User:Nanase7247/Sandbox

Currently Sandboxing: Change Vocals Guide

In Project Diva Mega Mix+, Change Vocals (ボーカルチェンジ, lit. bokaru chenji) is a system that allows players to select different vocalists for a song that supports the feature. This changes the in-game vocal track to an alternate version, allowing for players to fully immerse themselves for more than just the original vocalist. Informally, this feature is often referred to by players as Cover Songs or Alternative Vocals, the latter being the official term used by SEGA for Project Sekai.

When a Change Vocal is selected, the game also automatically updates the performing character model on-screen to match the new vocalist. This includes changes to the character's presence in the PV (pre-rendered or scripted real-time performance), as well as their default module (costume), unless manually overridden by the player. Some songs even feature subtle animation or camera differences depending on the vocalist, such as the bulletin board at the end of Piano x Forte x Scandal.

For this guide, we'll be going through the process of adding a new audio track (henceforth referred to as the cover audio) to the Change Vocals system, using a pre-mixed version of a song (i.e. an album release). While those who wish to only change the vocal track itself are able to follow along, do understand that there will be some pointers in this guide where it will not work for your use case.

Requirements

Programs

• Audacity
  • This guide uses Audacity 3.2.5 (2023) for all screenshots
  • An equivalent or better audio editor (i.e. FL Studio) is also permissible. Please modify steps as necessary to fit your editor.
• Notepad++
  • Any text editor can be used, however do understand that there will be some steps where manual intervention may instead be required.

Files

You should be starting with the following files:

• Your cover audio
• The original audio*
• The correct pv_db* file
  • Base Game: pv_db
  • Extra Songs DLC: mdata_pv_db
  • Modded Songs: mod_pv_db

If you don't know where to locate files with * next to them, please check Locating Files to find the appropriate file.

Tutorial

For this tutorial, I'll be using the Miku cover of Kokoro from the album Vocalo Tears as the visual guide, which has been pre-trimmed for this demonstration.

Preparing the Audio (WIP)

Files Used: Original Audio and Cover Audio
Programs Used: Audacity

1. Load the Original Audio into Audacity
   • If you are working with an Official Song (like we are with Kokoro), the editor should load four different Mono audio tracks.

   For now, we'll combine the tracks to be two separate Stereo tracks, then mix them to become one Stereo track. This is so that we can see the combined waveform of the four tracks.

2. Load the Cover Audio into Audacity, in the same project as the Original Audio.
3. Check for the following, before proceeding:
   1. Project Rate: 44.1 kHz (44100 Hz)
   2. Audio Track Rates: 44.1 kHz (44100 Hz)
   3. Use Advanced Mixing Options: Enabled
      • You can find this under Edit → Preferences → Import/Export
4. If the audio files are desynced (which they will be, unless you made a cover yourself), you'll want to sync them back together by modifying the placement of the Cover Audio track.
   • Some tips to assist with syncing:
   1. While looking at the full audio track, move the audio to roughly where it would line up.
   2. Find a spot in the song (preferably during an instrumental section) where both songs have a very distinct waveform. Zoom in, and line those up
      • Silences and distinctly audible instruments make some of the best references.
   • Check the sync across at least 3 different locations, preferably start/middle/end. The closer to perfect, the better.
5. Delete the Original Audio.
6. Export the Cover Audio as an OGG
   1. Recommended File Name: pv_XXX_name.ogg
   2. Recommended Quality: 6 or higher
   3. Channel Configuration
      • Channel 1: Instrumental (Left)
      • Channel 2: Instrumental (Right)
      • Channel 3: Vocals (Left)
      • Channel 4: Vocals (Right)

      Channels 1 & 2 are required, as they are the audio tracks that play regardless of a note miss.

Preparing the Mod Folder (WIP) =

C:\...\common\Hatsune Miku Project DIVA Mega Mix Plus\mods\
│─ My New Cover Mod\
│   │  config.toml
│   │  
│   └─ rom\
│      │  mod_pv_db.txt
│      │  mod_pv_field.txt  (Only if applicable!!!!)
│      │  
│      └─ sound\
│           └─ song\
│                │  pv_XXX_name.ogg

Checklist (WIP)

This is for users who have already know what they are doing, and just need a checklist to ensure they didn't skip anything.

• Cover Audio is aligned with Original Audio
• Cover Audio is 44.1 kHz (44100 Hz)
  • If you're working on AFT for whatever reason, it is 48 kHz (48000 Hz)
• Cover Audio is named pv_XXX_[name].ogg
• mod_pv_db includes:
  • Original song entry
  • another_song or ex_song lines

Final Reminders

• Make sure your final mod_pv_db file contains only the song you are adding a cover to.
• If you are modding a song that uses *_pv_field (i.e. CoolChar's Project Diva X Songs Pack), make sure you include mod_pv_field in your folder.
  • This is due to some weird behavior with how SEGA handles loading these files, NOT a DML-caused issue.
• Covers will not:
  • Stack between different Cover Mod Packs that modify the same song
  • Stack with Lyric Translation Packs
• Be mindful of mod requirements, and note them in mod listings.
  • Not specifying requirements can lead to PVs calling the wrong files, or ghost song entries, which are songs that appear in the the game cannot load because the rest of the song’s files cannot be found!

Sources

• SEGA PjD Twitter: "ボーカルチェンジ"
• Google Docs: Original Alt. Song Vocals Guide by Nanase & Saye
  • Permission Granted
• YouTube: Audio Normalization Tutorial by AWaffleBird and ScarletNeko
  • Permission pending, request to be asked closer to inclusion/completion
• Discord: Identifying Audio Channel → Left/Right (Nastys/nas7536 & Vixen)
  • Please contact or update this page if this attribution is incorrect.