I think someone else is going to make the post for Summer Wars (I hope?) and while this isn't really anime or manga related, the following is culture related, so read on.
I'm sure that most of us here have seen/heard of vocaloid, and I find the concept behind vocaloid fascinating. I'm curious about what your thoughts are on this new kind of music, where the voice is completely synthesized and for the purpose of the concert, the "singers" are animated. Would you go to a concert where the actual singer is a computer? Would you wave a leek light stick if you went (personally, I think they're cool)?
Below are some of my favorite vocaloid songs. I've been able to find a couple of them on iTunes, still searching for a few other favorites.
I'm sure that most of us here have seen/heard of vocaloid, and I find the concept behind vocaloid fascinating. I'm curious about what your thoughts are on this new kind of music, where the voice is completely synthesized and for the purpose of the concert, the "singers" are animated. Would you go to a concert where the actual singer is a computer? Would you wave a leek light stick if you went (personally, I think they're cool)?
Below are some of my favorite vocaloid songs. I've been able to find a couple of them on iTunes, still searching for a few other favorites.
Double Lariat - Megurine Luka
Just Be Friends - Megurine Luka (a very upbeat tempo break-up song)
The World is Mine - Hatsune Miku (about a girl who wants all the attention, but she's really just insecure)
Magnet - Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka (forbidden love...I think? not sure, but it sounds cool)
3 comments:
I honestly don't understand the appeal at all myself. To me, the best part of music is the free-flowing spontaneity and creativity of it; I love listening to some band jam on for minutes at a time, and tracks like the live version of "Tank!" are beyond awesome. Having a piece of software string artificial syllables together...there's no soul in it, no real drive. What I understand even less is why in the world someone would pay real money to see a "concert" by something that doesn't even exist. :P
I agree with TG, I dunno that I'd be very interested in seeing music live if the performers weren't live. Then again, I'm not necessarily the best person to ask, I don't like going to concerts much to begin with. Not a fan of the crowds. I'd rather go see like, a symphony or something, and that definitely needs real people.
The band members are real, Angela. So in that respect, it's similar to the symphony - you have instruments and people playing the instruments.
And that's the point of this - the software itself is an instrument on that stage. It takes skill to play that instrument - to design the songs such that they do sound good. Did you know that these songs are created by different song writers, and the ones who know how to work the software well make good music? They can put as much interpretation and inflection and emotion into it as with any other instrument. That it sounds like a human voice adds an interesting nuance, but the program itself is considered an instrument.
It is true that there is limited spontaneity within a performance, but that technology has come to this point fascinates me.
The CGI gives a face to the instrument, and the fans of the different 'performers' have gained probably more than what would be considered a cult following (Miku, especially, is hugely popular). The technology here, with a three-dimensional hologram is quite remarkable as well.
Tastes differ, true, but the concept behind this really is cool. :?
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