RealSinger

After you record each word, the program tries to locate a particular phoneme in this word (the one written in capitals in the sample word), and to remove the rest of the word. Sometimes it succeeds, sometimes not. You can keep the program selection as it is, or find your own. Sometimes your ear is better than the program's mathematical analysis, so it is recommended that you find your own selection range in the recorded sample, even if the computed result appears correct.

Below is a list of the various kinds of phonemes you might be asked to record, and what area the program expects to be selected before validating.

Obturation

When saying a voiced plosive consonant (G, B, D), just before this consonant is spoken, the mouth shuts completely, and the voice sound is muffled during a short period of time. But this period is not completely silent: while the mouth is closed, air continues to go out from the lungs and the vocal chords continue to vibrate. Air pressure increases in the closed mouth until the lips open again, and the consonant is emitted with a strong power (which is why these phonemes are called plosives).

Obturation is the portion spoken with a closed mouth that you can view on the sound graph: a soft period surrounded by stronger phonemes.

Note for German: In German, voiced plosive consonants cannot be located at the end of a word: they are said as their unvoiced equivalent (G->K, B->P, D->T). However, here you will need to pronounce a voiced consonant at the end of the word. To make it easier, imagine that there is a very short vowel after the plosive. For example, if you are asked to record a syllable written "caB", pronounce it as "caB(e)" with a very short ending "e".

Transitional vowels (trans)

Usually these vowels are used only in a short form (never elongated). You will have to pronounce the target word a little bit differently than in "real life," and elongate these vowels. When setting the selection range bounds, be careful to hear only this vowel, not the one that follows.

"Static" vowels

These are called "static" because their phonetic value does not vary over time when pronounced.
You can select only a short portion of the vowel if you wish. Select a section in which the timbre you hear seems correct, and the pitch and power variation is not too significant. The shorter the section you select, the smaller the resulting voice file will be.

Note for German: In German, there are "long" and "short" versions of vowels. However, in order to enable the software to analyze enough data for "short" vowels, you will have to prolong these vowels at least half a second, even if that is not how they are supposed to sound in German.

Diphthong first part (diphth) - Only in English -

A diphthong is a vowel that changes over time when pronounced. You will have here to prolong the first part of the diphthong and make it sound like a static vowel. Select a portion of this static sound.

 

Full diphthong (full dipht.)  - Only in English -

Here, you will have to record the full diphthong, spoken quite briefly. Be careful not to drop the volume or pitch down at the end of  the diphthong (imagine you have to say another word just after this one). You must select the whole diphthong. Articulate well but do not prolong the sound too much, or the resulting voice file size will increase...

Stretchable consonants

These consonants can be stretched. (M,N,L,S,F...).  Imitate the sample, and as for the static vowels, select a portion in which the volume stays more or less constant.

Plosive unvoiced consonants (T,P,K)

These consonants are preceded by a short period of "glottal stop," a silent phase. Emphasize the consonant itself and make it sound louder than it should be in normal speech. Then adjust the selection range so that it starts just after the glottal stop, and ends after the consonant and its aspiration noise are finished.
 

Plosive voiced consonants (D,B,G)

These consonants are preceded by a short period of "obturation" (see above). Emphasize the consonant itself and make it sound louder that it should be in normal speech. Then adjust the selection range so that it starts just after the glottal stop, and ends after the consonant and its aspiration noise are finished. See the special note for German users in the "Obturation" topic.

Aspiration (hhh)

This is the sound when the singer recovers his breath. Breathe in quite quickly (less than 1 second) without any lip sound: open your mouth before starting recording, then breathe in as if you were surprised. Adjust the selection range so that it includes the whole sound (with a brief period of silence after the sound).