Vocaloid

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Vocaloid

Vocaloid logo.svg
Basic data

developer Yamaha Corporation
Publishing year 2004
Current  version 5
(July 11, 2019)
operating system Microsoft Windows NT
category Software synthesizer
License proprietary
German speaking No
www.vocaloid.com
Song with vocals produced by the Vocaloid voice Miriam

Vocaloid is a software synthesizer that uses speech synthesis to produce artificial singing that resembles that of a human voice. For this, the program needs the specification of the lyrics , the melody and the specification of peculiarities of the intonation. The software was developed by the Yamaha Corporation in collaboration with the University Pompeu Fabra of Barcelona developed and first introduced in the year of 2003. Since the beginning of 2004, various voices have been appearing based on the synthesizer and its successors Vocaloid2 and Vocaloid3 . These voices were created by other providers based on vocal recordings from real singers.

Functional principle and operation

Vocaloid surface that is modeled on a piano roll

The goal of the software synthesizer should be to generate vocals from the pure input of notes and associated lyrics. In the editor, which is also part of Vocaloid, the individual notes are entered in a surface that is modeled on a piano roll and can be scrolled and scaled horizontally . Simply specifying or placing the text and the notes is not enough to create a natural-looking song. For this purpose, the individual passages must be provided with additional effects such as vibrato , flexion or tremolo , which influence the dynamics and the pitch of the voice. The strength of the effects can also be adjusted separately from each other in an area below the piano roll.

So that not all notes have to be entered by hand, MIDI is supported as an import format. The singing itself can be exported as a WAV file so that it can then be processed in other programs. In addition, the Virtual Studio Technology (VST) interface from Steinberg Media Technologies was implemented, which enables a direct connection to other programs.

technology

Transition between different sounds in the frequency domain

For the calculations that are necessary up to the output of the audio signal, Vocaloid uses internally intensively the representation of the signals in the frequency domain . To do this, all recorded voice data - the samples - must first be converted from time-dependent signals into frequency-dependent signals using a form of integral transformation . These signals can then be shown clearly as a magnitude spectrum , in which the frequencies contained can easily be read off, analogously to a spectrum analyzer . This representation is not only clearer, it is also justified by the fact that many operations on the signals in the frequency domain can be calculated much more easily and therefore faster.

The necessary input data of the synthesizer are therefore the individual syllables of the lyrics, the associated notes and the frequency patterns of a real voice. The frequency patterns can be understood here as window functions that were previously stored in a database. The different phonemes are available in the database in the form of these windows and have been assigned to individual syllables or groups of syllables by hand. A single sound can then be taken directly from the database, but must be further modified in subsequent steps.

By using the frequency range, changing the pitch is reduced to a comparatively simple shift of the data along the frequency axis. Individual phones can also be easily merged into one another. For example, the sai of " Saitama " is realized by using the sounds "sa" and "ai". However, since the timbre of the vowel “a” differs in “sa” and “ai”, simply stringing them together would sound unnatural. Therefore, in the frequency range, the spectra of both signals are temporally “faded”, which ultimately results in a smooth transition between the two sounds, as is shown schematically in the diagram on the right. This process is quite time-consuming because it is not sufficient to weight the spectra as a function of time. Rather, individual frequency segments have to be shifted along the frequency axis until the spectrum of the first and second phones are the same. The already known transitions from the vocal data of a real singer, which were analyzed in advance and also stored in the database, help again here. The numerous variations and the necessary assignment to language result in data volumes of approx. 500–600  MiB for each voice and language.

The frequency range also offers the possibility of changing the tone length and timbre independently of the given melody. This allows effects such as B. the vibrato can be created with comparatively little computing effort. With all these methods, the singing of the artificial voice can be modulated in real time, but it is still present in the frequency domain. The results then have to be converted back into the time domain using an inverse transformation in order to obtain an audio signal.

Development history

In 1998, Yamaha introduced the FS1R, a synthesizer for speech that differentiated between voiced (' a ', ' u ') and unvoiced sounds (' f ', ' s ') and synthesized them using different model approaches. The implementation of the voiced sounds resorted to formants , while the unvoiced sounds were created by modulated noise . The FS1R was already able to synthesize vocals.

In 2003, Yamaha announced a further development called Vocaloid , which consisted of a software synthesizer and an associated editor. With Leon and Lola , the first two versions of a program were presented on January 15, 2004, which were based on this new technology, with voices intended to represent a male and female soul singer, respectively. To do this, however, the manufacturer had to develop the databases known as Vocaloid Singer Libraries , which form the basis for the voice output. With Miriam , a voice modulated after that of Miriam Stockley , a third implementation based on Vocaloid was created. Like the two previous ones, this was created and published by the publisher Zero-G in collaboration with Yamaha. However, Leon and Lola rarely sold.

With Meiko , based on the voice of the Japanese singer Meiko Haigō ( 拝 郷 メ イ コ ), and Kaito , based on the voice of Naoto Fūga ( 風雅 な お と ), the first two Japanese voices and products of the first generation joined forces on October 5th 2004 and February 17, 2006. Both voices were created and published by Crypton Future Media . In the virtual instrument market, 200 to 300 copies are sold per year on average and 1000 is already a success. Meiko became a huge success with 3000 copies, while Kaito was slightly above average with only 500 copies sold. The reasons for the greater success of Meiko are seen in the fact that, like the previous versions, it was not accepted by professional musicians, but was bought by the more male anime fans due to the depiction of a drawn girl on the cover , while for the same reason the male Kaito was ignored by this group of buyers.

In 2005, the British musician Mike Oldfield used the software for some tracks on his double album Light + Shade .

In January 2007, Yamaha announced a new version of the synthesizer . Vocaloid2 brought several major improvements in the usability and the quality of the speech synthesis , whereby mainly the ease of use should have improved, while the singing did not represent a revolution compared to its predecessor. Zero-G and other publishers announced that they would develop new products based on the software and publish them in the course of 2007. PowerFX published Sweet Ann, the first product based on the new software.

Crypton followed suit by announcing a range of products that began with Miku Hatsune on August 31, 2007. With Miku and the following, Crypton relies directly on anime fans as a buyer group after having had good experiences with them at Meiko. Miku Hatsune sold more than 1,000 times in the first week alone and more than 30,000 times in the first half of the year. The second variation was Rin / Len Kagamine on December 27, 2007, of which an update with the subtitle act2 appeared in July 2008 . A third variation has been offered since January 30, 2009, which was christened Luka Megurine . In the meantime, another product appeared with Prima , which was presented at the NAMM Show 2008. It was sold from January 14, 2008 in the United Kingdom and from February 22, 2008 in Japan. Meanwhile, in Japan, Kamui Gakupo, a male voice, was released that was modulated from that of Gackt . The publication also contained the new program OPUS Express , with which parts of the accompaniment can be linked to the phonemes . The new program was then also available to all registered buyers of the Crypton Vocaloid range for free download.

In addition to the use of Vocaloid by musicians, who mainly use the voices for background vocals and to create unusual sound effects, Yamaha also built part of the software into the constantly evolving humanoid robot ASIMO . This made it possible for ASIMO to accompany pieces of music known to him with his own singing, which should have a slight delay of only around 200 ms.

A new version of the voice synthesizer called Vocaloid3 was announced on June 8, 2011. In December 2014 the current version "Vocaloid 4" was published.

Voices based on Vocaloid

Ver. Voice name Publication date Language (a) gender Publisher Voice model
(1) Leon 03rd Mar 2004 English male Zero-G
(1) Lola 03rd Mar 2004 English Female Zero-G
(1) Miriam July 26, 2004 English Female Zero-G Miriam Stockley
(1) Meiko 0Nov 5, 2004 Japanese Female Crypton Future Media Meiko Haigō
(1) Kaito Feb 17, 2006 Japanese male Crypton Future Media Naoto Fūga
2 Sweet Ann June 29, 2007 English Female PowerFX Jody
2 Hatsune Miku Aug 31, 2007 Japanese Female Crypton Future Media Saki Fujita
2    Hatsune Miku Append Apr 30, 2010 Japanese Female Crypton Future Media Saki Fujita
2 Kagamine Rin Dec 27, 2007 Japanese Female Crypton Future Media Asami Shimoda
2    Kagamine Rin Act 2 July 18, 2008 Japanese Female Crypton Future Media Asami Shimoda
2    Kagamine Rin Append Dec. 27, 2010 Japanese Female Crypton Future Media Asami Shimoda
2 Kagamine Len Dec 27, 2007 Japanese male Crypton Future Media Asami Shimoda
2    Kagamine Len Act. 2 July 18, 2008 Japanese male Crypton Future Media Asami Shimoda
2    Kagamine Len Append Dec. 27, 2010 Japanese male Crypton Future Media Asami Shimoda
2 Fine Jan. 14, 2008 English Female Zero-G Opera soprano
2 Gackpoid: Kamui Gakupo July 31, 2008 Japanese male Internet Gackt
2 Megurine Luka Jan. 30, 2009 Japanese, English Female Crypton Future Media Yū Asakawa
2 Megpoid: Gumi June 26, 2009 Japanese Female Internet Megumi Nakajima
2 Sonika July 15, 2009 English Female Zero-G
2 SF-A2 Miki 0Dec. 4, 2009 Japanese Female AH software Miki Furukawa
2 Kaai Yuki 0Dec. 4, 2009 Japanese Female AH software
2 Hiyama Kiyoteru 0Dec. 4, 2009 Japanese male AH software Kiyoshi Hiyama
2 Big Al 22 Dec 2009 (b) English male PowerFX Frank Sanderson
2 Tonio July 13, 2010 English male Zero-G Opera baritone / tenor
2 Lily 25 Aug 2010 Japanese Female Internet Yuri Masuda
2 VY1 / Mizki 0Sep 1 2010 Japanese Female Yamaha / Bplats
2 Gachapoid 0Oct 8, 2010 Japanese male Internet Gachapin (Kuniko Amemiya)
2 Nekomura Iroha Oct 22, 2010 Japanese Female AH software
2 Utatane Piko 0Dec 8, 2010 Japanese male Ki / oon Records Inc. ( Sony Music Entertainment Japan ) Pico
2 VY2 / Yūma Apr 25, 2011 Japanese male Bplats
3 Cul Dec 22, 2011 Japanese Female Internet Eri Kitamura
3 Lily April 19, 2012 Japanese Female Internet Yuri Masuda
3    Gackpoid (Native / Power / Whisper) July 13, 2012 Japanese male Internet Gackt
3    VY1V3 Oct 21, 2011 Japanese Female Yamaha / Bplats
3 Mew Oct 21, 2011 Japanese Female Yamaha / Bplats Miu Sakamoto
3    Megpoid Power / Whisper / Adult / Sweet Oct 21, 2011 Japanese Female Internet Megumi Nakajima
3 SeeU Oct 21, 2011 Korean, Japanese Female SBS Artech Kim Dahee
3 Tone Rion Dec 16, 2011 Japanese Female Yamaha / Bplats
3 Oliver Dec 21, 2011 English male PowerFX
3 Yuzuki Yukari Dec 22, 2011 Japanese Female AHS Chihiro Ishiguro
3 Bruno 23 Dec 2011 Spanish male Voctro Labs Unknown
3 Clara 23 Dec 2011 Spanish Female Voctro Labs Unknown
3 IA Jan. 27, 2012 Japanese Female 1st place Lia
3    Megpoid Native 16. Mar. 2012 Japanese Female Internet Megumi Nakajima
3 Aoki lapis 0Apr 6, 2012 Japanese Female Yamaha / Bplats Nako Eguchi
3 Luo Tianyi July 12, 2012 Chinese Female Vocaloid China (Shanghai Henian Xinxi Keji) Shanxin
3    VY2V3 Oct 19, 2012 Japanese male Yamaha / Bplats
3 Avanna Dec 22, 2012 English Female Zero-G
3 Mayu 0Dec 5, 2012 Japanese Female Exit tunes
3    Kaito V3 Feb 15, 2013 Japanese male Crypton Future Media Naoto Fūga
3    Megpoid English Feb 28, 2013 English Female Internet Megumi Nakajima
3 Zola Project June 21th 2013 Japanese male Yamaha / Bplats
3 Yinhuo July 11th 2013 Chinese Female Vocaloid China (Shanghai Henian Xinxi Keji) Seira Ryū (Liú Jìngluò)
3    Hatsune Miku V3 English 31 Aug 2013 English Female Crypton Saki Fujita
3 YOHIOloid Sep 10 2013 English, Japanese male PowerFX Yohio
3    Hatsune Miku V3 26 Sep 2013 Japanese Female Crypton Saki Fujita
3 MAIKA Sep 10 2013 Spanish, Catalan Female Voctrolabs Unknown
3 Cocoons Feb. 14, 2014 Japanese Female Internet Unknown
4th    VY1V4 / Mizki 07th Dec 2014 Japanese Female Yamaha / Bplats
4th    Megurine Luka V4 19 Mar 2015 Japanese Female Crypton Future Media Yū Asakawa
4th CYBER DIVA 0Feb. 4, 2015 English Female Yamaha / Bplats Jenny Shima
4th Yuzuki Yukari Onn / Jun / Lin March 2015 Japanese Female AH software Chihiro Ishiguro
4th Hatsune Miku V4X 31 Aug 2016 English, Japanese Female Crypton Future Media Saki Fujita
4th Otomachi Una-Sugar, Spicy July 2016 Japanese Female Internet Co., Ltd., MTK Inc. Aimi Tanaka
4th Fukase January 2016 Japanese, English male YAMAHA Corporation Satoshi Fukase
4th CYBER SONGMAN October 30, 2016 English male YAMAHA Corporation not known
(a)the language indicates the one for which the software is optimized. With additional effort, however, it is also possible to reproduce other languages.
(b) although it was announced since January 21, 2007 and, despite several demo releases, only came onto the market at the end of 2009.

Vocaloid versions: Vocaloid Vocaloid 2 Vocaloid 3 Vocaloid 4 !!!!

Legal situation

According to the license of the software, the rights to the chants created with Vocaloid belong to the user. This treats the artificial singing in the same way as any other sound created by a synthesizer. The pieces produced can be used according to license for commercial works, as long as the text content does not violate the public order violated .

The mascots and their image rights belong to Crypton Future Media or other authors and may not be used for commercial purposes. So it is e.g. B. illegal to advertise with the characters without the consent of the author. In Germany the figures according to § 106 of the Copyright Act, and by definition protected works § 2 of the Copyright Act for Protected . Analogous to anime music videos or the dōjin scene in general, this is largely tolerated, since the use of the figures also represents an advertisement for the actual product. Also for the widely used illustration by Miku Hatsune, this was released by Crypton in 2012 under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license.

Popularity in Japan

In Japan, a number of Japanese voices have been developed by Crypton Future Media. These should be aimed at both professional musicians and beginners. However, Crypton had to announce in an interview that no known singers could be persuaded to have a possible copy made of their voice. As a way out of this dilemma, Crypton used the voice data of seiyūs , which ultimately led to voices typical of anime characters, which, according to Crypton, should correspond to that of a singer idol from the future. Due to their relationship to the voices of anime characters and their widespread acceptance within Japan, the developer decided to have a character designed for each voice, a visual implementation as a figure. The characters designed by the well-known Mangaka and illustrator KEI and intended as advertising characters were given characteristics such as age, height, weight and a certain musical talent (vocal range, music style, speed, etc.) assigned to them.

Most popular were the voices based on Yamaha's software synthesizer Vocaloid2 . Of the programs named after their "idols", the fictional advertising character Miku Hatsune and her voice became particularly well known. In the beginning, music videos that were set by the Japanese video host Nico Nico Douga mainly spread . A popular video showed Miku in the same pose as Orihime Inoue from Bleach , whose appearance in a Flash video as Loituma Girl made the Finnish band Loituma known internationally. This time, however, the adjuster had the software interpret the title known as Ievan Polkka . Manufacturer Crypton saw this as proof of the many possible uses of its software.

With increased awareness of the software, Nico Nico Douga turned into a place for collaborative project work. The pieces of music generated by some users were illustrated by other users or animated in 2D or 3D. This also resulted in numerous remixes where certain versions were crossed with each other, or ideas were simply asked for the implementation of further videos. The hype about the character intensified when, on October 18, 2007, various media reported, citing a BBS , that Miku Hatsune had been censored by Google and Yahoo! because no images of the well-known figure appeared in the image search of both providers. Google and Yahoo, for their part, denied censorship and stated that a bug in both systems meant that “Hatsune Miku” ( 初 音 ミ wie) and some other keywords could not be found. Both providers then promised to eliminate the error as soon as possible. Since October 19, 2007, the first pictures of Miku have been listed again in the Yahoo search.

Made known through the videos and the press, Miku, Rin and Len had their first cameo in an episode (Zoku) Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei in an anime television series in which a wide variety of people and characters tried to imitate the voice of Meru Otonashi . In the OVA of Lucky Star Miku also had a brief appearance in the Cosplay -Traum of Kagami.

The popularity of the Vocaloid software in Japan, especially that of the manufacturer Crypton Future Media, which has the most famous variations with Miku Hatsune, Rin / Len Kagamine and Luka Megurine, was expressed, among other things, by the fact that company chairman Hiroyuki Itō from the Japanese state with the " Medal of Honor on the Blue Ribbon" was awarded, with which people who have made a contribution to the improvement of the common good and education are honored. In this context, the Japanese newspaper Sports Hōchi Hatsune Miku called the world's most famous Japanese idol .

The characters

Miku Hatsune

初 音 ミ ク , Hatsune Miku

Miku Hatsune is the name of the character who adorned the packaging of the voice known as Hatsune Miku . Its name is made up of the components Hatsu ( 初 , German “first”), Ne ( 音 , German “sound”) and Miku ( 未来 , German “future”), meaning “first sound from the future”. Your first name is often associated with the number 39 , as mi also means “3” and ku also means “9”. The data to describe the underlying language model comes from Saki Fujita , who was selected from 500 applicants for her idol voice. The software was not adapted to the general colloquial language as usual , but specially designed for the creation of J-Pop titles, as is common in anime . Nevertheless, it is also possible to create titles from other genres, even if this increases the effort.

Her appearance is that of a girl with long turquoise hair tied with two reddish knots to form two pigtails that hang low. Among them, she wears headphones . She wears a sleeveless school uniform with a short mini skirt and a long tie . Her forearms are covered by arm stockings, while she wears a red tattoo on her upper arm that reads as "01", an allusion to the first character in the series of vocaloids produced by Crypton Future Media .

As the best-known figure in the series, she also has the most adaptations in other media. For example, she was also used as an advertising character for the Japanese version of the online multiplayer game PangYa , the latest campaign of which started on May 22, 2008 and offered Miku as one of the characters. She had her first appearance in a console game in 13-sai no Hello Work DS ( 13 歳 の ハ ロ ー ワ ー ク DS ), a game for Nintendo DS in which she played as a supporting character in the musician mini-game, then twice in the main story and after the playthrough of the game appeared in a repeatable quiz level.

In the game Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA ( 初 音 ミ ク プ ロ ジ ェ ク ト デ ィ ィ ー ヴ ァ ) produced by Sega for PlayStation Portable and published on July 2, 2009, Miku played the lead role along with the other characters in the Vocaloid series. In the music game , the characters dance according to the music. In the first week, it placed 102,821 copies sold at number 2 in the Japanese game charts. Most stores sold more than 90% of the copies delivered, and many stores sold out over the weekend. While SEGA is currently working on an arcade variant with the name Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Arcade (of which test versions could already be played in some selected arcade halls up to May 2010), an add-on for the was released on June 24, 2010 PSP game called Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Dreamy Theater . This add-on is played on the PlayStation 3 and, after connecting a PSP (with a Project DIVA game inserted ), enables the game to be played on a television using the Project DIVA Arcade graphics. On July 29, 2010 the successor Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA 2nd ( 初 音 ミ ク プ ロ ジ ェ ク ト デ ィ ー ヴ erschien ァ 2nd ) was released, which has an expanded game mechanics and also brings more content for the other Vocaloid characters.

On August 31, 2013, an English language version called Hatsune Miku V3 English , which is based on the newer Vocaloid-3 software, was released and the Japanese version of Vocaloid-3 was released on September 26, 2013.

Rin and Len Kagamine

鏡 音 リ ン ・ レ ン , Kagamine Rin / Len

Together with the second product in the series, the characters Rin and Len were introduced on December 27, 2007. Despite the same family name and similar appearance, it should not be about siblings, but reflections, as can also be seen from the translation of their name components. These are composed of the words Kagami ( 鏡 , German mirror ), Ne ( 音 , German sound ) and their first names Rin and Len (allusions to left and right ). According to the manufacturer, the product has two language banks, both of which were generated from Asami Shimoda's vocal data. Despite two votes, the package was offered at the same price as its predecessor. On June 12, 2008, Crypton announced a new release that was named act2 and has been available since July 2008. Owners of the old version received the update free of charge, which was installed parallel to the previous program. This allowed users to choose between the two versions.

Both characters were portrayed with short, blonde hair and had a younger appearance and voice compared to Miku. In terms of color, they were kept in black, white and gold and, as before, all characters in the series were equipped with headphones. According to the manufacturer, both voices should be particularly suitable for electronic , dance and pop music and were also intended for use as a duet, whereby the voices can of course also be combined with those of other products.

Luka Megurine

巡 音 ル カ , Megurine Luka

The third female voice was introduced on January 30, 2009 under the name Megurine Luka . Her surname is made up of Meguri ( 巡 , dt. "Circulate") and Ne ( 音 , dt. "Sound"), while her first name was arbitrarily determined. The voice of Luka is said to reproduce that of a twenty-year-old singer, was conceived for both Japanese and English singing and is based on the recordings of Yū Asakawa .

Her outward appearance is that of a mature woman with pink hair and a black robe that is decorated with numerous gold elements. Like her predecessors, she wears headphones and the tattoo "03" on her upper arm, which she classifies as the third singer in the series. Right from the start, their appearance was accompanied by a major advertising campaign. Due to the similarity of its name to the Japanese pronunciation for tuna ( く ろ ま ぐ ろ , kuromaguro ), it was associated with this. Various videos and illustrations quickly developed in which she was repeatedly shown together with a tuna that she used for all kinds of things. Soon after, her pink hair became the "victim" of another idea. As Tako Luka , her hair was converted into the tentacles of an octopus . A wide variety of variations emerged from this idea, which first spread to Nico Nico Douga .

Gackpoid

が く っ ぽ い ど , Gakuppoido

After Crypton had tried often unsuccessfully to persuade well-known Japanese musicians to cooperate, they turned to Dwango (the new owner of KK Internet (English Internet Co., Ltd.), the publisher of Vocaloid) and got the recommendation to turn to the singer and actor Gackt . He had previously provided his voice for Dwango's telephone services. Eventually Gackt agreed to the contract and provided his vote. So his voice appeared under the name Gackpoid (alternatively also known as Kamui Gakupo ( 神威 が く ぽ )). In addition to three sample titles, two original titles by Gackt were also included in the publication, which made it possible to compare the votes.

The product was supposed to be released in June 2008, but although Gackt's voice was already available as a database for Vocaloid, there was still no mascot that would fit in with the existing voices. In addition, the mangaka Kentaro Miura , who was particularly known for his work Berserk , was asked for an illustration. Since Kentarō himself was a major fan of Nico Nico Douga , he agreed to such participation and designed the character without asking for anything in return. Gackt was also happy with this decision as he was again a fan of the Berserk series. He really wanted a fax of the drafts even though he was filming Guy Moshe's film Bunraku . Therefore the market launch was delayed by almost two months. The character, designed with purple, long hair, saw the light of day on July 31, 2008 together with the software.

Megpoid

On June 26, 2009, KK Internet released a female counterpart to Gakupoid. The voice of the voice actress and singer Megumi Nakajima was used, who became known for her role as Ranka Lee in the Space Opera Macross Frontier . The model is intended for a tempo of 60 to 175 bpm and a vocal range from F2 to A4.

On October 21, 2011 a new version for Vocaloid 3 was released with the four voice variations Megpoid Power , Megpoid Whisper , Megpoid Adult and Megpoid Sweet . Megpoid Native was released on March 16, 2012, and an English version called Megpoid English on February 28, 2013 .

The mascot Gumi comes from the mangaka Masami Yūki ( Tetsuwan Birdy , Kidō Keisatsu Patlabor ).

Kaito

Kaito is the first male vocaloid created by Crypton Future Media . His voice is based on that of the Japanese singer Naoto Fūga. Kaito was created as a counterpart to Meiko and developed together with her.

Kaito's rise to fame came under special circumstances as his first voicebank was viewed as "a commercial failure". In the meantime, however, he is one of the most popular vocaloid in both Japanese and Western fandoms, with his voicebank becoming the most popular. In addition, Kaito is now also known for his "beautiful male voice".

Adaptations

The mangaka KEI , who had also designed some of the characters, has been releasing the manga maker Hikōshiki Hatsune Mix since November 26, 2007 . It appears within Comic Rush magazine , published by Jive . Another manga called Hachune Miku no Nichijō Roipara! , drawn by Ontama, has been published within Comp Ace magazine, published by Kadokawa Shoten , since December 26, 2007 .

Based on the music video Black Rock Shooter , in which a dark variation of Miku Hatsune appeared, the original video animation of the same name Black Rock Shooter was created . It was animated by the animation studio Ordet , which was founded by Yutaka Yamamoto , among others , after he left the Kyōto Animation and Animation Dō studios in 2007 . It was released on July 24, 2010 and had a total length of around 52 minutes. A special feature of the production was that it was published directly with subtitles in nine different languages.

Music publications

Numerous dōjin ongaku (fan-produced titles) have appeared on the basis of Hatsune Miku . Over time (early 2008) the first albums were created, for example by Frontier Works or self-published. The pieces were also used in other media, such as the computer game Tori no Hoshi - Aerial Planet ( ト リ ノ ホ シ 〜Aerial Planet〜 ).

On August 27, 2008, Victor Entertainment released the album Re: package . It contained a selection of songs sung by the voice of Hatsune Miku . The titles were created by a group of dojin artists who called themselves Livetune . The album sold more than 20,000 copies in the first week and was able to secure fifth place in the Oricon charts . Miku Hatsune became the first synthetic pop icon and received the prize in the free category at the 2008 Seiun Prize .

In 2009 the album supercell was released on March 4th, the artist named supercell feat. Miku Hatsune was specified. Within the first day, the CD sold more than 20,000 times and thus reached 2nd place in the daily and finally 4th place in the weekly charts. Even in the run-up to publication, many of the titles were offered for free download by the creators and had appeared in numerous versions on the well-known video platforms Nico Nico Douga and YouTube . These included Koi wa Sensō ( 恋 は 戦 争 , dt. "Love is war") and Melt ( メ ル ト , Meruto , dt. "Melting").

According to Crypton, over 100,000 pieces with Miku Hatsune as the interpreter had been published by 2013, 170,000 videos were uploaded to YouTube with her and around 1,000,000 illustrations were created with her.

Concerts

Although the Vocaloids are only virtual singers, they also appear in “live” concerts in the form of their respective visual characters. At Animelo Summer Live on August 22, 2009, the titles Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru (Shiteyan yo) and Black Rock Shooter were played, sung by Miku Hatsune, while the figure of Miku Hatsune was projected larger than life on a video screen, dancing to match. On March 9, 2010, Miku no Hi Kanshasai 39's Giving Day was the first “solo concert” of a vocaloid that Sega organized in collaboration with Crypton Future Media on the occasion of the release of the computer game Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA . Pieces from various artists who related Miku as a singer and appear in the game were projected onto a transparent screen with the 3D representation of Miku, which also occurs in the game, in a life-size manner, which should give the impression of a real singer. Such concerts, also with the other characters from Crypton Future Media, have taken place regularly in Japan since then, as well as occasionally at anime conventions abroad. On June 3, 2016, AH-Software was in Berlin with their Vocaloids ( Yuzuki Yukari and others) and performed live. Yuzuki Yukari even sang with her voice-overs, Chihiro Ishiguro.

Participation in the Super GT Championship

In the 2008 Super GT season, two racing cars competed in the GT300 class, which were provided with the images and color schemes of the characters Miku Hatsune and Rin and Len Kagamine . The first vehicle was the Hatsune Miku study Glad BMW Z4 (# 808), which was on the road for study , a tuning provider of BMW . For the final round of the championship, Mola , one of the leading teams, adapted the characters Rin and Len Kagamine on their Mola Leopalace Z (# 46).

In particular, the car named Hatsune Miku study Glad BMW Z4 was described by the media as the first Itasha to take part in an international race organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . Although the car only four times in qualifying took and could not even qualify, he took on the last race of the season in part and completed the race with an eighteenth place from. Crypton appeared as a supporter of the team. The car drew attention not only because of its special appearance and color scheme, but was also considered a candidate for BMW's possible return to the Super GT since the Z4 had already dominated Group N in Japan.

With the daring design, Study was also one of the first teams to adopt color schemes from the public instead of relying on professional designers. In the run-up to this, a call was made on the Vocaloid fan website Piapro to come up with the design for a racing car. Many of the volunteer designers assumed that it would only be about the design of a racing car from one of the lower classes or exhibits for the comiket or car shows. Many of the artists gave the original design the number 39 (# 39) associated with Miku, which, however, was already occupied by Toyota's SARD team in the GT500 class. After the end of the race it was announced that the study will also feature Miku Hatsune in 2009 and that the car will be sold under the name of the study GLAD Racing .

When a second Itasha appeared in the GT300 with the Mola Leopalace Z , there was talk of an "Itasha conquest of the Super GT". Driving with the new design for the first time, the Mola team managed to win the overall standings despite finishing sixth in the last race of the 2008 season, which further increased media attention.

literature

  • Martin Russ: Sound Synthesis and Sampling . 2nd Edition. Elsevier, 2004, ISBN 978-0-240-51692-9 .
  • 卢小旭 : 电脑 音乐 ​​技术 与 实践 / “ 电脑 音乐 ​​大师 ” 丛书 / Computer Music Technology in Practice . 清华大学 出版社 , 2005, ISBN 978-7-302-10152-9 (Chinese).

Web links

Commons : Vocaloids  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bill Werde, “MUSIC; Could I Get That Song in Elvis, Please? ” , The New York Times , Nov. 23, 2003, p. 42
  2. ↑ 卢小旭 : 电脑 音乐 ​​技术 与 实践 / “ 电脑 音乐 ​​大师 ” 丛书 / Computer Music Technology in Practice . 清华大学 出版社 , 2005, ISBN 978-7-302-10152-9 , p. 281 ff . (Chinese).
  3. ↑ VOCALOID. Retrieved February 18, 2009 .
  4. ↑ Martin Russ: Sound Synthesis and Sampling . 2nd Edition. Elsevier, 2004, ISBN 978-0-240-51692-9 , pp. 223-241 .
  5. ↑ Martin Russ: Sound Synthesis and Sampling . 2nd Edition. Elsevier, 2004, ISBN 978-0-240-51692-9 , pp. 235 .
  6. ↑ ZERO-G announces first 3 Vocaloid titles ( Memento from October 22, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  7. ↑ a b c 「初 音 ミ ク」 が で き る ま で (1/2) . In: ITmedia. February 22, 2008, Retrieved July 9, 2009 (Japanese).
  8. ↑ VOCALOID Meiko has been released since October 5, 2004. Yamaha Corporation , November 9, 2004, archived from the original on June 6, 2012 ; accessed on February 14, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vocaloid.com
  9. ↑ a b KAITO (音 楽 ソ フ ト ウ エ ア) . Crypton, accessed July 8, 2009 (Japanese).
  10. ↑ a b 初 音 ミ ク が 開 く “創造 の 扉” (1/2) . ITmedia, February 25, 2008, accessed July 9, 2009 (Japanese).
  11. ^ Vocaloid. In: Vocaloid. Yamaha, November 7, 2005, accessed July 7, 2009 .
  12. ↑ PowerFX Vocaloid 2 Sweet Ann. Sound On Sound, January 2008, accessed February 18, 2009 .
  13. ↑ EASTWEST Introduces Zero-G Vocaloid Prima At NAMM 2008 ( Memento from February 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  14. ↑ Zero-G shipping Vocaloid PRIMA. January 14, 2008, accessed February 15, 2009 .
  15. ↑ 「神威 が く ぽ」, ７ 月末 デ ビ ュ ー! ── 「が く っ ぽ い ど」 . Barks, June 20, 2008, accessed February 23, 2009 (Japanese).
  16. ^ Juan Pablo Bello, Elaine Chew, Douglas Turnbull: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Music Information Retrieval . Lulu.com, 2008, ISBN 978-0-615-24849-3 , pp. 202 .
  17. ↑ VOCALOID3 を 発 表 し ま し た . Yamaha Corporation as of June 8, 2011, archived from the original on October 8, 2011 ; Retrieved September 25, 2011 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vocaloid.com
  18. ↑ Vocaloid LEON ( Memento from November 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  19. ↑ Vocaloid LOLA ( Memento from November 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  20. ↑ Vocaloid MIRIAM ( Memento from November 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  21. ↑ MEIKO (音 楽 ソ フ ト ウ エ ア) . Crypton, accessed July 8, 2009 (Japanese).
  22. ^ Vocaloid 2. Power FX, archived from the original on March 5, 2008 ; accessed on July 8, 2009 .
  23. ↑ HATSUNE MIKU (音 楽 ソ フ ト ウ エ ア) . Crypton, accessed July 8, 2009 (Japanese).
  24. ↑ MIKU APPEND (音 楽 ソ フ ト ウ エ ア) . Crypton, accessed April 11, 2011 (Japanese).
  25. ↑ a b c d KAGAMINE RIN / LEN act2 (音 楽 ソ フ ト ウ エ ア) . Crypton, accessed July 8, 2009 (Japanese).
  26. ↑ a b RIN / LEN APPEND (音 楽 ソ フ ト ウ エ ア) . Crypton, accessed April 11, 2011 (Japanese).
  27. ^ Vocaloid PRIMA. ZERO-G Ltd., accessed July 8, 2009 .
  28. ↑ a b c が く っ ぽ い ど . KK Internet, accessed July 8, 2009 (Japanese).
  29. ↑ MEGURINE LUKA (音 楽 ソ フ ト ウ エ ア) . Crypton, accessed July 8, 2009 (Japanese).
  30. ↑ Megpoid (メ グ ッ ポ イ ド) . KK Internet, accessed July 8, 2009 (Japanese).
  31. ↑ Vocaloid Sonika. ZERO-G Ltd., accessed February 26, 2011 .
  32. ↑ SF-A2 開 発 コ ー ド miki. AH software, accessed July 1, 2010 (Japanese).
  33. ↑ ボ カ ロ 小学生 歌 愛 ユ キ. AH software, accessed July 1, 2010 (Japanese).
  34. ↑ ボ カ ロ 先生 氷山 キ ヨ テ ル. AH software, accessed July 1, 2010 (Japanese).
  35. ↑ Big Al. PowerFX, archived from the original on March 17, 2010 ; accessed on July 15, 2010 (English).
  36. ↑ Vocaloid TONIO. ZERO-G Ltd., accessed February 26, 2011 .
  37. ↑ ガ チ ャ ッ ポ イ ド . KK Internet, accessed February 26, 2011 (Japanese).
  38. ↑ VY1 / MIZKI (み ず き) . Yamaha Corporation , archived from the original on October 7, 2011 ; Retrieved September 25, 2011 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vocaloid.com
  39. ↑ Lily (リ リ ィ) . KK Internet, accessed February 26, 2011 (Japanese).
  40. ↑ VOCALOID2 猫 村 い ろ は. AH Software, accessed September 16, 2010 (Japanese).
  41. ↑ New Vocaloid Utatane Piko Announced! Vocaloidism, archived from the original on November 1, 2010 ; accessed on October 29, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vocaloidism.com
  42. ↑ VY2 / 勇 馬 (ゆ う ま) . Yamaha Corporation, archived from the original on October 7, 2011 ; Retrieved September 25, 2011 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vocaloid.com
  43. ↑ a b c 製品 ラ イ ン ア ッ プ: VOCALOID3 製品 紹 介 . Yamaha Corporation, archived from the original on October 5, 2011 ; Retrieved September 25, 2011 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vocaloid.com
  44. ↑ 初 音 ミ ク V3 ENGLISH (HATSUNE MIKU V3 ENGLISH). Crypton Future Media, accessed November 9, 2013 (Japanese).
  45. ↑ 初 音 ミ ク V3 (HATSUNE MIKU V3). Crypton Future Media, accessed November 9, 2013 (Japanese).
  46. ↑ VY1V4 / MIZKI (み ず き) . Yamaha Corporation , accessed December 7, 2014 (Japanese).
  47. ↑ MEGURINE LUKA V4x (音 楽 ソ フ ト ウ エ ア V4x) . Crypton, accessed February 2015 (Japanese).
  48. ↑ License text of the software
  49. ^ Restrictions on the use of the synthesized singing. (PDF) Zero-G, archived from the original on July 9, 2007 ; accessed on April 21, 2009 (English, comparable wording in the license of the demo version.).
  50. ↑ a b Who is Hatsune Miku? In: Crypton. Retrieved March 10, 2013 .
  51. ↑ 「初 音 ミ ク」 が で き る ま で (1/2) . ITmedia, February 22, 2008, accessed February 15, 2009 (Japanese).
  52. ↑ 初 音 ミ ク が 開 く “創造 の 扉” . ITmedia, February 25, 2008, accessed February 15, 2009 (Japanese).
  53. ↑ DTM ブ ー ム 再来!? 「初 音 ミ ク」 が 掘 り 起 こ す “名 な し の 才能” . ITmedia, September 18, 2007, accessed February 15, 2009 (Japanese).
  54. ↑ 「初 音 ミ ク」 画像 が ネ ッ ト か ら “消 え た”? . ITmedia, October 18, 2007, accessed February 15, 2009 (Japanese).
  55. ↑ “消 え た 初 音 ミ ク” 問題 ヤ フ ー と Google 「原因 を 調査 中」 . ITmedia, October 18, 2007, accessed February 15, 2009 (Japanese).
  56. ↑ Hatsune Miku's 'Father' Hiroyuki Itō Receives Japan Medal with Blue Ribbon. In: Anime News Network. November 2, 2013, accessed November 9, 2013 .
  57. ↑ 異 例 の 売 れ 行 き 「初 音 ミ ク」 「ニ コ 動」 で 広 が る 音 音 楽 作 り の す そ 野 . ITmedia, November 12, 2007, accessed February 15, 2009 (Japanese).
  58. ↑ ス カ ッ と ゴ ル フ パ ン ヤ, Season4 実 装 時期 ・ 内容 を 発 表 . ixll, May 5, 2008, Retrieved February 16, 2009 (Japanese, announcing the fourth season of PangYa .).
  59. ↑ 『ス カ ッ と ゴ ル フ パ ン ヤ』 が 初 音 ミ ク と コ ラ ボ レ ー シ ョ ン . Famitsu , May 22, 2008, accessed February 16, 2009 (Japanese).
  60. ↑ 『13 歳 の ハ ロ ー ワ ー ク DS』 に 初 音 ミ ク が 登場! . Famitsu , February 15, 2008, accessed February 16, 2009 (Japanese).
  61. ↑ 初 音 ミ ク と い っ し ょ に 曲 作 り! 『13 歳 の ハ ロ ー ワ ー ク DS』 . Famitsu , March 3, 2008, accessed February 16, 2009 (Japanese).
  62. ↑ Wii Sports Resort が 2 週 連 続 で 1 位 を 達成! . In: Ascii.jp. Ascii Media Works, July 10, 2009, accessed July 10, 2009 (Japanese).
  63. ↑ 『初 音 ミ ク Project DIVA Arcade』 ロ ケ テ ス ト 終了 の お 知 ら せ . In: 初 音 ミ ク Project DIVA Arcade 公式 サ イ ト . Sega, May 15, 2010, accessed May 27, 2010 (Japanese).
  64. ↑ VOCALOID2 情報 CV02 ｢鏡 音 リ ン ・ レ ン｣ 公開. December 13, 2007, archived from the original on December 25, 2007 ; Retrieved February 19, 2009 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / blog.crypton.co.jp
  65. ↑ Megurine Luka Announced as Next Vocaloid 2 Character. Anime News Network , January 6, 2009, accessed February 20, 2009 .
  66. ↑ Tako Luka. Sankaku Complex, February 5, 2009, accessed April 21, 2009 .
  67. ↑ Michiko Nagai: プ ロ が な ぜ 、 二次 創作 を 願 う の か --Gackt が 歌 い 、 三浦 建 太郎 太郎 が 描 く 「が く っ ぽ い ど」 . CNET Japan , June 20, 2008, accessed February 23, 2009 (Japanese).
  68. ↑ 「が く っ ぽ い ど」 7 月末 発 売 “ニ コ 厨” 漫画家 ・ 三浦 建 太郎 さ ん の イ ラ ス ト で . ITMedia, June 20, 2008, accessed February 23, 2009 (Japanese).
  69. ↑ 製品 概要 . Internet Co., Ltd., accessed July 7, 2009 (Japanese).
  70. ↑ 『初 音 ミ ク』 を フ ィ ー チ ャ リ ン グ し た ア ル バ ム が TOP10 入 り . Oricon , September 2, 2008, accessed February 20, 2009 (Japanese).
  71. ↑ 星雲 賞 ： 長 編 部門 に 「図 書館 戦 争」 「初 音 ミ ク」 「20 世紀 少年」 な ど も 受 賞 . (No longer available online.) Mainichi Shimbun , August 25, 2008, formerly in the original ; Retrieved February 16, 2009 (Japanese).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / mainichi.jp  
  72. ^ Library War , Dennō Coil , 20th Century Boys Win Seiun Awards . Anime News Network , August 24, 2008, accessed February 16, 2009 .
  73. ↑ 音 声 合成 ソ フ ト 「初 音 ミ ク」 を 使 っ た ア ル バ ム が 初 日 2 位 に . Oricon, March 5, 2009, accessed on April 25, 2009 (Japanese, CDs can usually be purchased the evening before (here: March 3) the date of publication (here: March 4)).
  74. ↑ 2009 年 03 月 第 3 週 の 邦 楽 ア ル バ ム ラ ン キ ン グ 情報 ( Memento from February 10, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  75. ↑ 君 の 知 ら な い 物語 . supercell , accessed February 6, 2018 (Japanese).
  76. ↑ Hatsune Miku Virtual Idol Performs 'Live' Before 25,000. In: Anime News Network . August 23, 2009, accessed February 26, 2013 .
  77. ^ Hatsune Miku Virtual Idol to Hold 1st Solo Concert. Anime News Network , December 10, 2009, accessed February 26, 2013 .
  78. ↑ ネ コ 耳 、 船長 、 レ オ タ ー ド に ウ ェ デ ィ ン グ ド レ ス ミ ク ク の 多彩 な モ ジ ュ ー ル に 注目 . In: IT media Gamez. March 17, 2010, Retrieved November 30, 2010 (Japanese).
  79. ↑ Hatsune Miku: Live in Los Angeles ( Memento from January 18, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  80. ↑ The rumored No. 808 Hatsune Miku Study Glad BMW Z4 Latest News. Super GT.net, August 18, 2008, archived from the original on March 2, 2010 ; Retrieved February 22, 2009 (Japanese).
  81. ↑ 間 違 い な く SUPER GT の 歴 史 に 名 を 残 し た 初 音 ミ ク Z4 . ASCII MediaWorks , November 11, 2008, accessed February 22, 2009 (Japanese).
  82. ↑ Hatsune Miku BMW Z4 comes back stronger to GT 300 for 2009 season! Super GT.net, February 16, 2009, archived from the original on March 14, 2009 ; accessed on February 22, 2009 .
  83. ↑ 痛 車 が SUPER GT を 席捲! 大 波 乱 の 富士 最終 戦! . ASCII MediaWorks , November 11, 2008, accessed February 22, 2009 (Japanese).
  84. ↑ GT300 Class - Team Champion. Super GT.net, November 11, 2008, archived from the original on December 16, 2008 ; accessed on March 20, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / supergt.net
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on April 29, 2009 .