With so many AI tools on the market today, it can be easy to get overwhelmed with the sheer choice. One platform that is gaining a lot of traction at present Is Uberduck AI. This popular AI tool allowed easy text-to-voice creation, making it easy for users to create raps quickly and easily. However, some major changes to the platform have adjusted the product significantly. So, does Uberduck still live up to its reputation?
What Is Uberduck?
As noted above, Uberduck is a form of text-to-speech AI that could create raps using input text. Many musical writers know what would make a good rap but lack the flow to rap themselves. Uberduck claimed to offer a solution by allowing quick and easy rap verse creation.
The tool boasts many useful features that it claims are easy to use and create with. In our experience, though, anyone using the AI generated rap feature within Uberduck AI might struggle. By giving users access to a range of pre-prepared voices that can be defined by everything from genre and accent to age, Uberduck offers many useful tools for those looking to create raps quickly.
Uberduck provides both a free and a paid version, but most of the best features are locked behind the paywall. With the paid edition, users can access more API control, converting voices, writing text-to-rap content, and more. The free version, though, does offer a solid text-to-speech platform.
Uberduck And AI Vocal Generation: Does It Still Work?
This is the part that needs to be discussed: Uberduck recently had to make major changes to its work. Previously, users could pick from a massive catalogue of famous rap artists and vocalists to create their music. Naturally, musicians and vocalists are not keen on AI tools being able to replicate their unique sound!
So, Uberduck AI was hit with complaints from famous people who started a campaign against the tool. Very quickly, Uberduck was pressured into removing the best voices. This led to most of the big-name artist's users signed up to replicate being removed from the platform entirely. The end result is that Uberduck now provides a range of generic, non-famous voices to pick from.
As such, this has removed much of the benefit from signing up to Uberduck. Though it still specialises in creating some pretty awesome rap music, and it is still easy enough to use for those who are tech-savvy, Uberduck AI no longer provides the same quality of vocals that it once did.
Many user-generated AI voices now appear to sound tinny, fake, and robotic. This makes them sound almost like someone has used autotune, which naturally kills a lot of the quality of the actual output. Uberduck offers a great place to start if you want to create AI-assisted rap music. If you were hoping to create songs that sound like a professional rapper has created them, think again.
Most premade voices left after the professional purge have left Uberduck somewhat hobbled. While it can still be useful for people who want to quickly create content and use voice cloning tools, most of the professional voices you could choose from are gone. What is left, in comparison, is not great.
That being said, the AI-created voices from Uberduck are still more impressive than some competitors. The fact that you can generate rap songs very easily, using realistic-sounding beats and even generate rap lyrics using the AI platform, makes Uberduck a worthwhile tool.
Uberduck AI Alternatives
There are quite a few alternatives to Uberduck out there that you might wish to look into. They include:
Amazon Polly. It is a very useful tool that can create lifelike speech. Text-to-speech (TTS) focus instead of musical focus, but it creates human-sounding voices. Ideal for creating apps that talk to the user without hiring a professional voice artist.
Supertone. Another powerful TTS platform is Supertone. This is great for those who wish to create a great range of features, such as natural dubbing, vocal separation from ambient noise, and providing a great selection of post-production tools.
Play.ht. Play.ht is growing quickly and offers a great tool for creating voiceovers and vocal performances. It's not quite ideal for creating songs, but it can be great for those looking to create authentic and engaging natural voiceovers.
Synthesys. Another big Uberduck alternative is Synthesys, which offers a great way to create text-to-voice content. Aimed at those developing platforms like web explainer videos, commercials, and tutorials. Natural, human-sounding voices are used.
Listnr. Offers premium, high-quality voices that can be used for various options, including podcast hosting and text-to-podcast creation. It also makes it easy to add emphasis where needed, creating human-sounding ‘hosts’ who are AI-generated.
However, it would be fair to say that most of the Uberduck alternatives are not quite useful for creating music. If you intend to use Uberduck AI purely for text-to-speech creation, some of the above might be useful alternatives for certain creative projects and developments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Uberduck free to use? Does Uberduck cost?
A: While you can use Uberduck for free, this is only for non-commercial purposes. There are premium versions, though, which start at $9.99 monthly for various add-ons – such as API access and AI-generated rap – and a $500/month ‘Enterprise’ edition allowing bespoke voice cloning.
Is Uberduck safe to use?
A: Yes, very! The platform is easy to use and is 100% safe. The main thing to focus on with Uberduck is that it can be quite challenging to use at a more advanced level. The basic features are easy to grasp, but more advanced features like custom voice cloning can take some time.
Is Uberduck private?
A: Yes, it is private. The company does not use your data to give to other users. Any bespoke voices you clone are not shared with anyone else; they are 100% private to you and your account.
What is the Uberduck equivalent?
A: As mentioned above, the main equivalents of Uberduck include tools like Listnr and Supertone. Listnr probably provides the closest service, though very text-to-rap alternatives exist that can match up to Uberduck.
Why did Uberduck get rid of voices?
A: Copyright issues meant that Uberduck were forced to remove all of the ‘famous’ voices that existed. This came as part of the 2023 Writers Guild strikes, with artists standing up to the AI generation of their own voices.
Is Uberduck AI discontinued?
A: No, you can still use Uberduck as effectively as possible before the famous voices were removed. The only thing you cannot do is use the cloned voice of someone else without their permission. In terms of features and functionality, though, Uberduck still offers a very easy-to-use text-to-speech and text-to-rap tool.
Dr. Jeffrey Lupker - Co-founder, Staccato
International Speaker & Published Author on Deep Learning & Music.
Dr. Lupker has published peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and has given lectures internationally in the fields of deep learning, machine learning and music. Beyond Staccato and his own research, Dr. Lupker is an active performer on guitar and keyboards and has played across Canada and USA with award winning artists.
