Some Vocaloid fans have even gone beyond the realm of the arts and into feats of engineering. The most well-known of these is MikuMikuDance, a 3D animation program where a Hatsune Miku character model—or any character model, really—can be made to lip-sync and dance to a given song. More subtle in scope is VocaListener, which analyzes input from a real human singer, then automatically adjusts the settings in the Vocaloid program to match that voice. Even offhanded flights of imagination can become reality: an odd-looking touchscreen keyboard nicknamed "Ano Gakki" ("That Instrument"), which was featured in the Hatsune Miku video for "Innocence," has been replicated as a real working instrument. (A less ambitious version can also be downloaded as a smartphone app.)
What this all means is that there is a bustling creative ecosystem run almost entirely by the fans. Ultimately, that may be Crypton's greatest gift to the world: not Hatsune Miku or the Vocaloid software itself, but the way in which it is used. An entire form of entertainment has been built not by corporate overlords, but by its consumers. The corporation is only there to give them a few tools and rules, then they sit back and see what happens next.
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| The Crypton/Vocaloid ecosystem. |
Still, there are a number of corporate-sponsored events that make the Vocaloid experience come alive. This year, Anime Expo played host to MikuNoPolis, the first ever "live Vocaloid concert" outside of Japan. It is nothing more (and nothing less) than CGI animation projected onto a clear screen on stage, but with a good viewing angle and a healthy suspension of disbelief, the illusion is still impressive. Even more impressive is that every song on the setlist was, obviously, fan-made—not a product churned out by songwriters slaving away in Crypton's basement, but the creations of genuine musicians expressing themselves through the Vocaloid medium.
However, the concert also revealed what limitations remain. The magic of Miku stops working outside of about 40 degrees in each direction. Sometimes the vocals, unable to adjust, get lost under live instrumental accompaniment. And for all the innovations in voice-synthesis technology, those with more sensitive ears feel that Miku still sounds like a robotic squirrel being strangled. But what is it they say about real-life idol singers in Japan? "Idols are perfect because they are imperfect." It is those imperfections that make Miku so fascinating: an ongoing work-in-progress that everyone can get involved with.
Who knows what the future holds? Crypton has already promised us that an English version of the Hatsune Miku software is on its way, while a new and improved Vocaloid engine is under development in Japan. That will mean a new cast of characters, including a voice bank that can even sing in Korean. Crypton's original Vocaloid line continues to evolve with "Append" add-ons that bring new tone colors to their voices. And somewhere, unknown to any of us, some mad genius is probably working on an idea that will change the world of Vocaloid forever.
As many people know, the name "Hatsune Miku" is a pun on "the first sound of the future." But as the Vocaloid culture expands, the name is becoming increasingly inaccurate. She is no longer the sound of the future. She is the sound of right now.
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