A Kontakt Instrument based on Human Voice Digitalization Research

Today, instead of hiring professional musicians, you can use artificial musicians that analyze and imitate decades of human music. You simply provide prompts, but the result isn’t your creation—you’re more of a producer than the actual creator of the music. However, there will always be those who prefer to edit every note, word, and sound by hand, using their own musical skills and creativity. Ariana Singer is a tool for these musicians.

Soultree Audio, a Finnish developer of digital audio instruments, has officially unveiled the newly enhanced version of its flagship vocal tool, ‘Ariana Singer’. Ariana Singer is a complex and versatile Kontakt sampler instrument designed for composing and arranging vocal music tracks, including lyrics, allowing musicians to hear their vocal arrangements without the need to hire singers or choirs. It requires only the free Kontakt Player and preferably a MIDI-compatible keyboard to operate.

Ariana, in real life a Croatian alto singer named Ana Pilat, has had her voice sampled into a digital MIDI instrument, with all vowels, consonants, and their combinations recorded at various pitches and split into separate samples, while a graphic user interface was developed for easy construction of syllables and fine-tuning features like vibrato and voice color. With additional features aimed at more realistic voice reproduction and phonetics, such as voice dynamics simulation, voice color and softness adjustment, and natural sounding legato slides, Ariana Singer can be used not only for realistic vocal arrangements but also to add vocal background tracks to band or orchestra setups, though it’s important to note that while Ariana can be the lead singer, she cannot fully replicate the expression, feeling, and presence of a real-life singer.

Ariana Singer offers two ways to create lyrics — SylBuilder and LyrixMaster — both using phonetic writing, with SylBuilder featuring an intuitive graphic user interface that eliminates the need to know how to write for Ariana, while the LyrixMaster allows for more advanced control once you’ve learned how to spell each sound, as Ariana doesn’t actually read words but links each letter to a specific sample of vowel or consonant, giving you precise control over the sounds and words, no matter the language. SylBuilder is the core of Ariana Singer. You can store phrases made of up to 4 letters and play them in sequence. You can program syllables with a maximum of 2 consonants and 2 vowels (up to 16 syllables) and use the graphic dials to select the letters. SylBuilder also helps you learn the correct syntax for writing phonetic text. The video below demonstrates how to use SylBuilder:

** Video Link ("Ariana Sylbuilder"): https://www.sielunpuu.net/en/st-inst...comp-m3hj83714

The following is a description of the functions of each part of SylBuilder shown in the image above:

A: Pick the first consonant

B: Pick the first vowel

C: Pick the optional second vowel

D: Pick the ending consonant

E: Here you can choose which syllable to use—add and remove, copy and paste syllables

F: This mode wheel enables you to control when and how the syllables progress

G: This button takes you to the Harmonizer

H: This brings up the detailed voice controls

I: From here you can activate the preset syllables

When all the vowels and consonants are brought into a user-friendly graphic interface, you can quickly build words and sentences and then “sing” them with your MIDI keyboard or by inputing notes on a MIDI track.

With a selection of consonants and vowels, you can create lyrics in various languages like English, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, and German. All vowels feature realistic legato slides, allowing the voice to naturally slide between pitches, simulating a real singer.

An essential feature of Ariana Singer is simulating the natural dynamics of the human voice. Unlike most vocal sample libraries, which only adjust volume based on note velocity, Ariana Singer replicate how voice frequencies shift with intensity changes. This allows you to capture both the subtle emotions of a ballad and the power of a full choir.

In addition, the Voice Color and Softness controls are unique to Ariana Singer and not typically found in most digital vocal instruments. A real singer doesn’t have just one voice; they can alter the tone by darkening, lightening, softening, or sharpening their vocal sound. The Voice Color and Voice Softness controls simulate these vocal effects by adjusting the timbre, based on research into how different frequencies are affected by changes in singing technique.

** Video Link ("LyrixNotes"): https://www.sielunpuu.net/en/st-inst...comp-m3hj83714

The idea is that you first write short phrases and sentences with the SylBuilder and get the grips of the SylBuilder “language”, then start writing text for the LyrixMaster. There are also two variations of LyrixMaster: LyrixMelodizer (which automatically assigns lyrics to a melody) and LyrixNotes (which exports the combination of melody and lyrics from notation software). Of course, you can always use the SylBuilder when you don’t need complex phrases.

With LyrixMaster you can write up to 6 consonants and 2 vowels in a text editor, translate the text for Ariana Singer with the LyrixMaster app (max 399 syllables), and add instructions for vibrato, voice color, etc. with the text.

The Ariana Harmonizer module included with Ariana Singer is a powerful tool for easily creating harmonic parts while also learning some music theory. By simply choosing a chord with your left hand and playing a note with your right hand, you can achieve up to five-part harmony (five singers singing different notes of a chord). In addition, you can mute or solo each part and control the spatial spread (panning width) of the voices with a single slider, giving the impression of singers being closer or further apart.

** Video Link ("Polyphonic legato"): https://www.sielunpuu.net/en/st-inst...comp-m3hj83714

Features

- A versatile and high-quality method to compose and arrange vocal music with lyrics on your computer

- Light file size: about 50 Megabytes in total

- Compatible with the free Kontakt Player, Kontakt 7 or later

Construct vocal tracks in many languages

- 11 vowels, all with legato slides

- Over 20 consonants

- A user-friendly graphic interface

- 5-part auto Harmonizer: instant choir arrangements

- LyrixMaster app: Write your lyrics with any text editor

- LyrixNotes app: Transport sung music directly from notation software

Control the sound in realtime

- Adjustable voice color and softness

- Versatile vibrato and tremolo

- Realistic voice dynamics (loud and soft)

- Reverb controls for simulating acoustics

- A powerful harmonizer: up to 5 voices automatically

Price

€53.00 EUR

* You can download the free version of Ariana Singer, called Ariana Intro, here. Ariana Intro is a fully functional instruments featuring five vowels (Ah, Ee, Oo, Ü and Mm) and seven consonants. In this free edition, the vocal range is limited to one and a half octaves.

For more information on ‘Ariana Singer’: https://www.sielunpuu.net/en/st-instruments

**This is the complete product lineup from Soultree Aduio:

1. Ariana/Artenor Singer

The flagship of Soultree Audio instruments with all vowels, consonants, LyrixMaster suite, 5-part auto harmonizer, and more.

2. Ariana/Artenor Dolce

Perfect if you don’t need full lyrics. Includes all vowels, essential consonants, full Harmonizer, and full voice controls as the Singer version.

3. Ariana/Artenor Intro

A free, fully functional version with 7 consonants, 5 vowels, realistic dynamics, and a 1.5-octave range.

4. Soultree Intro Bundle for Kontakt

Expands the Intro version’s vocal range to match Singer and Dolce versions for just €24, offering professional quality at a low price.

* Note that Ariana and Artenor instruments are identical in their functionality; the only difference is that Ariana features a female voice, while Artenor features a male voice.

About ‘Soultree Audio’ (https://www.sielunpuu.net/en/st-instruments)

German-born Veli Martin Keitel, a musician, choir conductor, rebirthing therapist, and inspirational speaker who has been a prominent figure in Finland’s spiritual scene since 1997, founded Soultree Audio to provide versatile, high-quality tools for composing and arranging vocal music with lyrics, culminating in an accessible instrument powered by the free Kontakt Player and a MIDI-compatible keyboard after a decade of research, including a highly praised thesis on the digitalization of the human voice at Jyväskylä University of Applied Science in 2020.