I’ve come to a theory as to why Crypton Future Media (CFM) split with Yamaha and their Vocaloid software engine to create their own Piapro engine.
Looking at the trajectory Yamaha has taken with their in-house voicebank development, we see that they have focused on generic but realistic vocals. They are aimed at professional/semi-professional music producers who want to use the software as just another instrument. We see this especially with their lineup of Vocaloid 5 voicebanks.
Looking back, I feel in the beginning we all liked Miku (and others) despite her flaws. But over a decade later I feel like we love Miku because of her flaws. With Vocaloid 4 she can sound quite realistic if tuned that way. Even so, she is still unmistakably Miku. I think converting her to Vocaloid 5 was considered a step too far by CFM.
Unlike other voicebank producers CFM had made the virtual idol/virtual singer a primary part of their marketing and design. (IA and CUL seem like the only ones that have done something similar on a smaller scale.) It was at a stage where Miku had a trademark sound, and changing that sound would be changing her as a whole. So CFM parted ways with Yamaha, as their goals ran counter to one another.
CFM now appears to focus on their software’s interface and integration. In interviews they have said they want to work toward making an all-in-one package for music production, hence their inclusion of a Piapro digital audio workstation (DAW). Their other focus is configuring their algorithms to produce a compromise sound between natural and synthetic. The changes have been imperfect and subject to many differing opinions. We will see in the future how closely CFM’s vision for the product and the current users’ preferences line up.
So that is my take on CFM’s move away from Yamaha. Thoughts?
Looking at the trajectory Yamaha has taken with their in-house voicebank development, we see that they have focused on generic but realistic vocals. They are aimed at professional/semi-professional music producers who want to use the software as just another instrument. We see this especially with their lineup of Vocaloid 5 voicebanks.
Looking back, I feel in the beginning we all liked Miku (and others) despite her flaws. But over a decade later I feel like we love Miku because of her flaws. With Vocaloid 4 she can sound quite realistic if tuned that way. Even so, she is still unmistakably Miku. I think converting her to Vocaloid 5 was considered a step too far by CFM.
Unlike other voicebank producers CFM had made the virtual idol/virtual singer a primary part of their marketing and design. (IA and CUL seem like the only ones that have done something similar on a smaller scale.) It was at a stage where Miku had a trademark sound, and changing that sound would be changing her as a whole. So CFM parted ways with Yamaha, as their goals ran counter to one another.
CFM now appears to focus on their software’s interface and integration. In interviews they have said they want to work toward making an all-in-one package for music production, hence their inclusion of a Piapro digital audio workstation (DAW). Their other focus is configuring their algorithms to produce a compromise sound between natural and synthetic. The changes have been imperfect and subject to many differing opinions. We will see in the future how closely CFM’s vision for the product and the current users’ preferences line up.
So that is my take on CFM’s move away from Yamaha. Thoughts?
