anabelle’s blog 04

Since middle school, I’ve always been a huge Vocaloid fan. Vocaloid is a software used to simulate human singing and was originally created to help performers and producers add vocal music even if they did not have access to a real singer. However, Vocaloid expands beyond the software and includes “characters” for each voicebox/voicekit, with popular examples including Hatsune Miku and Kagamine Len&Rin. Initially released in 2004 in a project led by Kenmochi Hideki in Barcelona, the Vocaloid software continues to be updated and rereleased today, with numerous versions and iterations of the same character with new singing abilities. If popular enough, Vocaloids are also given 3D holograms that are capable of holding real-life concerts in real-life venues (with really great turnout). I think the algorithms to create Vocaloid are fairly simple — a commissioned singer records the base notes for a character, which can be modified and edited by producers. What I love about Vocaloid is how each character is given vocal “limitations” to produce their own unique sounds. For example, Teto is best used for soft, low energy ballads, and Kaito’s deeper range will sound distorted in higher ranges.

Here’s an example of a vocaloid concert — the turnout is actually crazy for these things:

Link to Vocaloid website (anyone can buy the software): https://www.vocaloid.com/en/