| --- |
| license: cc-by-4.0 |
| pretty_name: Designed Vocalizations Dataset |
| language: |
| - en |
| task_categories: |
| - audio-to-audio |
| tags: |
| - voice-conversion |
| - sound-design |
| - vocalization |
| - speech |
| size_categories: |
| - 100K<n<1M |
| configs: |
| - config_name: raw |
| data_files: |
| - split: train |
| path: data/raw/train-*.parquet |
| - split: test |
| path: data/raw/test-*.parquet |
| - config_name: designed |
| data_files: |
| - split: train |
| path: data/designed/train-*.parquet |
| - split: test |
| path: data/designed/test-*.parquet |
| --- |
| |
| # Designed Vocalizations Dataset |
|
|
| **[Demo & audio samples](https://ncai-official.github.io/speech/publications/designed-vocalizations-dataset/index.html)** |
|
|
| The **Designed Vocalizations Dataset** supports voice conversion for *designed* vocalizations |
| — monster growls, robotic voices, and other sound-designed timbres — an area left |
| underexplored by benchmarks that focus on natural human speech. It curates diverse raw vocal |
| sources (speech and animal / non-linguistic sounds) and applies professional vocal-effects |
| processing to produce corresponding effect-modified variants. A standardized test set with |
| explicit seen/unseen splits over source-timbre groups and preset styles enables generalization |
| evaluation under controlled conditions. |
|
|
| ## Dataset structure |
|
|
| Two configs — `raw` (source recordings) and `designed` (effect-processed clips) — each with a |
| `train` and `test` split. One row per clip; the `audio` column holds the clip (44.1 kHz · |
| 16-bit mono WAV, embedded). |
|
|
| - **`raw`** — source recordings |
| - `train` — 5,654 training sources (linguistic 3,270 · non-linguistic 2,384) |
| - `test` — 120 evaluation sources (seen-source 60 · unseen-source 60) |
| - **`designed`** — effect-processed clips |
| - `train` — 226,160 clips (40 training presets) |
| - `test` — 5,640 references, one per test source × preset (47 presets: seen 40 · unseen 7) |
|
|
| Train is **non-parallel**. `seen-source` = timbre groups present in training; `seen-preset` = |
| presets also used in training. Overall: 237,574 clips. |
|
|
| Repo layout: |
|
|
| ``` |
| data/ |
| raw/ train-*.parquet, test-*.parquet |
| designed/ train-*.parquet, test-*.parquet |
| metadata/ |
| preset_info.csv # per preset: type, module chain |
| preset_chains.json # full DSP chain + parameters for in-house presets |
| test_pairs.csv # evaluation pairs + seen/unseen condition |
| assets/ |
| README.md LICENSE.md NOTICE |
| ``` |
|
|
| ## Usage |
|
|
| ```python |
| from datasets import load_dataset |
| |
| REPO = "NCSOFT/Designed-Vocalizations-Dataset" |
| |
| # config = raw | designed, split = train | test |
| ds = load_dataset(REPO, "designed", split="test") # 5,640 references |
| |
| example = ds[0] |
| audio = example["audio"] # {"array": np.ndarray, "sampling_rate": 44100, "path": str} |
| wav, sr = audio["array"], audio["sampling_rate"] |
| print(example["file_path"], example["preset"], example["source"]) |
| ``` |
|
|
| Each example is one clip: `audio` decodes to a mono waveform (`array`) at 44.1 kHz, plus that |
| config's metadata columns (see [Columns](#columns)). The four combinations: |
|
|
| ```python |
| load_dataset(REPO, "raw", split="train") # 5,654 training sources |
| load_dataset(REPO, "raw", split="test") # 120 evaluation inputs |
| load_dataset(REPO, "designed", split="train") # 226,160 processed clips |
| load_dataset(REPO, "designed", split="test") # 5,640 references |
| ``` |
|
|
| For a `designed` clip, `source` is the `file_path` of its originating/paired `raw` clip. See |
| [`example.py`](example.py) for the full workflows — **train** (non-parallel: raw + designed |
| pools) and **test** (parallel: source→reference pairs from `metadata/test_pairs.csv`). |
|
|
| ## Columns |
|
|
| Columns are the same across a config's `train` and `test` splits. Every row has `audio` (the |
| clip) and `file_path` (original relative path, a stable identifier), plus: |
|
|
| ### raw |
|
|
| | Field | Description | |
| |---|---| |
| | `origin` | `vctk`, `hifitts`, or `freesound` | |
| | `source_type` | Source category (e.g. `speech`, `animal`, `interjection`, `monster_mimic`) | |
| | `duration` | Clip length in seconds | |
| | `license` | `CC0 1.0`, `CC BY 3.0`, or `CC BY 4.0` (URLs in `NOTICE`) | |
| | `attribution_required` | `yes` if crediting the creator is required; `no` for CC0 | |
| | `freesound_title` / `freesound_uploader` / `freesound_url` / `freesound_tags` | Freesound provenance (empty for speech) | |
| | `seen_in_train` | `yes` if the timbre was seen in training (all `yes` in `train`; mixed in `test`) | |
|
|
| ### designed |
|
|
| | Field | Description | |
| |---|---| |
| | `preset` | Preset applied (details in `preset_info.csv`) | |
| | `source` | The originating/paired source's `file_path` (in the `raw` config) | |
|
|
| Evaluation conditions are in `metadata/test_pairs.csv`: `seen_split` is `seen_to_seen`, |
| `seen_to_unseen`, `unseen_to_seen`, or `unseen_to_unseen` — first term = whether the source was |
| seen in training, second = whether the preset was. |
|
|
| ## Preset metadata |
|
|
| Two lookup files under `metadata/`, keyed by `preset`. |
|
|
| ### preset_info.csv |
| Preset characteristics, one row per preset. |
| |
| | Field | Description | |
| |---|---| |
| | `preset` | Preset identifier (matches the `preset` column in the `designed` config) | |
| | `preset_type` | `in-house` (self-built) or `dehumaniser_builtin` (built on a Dehumaniser stock preset) | |
| | `seen_in_train` | `yes` if used in the train split, `no` if test-only (the 7 unseen presets: `preset_26`–`preset_30`, `preset_46`–`preset_47`) | |
| | `num_dsp_modules` | Total number of DSP module instances in the chain (an `xN` module counts as N) | |
| | `dsp_modules` | Readable module chain; `xN` denotes N instances of a module | |
|
|
| ### preset_chains.json |
| Full, reproducible DSP chain and parameters for the **in-house** presets (17 of them). |
| Built-in Dehumaniser presets are not detailed here (only their effect list, in |
| `preset_info.dsp_modules`). Nested JSON keyed by preset name: |
| |
| ``` |
| { |
| "<preset>": { |
| "summary": "[ Pitch Shifting 1 ∥ Ring Modulator ∥ (Granular → Pitch Shifting 2) ] → Reverb → EQ", |
| "chain": [ |
| { "plugin": "Dehumaniser", "branches": [ |
| [ { "effect": "Pitch Shifting 1", "params": {...} } ], |
| [ { "effect": "Ring Modulator", "params": {...} } ], |
| [ { "effect": "Granular", "params": {...} }, |
| { "effect": "Pitch Shifting 2", "params": {...} } ] |
| ] }, |
| { "effect": "Reverb", "params": {...} }, |
| { "effect": "EQ", "params": { "bands": [ {"freq": "1598Hz", "gain": "+8.3dB"} ] } } |
| ] |
| } |
| } |
| ``` |
| |
| `chain` runs **in series** in list order. Each stage, and the `summary` field: |
| |
| - `plugin` — a Dehumaniser stage: a container whose `branches` run **in parallel**, with the |
| effects inside a branch running **in series**. |
| - `effect` — a single-effect stage: mostly Dehumaniser's internal modules (Pitch Shifting, |
| Granular, Ring Modulator, …); in-house presets may also add Cubase stock effects (Compressor, |
| EQ, Reverb, Limiter, Distortion). |
| - `params` — an effect's settings, usually name/value pairs; for EQ, a `bands` list of |
| freq/gain pairs. |
| - `summary` — the chain on one line: `→` series, `∥` parallel, `[ … ]` a summed parallel block, |
| `( … )` a serial sub-chain. |
| |
|  |
| |
| *Visualization of the example preset shown above.* |
| |
| ## Licensing |
| |
| The dataset is made available under **CC BY 4.0** (see `LICENSE.md`) for the dataset compilation |
| and the authors' original contributions, including metadata and original annotations. Designed |
| audio clips may incorporate or be adaptations of third-party source sounds and therefore remain |
| subject to the applicable source licenses identified per clip. |
| |
| Those sources keep their original licenses — VCTK (CC BY 4.0), HiFi-TTS (CC BY 4.0), and |
| Freesound (CC0 / CC BY 3.0 / CC BY 4.0). Their attribution/notice requirements are in |
| **`NOTICE`**, with per-clip license, Freesound title, uploader, and source link carried as |
| columns in the `raw` config. These must be kept when redistributing. |
| |
| ## Citation |
| |
| If you use this dataset, please cite: |
| |
| > S. Lee, M. Kang, Y. Lee, W. Min, C. Lee, and N. Cho, "Designed Vocalizations Dataset: |
| > Sound-Designed Human and Animal Voices for Non-human Voice Conversion," in Proc. Interspeech |
| > 2026. |
| |
| ```bibtex |
| @inproceedings{lee2026designed, |
| title = {Designed Vocalizations Dataset: Sound-Designed Human and Animal Voices |
| for Non-human Voice Conversion}, |
| author = {Lee, Seolhee and Kang, Minsu and Lee, Yangsun and Min, Woosun and |
| Lee, Choonghyeon and Cho, Namhyun}, |
| booktitle = {Proc. Interspeech 2026}, |
| year = {2026} |
| } |
| ``` |
| |
