A character from the Vocaloid 2 Character Vocal Series software. She also makes an appearance in the PSP rhythm game Hatsune Miku: Project Diva, and as a fully playable character in the sequel, Hatsune Miku: Project Diva 2nd. UTAUloids refer to voice banks that work on Vocal Synthesizer Tool UTAU, with accompanying anime-inspired avatars, just like Crypton's Character Voice Series for VOCALOID. The reason for segregating them is to differentiate them from Fanmade Vocaloids that use existing voices and run on Yamaha's Vocaloid and Vocaloid2 platform, or those.
Humanoids that are given a voice through Vocaloid software, which is a voice synthesizer, have become popular in the last few years. The groundwork for this craze was laid back at the turn of the century as a research project to develop signal processing by a professor at Pompeu Fabra University - with the backing of the Yamaha Corporation. The software package would then be developed by Yamaha who was targeting professional musicians and computer users with musical ability.
Vocaloid Number List
A user has to program in a melody and lyrics that are then combined with synthesized recorded vocals, leading to a complete song. This allows artists who do not have the singing chops or access to a professional singer the freedom to still create a full song on their own.
https://youtu.be/a9bdSa2VSN0
The distillation of this freedom came in the form of Hatsune Miku, courtesy of Crypton Future Media, the most widely recognized and popular Vocaloid character. In addition to creating the software and character design, Crypton then made a genius move by creating their PIAPRO online community where fans and artists were allowed to share derivative works made using Hatsune Miku.
Companies typically defend their intellectually property rights vigorously, but Crypton did the opposite, which would seem unthinkable in today’s climate of intellectual property protectionism. Their lax attitude allowed their community to flourish, and in turn allowed Hatsune Miku to reach critical mass appeal by allowing her to morph into whatever fans needed or wanted her to be. The internet was then awash with music videos, pictures, songs and all sorts of art created by fans.
Driven by the popularity of fan involvement Hatsune Miku has also enjoyed plenty of commercial success and been referenced in other media. For example, there is a partnership with Good Smile Racing that features Miku artwork on cars, sponsorship deals for winter festivals in the city of Sapporo where Miku is prominently displayed in the city, a series of video games produced by Sega, as well as being referenced in various anime.
https://youtu.be/fKG6xJcN4M4
Black★Rock Shooter started off as nothing more than an illustration uploaded to the Pixiv artist community by Fuke Ryohei, better known as Huke. This illustration was viewed by a member of the J-Pop group Supercell, and it inspired him to create a song using Hatsune Miku. Huke would then go on to provide more artwork so that a full blown music video could be created and uploaded to Nico Nico Douga where it would accumulate millions of views.
Black★Rock Shooter’s success on Nico Nico Douga would lead to a blitzkrieg of media properties spanning different mediums, all of which are housed within their own universes. It started with an OVA project that was 50 minutes long and led to the creation of an anime series that contained eight episodes; the series ended up winning an award from Motion Picture and Television Engineering Society of Japan for its technical merits. There was also a video game released on the Playstation Portable titled Black★Rock Shooter: The Game, along with a browser based game titled Petit★Rock Shooter.
To round things out it also got the manga treatment with Black Rock-Chan, a four-panel comic that was serialized in 4-Koma Nano Ace magazine. Meanwhile Black★Rock Shooter: Innocent Soul was serialized in Young Ace magazine. Black★Rock Shooter: The Game was also adapted into a manga that ran in Comptiq magazine. This is a great example of what a full blown Vocaloid anime could look like.
https://youtu.be/t_WKq2pPoE8
Another series that was birthed by the Vocaloid movement is Mekakucity Actors, which is part of the Kagerou Project. The Kagerou Project began as a story spread across multiple songs made using Vocaloid software. The story was brought to life by Jin (Shizen no Teki-P) who then uploaded the music to Nico Nico Douga. This series became incredibly popular amongst users of the service, which led to the release of a set of light novels and manga that is serialized in Monthly Comic Gene.
Mekakucity Actors is the anime adaptation of the world created by Jin. It is a twelve episode series that has been released both in Japan and the United States. A short film is also being worked on, and is being created to take advantage of MX4D (4D Cinema). A release that is specifically targeting a 4D experience is just another way in which these Vocaloid anime projects think outside the box when it comes to content creation and distribution.
https://youtu.be/J4KkvN2qipg
One of the most exciting parts of Vocaloid projects is that it allows artists to create music they otherwise wouldn’t be able to, and that they have the creative freedom to work with other artists and an in-built fan-base to spread their creative endeavors far and wide. Whether it be through Nico Nico Douga or YouTube. The community is what drives Vocaloids forward.
A great example of this are music videos that are posted on video sharing sites. One of the early Hatsune Miku music videos that gained traction was “Levan Polkka” that had animation created by Otomania. The video has amassed over 14 million views. An example of a more advanced project is a video for Wowaka’s “Rollin’ Girl” that was a collaboration between three different artists, and has racked up over two million views.
Another collaboration that needs to be highlighted because of how amazing it is, is “Alice in Musicland” and it is a Vocaloid musical! It is almost 12 minutes long, and it is an example of how far a project can go thanks to Vocaloids.
Vocaloid 5 Characters List
https://youtu.be/BljBGlt1Q18
While there have been a lot of anime series based on Vocaloid characters there haven’t been any full blown Vocaloid anime released where the central characters and plot revolve around them being Vocaloids. There does not appear to be any movement from fans, either. Most likely because creating an anime series is quite the undertaking and most fans just don’t have those types of resources.
Another reason for a lack of Vocaloid anime is that creating one would be quite challenging and disruptive to the versatility of Vocaloids. Most Vocaloids are blank slates that fans can mold into whatever they want, so having Vocaloids with well defined traits and emotions would reduce their malleability. If an official Vocaloid anime were to be created, it could limit creators with the type of story and world they could craft with fans.
Vocaloids have come a long way since their inception. It has left an indelible mark on how music is created, how companies view their intellectual properties, and led to some amazing collaborations - an example of which being vocaloid inspired anime. What else does it have in store for the world? Only time will tell.
Virtual singers to your music production
VOCALOID5 has 4 voicebanks (Japanese/English), over 1000 vocal phrases and over 1000 audio samples.
You can use the singing voice quickly and customize your own vocal.
VOCALOID5 PRODUCT LINEUP
USD 225.23( before tax ) | USD 360.36( before tax ) |
* Users who own a previous VOCALOID Editor product can purchase VOCALOID5 at a special upgrade price. | |
4 voicebanks Amy , Chris , Kaori , Ken | 8 voicebanks Amy , Chris , Kaori , Ken , CYBER DIVA II , CYBER SONGMAN II , VY1 , VY2 |
| more than 2000 preset phrases ( 1000+ vocal phrases and 1000+ audio samples ) | |
| more than 100 preset singing styles | |
| 11audio effects | |
OS | |
compatible with | |
| see more details | |
Notes
* This product is available as a download. A physical product will not be shipped.
* Click the 'Go to Cart' button to go to the shopping cart screen at the Share-it web site operated by Digital River GmbH. Complete the payment procedure in the Share-it web site.
* Click the 'Go to Cart' button and proceed to the payment procedure only if you agree to the Terms of Use.
Comparison Table
Products | VOCALOID5 STANDARD | VOCALOID5 PREMIUM | VOCALOID4 Editor |
|---|---|---|---|
| OS compatibility | Windows / Mac ・Windows: Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (all 64-bit only, with the latest Windows Update applied) ・Mac: OS X 10.11 (El Capitan), macOS 10.12 (Sierra), macOS 10.13 (High Sierra), macOS 10.14 (Mojave), macOS 10.15 (Catalina) (all 64-bit only, VOCALOID5 Ver. 5.4.1 or later required for use with macOS 10.15) | Windows Windows (VOCALOID4 Editor for Cubase: Windows/Mac) | |
| VST compatibility | Compatible (VST2) | Not compatible | |
| AU (Audio Units) Compatibility | Compatible | Not compatible | |
| No. of voices included | 4 （Amy, Chris, Kaori, Ken） | 8 （Amy, Chris, Kaori, Ken, CYBER SONGMAN II, CYBER DIVA II, VY1, VY2） | None (sold separately) |
| No. of phrases included (media function) | 1000 (extra material downloadable) | None | |
| No. of audio samples included (media function) | 1000 (extra material downloadable) | None | |
| No. of style presets included (style function) | 100 (extra material downloadable) | None | |
| Compatible voice banks | VOCALOID 5 / 4 / 3 | VOCALOID 4 / 3 / 2 | |
| Readable files | VPR, VSQX, MIDI (SMF), WAV | VSQX、VSQ、MIDI(SMF)、WAV | |
| Readable audio file formats | Format: WAV format (stereo/mono) Sampling rates: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz, 192 kHz No. of quantizer bits: 8-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit float | Format: WAV format (stereo/mono) Sampling rates: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz No. of quantizer bits: 16-bit | |
| File export format | VPR | VSQX | |
| Audio effects | 11 types built-in | 2 types built-in | |
| Control parameters | 13 types | 12 types | |
| Attack release effects | 36 types of attack effects & 41 types of release effects included | None | |
| Emotion tool | Included | Not included | |
| Audio editing functions | Yes (pitch shift, time stretch, reverse, normalize) | None | |
| Automation | Volume, pan pots | None | |
| Real-time input of VOCALOID tracks by connecting an external MIDI device | Supported | 'Not supported* * VOCALOID4 Editor for Cubase supports this' | |
| Supported audio devices | Windows : ASIO, DirectSound Mac : Core Audio | MME | |
| Maximum no. of bars | 999 | 999 | |
| Maximum no. of tracks | 32 (total of VOCALOID tracks & audio tracks) | 16 VOCALOID tracks, 1 monaural audio track, 1 stereo audio track | |
| Minimum resolution (bit per quarter note) | 1/480 of a quarter note | 1/480 of a quarter note | |
| Accompanying software | VOCALOID4.5 Editor for Cubase | None * VOCALOID4 Editor for Cubase (normal version) comes with Cubase AI download code' | |
| VOCALOID Job plug-in function | Not supported | Supported | |
| ReWire (β function) | Yes | No | |
System Requirements
Vocaloid 5 Characters Crossword
| OS compatibility | Windows: Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (all 64-bit only, with the latest Windows Update applied.) · Mac: OSX 10.11 (El Capitan), macOS 10.12 (Sierra), macOS 10.13 (High Sierra), macOS 10.14 (Mojave), macOS 10.15 (Catalina) (all 64-bit only, VOCALOID5 Ver. 5.4.1 or later required for use with macOS 10.15) * VOCALOID5 cannot be used in a 32-bit environment. |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel multicore processor |
| Memory requirement | At least 8 GB recommended (minimum 4 GB) |
| Free disk space | ・Standard: At least 20 GB ・Premium: At least 35 GB |
| Other | Audio device, Internet connection (authentication, deauthentication, software updates, etc.) |
| Monitor size | · Minimum operating environment: 1366 x 768 · Recommended environment: 1920 x 1080 |
Vocaloid 5 Characters
The requirements listed above are the operating requirements for standalone use.
When used as a VST/AU together with a DAW, the operating requirements of the DAW must also be met at the same time.