Song entry editing

Entry guidelines

This page explains how existing song entries are edited.

URL: https://vocadb.net/Song/Edit/x (replace x with some song id)

Deleting song entries | Merging song entries

tab: Basic info

Names

For general entry instructions regarding fields “Original language”, “Primary name”, “Non-English”, “Romanized”, “English”, “Aliases”:

Song entry -specific name instructions

If the song has no name available, use the untitled-tag along with some empty name placeholder.

For covers and other derived works, copying the aliases from the original entry is not necessary.

Remixer names should not be removed from the song title. Video title trimming:

  • Remove the clear non-title parts: original artist credit for example.
  • Remove the vocalist name, if separate from the rest of the title.
  • Remove the song type, if separate from the rest of the title.

Song description

For other information that does not belong to any other field.

The song description should be objective and neutral. Verified artists can submit subjective comments using the artist’s personal description.

GitHub-flavored Markdown is supported for formatting.

English translation can be added/moved to a separate field below, if the original description exists in a non-English language.

Song type

If multiple song types apply, those can be added as tags: https://vocadb.net/T/7374/song-types

Song type priorities:

  • Remix/Remaster > Music PV > Cover

If the song vocals are different, either with a new voicebank or language, but instrumental track sounds like in the original, then it’s likely a cover. If the song structure or genre is different, then it’s probably remix. If both instrumental and vocals are changed, we generally favor classifying the song as remix.

All other things being equal, try to figure out what the intention of the artist was when they made the song.

For derived songs, the original artist credits should not be duplicated if the original song has a song entry.

If the original song has no entry, the tag original-out-of-scope should be used, along with a link to the original song or a reference in the song description.

Original song

https://vocadb.net/T/6479/original-song

Original songs (“オリジナル曲” in Japanese) are songs that are completely original content and aren’t based on other songs. Original song is the version of the song that was published first. Later versions are considered as derivatives regardless of who made them.

Sometimes the producer might publish multiple different versions of a song, usually with different vocals or different lengths, calling all of them originals. On VocaDB these self-covers and self-remixes are classified as covers and remixes, not “original songs”.

Sometimes the artist might release multiple versions of the song simultaneously. If both are in-scope, it doesn’t generally matter which is picked for the “original version”.

For (original) instrumental album songs, use the original song type with the instrumental-tag. The instrumental song type is for instrumental versions of original songs.

If the out-of-scope original song has 5 or more derived (remix/cover) song entries on VocaDB, it can be created as a cover unifier -entry. The original artist should be credited as “custom artists” on the cover unifier entry.

Remaster

https://vocadb.net/T/1519/remaster

Remaster (“修正版” or “リマスター版” in Japanese) means an improved/remastered version of a song. Sometimes artists may replace the original song with a remastered version, even deleting the original. In that case it’s not necessary to create another entry for the original, and the remaster can re-use the “original song” type.

Sometimes a remastered version is made for an album release. If it’s is not playable online, using the original song entry is acceptable.

Strictly speaking, as the name implies, a remastered version should differ from the original only in terms of mastering, meaning the original recording stays the same. In the Vocaloid world this term is often interpreted more loosely, and is not always limited to just mastering. Still, if the new version is noticeably different from the original, the remaster song type should not be used.

Remix

https://vocadb.net/T/371/remix

Remix: “a variant of an original recording (as of a song) made by rearranging or adding to the original.”

Remix is an edited version of the song, usually made to sound quite different. The remix is often different musical genre from the original. This song type should also be used even when the remix was made by the original artist. In this case you should add the self-remix tag.

  • Remix may or may not involve recording new music. Often remixes are made using samples from the original recording.

  • Extended (long) or shortened versions of songs should be classified as remixes.

  • Live versions of songs should be classified as remixes along with the live recording tag. For setlists it’s usually better to use the original song entry.

Cover

Definition by Merriam-Webster: “a recording or performance of a song previously recorded by another performer.”

Definition by Dictionary.com: “a recording of a song by a singer, instrumentalist, or group other than the original performer or composer.”.

Cover (カバー曲) is a re-recorded version of a song, usually by an artist other than the original. Most commonly in the Vocaloid/UTAU world covers are used to record the song with a different voicebank from the original, keeping the instrumentals intact. Sometimes a cover is another artist’s interpretation of the song.

Outside of Vocaloid world, cover implies re-recording of the song. However, in Vocaloid context, the cover term is used when adding Vocaloid vocals to an existing instrumental recording.

  • Cover type should be used if the same song is re-released with new lyrics (with using the changed lyrics tag).

  • Sometimes the original artist re-releases the song with new vocals. The cover song type should be used in this case, with the self-cover tag.

  • Voice synth songs entries for songs that include a voice synth version and a human-sung version (both official) should be tagged with simultaneous upload, if the song publish dates are less than a week apart.

    • Entries tagged with simultaneous upload should be marked as “original songs” as opposed to “covers”, unless the artist specifies otherwise.

    • The human-sung version should be specified in the song description or in the external links, along with its publish date.

    • If the (official) human-sung version is published more than a week before the voice synth version, the song entry should be marked as “cover”, along with the self-cover -tag.

    • If the (official) human-sung version is published more than a week after the voice synth version, the human-sung version can be mentioned as usual, but neither of the two tags should be added.

    • These rules do not apply to cases where both songs have entries on VocaDB.

Instrumental

https://vocadb.net/T/208/instrumental

AKA off-vocal or karaoke.

Instrumental song type should be used for one purpose: instrumental versions of songs, where a non-instrumental version with vocals is the original. Instrumental versions are only accepted as part of album entries.

Other than the lack of vocals, instrumental song should be the same as the original version. If the song is otherwise different, remix or cover type should be preferred (with the instrumental tag).

Mashup

https://vocadb.net/T/3392/mashup

Mashup is a song that is made by blending two or more songs together.

Simple mashups where two songs are simply mixed together are discouraged on VocaDB, unless they’re well-known or present on an album.

Songs that mix multiple covers of the same song together (joining multiple vocal tracks) should be labeled as covers.

For now it’s not possible to specify multiple original songs in the “original song” field. The original versions should be mentioned in the song description instead.

Medley

https://vocadb.net/T/3093

Medley is a special case of mashup where the songs are primarily played one after another, possibly with some overlap. The mashup type is to used for medleys as well, except in rare cases where the medley is actually an original song, in which case the original song type should be used. Remember to add the medley tag.

Try to focus on quality when adding medleys: Adding too many medleys is not recommended, you should stick to those that are remarkable in some way.

Music PV

https://vocadb.net/T/7378/music-pv

The music PV type is used for PVs of original songs or remixes. By creating a separate entry for the PV the animator and other people involved can be credited accordingly. MMD models can be indicated with tags. Sometimes the PV might be more well known than the originally published version of the song, for example the Sweet Devil PV by wakamura and Love is War by kkkk.

Like with most other song types, music PVs should always be derived versions. If the song was originally uploaded/published with the PV, that PV should be included with the original song entry.

Generally, only the official PV (PV that was commissioned by the song artist) should be added to the same entry as the original song. Any major derivative PVs made by unrelated artists should have their own (Music PV) entry, regardless of whether the song was originally published with a PV or not. Additional official PVs with major differences should have their own entries as well.

If the song was originally published without a PV, for example on an album, and an official PV is released afterwards, usually there is no need to create a separate entry for the PV, the PV can be added to the original song entry. PVs with minor differences such as model changes can be added to the original entry as well, with the “other” type.

Rules for Music PVs:

  • Music PVs with voice synth (or related) characters are generally allowed.
  • Music PVs with out-of scope characters/fandoms are only allowed if they hit at least 100k views on a platform.

Drama PV

https://vocadb.net/T/104/drama-pv

Drama PV is an animation where the main focus is story instead of music. Most commonly these are made with the MMD software (“MMD Dramas”).

Drama PVs don’t need to contain any singing, or even talking, but in order to be accepted on VocaDB they should have a Vocaloid character in a major role, or be in some other way strongly related to Vocaloid (or UTAU).

  • Drama PVs should be presented as self-made/self-directed stories.
  • Copying memes, TV shows or movie scenes are usually not considered drama PVs.

Unlike with the other song types, the drama PV type should always be used when a PV is considered drama. This is because the other song types are used to represent music, while the content of drama PVs is fundamentally different. Drama PVs are almost always originals, there are very few derived dramas.

Other

https://vocadb.net/T/10159/other-song-type

For entries that do not belong to any categories above. Commentary for example.

Original version

If the original version of the song exists on the site, use this field to link the derived version to the original.

If the original song is out-of-scope, use the tag original-out-of-scope along with a link to the original song or a reference in the song description

Choose the song by:

  • A) searching by the song title
  • B) by the VocaDB URL
  • C) with “id:{song id}“.

The “Find originals” -button tries to find original songs based on the song title. The exact logic can be found at GitHub/VocaDB/…/SongEditStore.ts.

(A > B > C)

If a song C is a derived version of a song B that in turn is a derived version of a song A, linking C to A directly is possible if B has no song entry. The skipped version (B) should be mentioned in entry C.

Duration

Duration of the song. If song has multiple video/music embeds (PVs) added, their lengths must match, or be within a few seconds. If different PVs have different song lengths, those should be added as separate song entries (except with unrelated intros and outros).

BPM

The song Tempo/BPM can be added as a specific number or as a range (within 20-1050).

Release event

Release event(s) of the song, if available. For common holidays, such as Christmas, it’s better to use the corresponding tag instead.

If the song is included in an album, and the album has the same release event, adding the event to the song entry is redundant.

Publish date

The earliest (public) publish date of the song (from any album/PV). If empty, the publish date is automatically suggested based on the albums and PV links.

Links to related content, usually to the off-vocal/karaoke versions on piapro.

Links to lyrics should be are added to the lyrics-tab instead.

Duplicating album and artist links in song entries is redundant.

Direct download links to media files (such as .mp3) are generally not allowed, even if they’re official and legal. If the song/video is officially distributed, link to the artist’s official download page (for example on piapro) instead.

Language(s)

Song language. Synced with the original lyrics language.

Status

Entry status communicates the level of completeness.

  • Draft = Entry is missing crucial information. This status indicates that you’re requesting additional information to be added or corrected.
  • Finished = The entry has all the necessary information, but it hasn’t been inspected by a trusted user yet.
  • Approved = The entry has been inspected and approved by a trusted user. Approved entries can only be edited and tagged by trusted users.
  • Locked = Locked entries can only be edited by moderators.

Finished song entry requirements

Finished song entries should meet the following criteria:

  • The song has at least one name and the original language can’t be unspecified. (SV2)
  • The song has at least one artist in the “producer” role category. (SV3 & SV6)
  • Derived song types need original version specified in the original version -field or in the song description. (SV4)
  • Songs with no vocalists need the “instrumental” -tag, unless the song type is “Instrumental” or “Drama PV”. (SV5)
  • Song type isn’t “Unspecified”. (SV7)
Song entry validation errors

source

  • SV1: DuplicateArtist (automatically fixed when entry is saved)
  • SV2: UnspecifiedNames
  • SV3: NeedArtist
  • SV4: NeedOriginal
  • SV5: NonInstrumentalSongNeedsVocalists
  • SV6: NeedProducer
  • SV7: NeedType

Criteria for approving songs

Mandatory criteria
  • Entry is finished (no edit warnings).
  • Lyrics in original language (unless instrumental or song with no lyrics).
  • All participating artists are properly credited, including lyricist, illustrator, mastering etc. (default roles can be used).
  • Title is Romanized and translated into English (if appropriate).
  • Entry is at least a week old (to make sure the artist isn’t making corrections or uploading to more services).
  • Media for at least two services (counting reprints).
  • Romanized lyrics, translated lyrics in English.

tab: Artists

In this tab, you can add and delete artist entries that have participated in the song.

Artists can also be added as custom artists, which adds an artist credit to the song entry as a text. No artist entry is created.

  • If the original version has no entry, the original artists can be credited in the artist tab or in the song description. At minimum, the original version needs to be linked or mentioned in the description.

    • If the original version has an entry, the original artist should be credited if they worked directly with the derived version.

    • If the original artist is not involved with the derived version, the artist credit should not be duplicated from the original entry.

  • Always prefer adding individual people to songs over adding circles or groups if possible. Note that different sources may swap producer and group names.

  • If the song has no known artists credits available: use the entry missing artists -tag.

  • Vocaloids, UTAUs and other singing synthesizer voicebanks are added as artists as well: Choosing the correct voicebank credit

    • If the vocalist is uncredited, the artist entry Unknown vocalist(s) can be used. The entry Unknown vocal synth(s) or any of its derived artist entries can also be used to further narrow down the vocalist.

Support status

Support status is a special setting for a particular artist credit. The support status should be used when the song or album has a clear separation of main artists and support artists.

Usage examples:

  • Backing vocals, for example singing chorus when the main vocals are sung by another vocalist.
  • Background illustrators (to distinguish them from the main illustrator)

The support status can not currently be specified to a specific artist role. Because of this, if a song composer is also responsible for the background image, the support status should not be used.

Support status removes the artist(s) from the artist string and affects the search through the “Only main songs” -filter.

Artist roles

Artist roles describe how different artists participated in the creation of the song.

Artist type specifies default roles. For example, lyricist type gets the lyricist role by default. When the artist role is different from the artist type, the correct artist role needs to be specified.

The number of available roles is limited, so these serve as approximations: Person responsible for the song image should be credited with the “illustrator” -role, even if it’s technically something else (photographer for example).

It’s also recommended to tag the artist with the secondary artist type whenever appropriate. For example, if an animation producer (artist type) is responsible for the lyrics (role), the artist entry should be tagged with the lyricist-tag.

  • If the song has only one artist (+ vocalists), the artist roles do not need to be further specified.

  • If the song has multiple main artists involved, make sure to set the correct roles: Composer, Arranger & Voice Manipulator.

Animator

Japanese: 動画.

Person responsible for the video (made or animated the PV).

Required for Music PV and Drama PV song types.

Corresponding artist type: Animation producer.

Arranger

Japanese: 編曲

Arranger is the person handling the instruments and producing the music. Most of the time this is related to remixes where the remixer is generally credited with the arranger role, but sometimes for original songs the roles for composition and arrangement (music production) are divided as well.

Corresponding artist type: Music Producer.

Composer

Japanese: 作曲

The person who created the song. Most of the time for original songs, the composer and arranger are the same person, but not always.

Corresponding artist type: Music Producer.

Distributor

Mostly for albums, the person or group who distributes the album, either physically (such as selling at an event), or digitally.

Corresponding artist types: Circle & Label.

Illustrator

Japanese: イラスト or 絵.

Person responsible for the image (including photographers, etc.) for either a PV or album cover. Also booklet illustrations.

Corresponding artist type: Illustrator.

Instrumentalist

A person playing an instrument, usually a physical instrument such as piano or guitar.

Corresponding artist type: Instrumentalist.

Lyricist

Japanese: 作詞

Person who wrote the lyrics.

Corresponding artist type: Lyricist.

Mastering

Person who did the mastering.

Corresponding artist type: Other individual.

Mixer

Person who did the mixing.

Corresponding artist type: Other individual.

Other

For all roles that don’t fit with any of the predetermined options.

Corresponding artist type: Other individual

Publisher

The group or sometimes a person who published the album. Usually a label or a circle.

Corresponding artist types: Circle & Label.

Vocal data provider

Artist who created the original vocal data (VSQ/VSQX/UST/CSV), but didn’t take part in the song creation directly. Voice manipulator role also covers vocal data creation, so specifying both roles for the same person is generally redundant.

Corresponding artist types: Cover artist & Music producer.

Vocalist

A person or synthesizer producing vocals.

Corresponding artist types: Any vocal synthesizer or Other vocalist.

Voice manipulator

Japanese: 調声

Person who operated the voice synthesizer.

If person A simply operated the synthesizer and person B did majority of the vocal tuning, then person A should be marked as support and B is the main voice manipulator. If an existing vocal data from another song was used, the vocal data provider role should be used for person B instead.

Corresponding artist types: Cover artist & Music producer.

tab: Media

Songs may contain any number of embedded media files (Promotional Videos = PVs) on Niconico (NND), YouTube, Bilibili, Vimeo, or audio streams on Piapro or SoundCloud. The supported media services are fully listed here.

All embeds should have the same version of the song, meaning the audio should be the same (except with unrelated intros and outros). Do not add karaoke versions as embeds to the original song: either add the karaoke version as a link or create a new entry (if it exists as an album track). If different PVs have different song lengths, those should be added as separate song entries. Remixes and other derived versions should always be separate entries.

If a PV made for a song is remarkable or well-known in some way, you’re encouraged to create a separate entry for that PV and link it to the original song.

Premieres (mostly with YouTube) that are not fully available should not be added to song entries, unless the song entry has some other PV that is currently available.

PV types

Original

The original type is intended for media where the content is authorized.

Authorized content means it is uploaded by a party with rights to both the audio and video (if any). Usually this is the artist themselves uploading, or someone uploading on their behalf (if this is the case, and it’s not obvious how the upload was authorized, please clarify this in the notes).

Usually there is at most one original PV per service.

Original PV links can be marked as “Unavailable”, if the PV is deleted or hidden by the author and thus unplayable. Watch out for region-blocked whih should not be marked as “Unavailable”.

Reprint

Reprint is a PV that is copied from another service, and uploaded by a party not related to the original artist. Reprint implies that an original, freely available PV exists or existed.

The reprint PV should be identical to the original - music, vocals, length and video (if any) should be the same. If any of these are changed, use the “Other” type, or create another (music PV) entry if appropriate.

If the (main) artist entry or the song entry is tagged with the do not reupload -tag, do not add any reprints to the song entry.

Other

For everything else. Most of the time this means subtitled PVs, or PVs that are somehow modified from the original, but don’t justify creating another entry (with animation, translated subtitles, MMD versions, etc.). Note that the audio should still be the same as the original.

It’s possible that only “Other” PV exists, without original, if there is no authorized PV available.

File uploads

Verified artists can use VocaDB for hosting songs they have made. Supported formats: .mp3. Maximum file size is 20MB. PV type will automatically be “original”.

tab: Lyrics

The song lyrics can be added along with a possible romanization. Multiple translations are supported (even in the same language).

The language(s) of the original lyrics is synced with the entry language.

Source label is autofilled based on the source URL: For example, the label for URL https://piapro.jp/t/swc- gets automatically set to “Piapro”.

Additionally, the lyric language is automatically detected based on the lyrics.

Romanization guidelines do not apply to lyrics, but pure machine-translations are not allowed.

Always leave a source for the lyrics. If transcribed/translated by yourself, mention it instead.

Lyrics can be modified without creating new lyrics, as long as the modification is mentioned in the source:

  • External source: “From MikuWiki” -> “From MikuWiki (edited by user2)“
  • Internal source: “From user1” -> “From user1 (typos fixed by user2)“

Large edits still require creating new lyrics.

For subsequent fixes by other users, the fixer name should be appended to the source (The exact format is not important):

  • “From MikuWiki (edited by user2)"
  • "From MikuWiki (edited by user2, user3)“

If the lyric source if missing, the source should be first located before modifying the lyrics.

If the source can not be guessed/found, entry report should be created for the missing source. After that, the lyrics can be modified with a source credit such as “Unknown (fixed by user2)“.

Update notes

Entry update notes are optional, but should always be used if the edit reason or the information source is not obvious.

In some cases, the entry description or the comment section might be more suitable to use.

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