Voctro Labs
Barcelona voice lab behind Yamaha's Vocaloid singers, selling its own speech and singing SDK
Quick Overview
| Company | Voctro Labs, S.L. |
|---|---|
| Category | AI Voice & Speech |
| Headquarters | Barcelona, Spain |
| Founded | 2011 |
| EU Presence | EU (Spain) |
| Open Source | No |
| Pricing | SDK on tier-based yearly licences; custom services quoted per project |
| Replaces | ElevenLabs, custom voice studios, session vocalists |
Detailed Review
Voctro Labs does something nobody else in this category does: singing voice synthesis. Founded in 2011 by researchers from Universitat Pompeu Fabra's Music Technology Group, the Barcelona company built the Bruno, Clara and MAIKA voices for Yamaha's Vocaloid software, and its client list — Spotify, Yamaha, Audionamix, Soundtrap and Voicemod, also in this directory — reads as a who's-who of audio and music technology rather than call-centre software.
Voiceful, its commercial product, packages the same research into VoSyn for voice synthesis, VoTrans for voice transformation, VoAlign for correcting timing and pitch, VoDesc for voice analysis and VoScale for pitch and tempo adjustment, distributed as cross-platform C++ SDKs under tier-based yearly licences, alongside custom synthesis voices built for individual artists and celebrities.
That is a narrower, more technical proposition than a hosted TTS API — infrastructure for a studio or a platform to build on, not a finished consumer product.
Voctro Labs, S.L. is registered in Barcelona and has drawn support from CDTI and the EU's Horizon 2020 programme, which places it closer to a research spin-out than a venture-funded startup — a different funding story from Synthflow or Neuphonic. Pricing is not published: SDK access runs on yearly licence tiers and custom voice work is quoted per project, so evaluating it means a conversation with the company rather than a signup form.
What Voctro Labs does well
- Singing voice synthesis — unique in this category
- Built Yamaha's Vocaloid singer voices (Bruno, Clara, MAIKA)
- Client list includes Spotify, Yamaha and Voicemod
- Modular SDK: synthesis, transformation, alignment, analysis, pitch/tempo
- EU Horizon 2020 and CDTI-backed research pedigree
Where Voctro Labs falls short
- No published pricing — yearly licences quoted per client
- C++ SDK aimed at engineers, not a no-code tool
- Narrow focus on singing and voice transformation, not general TTS
- Smaller and less visible than the category's API-first rivals
Standout feature. The only tool here built for singing rather than speech — and the studio behind Yamaha's Vocaloid voices.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Singing voice synthesis — unique in this category
- Built Yamaha's Vocaloid singer voices (Bruno, Clara, MAIKA)
- Client list includes Spotify, Yamaha and Voicemod
- Modular SDK: synthesis, transformation, alignment, analysis, pitch/tempo
- EU Horizon 2020 and CDTI-backed research pedigree
Cons
- No published pricing — yearly licences quoted per client
- C++ SDK aimed at engineers, not a no-code tool
- Narrow focus on singing and voice transformation, not general TTS
- Smaller and less visible than the category's API-first rivals
Alternatives to Voctro Labs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Voctro Labs?
Voctro Labs does something nobody else in this category does: singing voice synthesis. Founded in 2011 by researchers from Universitat Pompeu Fabra's Music Technology Group, the Barcelona company built the Bruno, Clara and MAIKA voices for Yamaha's Vocaloid software, and its client list — Spotify, Yamaha, Audionamix, Soundtrap and Voicemod, also in this directory — reads as a who's-who of audio and music technology rather than call-centre software.
Where is Voctro Labs based?
Voctro Labs operates from Barcelona, Spain, which places it under EU (Spain).
What does Voctro Labs cost?
SDK on tier-based yearly licences; custom services quoted per project.
Who is Voctro Labs best for?
Studios needing singing-voice synthesis or a licensed speech SDK. The only tool here built for singing rather than speech — and the studio behind Yamaha's Vocaloid voices.
What are the drawbacks of Voctro Labs?
No published pricing — yearly licences quoted per client. C++ SDK aimed at engineers, not a no-code tool. Narrow focus on singing and voice transformation, not general TTS. Smaller and less visible than the category's API-first rivals.
Is Voctro Labs a good alternative to ElevenLabs?
Voctro Labs is built as a European alternative to ElevenLabs: Barcelona voice lab behind Yamaha's Vocaloid singers, selling its own speech and singing SDK. It will not be a like-for-like feature match in every respect, so check the review above for where the two genuinely differ before switching.
How does Voctro Labs compare to other AI Voice & Speech tools?
Voctro Labs is one of several European AI Voice & Speech tools we cover. It is most often compared with ElevenLabs, custom voice studios, session vocalists.