Pop Artists Are Made Obsolete

[Semnae]

To all the pop artists with a pretty face that have other people write their music for them and attribute their success to autotuner programs, meet your replacement.

The voice is 100% synthetic. There is no actual singer.

[Freedom Kira]

Wait, are you serious? You actually just posted that?

Kinda late, bro.

[Kyrdua]

^ that, also, Miku's Voice Actress?

[fohfoh]

Dear men,

Women are obsolete. I mean seriously, if you ever want sex, you can buy a blow up doll. If you need someone to cook for you, McDonald's has reasonable prices. If you want a hug, please remember you are a MAN and you have duties for looking glamorously strong and independent. As for cleaning, we as men share characteristics with Chuck Norris. As such, our immune systems should be able to round house fuck (or kick if you're of a simple life) any contagion that tries to make you any less of a man.

Signed,

Smart man

/sarcasm

[xfreidax]

Apparently these holograms are coming to Singapore. 

I might just go see them for the lolz.

It probably takes a lot more work to churn out one of these than it does a pop idol who can't sing.

That hologram looks like a labour of love. 

[Ultra_Magnus]

Vocaloid is fairly old software... and is available from many torrent sites...

[rostheferret]

To all the pop artists with a pretty face that have other people write their music for them and attribute their success to autotuner programs, meet your replacement.

The voice is 100% synthetic. There is no actual singer.

Is this really important? Or did you not hear? The US just invaded Iraq!
[/sarcasm]

I thought I was late to the party (actually I was, wasn't Hatsune Miku released 3 or 4 years ago?). Here's a (blog) post I made about it a little over a year ago, though it should be noted that my opinion has changed slightly. It's not the death of the music industry, just the mainstream music industry, and lets be honest, it's had it coming.

[ColdFission]

Heh, first time seeing it. Seems cool although, not actually holographic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepper%27s_ghost
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musion_Eyeliner

The song is pretty catchy, even though I have no clue what she is saying xD.

[rostheferret]

Heh, first time seeing it. Seems cool although, not actually holographic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepper%27s_ghost
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musion_Eyeliner

The song is pretty catchy, even though I have no clue what she is saying xD.

But given the narrow field of vision it needs to be projected, it works as such. I know they've made holograms using essentially the same technique, but spinning the glass around the object so as to appear 3D from all angles, but what media exec is gonna care if the people backstage get a shitty view? Real holograms are still very much in the development stage, though definitely look awesome. Just unnecessary in this situation.

Real Hologram

[AceHigh]

These concerts are specifically designed for hard core virgins that are too afraid to even look at a real girl...

[vuzedome]

Looks like someone just came out of their cave.

[mgz]

really the vocals sound like shit its like if you took a mediocre pop star that was already overproduced and then added production x10
it just sounds bad.

[rostheferret]

really the vocals sound like shit its like if you took a mediocre pop star that was already overproduced and then added production x10
it just sounds bad.

I think some of it is pretty catchy, but I guess for me it's all about the implications. If we could perfect the sound of human voice then suddenly we could start to see a focus shift; it'll no longer be about the physical performance but the composition. It doesn't matter if you can shred like malmsteen if it sounds dreadful, by taking away the limitations on composers to play their specific instruments, we can end up with more classical-esque compositions filled with any instrument the artist thinks necessary. I was initially so anti-electronic and pro-analog that I found the idea of someone 'faking it' with a computer offensive, but it can be used to produce something incredible (proof!). And that to me is pretty exciting; that fantastic composers won't be hindered by that shitty vocalist that he's stuck with because he can't find anyone better. Conventional bands will still exist, but there will be a new important member of the line-up, the composer, and tbh Japan is probably going to lead the way. They're the furthest with the vocaloid technology, the most open about the songwriting credits, and I know of nowhere else with such a blossoming ambient scene making use of electronic instrumentation.

[mgz]

really the vocals sound like shit its like if you took a mediocre pop star that was already overproduced and then added production x10
it just sounds bad.

I think some of it is pretty catchy, but I guess for me it's all about the implications. If we could perfect the sound of human voice then suddenly we could start to see a focus shift; it'll no longer be about the physical performance but the composition. It doesn't matter if you can shred like malmsteen if it sounds dreadful, by taking away the limitations on composers to play their specific instruments, we can end up with more classical-esque compositions filled with any instrument the artist thinks necessary. I was initially so anti-electronic and pro-analog that I found the idea of someone 'faking it' with a computer offensive, but it can be used to produce something incredible (proof!). And that to me is pretty exciting; that fantastic composers won't be hindered by that shitty vocalist that he's stuck with because he can't find anyone better. Conventional bands will still exist, but there will be a new important member of the line-up, the composer, and tbh Japan is probably going to lead the way. They're the furthest with the vocaloid technology, the most open about the songwriting credits, and I know of nowhere else with such a blossoming ambient scene making use of electronic instrumentation.

im not saying electronic = bad
im saying that vocaloids at their current state sound like garbage.
The overproduced part is just one of the ways i can think of to describe it. It sounds like autotuned people that have been autotuned to the Nth degree. And i simply dislike it A LOT.
As for computerized music thats fine it can showcase composers better. But the ability to play things is a huge plus.

[rostheferret]

really the vocals sound like shit its like if you took a mediocre pop star that was already overproduced and then added production x10
it just sounds bad.

I think some of it is pretty catchy, but I guess for me it's all about the implications. If we could perfect the sound of human voice then suddenly we could start to see a focus shift; it'll no longer be about the physical performance but the composition. It doesn't matter if you can shred like malmsteen if it sounds dreadful, by taking away the limitations on composers to play their specific instruments, we can end up with more classical-esque compositions filled with any instrument the artist thinks necessary. I was initially so anti-electronic and pro-analog that I found the idea of someone 'faking it' with a computer offensive, but it can be used to produce something incredible (proof!). And that to me is pretty exciting; that fantastic composers won't be hindered by that shitty vocalist that he's stuck with because he can't find anyone better. Conventional bands will still exist, but there will be a new important member of the line-up, the composer, and tbh Japan is probably going to lead the way. They're the furthest with the vocaloid technology, the most open about the songwriting credits, and I know of nowhere else with such a blossoming ambient scene making use of electronic instrumentation.

im not saying electronic = bad
im saying that vocaloids at their current state sound like garbage.
The overproduced part is just one of the ways i can think of to describe it. It sounds like autotuned people that have been autotuned to the Nth degree. And i simply dislike it A LOT.
As for computerized music thats fine it can showcase composers better. But the ability to play things is a huge plus.

I don't think the ability to actually play music is ever going to disappear. Samuel Barber is one of the most famous modern american composers, and he once wrote a piece that was described as 'impossible to perform.' It took him a year, but he finally found someone who could perform it. Can you blame them? Or a more modern example would be Protest the Hero, who wrote their first album using ProTools then spend the best part of three years learning how to actually play the bleedin' thing. I don't see why this sort of thing couldn't be more widespread.

As for the autotuning, a lot of pop bands sound produced to all hell to my ears, Vocaloid or not. I've kinda become used to it, it only sounds marginally worse than say, Perfume does imo. Personally, I miss the days when vocalists actually had discernible quirks rather than always sounding pitch perfect every time. Music is never perfect, so leave the grit and the dirt in and let it remain sounding human.

[Ultra_Magnus]

tbh Japan is probably going to lead the way. They're the furthest with the vocaloid technology

Japanese has something like half the sounds that are used in english, so it stands to reason that it is easier to synthesise.

[Soryon]

I feel like Vocaloid is Japans version of T-Pain.

[rostheferret]

tbh Japan is probably going to lead the way. They're the furthest with the vocaloid technology

Japanese has something like half the sounds that are used in english, so it stands to reason that it is easier to synthesise.

More than that, the company responsible for it is a Japanese company.

[lapa321]

tbh Japan is probably going to lead the way. They're the furthest with the vocaloid technology

Japanese has something like half the sounds that are used in english, so it stands to reason that it is easier to synthesise.

How does Hiragana or Katakana compare to written English? I'm not too familiar with japanese language but AFAIK, they can write things as they're spoken, but my own understanding of english makes a lot of exception to how words are pronounced. 'u' is pronounced 'you', but in 'umbrella' it's pronounced 'ah'. Each letter needs its own context library and that may be a reason why this isn't as readily researched in english even tho it's a more commonly spoken language.

[mgz]

tbh Japan is probably going to lead the way. They're the furthest with the vocaloid technology

Japanese has something like half the sounds that are used in english, so it stands to reason that it is easier to synthesise.

How does Hiragana or Katakana compare to written English? I'm not too familiar with japanese language but AFAIK, they can write things as they're spoken, but my own understanding of english makes a lot of exception to how words are pronounced. 'u' is pronounced 'you', but in 'umbrella' it's pronounced 'ah'. Each letter needs its own context library and that may be a reason why this isn't as readily researched in english even tho it's a more commonly spoken language.

i believe you meant "uh" for umbrela "ah" would be for like amen but maybe ive got my phonetic breakdowns of vocal sounds mixed up