This is an informal FAQ I've created based on various new fan thoughts I've observed over the years, plus some explanations about certain parts of fandom culture that may not be obvious or understood. If you have any suggestions for additions to this page, please let me know!
Chipspeech is different from standalone software such as Vocaloid and SynthV as it's designed as a VST plugin. The standalone version you just opened up is primarily geared towards being controlled by physical hardware for live use, such as keyboards and controllers. In this form you can also import a midi file and add the lyrics into the text boxes, but this isn't the ideal way to use the software. For your editing in a piano roll experience, you actually load Chipspeech as a VST plugin in any compatible DAW, and then you can use the piano roll editor in the DAW for a similar-ish workflow to, say, Vocaloid.
Okay that's cool but...how do I actually use this thing and make it sound good?Here's some links to some resources on how to use Chipspeech:
The Chipspeech Manual. I've had some users tell me that they never realized Chipspeech has a manual, and the manual has a ton of information packed into it! A good starting point for using it.
Plogue chipspeech - quick launch overview from an exhausted dev. A quick demonstration video for Chipspeech by David.
CHIPSPEECH TUTORIAL FOR VOCALOID/UTAU USERS. A tutorial mainly geared towards people used to using software like Vocaloid or UTAU.
EVA looks cool! Why isn't EVA in Chipspeech?Plogue is unable to get the rights to implement EVA into Chipspeech.
Chiptwt is shorthand for Chipspeech Twitter, more specifically referring to the semi- official Chipspeech Twitter RP accounts active from around 2015 to 2022. In addition to the character bios listed on the Plogue website, chiptwt informs a lot of the character and world lore, as they went beyond ask blog-style content into a plot-focused RP. Currently there are no plans to start chiptwt again.
Who runs the chiptwt accounts? Are they run by people or bots?Generally speaking, the Twitter accounts have been run by people, primarily community members with a passion for the story. I'm not sure if everyone who was involved wants to be listed, so I won't be providing a list here. However, I can tell you that I was one of the mods at one point, specifically running Vosim's account from 2015 to around 2020. I have some pages about the modding experience: check out this and this for more information.
Why isn't chiptwt active anymore?The biggest reason why chiptwt isn't active anymore is due to harassment towards mods. Unfortunately people didn't really treat the mods well.
Who is this Daisy character I see sometimes? Why is she not featured or discussed much?Daisy was the first vocal released for the now defunct Alter/Ego plugin, a vst plugin using the same engine as Chipspeech that is focused on human vocal samples as opposed to vintage sources. She was created in collaboration with Crusher and uses her voice for samples. In addition to the software itself, Daisy got her own design from Pixoshiru and was incorporated into the Chipspeech canon as a time traveler character. The history of Alter/Ego and Crusher's work with Plogue is messy. She had a falling out with Plogue not long after the release of Daisy, resulting in Plogue no longer offering an official download of her by her request. In addition, Daisy's chiptwt account was wiped and she became no longer canon; After her removal from canon, the chiptwt lore and plot had a significant retcon and shift in focus afterwards.
Among the fandom and greater vsynth community, Daisy's reception was...not particularly positive. There are a few reasons for this. From the software end, her bank was not the best quality; For example, the vocal samples are inconsistent, to the point of mixing up head and chest voice samples. Due to being based off the Chipspeech engine, vsynth enthusiasts were disappointed that she didn't really represent any forward movement towards better voice synths, except maybe better live usage. During this era of the vsynth community, there were several high profile UTAU users that were, for better or for worse, getting involved with Vocaloid companies (that's another can of worms for another time), so some fan response was negative in regards to why she was chosen over other people.
Within the Chipspeech community itself, Daisy was viewed negatively due to how she was incorporated into the plot. She was generally seen as more of a self-insert for Crusher, a forced character, and generally poorly written into the plot. I remember some people being annoyed that she acted as a plot device character for Dandy in addition to her Mary Sue vibes.
Due to her poor reception and non-canonicity, she is not discussed much within the fandom.
Who is Pedro? Are they a chip?Pedro is the kid who pilots Voder. They were added to the chiptwt lore to represent the child depicted in Voder's official design. They do not have a canon voice in the software. Most of the tweets on the Voder account are from Pedro.
Why are so many tweets deleted?Crusher, who helmed the chiptwt accounts early on, had a, uh, scorched earth approach to a lot of things. Mainly Dandy and Daisy's accounts were affected by this.