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List of UTAU Flags

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Published: May 29, 2017

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UTAU Flags

UTAU Flags are really fun to mess with. They can make a voice sound better, according to the UST you are using, and depending on the type of voice you are working with at that time.
While some Flags benefit one UTAU, they might absolutely ruin another. So, beware, experiment with them in your own time, and find the ones that suit your UTAU of choice best.

Here's a list of Flags that I've found whilst messing around with my UTAU, Kyoushin MiKO.
Disclaimer: These were Flags that worked best on her voice, therefor I am not certain what they might do for other UTAUs.

Extra Note The Flags that I do not list here, are left out for the main reason that they fall in between the ones mentioned, and therefor don't do much else than the ones that go before them. Example: the Flags that fall between M and Y.
The reason for this is that each Flag, corresponds to a jump in notes. A and B flags don't differ much, since the note in between them is fairly similar, the only way to make them differ somewhat is to add more notes. ABOVJ, for example, which will behave according to the position of said notes. This is why A Flags, differ greatly from Y Flags. Their position is fairly great, thus the notes change. But since ABOVJ is still within the A Flag 'realm' it will remain within that note.

Now, a Flag is not the same thing as a Plug-in. So keep that in mind. You can perfectly combine Flags with plug-ins, but make sure they respond to each other well.

The List of UTAU Flags

A Flags

A flags aren't known to do much, other than occasionally give more power to certain notes.

B Flags

B flags, I find, do not alter that much in a voice, other than lower noise. These ones might help with recorded voices that might have been recorded with a little bit of residu noise in the back ground. (noise as in white noise on a low level etc)

Examples: BY6, will remove a modest amount of noise, making the voice sound more realistic.

These flags only apply to UTAU voices with low quality, that could benefit from a little velocity boost.

BRE Flags

BRE flags are often used to add a breathy effect to your UTAUs voice - making them sound more realistic. (Since humans breathe while singing too)

Examples: BRE0, being the lowest and the most used. This one, as said before, adds some breath to the voice. This one is recommended for UTAUs that have very harsh and sharp sounding voices. Especially for UTAU voices that have harsh sounding vowels : a, e, i, o , u. These will lower their intensity, and make them sound a bit more raspy. I highly recommend using this one for slow songs, since it really adds emotion and realism.

Feel free to mess around freely with this Flag, since each voice is different, and works better with different flags.

C Flags

Much like A & B Flags, C flags don't usually alter a voice all that much.

CP6 for example, will have the tendency to heighten certain vowels. For my UTAU, Kyoushin MiKO, it tends to empower the 'u' vowel.

Therefor, I would recommend using C flags for UTAUs that sound soft in nature. Since these flags will empower the voice randomly.

E Flags

E flags tend to give more clarity to a voice.

EF3, is a modest one that can give a voice a modest amount of clarity.

E flags could be helpful, but be careful when to use them and what UTAU you apply these flags on, since not all UTAUs benefit from clarity.

G Flags

G flags are usually used to either up or lower the pitch / octaves.
Depending on the depth, ranging from 5 to 100, you can either lower or heighten the pitch of said voice.

g - will result in the voice being lowered in pitch, which is often used to make female UTAUs sound more masculine.
g + therefor will heighten the pitch, creating a more cutesy voice for female UTAUs with a lower and more mature sounding voice, or it is commonly used to make male UTAUs sound more feminine.

H Flags

H Flags can add a little bit of a nasal sound to some UTAU voices. Otherwise, they don't really change much.

I Flags

Other than pitching a voice so slightly that you barely notice, they don't really change much.

Example: IK2

J Flags

J flags fall under the same category as E flags, but unlike H and I flags, it can lower the pitch so lightly, that you'd barely notice.

Example: JU3

M Flags

M flags, are flags that I like to use with my UTAU, Kyoushin MiKO. Now, in my personal experience, I've noticed that M flags benefit this UTAUs voice in both clarity, power and pitch.

Let me explain, MiKO has a naturally low voice, so whenever she sings high notes, she can go to ear piercing levels of pitch. Which is something I personally don't like, since it sounds very unnatural.

M flags tend to enable her to reach these higher notes, without losing much pitch, and gains clarity in the meantime. I personally love working with these on MiKO, but I don't know how they act with other UTAUs, so feel free to mess with these on your own time.

W Flags.

W flags are flags that will make your UTAU sound more robotic and unnatural. I recommend to use these ones with clear sounding UTAU voices. I do not recommend using these with low quality UTAU voices, or with UTAUs that already sound robotic in nature.

W flags are extremely useful to create voices that sound like they have been auto tuned. (for example, the voice used in Someone Who Sings)

Examples: WN, will make your UTAU sound like a living trumpet. Or .. something that is used to create the music in old 32-bit games.

WY2, will make your UTAU sound more robotic. And when I say robotic, I mean the robots from those old 80's movies. This is a fun one to mess around with when creating USTs for more uplifting songs, for example Electric Angel. I do not recommend using this one with low quality UTAU voices, or with UTAUs that already sound rather robotic in nature. This works best with clear sounding UTAUs.

Y Flags

Y flags can, and I say this with caution since I've only tested either of the flags in this list on MiKO, lower the pitch ever so slightly and give a more warmer feel to a voice.

Example: YR2. In my experience, this adds warmth to MiKO's voice, but it might not do much for other UTAUs.

Z Flags.

Now these are especially fun to mess with, since they can have some funny outcomes. They are known to bend and alter pitches at will. You cannot control either of these effects, only change them depending on the flag you use.

Example: ZNV5, this one will, as stated above, bend and alter pitches at will. It will make an UTAU sing in a high pitch voice for 2 notes, then alter it to a lower pitch, etc.

Z flags are fun to mess around with, so give it a go.