you want to use.

To check it with the accompaniment in your DAW, click the playback position in the DAW and switch control to the DAW before pressing Play.
The voice will play with the accompaniment, making it easier to judge whether the melody fits the song.

Use Copy and Paste and the Metronome

If a phrase repeats, copying and pasting saves time.

Select the notes to copy and choose Copy from the right-click menu.

Click the destination, then choose Paste from the right-click menu.

You can edit pasted notes as usual.

If the rhythm is hard to follow, turn on the metronome icon at the top to hear a click during playback.

Import MIDI Data to Work Faster

When entering many notes across the verse, pre-chorus, chorus, or other sections, it is efficient to create MIDI in the DAW and import it into Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro.

In Cubase, for example, mute MIDI tracks other than the melody and set the export range with the locators.

Choose File → Export → MIDI File, name the file, select a location, and export it.

In Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro, choose File → Import Tracks (Merge), then open the melody MIDI file you exported.

Two tracks appear in the import dialog. Leave only Track 2 checked and click Import.

If the MIDI file contains overlapping notes, a screen may suggest an automatic repair.
By default, selecting Auto Fix automatically corrects overlapping notes as they are imported.
Unless you need special adjustments, you can usually click OK and continue.

Using MIDI from your DAW can make entering many notes much more efficient.

Edit Imported Notes and Manage Groups

Tracks appear in frames called Groups, which you can move as a unit.

You can duplicate a Group with the same method used for notes.
Select the Group to duplicate and choose Copy from the right-click menu.
Move the playhead to the destination and choose Paste from the right-click menu to duplicate the Group.

You can also drag a Group's edge to adjust its length and move it onto the desired track, allowing you to combine several Groups on one track.

Right-click an unwanted track to delete it.

Enter Lyrics: Individual Characters, Batches, Multiple Characters, and Sustained Notes

For Japanese lyrics, double-click the appropriate note and enter one hiragana character at a time.
Tab moves to the next note, helping you work quickly.

It is also possible to enter several characters in one note and have them pronounced.

For Japanese, however, entering one character per note is generally recommended.
A popup like the one shown above may therefore appear when you enter several characters.
You can close it with OK, but the phrase may be pronounced with an unintended rhythm, depending on the song.

To enter lyrics in a batch, select the notes and choose Lyric Input from the right-click menu.

Enter the lyrics in the dialog, separating them with spaces.
Using spaces also allows you to put several characters on a single note.
Click OK when finished.

To sustain a lyric across the next note, enter a hyphen (-). This extends the previous character or sound through that note.

Enter Lyrics in English and Other Languages

Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro also supports multilingual lyrics.
Here is how to enter English lyrics.

Select the note for an English lyric, then click the musical-note icon on the right side of the screen.

In the Note panel, click Language and change it to English.

For English, generally enter one word per note.

If you want a word to span several notes, enter the word on the first note and enter + on the following note to split the word into syllables for natural pronunciation.

Enter a Rap Part and Adjust the Rap Feel

Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro can create rap as well as singing.

For rapid, energetic rap with many words, use more short notes. For a cooler feel with fewer words, use longer notes.
For note pitches, start by placing them around the song's root note.

Duplicating notes is especially useful when entering many short notes in sequence for rap.
Select a note and use the shortcut below to duplicate it repeatedly:

• Mac: Command + D
• Windows: Ctrl + D

To give a part more of a rap feel, select its notes and click the musical-note icon on the right.

In the Note panel, choose Rap under Mode.
The note outlines become rounded, indicating Rap mode is active.

Show the pitch curve, raise sounds you want to emphasize slightly, and lower the ends of phrases. Adjusting the notes' pitches can create natural, speech-like inflection.

Use Vocal Styles

Click the microphone icon on the right to open the Voice panel, then choose Vocal Style to adjust the voice.
A vocal style is like a preset for how the singer performs, and the available options differ by voice database.
For Mai, for example, you can use these styles:

• Breathy: A gentle, whispery voice with plenty of air, suited to ballads and quieter songs.
• Downer: A languid, melancholy tone suited to lyrical ballads and subdued rock.
• Emotional: An expressive, passionate tone useful in dramatic songs and rising chorus sections.
• Powerful: An energetic, resonant tone ideal for choruses, rock, and other strong styles.
• Rap: A crisp delivery focused on word definition and rhythm, suited to hip-hop and spoken sections.
• Sweet: A bright, slightly youthful tone suited to idol songs and pop.

For a vocal style, higher values make that style's character more pronounced.
To give the first verse a softer feel, compare an unadjusted example with one that has more Breathy style.

You may be surprised by how much the impression changes.
Even without adjusting individual parameters, changing the Vocal Style alone can create a natural performance.

Split Groups to Control Where Adjustments Apply

There is one important point about the Voice panel: Vocal Style and parameter changes apply to an entire Group.
To adjust individual sections or specific passages, split the Group first.

Move the playhead to the desired split point, right-click, and choose Split Group.
You do not have to split exactly at a bar line. Splitting about one beat before the singing begins can make editing easier.

Split Groups at the other section boundaries too, so you can apply different style settings to each section.

You can also merge Groups.
Select one Group, hold Shift while selecting the Groups to join, then right-click and choose Merge Groups.
Be aware that merging Groups resets settings adjusted in the Voice panel. Reapply them as needed.

Tips for Chorus Vocal Styles

Because the chorus is often the most energetic part of a song, start by deciding how far to push its Vocal Style. You can then balance the other sections against it.

Turn on the pitch curve and waveform while adjusting so you can see pitch movement and changes in level.

For this example, apply the strong Powerful style to suit a chorus.
Compare the ordinary chorus with the same passage set to the maximum Powerful value.

At its maximum, it sounds a little too forceful, so lower the value.

A useful approach is to try a Vocal Style at its maximum first, hear its character, then dial it back as needed.

Click the plus icon at the upper right of a style to open a panel for finer adjustments.
Combining styles is usually enough, but the detailed controls can help when you want a more subtle nuance.

Fine-Tune with Parameters

Parameters are available across all voice databases. Each has a different effect:

• Loudness: Controls vocal level and can add phrasing, dynamics, and emphasis as well as changing overall volume.
• Tension: Changes firmness, intensity, and punch. Higher values sound stronger; lower values sound more muted.
• Breathiness: Changes the amount of breath. Higher values add an airy, whispery quality; lower values make the voice drier.
• Gender: Changes vocal character. Higher values sound thicker and more masculine; lower values sound thinner and more feminine.
• Tone Shift: Changes vocal register. Higher values move toward a high-register, falsetto-like tone; lower values toward a low-register, chest-voice tone.

Parameters can have a strong effect, so avoid extreme changes and make small adjustments.
Vocal Style changes often sound more natural. Beginners can start there, then use parameters if they need to get closer to a specific sound.

Check the Result and Review Settings by Section

After adjusting styles and parameters for each section, listen to the entire song.

The example song used these settings to match its character:

First verse

For a delicate, restrained impression in the first verse, Breathy was raised to about halfway (75%).

Pre-chorus

In the pre-chorus, Breathy was raised by around 20% to retain some of the first verse's delicacy, while Sweet was applied at around 30% for a cute expression.

Rap

For the rap section, Rap was raised to around 100%, with Downer applied about halfway for a cooler feel.
Breathiness was also increased slightly to add air and create a close, whispering effect.

Bridge

In the bridge, Emotional and Powerful were each applied at around 30% to lead naturally into the chorus without becoming too intense.

Chorus

For strength in the chorus, Powerful was raised about halfway and Emotional applied at around 30%, preserving a brisk feel while adding expressive movement.
Tension was also increased slightly for a firmer, punchier chorus sound.

Add Natural Thickness with Doubling

Doubling means layering two or more performances of the same melody to add natural variation and thickness.
First, listen to the effect.

The vocal should sound thicker and more present.
Create the part in four steps:

• 1. Duplicate the track.
• 2. Delete note Groups you do not need.
• 3. Generate another take with AI Retakes.
• 4. Switch takes and adjust the volume.

Here is the process in detail.

Right-click the lead track and choose Duplicate Track (Do Not Link Groups).

This creates an identical track.
Because this example doubles only the chorus, delete Groups outside the chorus.

Simply copying the same performance would only stack identical vocals and would not create a natural doubling effect.

Use the AI Retakes feature in the Note panel instead.
It can quickly generate a performance with different nuances, as if the singer recorded another take.

Select the notes you want to retake.

Click All to apply the feature.
This adds natural variation similar to a real double.

After applying AI Retakes, each note displays a take name and icon below it.
If you do not see them, turn on the AI Retakes button.

Click a take name to switch takes for an individual note.

Each generated take has a different waveform and may sound quite different from the lead part.
Listen with the lead and choose other takes where something sounds unnatural or could be more expressive.

When the double is ready, lower its volume slightly to balance it with the lead.

How AI Retakes Interact with Other Settings

AI Retakes do not change existing Note- or Voice-panel values. For example, switching takes with Vibrato Depth set to 0.26 leaves that setting at 0.26.
In other words, Note- and Voice-panel settings apply equally to all takes, even when you switch AI Retakes.

Create a Harmony Part

Next, add a harmony to give the chorus more depth and color.
This example uses the familiar harmony a third below.
Listen to the chorus before and after adding the harmony.

Although some notes clash slightly with the chords, the harmony makes the song sound brighter and more three-dimensional.
Now let's create it.

As with the double, copy the lead part and remove Groups outside the chorus.
As the number of tracks grows, organize them as you work.
See Organize Tracks below for the method.

For a harmony a third below, you might move every note down three semitones. However, the diatonic scale contains both whole and half steps, so that alone will not give you a clean harmony.
To correct these intervals, first adjust selected notes separately.

The sample chorus is in D major.

In this scale, F#, B, and C# have a different interval relationship to the other notes when creating a harmony a third below, so lower those notes by a semitone first.
Hold Shift while dragging to select several notes at once.

Then move all notes down three semitones to get the harmony you heard earlier.
Use Command+A on Mac or Ctrl+A on Windows to select all notes.

First create the basic harmony a third below, then adjust notes that clash with the chords or do not fit your taste.

You can also use AI Retakes to generate another take of the harmony for a more realistic layered sound.