Future Music
MUSIC FROM 0s TO 1s
For those of you who still don’t know what an oxymoron is, here’s a classic example of one: virtual reality — two polar opposites that, when put together in a term, suddenly make a lot of sense.It was only a few years ago that ‘virtual reality’ brought to mind video games played with a helmet, sending the player into a different dimension with different rules. Now, though, there are virtual pets, virtual girlfriends, even virtual bands. Speaking of the latter, while you’re still waiting for a robot that can wash your clothes and do your homework, why not try a software that can sing for you?
Meet the world’s most popular virtual idol, Hatsune Miku. You might have seen or heard of her before. With her trademark green pigtails, expressive eyes, and a leek (don’t ask), she has become the symbol of the Japanese animanga culture, even starring in Toyota car commercials and opening for Lady Gaga’s tour. Yes, you saw that right, Gaga had her concertkickstarted by a dancing, singing hologram. If it sounds like something from a sci-fi novel, rest assured, it isn’t. And if it sounds familiar, like the other virtual stars — such as Gorillaz or Alvin and the Chipmunks — you’re not that far off. But there is one critical difference — unlike the others, anyone with a computer can use Miku to sing and dance.That’s because Hatsune Miku — literally ‘first sound of the future’— is not the first, but definitely is the most popular Vocaloid, at heart a set of voicebank softwares with a 3D model and a fixed backstory. No, she’s not just a singing robot. Her voice was provided by Japanese voice actress Saki Fujita, meaning they basically recorded her saying all the sounds in the Japanese language, tweaked it a little, and compiled everything into a CD that comes with a green-haired girl on the cover.
Before Miku, Yamaha introduced the first ‘Virtual Soul Vo-calists’, Leon and Lola, who sang in English and won the 2005 Electronic Musician Editor’s Choice
For those of you who still don’t know what an oxymoron is, here’s a classic example of one: virtual reality — two polar opposites that, when put together in a term, suddenly make a lot of sense.It was only a few years ago that ‘virtual reality’ brought to mind video games played with a helmet, sending the player into a different dimension with different rules. Now, though, there are virtual pets, virtual girlfriends, even virtual bands. Speaking of the latter, while you’re still waiting for a robot that can wash your clothes and do your homework, why not try a software that can sing for you?
Meet the world’s most popular virtual idol, Hatsune Miku. You might have seen or heard of her before. With her trademark green pigtails, expressive eyes, and a leek (don’t ask), she has become the symbol of the Japanese animanga culture, even starring in Toyota car commercials and opening for Lady Gaga’s tour. Yes, you saw that right, Gaga had her concertkickstarted by a dancing, singing hologram. If it sounds like something from a sci-fi novel, rest assured, it isn’t. And if it sounds familiar, like the other virtual stars — such as Gorillaz or Alvin and the Chipmunks — you’re not that far off. But there is one critical difference — unlike the others, anyone with a computer can use Miku to sing and dance.That’s because Hatsune Miku — literally ‘first sound of the future’— is not the first, but definitely is the most popular Vocaloid, at heart a set of voicebank softwares with a 3D model and a fixed backstory. No, she’s not just a singing robot. Her voice was provided by Japanese voice actress Saki Fujita, meaning they basically recorded her saying all the sounds in the Japanese language, tweaked it a little, and compiled everything into a CD that comes with a green-haired girl on the cover.
Before Miku, Yamaha introduced the first ‘Virtual Soul Vo-calists’, Leon and Lola, who sang in English and won the 2005 Electronic Musician Editor’s Choice