Vocaloid Descriptions: Hatsune Miku

     (Note: this was actually a bit difficult to write, as I personally don't like Miku very much. I also hesitate to post it so soon in the blog, as Miku can have a notable negative effect on people's opinions of Vocaloid. However, you can't talk about Vocaloid very much without mentioning Miku, so I figured I might as well explain her, so you don't get any misconceptions... singing anime girl *cough*)

     Hatsune Miku
     Voice donor: Saki Fujita, a professional Japanese voice actress
     Engine: V2
     Company: Made and sold by Crypton Future Media
     Release date: August 31, 2007
     Updates and/or additional voicebanks: Six V2 Appends, V3 update, V3 English, two V3 Appends, eVocaloid voicebank, V4 update, V4 English, V4 Chinese, and an English Vocaloid Neo VB. I think that's all of them.
     Language: Japanese, English, Chinese
     Voice type: Stereotypical high-pitched cute girl voice. Sounds approximately 16 years old.
     Weaknesses: Miku has a heavy Japanese accent. Overall she is a medium-quality Vocaloid, not the least realistic or the most realistic of the bunch. Her shrill tones can be annoying. She has been outdone by other Vocaloids in her main skill, fitting into many different genres.
     Strengths: As I mentioned before, she can fit into many different genres. Her art and voice are cute. Not much else remarkable about her, honestly.
     Examples: All Hatsune Miku's versions, Miku, Odds and Ends, The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku, Ai Dee, Ievan Polkka, and wet sand. I feel like Miku gets an advantage here, because there are multiple producers who have absolutely mastered using Miku, such as Mitchie M and Kyo. Most less popular Vocaloids get only one, or even zero.
     Reception: I cannot possibly describe this within one paragraph and using my own words. Read that section on her page on the wiki.
     My opinion: I don’t hate her, as there are only two Vocaloids that I don’t like at all (Ruby and Cyber Diva), much less hate, but she is honestly extremely, ridiculously overrated. Miku is very in-your-face; the endless streams of “miku is best vocaloid!!1!” and such from Vocaloid noobs are hard to ignore. But I do at least respect her for making Vocaloid technology popular. To be honest, I probably would not have learned about Vocaloid if not for Miku, and there would probably be not as many Vocaloids in existence as well. I think her voice can be annoying if not used properly, but it is also clear and bright. So… Mixed feelings, I guess?

Comments

  1. RiverJune 11, 2019 at 4:30 PM

    Here's a good discussion on Miku.
    https://vocaloid.fandom.com/f/p/3294873499205736256

    ReplyDelete

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