Singonia

Singonia is the name given to a type of Speakonia video that features text to speech voices singing a MIDI song, usually in a Barney Bunch-style parody. These are created using the program Melody Assistant, or Harmony Assistant, the plugin Virtual Singer, and a MIDI to synthesize the vocals to the song. Singonia was very common during the early 2010s, but it has gradually become an extinct video style today.

History

Singonia's origin can be traced back to community member FireGoron. FireGoron was inspired by HoodboyTails' Palkia - Still Erect, which used Speakonia on top of an instrumental backtrack, and Legendary Frog's FF Tribute - Chocobo Mix, which used a program that synthesized singing text to speech. Since then, FireGoron came across the program Melody Assistant with the plugin Virtual Singer. With this new technology, FireGoron created what he called a "Singonia" and began publishing songs on YouTube.

FireGoron kept his methods of making Singonia videos secret for many years, only revealing it to his personal Speakonia group, SexN*****sBlack. It wasn't until 2011 did FireGoron finally reveal the secret to making Singonias to timmyt333 and Bakasurvivor2101, who then began making Singonia videos of their very own. Since then, Timmy and Baka were the only Singonia makers, however some others found out how to on their own. For example, HuckleberryHound69 utilized Singonia, perhaps most prevalently in his gag dub of Robin Hood.

For several years it was a mystery as to how Singonia makers were actually making their songs. FireGoron perpetuated the false rumor that they manually pitched all of their sounds in Speakonia and put them together with extensive audio editing in order to make it sound like they were singing. However, this was only to mislead interested strangers. Finally, in 2014 FireGoron released a video on his new account, FireGoronReturns, showing himself making a Singonia in Melody Assistant, revealing the secret after many years.

However, despite the secrets of Singonia being revealed, it gradually started falling into obscurity as many of the users behind it became more inactive, and the style itself was still relatively unknown to many members of the community, especially newcomers. Overtime, the style itself became pretty much dead, though there are still who remember the style fondly.

Vocaloid Controversy

In the beginning, it was very common for Singonia artists to dislike Vocaloid. By the year 2009, Vocaloid videos had reached a peak in popularity on YouTube, no doubt thanks to the appeal of the anime characters associated with the software, such as Hatsune Miku. By sheer coincidence, it was around this time that FireGoron began uploading the first Singonias to his account, blissfully ignorant of Vocaloid and its prevalence. Due to the popularity of Vocaloid already being established on YouTube, it was common for unaware viewers to assume FireGoron was attempting to copy Vocaloid style videos, and since Singonias were inspired by Speakonia style videos instead, Singonias would come across as crude and effortless to those accustomed to Vocaloid style videos. This lead to many negative comments and criticisms in FireGoron's comment sections, causing him to grow more annoyed and jaded to fans of Vocaloid that asserted his videos and songs sucked in comparison to Vocaloid.

In response to this, FireGoron was critical of Vocaloid's sales tactic of using "cute anime waifus" in order to attract viewers to the software, and even began making jabs at Vocaloid and specifically Hatsuke Miku in future Speakonias and Singonias. One of the most infamous examples was the Singonia "My Miku" in which the song is vocalized by the perspective of an obsessive Hatsune Miku fanboy, mocking and ridiculing the Vocaloid fanbase. FireGoron also made the Singonai "Dank Vagina" about Hatsune Miku in which he also mocks the Vocaloid fanbase. timmyt333 uploaded "Huey Lewis and the News - Power of Love SINGONIA REMIX!!!" which also references Hatsune Miku. Since the mid 2010s, most Vocaloid hate has faded from the Singonia community.

Possible Revival?

On Janurary 15, 2022, a user named Eggman uploaded "Bad Apple SINGONIA Remix", being one of the first major Singonia videos in years. It might be a sign of a possible revival of the genre.

Running Gags

Much like other videos made by the community, Singonia videos tend to have their fair share of running jokes and gags.

• In some songs, the bass track is also made into a Staff with Lyrics, mostly being "ha's".
• Guitar solos are often made into a Staff with Lyrics and made into ha's with occasional "soy's".
• When there is no lyrics being sung, another instrument is made into a Staff with Lyrics and made to say ha's to fill the gaps.
• Inserting ha's or soy's into lyrics to extend them or make them rhyme, for instance, "Barney's such a good boy, he makes me go like ha ha soy."
• Using a guitar solo as a sex scene due to it's high speed notes allowing for several syllables.