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A Fangirl's Guide to Vocaloid
Jul. 21st, 2011 08:56 pmAlthough my squee for Vocaloids knows no bounds, I often find it hard to explain it to people - even people already familiar with the video game/anime subculture. So I thought I would write a quick and dirty (perhaps, knowing me, not so quick) Fangirl's Guide to Vocaloids.
What is Vocaloid?
Vocaloid is a voice synthesizer software developed by Yamaha. Using databanks of human voices, the software reproduces singing in that voice. Users of the software input lyrics and designate the notes to be sung in, resulting in songs sung in the computerized voice. The software is marketed toward both professional and amateur musicians as a way to substitute or reproduce a living vocalist.
What do people do with the Vocaloid software?
They produce songs. Users range from professional musicians who release albums using the synthesized voices to amateur ones who compose for fun. The internet is a huge distribution and sharing space for songs produced using Vocaloid voices. In Japan, Nico Nico Douga, a video-sharing website, is where most of the Vocaloid-related activity takes place. A typical situation might go like this: a professional or amateur songwriter (called a "producer") composes a song, uses one of the Vocaloid voice banks to sing the lyrics, and records the backing track with the help of fellow musicians. The producer then puts together a music video (called a PV) using the art of a collaborator, and another collaborator creates effects for the video. The producer then posts the PV on Nico Nico Douga and the crowd goes wild.
When you talk about Vocaloids, what do you mean?
The term "Vocaloids" in the plural is used, at least in the English-speaking fandom, to describe the various "characters" that are assigned to each voice databank. Lemme 'splain.
Even though Yamaha is the company that developed the Vocaloid software, other companies created voice banks by sampling the voices of celebrities, singers, voice actors, etc. Crypton Future Media is the most prominent, but other companies, including Yamaha itself, create and sell voice banks.
Let's take Miku as an example. "Hatsune Miku" is the name given to the voice bank made by sampling the voice of seiyuu Fujita Saki. When you buy the Hatsune Miku Vocaloid software, the box comes with Miku's picture on the front and a minimum of personal information (gender, age, height, weight, and suggested musical genre). None of the voice bank "characters" are given any more official information than this, and some are given less. VY1 and VY2, the voice banks developed by Yamaha, have no image and no specified gender, so depending on how users pitch the voice, it can sound male or female.
Because no official personality or story is established for any of the voice banks, users of the software are free to write songs about any subject without pressure to stay "in character". All we get about each voice bank character is an image and some general information.
( On Vocaloid characters and The Fandom )
Internet cookies to anyone who can guess which Vocaloid is in my icon :D
What is Vocaloid?
Vocaloid is a voice synthesizer software developed by Yamaha. Using databanks of human voices, the software reproduces singing in that voice. Users of the software input lyrics and designate the notes to be sung in, resulting in songs sung in the computerized voice. The software is marketed toward both professional and amateur musicians as a way to substitute or reproduce a living vocalist.
What do people do with the Vocaloid software?
They produce songs. Users range from professional musicians who release albums using the synthesized voices to amateur ones who compose for fun. The internet is a huge distribution and sharing space for songs produced using Vocaloid voices. In Japan, Nico Nico Douga, a video-sharing website, is where most of the Vocaloid-related activity takes place. A typical situation might go like this: a professional or amateur songwriter (called a "producer") composes a song, uses one of the Vocaloid voice banks to sing the lyrics, and records the backing track with the help of fellow musicians. The producer then puts together a music video (called a PV) using the art of a collaborator, and another collaborator creates effects for the video. The producer then posts the PV on Nico Nico Douga and the crowd goes wild.
When you talk about Vocaloids, what do you mean?
The term "Vocaloids" in the plural is used, at least in the English-speaking fandom, to describe the various "characters" that are assigned to each voice databank. Lemme 'splain.
Even though Yamaha is the company that developed the Vocaloid software, other companies created voice banks by sampling the voices of celebrities, singers, voice actors, etc. Crypton Future Media is the most prominent, but other companies, including Yamaha itself, create and sell voice banks.
Let's take Miku as an example. "Hatsune Miku" is the name given to the voice bank made by sampling the voice of seiyuu Fujita Saki. When you buy the Hatsune Miku Vocaloid software, the box comes with Miku's picture on the front and a minimum of personal information (gender, age, height, weight, and suggested musical genre). None of the voice bank "characters" are given any more official information than this, and some are given less. VY1 and VY2, the voice banks developed by Yamaha, have no image and no specified gender, so depending on how users pitch the voice, it can sound male or female.
Because no official personality or story is established for any of the voice banks, users of the software are free to write songs about any subject without pressure to stay "in character". All we get about each voice bank character is an image and some general information.
( On Vocaloid characters and The Fandom )
Internet cookies to anyone who can guess which Vocaloid is in my icon :D
