This page explains how to edit existing song entries.
The basic info tab includes fields for names, description, song type, original version, duration, BPM, events, publish date, external links, language(s) and the entry status.
General instructions for entry names (= titles) and aliases are documented here.
Name rules that are specific to song entries:
Remix entries should keep the long title.
For example: Plug Out (HSP 2012 Remix)
- Remove clear non-title parts (e.g., original artist credit).
- Remove the vocalist’s name if it is separate from the rest of the title.
- Remove the song type if it is separate from the rest of the title.
The same applies for Remaster songs.
New non-English title translations should not be added without a good reason.
For example, the song entry ECHO should not receive new name/title translations.
Acceptable exceptions:
- Translation is used somewhere elsewhere (add for improved searchability).
- Translation is related to the original name (additional context/value).
For example, マトリョシカ is from the Russian word “Матрёшка”, but is also known by its Romanized form “Matryoshka”.
The song description is for additional and useful information that doesn’t fit into other fields.
GitHub-flavored Markdown is supported for formatting.
The description should be objective and neutral.
Video descriptions should not be added in the description field.
Verified artists can submit subjective comments using the artist’s personal description.
If the original description is non-English, a separate English translation can be added in the field below.
Song type (Original song, Remix, Cover, …) is the main categorization of the song entry.
If multiple song types apply, add them as tags.
- Mashup/Remix/Remaster > Cover > Music PV
VocaDB song type classifications should be prioritized over official labels.
Guidelines for classification:
- If vocals are different but the instrumental is identical, it’s likely a cover.
- If the song structure or genre is different, it’s likely a remix.
- If both the instrumental and vocals are changed, we mark it as a remix, because remixes take priority over covers.
Original songs (“オリジナル曲” in Japanese) are songs that have completely original content and aren’t based on other songs.
The original song is the version of the song that was published first. Later versions are considered derivatives regardless of who made them.
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.
A remaster or remake (“修正版” or “リマスター版” in Japanese) is an improved version of a song.
A remaster should differ from the original only in terms of mastering, though this term is interpreted loosely in the Vocaloid world. If the new version is significantly different, the remaster song type should not be used.
If the original is replaced by the remaster, it’s unnecessary to create a separate entry for the original if the original audio is unavailable and the remaster is uploaded within a month. The remaster can use the “original song” type.
A remix is a variant of an original recording, often in a different genre.
Remixes may or may not involve recording new music, often using samples from the original.
Self-remix tag is for songs where the original artist remixed their own song.
Remix entries should keep the long title.
For example: Plug Out (HSP 2012 Remix)
- Remove clear non-title parts (e.g., original artist credit).
- Remove the vocalist’s name if it is separate from the rest of the title.
- Remove the song type if it is separate from the rest of the title.
The same applies for Remaster songs.
A Cover (カバー曲) is a re-recorded version of a song, usually by a different artist.
In the voice synth world, covers often use a different voicebank while keeping the instrumentals intact.
Self-cover tag is for songs where the original artist covered their own song.
Songs with (only) changed lyrics or added lyrics should be marked as covers.
Note that cover entries tagged with out of scope arrangement sound instrumentally different from the base entry.
Voice synth songs that include both an official voice synth version and an official human-sung version (out-of-scope) should be tagged with simultaneous upload if the publish dates are less than a week apart.
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In this case the entry should be marked as Original song.
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Specify the human-sung version in the song description or external links with its publish date.
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If the human-sung version is published more than a week before the voice synth version, mark the song as “cover” with the self-cover tag instead.
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These rules do not apply if both songs have entries on VocaDB.
The Instrumental song type is used for instrumental versions of songs, where a non-instrumental version with vocals is the original. AKA off-vocal or karaoke.
Instrumental versions of songs are accepted only as part of album entries. They should be the same as the original version, excluding vocals. If otherwise different, use the remix or cover types with the instrumental tag.
Exclude vocalist credits for off-vocal/karaoke songs that have background/harmony vocals, as these are already credited in the original entry.
Mashups are songs made by blending two or more songs together.
Songs that mix multiple covers of the same song together (joining multiple vocal tracks) should be labeled as covers.
Specify all the original versions in the song description.
A medley is a special case of mashup where songs are played one after another, possibly with overlap.
Unless the medley is an original song, use the Mashup song type.
Music PV = “Music video” (PV = Promotional Video)
The Music PV type is used for remarkable PVs of (usually original) songs, whether created by the original producer (any PV style) or someone else (with in-scope characters.).
If the remarkable official music PV has the same length as the original entry AND if the original entry has no official upload (album track for example), reuse the original entry.
New Music PV -entries should not be created for unofficial low-effort PVs. These can be added as Other PVs to the original entry instead, if the song length matches.
Unofficial music PVs with only out-of-scope characters are allowed if the video has at least 100k views.
Remember to also credit the vocalists for Music PVs. Silent characters (that have no vocals in the PV) should not be credited as artists. Model tags (such as CHAN x CO Miku) can be used if applicable, regardless whether the character has vocals or not.
If the album/song includes in-scope vocals, and 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.
Drama PVs focus on story instead of music, often made with MMD software. They should feature a voice synth character to be accepted on VocaDB.
- Drama PVs should be self-made/self-directed stories.
- Copying memes, TV shows or movie scenes are usually not considered drama PVs.
The Other song type is for album tracks that do not belong to any other song type.
If the song type is not Original song, a separate field will pop up for specifying the Original version.
Derived songs should either:
- Specify the
Original version field.
- Refer (as an external link) to the original entry on UtaiteDB, if available. This will display it as the “Original version” along with automatic metadata.
- Include the original out of scope tag.
- Include the original version unknown tag.
If original out of scope tag is included, the original version should be:
- specified in the song description AND/OR
- included as an external link (required for UtaiteDB originals).
If the out-of-scope original version has 5 or more derived song entries (such as remixes or covers) on VocaDB, it can be created as a cover unifier song entry.
Cover unifier artists (out-of-scope) should be credited as “custom artists” (no entry). The Temporary artist entry can be used to bypass the creation form.
Original song can be searched/selected by:
- A) Song title
- B) VocaDB URL
- C) “id:{song id}“.
The “Find originals” button attempts to find original songs based on the song title. The exact logic is available on GitHub.
Original version should be the entry with the earliest publish date.
If multiple versions of a song are uploaded simultaneously, it doesn’t generally matter which is picked as the original version.
If a song-3 is derived from out-of-scope song-2, which in turn is derived from in-scope song-1, you can specify the song-1 as the original version for song-3.
- The skipped version (song-2) should be mentioned in song-3’s entry description.
- The relevant tag out-of-scope arrangement should also be added.
If multiple original versions apply, choose the most relevant entry and mention the rest in the entry description.
Entry tree structure should be immutable and sorted by publish dates.
Sometimes the entry tree structure grows unintuitive due to conflicting details. Correct entry tree structure can be formed with the following process:
Example: 10 related entries with various different song types by different artists.
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- Order the entries by publish date
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- Pick the first entry as the original
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- Pick the next entry and connect it to the current entry tree (by appending it)
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- Repeat steps 2-3 until all of the entries have been added to the entry tree
This means that the original version of any entry should not be modified later, assuming no mistakes or missing information.
Duration of the song.
All PVs in the song entry should have the same audio and roughly the same song length.
Unrelated intros and outros are an exception to this.
The song Tempo/BPM can be added as a specific number or as a range.
The specified BPM should be within the valid range (20-1050).
Release event(s) of the song, if available. For common holidays like Christmas, use the corresponding tag instead.
Duplicating the album event(s) on its song entries is redundant, unless the song has a separate PV release.
Song entries should include the earliest public publish date:
- Video streaming services such as NicoNicoDouga and YouTube.
- Distributing the song on a physical album at a record store or event.
- Digital album on a marketplace such as iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, etc..
Private distribution does not count. Work in progress versions also do not count.
If the song is deleted and then reuploaded, the publish date does not change. It’s still the date when the song was first made public.
If the field is empty, the publish date is automatically suggested based on the album and PV links.
Links to related content, for example, off-vocal/karaoke versions on Piapro.
Links to lyrics should be added to the Lyrics tab instead.
Duplicating album and artist links in song entries is redundant.
Use the correct link category.
Link categories are available for the main entry types (songs, albums and artists).
Official = Links to content that the artist can directly control.Commercial = Official links that include commercial features (such as album/song purchase).Reference = Unofficial reference, such as wiki article.Other = Other unofficial and useful links that do not directly reference the entry.
Direct download links (on any field) to media files (such as .mp3 or .flac) and links to file-hosting services (such as Google Drive or Dropbox) are not allowed, even if they’re legal. If the content is officially distributed, link the artist’s page (e.g., on Piapro or a blog) instead.
File sharing website links are only allowed if the website supports user profile pages, and the user (uploader) page is directly navigable from the download link page (https://piapro.jp/ links for example). In other cases the download link location should be mentioned in the entry description instead.
Some websites have a separate URL for pages meant to be viewed on mobile:
Always prefer adding the desktop version of the link.
When adding external links, remove extraneous URL elements (usually after ? or &). More on #1765.
Song language should match the language of the original lyrics.
The language of the song vocals.
Changing the language of the original lyrics updates this field as well.
Entry status communicates the level of completeness:
- Draft: Entry is missing crucial information. This status indicates that additional information is needed or corrections are requested.
- Finished: The entry has all the necessary information but 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 and above.
- Locked: Locked entries can only be edited by moderators and above
In this tab, you can add or remove artist entries that participated in the song.
Artists can also be added as custom artists, which adds an artist credit to the song entry as text without creating an artist entry.
All album and song entries require at least one artist credit (custom or a proper entry).
(Applies to all
song & album & artist
entries)
Artist credits in the “producer” category must be made with artist entries.
(Applies to all
finished song & album
entries)
If the original artist is not directly involved with the derived version, the artist credit should not be duplicated from the original entry.
For derived songs, credit out-of-scope original artists in the song description (example), unless an original version has been specified as a song entry (cover unifier for example).
Circle can be credited if credited directly OR if all the active members participate in the song.
Note that the songs by the circle/group can be searched with the “Include group members” filter.
Support status is for crediting artists who play a minor role compared to the main artists in the same role. It should only be used when there’s a clear separation of main and support artists. If there is only one artist in a certain role, the support status should never be used.
Valid examples:
- Backing vocals, e.g., a background chorus when the main vocals are sung by another vocalist.
- Background illustrators (to distinguish them from the main illustrator).
Support status can’t currently be specified to a specific artist role. For example, if a song composer is also responsible for the background image, the support status should not be used.
Effects of support status:
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Support status removes the artist(s) from the artist string and affects the search through the “Only main songs” filter.
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Artists with support status never appear in the “artist string” of the song/album.
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Support artists are shown in parentheses and after all other artists.
Artist roles describe how different artists participated in creating the song.
The artist’s type (from their entry) determines their default roles. For example, artists of the “lyricist” type are marked as the lyricist role by default. When the artist role differs from the artist type, the correct artist role must be specified.
Artist type specifies the most common role that the artist participates in, with some overrides.
- Music producer overrides cover artist if they have at least one composed/arranged song entry.
- Verified artists can request changing the chosen artist type.
The available artist roles are limited and serve as approximations.
- For example, the person responsible for the song image should be credited with the “illustrator” role, even if it’s technically something else (e.g., photographer).
Tag the artist with the secondary artist types when appropriate.
For example, if an Animation producer (artist type) is responsible for the lyrics (as a role), the artist entry should be tagged with the lyricist tag.
If the song has multiple producers, specify the roles if available: Composer, Arranger & Voice Manipulator.
Japanese: 動画
- Responsible for creating or animating the PV (Promotional Video).
- Required for Music PV and Drama PV song types.
- Corresponding artist type: Animation producer.
Japanese: 編曲
- Handles instrumentation and music production.
- Often credited for remixes, but can also be involved in original songs.
- Corresponding artist type: Music Producer.
Japanese: 作曲
- Creates the song.
- Typically, the composer and arranger are the same person for original songs, but not always.
- Corresponding artist type: Music Producer.
- Typically used for albums. Distributes the album or song, either physically or digitally.
- Corresponding artist types: Circle or label.
Japanese: イラスト or 絵
- Responsible for the image for PVs or album covers, including booklet illustrations and photography.
- Corresponding artist type: Illustrator.
- Plays an instrument in the song/album, usually physical instruments like pianos or guitars.
- Corresponding artist type: Instrumentalist.
Japanese: 作詞
- Writes the lyrics.
- Corresponding artist type: Lyricist.
- For roles that don’t fit with any other options.
- Corresponding artist type: Other individual.
- Publishes the album, usually a label or a circle. Also used in cases where someone other than the main producer publishes a video (i.e., not on the producer’s channel).
- Corresponding artist types: Circle or Label.
- Created the original vocal data (VSQ/VSQX/UST/CSV) but didn’t directly participate in the song creation.
- 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.
Japanese: 調声
- Operates the voice synthesizer.
- If person A operated the synthesizer and person B did most of the vocal tuning, A should be marked as support and B as the main voice manipulator.
- Use the vocal data provider role if existing vocal data from another song was used.
- Corresponding artist types: Cover artist & Music producer.