Hi! I don't really do Zoom, but I can totally do this through text!
Artist name: funkyzukin
"What initially sparked your interest in creating music with Vocaloid?"
Let's see... I've had an interest in music production since I was maybe 10 years old? And I think my interest in Vocaloid production was kicked off when I learned Miku V4E was a thing, but living in the middle of rural Alabama nowhere with money issues (with low-paying jobs in the area that generally seem miserable to work), it seemed like a pipe dream... But over time, my parents' financial situation improved, and on my 20th birthday, I asked for enough money to buy Miku V4E, and the rest was history. (I did have enough money to buy her, but my online writing work was slow and I was raised too well to make big frivolous purchases without having a lot of excess money lol)
"How did you first discover or hear about Vocaloid?"
Based off the class name, you're in high school, right? You may not remember this, but KIDZ BOP had a video sharing website back in the late 2000s-very early 2010s that was basically YouTube for kids. Now, this might not be my first exposure to Vocaloid, but it's the earliest I can remember; I remember seeing a VERY short MMD video of Miku entering a Japanese mom-n-pop store set to the first 10 seconds of "Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru." I wanted to see if there was a full version of that video, so I took my 9-year-old butt to YouTube and found the original MV for the song, and I was mesmerized. Later on, I discovered Fukkireta, PoPiPo, Triple Baka... You know, the seminal classics.
"What has made you continue working with Vocaloid?"
A few things! One, I'd like to be a singer myself, but I've been struggling to find a new voice teacher, so Vocaloid and SynthV are good in the meantime. Two, Vocaloid comes with it's own benefits, namely the unique characteristics in their voices that unprocessed human voices can't replicate, and three, the fact it lends itself well to literal storytelling through songs. I mean, let's face it; how often do you see human singers singing entire characters' stories outside of Broadway or opera?
"In your opinion, what are the primary benefits of working with Vocaloid?"
Well, as stated above, the voices have a certain
je ne se quois to them that let them stand apart from human vocals, and due to the character-driven nature of the voicebanks, you can get away with a larger range of song concepts. But other benefits include 24/7 access to vocals rather than having to schedule studio times, they're good for when you need inhuman, ethereal vocals, and adjusting lyrics doesn't necessitate a whole re-record; you just need to adjust that one word.
"What do you see as the potential downsides or challenges of using Vocaloid?"
Ooh, tough one! Let's see, to focus more on technical ones... For one thing, there can be inconsistency in vocal capabilities between different voice banks. Some may have a nice, clean growl, and others... not so much. Sometimes, they also have weird tones to them, requiring some heavy EQ-editing to fix them. There's also inequity among bank languages-- Miku, Gumi, Gakupo, Luka,
et al., they all have a wide variety of voice "colors," allowing you to do get specific deliveries, and for some, you can get EVEC! But then you get to the English voicebanks... and it's like, none of that. Cross synthesis seems to be non-existent in English, with the exception of Miku V4E, who can cross-synthesize with Miku V3E... And then, some English banks for Japanese voices are just done with no care whatsoever (looking at you, Rin/Len English!)
Additionally, Piapro studio (Crypton's proprietary voice synthesis software) is... kinda clunky, and lacks certain features. It's cheaper than getting Vocaloid itself, but as soon as I can get the good stuff on discount, I'm making the switch...
"Why do you believe Vocaloid gained such significant popularity?"
Would it be cliche to say "Miku?" I mean, the whole reason voicebanks now have character designs is because it worked so well for her!
But to be more serious, I think Miku helped shine a light on what the software can do, which in turn, opened the doors for other voicebanks to help further show off what Vocaloid can offer. I can't imagine what the state of Vocaloid would be like without ECHO or Melt.
"What direction do you envision Vocaloid taking in the coming years?"
Well, years ago, Kenshi Yonezu predicted the "Melt" sensation (the popularity of Miku and to some extend, Vocaloid as a whole) would die out in his song "Sand Planet." Safe to say, that hasn't happened; I think as a catch-all term for virtual singers, Vocaloid is here to stay. But as a specific software... my answer is complicated. Vocaloid is obviously still popular, but consensus seems to be that it keeps adding new features without making certain improvements... notice how English voicebanks still sound a little odd and fuzzy.
I suspect Vocaloid will largely just become an option rather than
the option as new synths come up, and especially as voicebanks become less software exclusive. I feel like SynthV and CeVIO will become the new main options, but I also feel Piapro NT has a chance at being one if Crypton ever gets it sorted out.
"What are your thoughts on Hatsune Miku?"
Absolute diva. She's still relevant for a reason; she's got an iconic design and a versatile voice. But I wish Crypton would start treating their other voices like they treat her... I mean, seriously, what happened with the Super Pack???
"Do you think working with Vocaloid is easier than working with a human singer?"
Mmm, not exactly. They can be a little unwieldy sometimes, and sometimes certain parameters don't work how you'd like them to. I'd say for songs made for a Vocaloid to sing, it's probably easier, but for songs better suited for a human voice, no. I really think it depends on your specific use case.
"Who or what are your biggest inspirations for your music?"
I owe my older sibling a big credit for getting me into music, not just because they sing well and play piano and guitar, but because they were a teen right at the onset of the DDR craze and had many of the games for PS2, introducing me to all sorts of music.
As for specific artists, it doesn't always show because my style is all over the place, but some of my inspirations and influences (for both Vocaloid and non-Vocaloid) include:
- Naoki Maeda
- Sota Fujimori
- Yuichi Asami
- kors k
- Björk
- Ken Ishii
- Everything But The Girl
- Julien-K
- 4 Strings
- iroha(sasaki)
- DÉ DÉ MOUSE
- Fatboy Slim
- Anamanaguchi
- 32ki
- Kikuo
- SAWTOWNE
- Takayuki Ishikawa
- DM Ashura
- Mike DeBisco (a friend of mine!)
- Akira Yamaoka
- Britney Spears
- Toby Fox
- Tee Lopes
Thank you so much for the interview opportunity, let me know how it goes!
