Unpopular Opinions

[ThatGirlMyra]

To clear things up, I love nasally vocaloids. (Hello... Cyva is my favorite vocaloid and shes one of the most nasally one I know). But when it comes to utaites, it sounds fake and, quite honestly, annoying. But yeah, I have no problem when vocaloids are nasally.

 

[Gralydig]

I do not like these virtual YouTubers

 

[ThatGirlMyra]

I do not like these virtual YouTubers

I honestly never understood the point to them? Lol

 

[DefiantKitsune]

This is gonna sound really mean but, while I've heard several uses of Sonika I like that used her really well (and i even like Sonika fairly well)


all of them would've been better with a better vocaloid. Sonika holds the songs back.

(this also applies to some other poor quality voices- cough cough Ginsaki Yamato cough cough Luka V2 Eng- but this was the one that i noticed the most)

 

[REDD]

I totally get where you're coming from. (And i dont think its mean to say that, vocaloids dont have feelings lmao)
I personally make it a mission sometimes to find really good usages of Engloids, and as much as i do find honest bangers in there, i can't help but sometimes think that some songs would have been better if the vocaloid was used for something that suits them better.

On A Slight Tangent

I get this particularly when i look up Leon usages. As much as he is my literal favourite vocaloid, he's not cut out to sing just any old thing. This shouldn't come as a surprise, but Leon isnt really fitting for ultra-cutesy, high-pitch, high-speed Japanese songs. (i find it particularly annoying when people try to make him sing like a high-pitch anime girl, this is particularly common with older western uploads) Now don't get me wrong, I dont think that people shouldn't be allowed to do these things with their Vocaloids, nor am i telling them what to do, its just my personal tastes.

On the topic of Sonika, one song in particular does come to mind when i try to think of "genuinely good Sonika originals that directly benefit from using Sonika".
And that would be:

But yeah, for the most part, i do understand where you're coming from. Sonika ain't easy to use. It takes a specific niche of a sound to make her appealing, and for the most part, even when she is used well, the song could have probably been serviced better from using another vocal.
But then again, couldn't you say that for the majority of Vocaloids to begin with? After all, isn't this what the entire appeal of Utaites is based on? As much as Vocaloid has its own unique sound, there's no doubt that it pales in comparison to the human voice. This isnt to say that Vocaloid is inherently unpleasant to listen to. It's just that it shouldn't be treated as a replacement for a human vocal, because thats not what it is. (*coughs heavily in Yamaha's direction*)

 

[DefiantKitsune]

Here's the thing: Repeat is one of two songs i was thinking about when i made that post.
Circus is one of the best Sonika users and the song is a bop, but Sonika isn't good.

The difference b/t Sonika and the majority of vocals is, Sonika's QUALITY causes the issues. This isn't "oh i don't like how the voice fits this song", Sonika's noise and slurry vocals drag the songs using her down. (I hate to say it but I almost called out Leon for this too in the original post: I have never once heard him and thought he sounded better than a later male engloid would have.)

Vocaloid was originallly intended as a replacement for human vocals though; that's ALWAYS been Yamaha's goal since 2004.

 

[REDD]

Yeah, i agree. Zero-G said it themselves that Sonika was an "experiment" lmao.
Like i said, it takes a specific niche and a good producer to make Sonika sound good. But for the most part, she unfortunately doesn't because she's just that difficult to work with. Though i can understand the appeal of trying to use her.

-Despite her low quality, she does have a specific vocal type and nuance that other english Vocaloids don't have, a British, soft, cheerful female vocal. (though you could argue Gumi English is similar enough to pass for a Sonika except done well, but i digress, and i dont know how easy she is to use, i hear shes got her own bugs too)

-Bragging rights for getting a LQ vocaloid to sound good. (i empathize with this more, as someone who enjoys pain and suffering)

Sometimes i can't help but imagine an alternate timeline where Zero-G didn't fuck with the vocal samples and kept them natural. I really wonder how much of a difference it would have made in her quality.

And on the topic of Vocaloid, you're right. It was always INTENDED as a replacement for human vocals, but it has never been capable of replacing them in its entire lifespan. Yamaha always had the goal of replacing human vocals, but it always marketed Vocaloid as a software that would "replace session singers forever" (lmao) when it was never capable of doing that. And to be honest, if it weren't for the otaku side of the fandom preferring the artificial sound of the software alongside the moe characterizations we get as compensation, the program would have been canned a long time ago.

Now this is gonna sound mean, but when normal people listen to Vocaloid, usually their first reaction is to feel a little creeped out. Thats not by chance either. Vocaloid exists right smack dab in the middle of the uncanny valley, and unless they're tuned to sound a little more artificial (with better expression), or in the hands of a REALLY GOOD tuner who can actually make them sound realistic through whatever black magic they use, they just dont sound appealing to people who aren't "used" to how Vocaloid sounds.

I suspect this is also another reason why JPloids are more popular with Western fans and producers, because its easier to excuse the un-natural sound of the voice when its in a language you don't understand. (that and also the synthesis engine just works better for the Japanese language)

 

[ikaroll]

When I first started listening to Vocaloid (and I started out with English), I actually thought it was a real person singing fkghsdlbhsjlbgs

Honestly I prefer Vocaloid and UTAU to ACTUAL human vocals. It might just be my love for robots and anything mechanical that makes the vocals sound appealing to me (aside from the awesome music!)

 

[REDD]

When I first started listening to Vocaloid (and I started out with English), I actually thought it was a real person singing fkghsdlbhsjlbgs

Do you remember which song it was? (though i think i might know what you're talking about maybe)

 

[ikaroll]

Do you remember which song it was? (though i think i might know what you're talking about maybe)

it was ECHO

 

[Overcast Immortal]

...Sometimes i can't help but imagine an alternate timeline where Zero-G didn't fuck with the vocal samples and kept them natural. I really wonder how much of a difference it would have made in her quality.

I wasn't aware they altered the samples. I figured it was just a matter of bad programming and the samples being handled poorly by the program. Do you have a link showing what they did to the samples?

 

[DefiantKitsune]

I don't have a link but it was basically an attempt to imitate what Crypton did with Miku and co. Which honestly was probably a good concept, but obviously didn't work. AT ALL. (the samples may possibly have been bad to begin with, but the editing made it worse)

 

[Mika]

(the samples may possibly have been bad to begin with, but the editing made it worse)

(this is old news, but yes, Sonikas recordings are questionable. You can hear the very distinct skype notification sound so uhm.)

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[Sherbet42]

(this is old news, but yes, Sonikas recordings are questionable. You can hear the very distinct skype notification sound so uhm.)

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Hey not to be lame or anything but that is one of the funniest Vocaloid-related things that i've ever heard

 

[ikaroll]

(this is old news, but yes, Sonikas recordings are questionable. You can hear the very distinct skype notification sound so uhm.)

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Ngl that makes me laugh because i can see sonika just screaming into a mic during a skype call.

Anyway, I rlly wish that a lot of Vocaloid designs didn't look so sexual. It's just...a problem I have with character designs on ANYTHING

 

[ThatGirlMyra]

Ngl that makes me laugh because i can see sonika just screaming into a mic during a skype call.

Anyway, I rlly wish that a lot of Vocaloid designs didn't look so sexual. It's just...a problem I have with character designs on ANYTHING

Mind giving an example?

 

[UMA.55 (inactive)]

I'm gonna disagree on a lot of Vocaloids having sexual designs. the only design I think might be seen as sexual is Lily V2, but even then it's pretty tame and has no heavily exaggerated features to suggest she was created with sexuality in mind - she just looks like a cool rocker gril.

 

[Scarlet Illusion]

I also respectfully disagree that a lot of Vocaloids have sexual looking designs. Like UMA said, the only one that might appear that way is Lily, but she really doesn’t have any defining features.

Would you mind giving some examples? Maybe there are some in there that are slipping my mind…

 

[Overcast Immortal]

I generally don't mind sexy designs, but I also know it can be part of a larger problem of devaluing women.

I would assume Cyalien has Sonika and some of GUMI's designs particularly in mind. If these were fleshed out characters and not just sexy images of women to sell a product, I'd be comfortable with their designs, but alas, Zero-G and Internet Co. Ltd. did not flesh them out as characters. They're still cool and effective designs, all things considered, and that's generally what I think of Vocaloid/vocal synth character designs.

 

[Prism]

I wish they didn't sexualize MEIKO so much. Especially in project diva I hate MEIKO's boob belt outfit. I actually like the idea of the edit some of retailer did for her just wish it was done better.

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I wish the covered up their midsection just a little bit more when they design vocaloids.