So there's been a lot of buzz lately on some of the websites I frequent (specifically Quotev and Pinterest, but mostly Quotev) about Vocaloids. The thing is, people would just reference them and say that they aren't an anime but then post pictures of people drawn in anime style and say that they are Vocaloids. So, I took it upon myself to research it because that's just what I do and here's what I've come up with:
Vocaloids are a series computer programs produced by Yamaha (I think it was Yamaha at least...) that are used to make music. Essentially, people will either compose their own songs or use songs that have already been made and then put them into the program which will then play the music and sing the songs. There are multiple different Vocaloids, though I think the most popular is Hatsune Miku. That's the one I've seen the most, at least. There are male and female Vocaloids and each one is suited for different styles and ranges. All of the ones I've heard sing in Japanese, but they can be made to sing in other languages too. Some just have better pronunciation than others.
So, now that I've explained that to the best of my ability, here come the opinions! First of all, I am absolutely in awe of the programmers for this. Seriously, I can't imagine the amount of work it took to make even one Vocaloid and I seriously have no idea how many there are, but there are at least ten that I can think of right now. Second of all, and I know I'll get some hate for saying this, I can't stand Hatsune Miku's voice. To be fair, I don't like women's voices as a whole, but hers reaches a whole new level of annoying. She sounds like a children's toy or something. While I'm at it, I don't like the whole "kawaii" aesthetic either, so yeah, Miku's out.
Anyway, my favorite is Gakupo Kamui. Yes, I know that's stereotypical for a girl, but his voice is the style I like. Actually, when I listened to one of his songs, my first thought was that he sounds like Sebastian from Black Butler. Haha! But yeah, he is usually used for rock/metal songs and his voice is kind of deep and makes a very clean sound. If you're unfamiliar with Vocaloids, you're probably wondering why I said that liking Gakupo is stereotypical for a girl, so I'll just give you a picture and I'm sure it'll explain everything (not my picture, by the way. I got it from Google):
Yeah, that. Do you understand what I mean, now? (^_-) Heehee! But yeah, you guys should give it a listen if you like either music or technology. Its fascinating from both standpoints. I'll put a link to a few Gakupo songs in here so that you can listen to them if you're interested. Just warning you, they sound a little creepy because it's a computer singing. It's sort of in the "uncanny valley" type of creepy. If you don't know what the uncanny valley is, it's basically a theory that when computers or machines are able to mimic or recreate humans too well it instills a sort of repulsion or unease in whoever is witnessing it. A lot of horror anime and such tend to revolve around the uncanny valley. Anyway, here are some links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FanB3BIKyZ4 - "Dancing Samurai" (please don't get butthurt like the people in the YouTube comments. In the English translation, he says "go kill yourself" but if you listen to the Japanese, he says "harakiri" which is ritual suicide for a samurai and it is considered honorable. The song is supposed to be funny!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdfQfXro2eI - "Joker" (okay, I love this. It's creepy, but it's awesome!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqXhl-3LZCk - "Zero" (Um... If you're not in high school or older, you probably don't need to look up the English translation to these lyrics... But it sounds really cool!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo52dDDp5HI - "The Mad Hatter" (Okay, another iffy one, but I love Alice in Wonderland stories of all varieties and the Hatter is the best character... Plus it reminds me of Xerxes Break... Plus Gakupo... Just don't think too hard about the lyrics!)
Well, I guess that's all for now. I'll catch you guys later!
- Turtle-chan
No comments:
Post a Comment