This talk show, which featured companies and people involved with the development of VOCALOID getting together, was like a dream performance come true. The timing was right being just after the release of VOCALOID3, and the product developers and their demo songs were a center of interest. We even have a special surprise for VOCALOID fans with some information never been heard before. Also, the first Korean VOCALOID SeeU made its first appearance in Japan, something that fans and even related companies had deep interest in.

The first item in the ASIA VOCALOID FESTA was the “ASIA VOCALOID TAAAAAAAAAALK”. Kondo Hidekazu from the company Negibose Thailand which staged events in the country was the moderator. He was joined by Lee Burmseon, the organizer of the Korean Wonder Cosplay Festival, Sam from Miracle Vox, the organizer of the Hong Kong VOCALOID dojin event, international cosplayers PIYAYA and Yuegene Fay from China and Thailand. They talked about the popularity of VOCALOID that is spreading in Asia.

VOCALOID is already popular in all the countries, and sole events were held in each region, and we have heard that they attracted many cosplayers and fans. Throughout Asia “VOCALIOD P”s use the Japanese language VOCALOID software to create music in their own language, with some singers making their debut on the Niconico Douga vlog site “Utatte Mita”. The Hatsune Miku PSP game has also become a hit, showing how the craze has different types of popularity depending on the region. The item that gained most attention this time was the SeeU, which had just been released in Korea. SeeU has been the catalyst for an unprecedented VOCALOID boom in Korea, and Lee-san commented that he is looking forward to SeeU’s progress.

(photo) MC Kondo Hidekazu

To really get to the heart of VOCALOID, you can’t have a discussion without the three companies involved in its development. The first to contribute was President Mirakami Noboru of Internet Co., Ltd, developer of Gackpoid and Megpoid. He presented Megpoid, which has just gone on the market and has a four voice library where four unique voices can sing giving a truly real sound – this brought gasps of awe from the crowd. Also, another surprise that nearly made VOCALOID fans faint was when they heard that there is a VOCALOID database being developed. Next we heard from Ogata Tomohide, president of AHS Co., Ltd, which has developed unique characters such as VOCALOID SENSEI and VOCALOID SHOGAKUSEI.

They announced that together with seven "VOCALO P（=producer)"s who produce the group "VOCALO MARKETS" they would co-develop a new project. What kind of VOCALOID will these popular "VOCALOID P"s develop? They plan to announce it before year-end. Finally we heard from Kim Hyo en, chief developer at SBS Arttech who developed Korea’s first VOCALOID SeeU. She appeared on stage with a SeeU cosplayer and introduced the character and the rare demo-song. The audience was full of anticipation of the finish of the new VOCALOID as K-POP is really big in Japan now. This event was the first time SeeU had appeared in Japan and the limited edition set that was on sale at the corporate booth will surely become a collector’s item.

The Special Presentation VOCALOID3 showcased the appeal of the new VOCALOID3 straight after its release on October 21. The presentation was given by Kimura Yoshikazu from the Yamaha Research and Development Center. The presentation included a hands-on demonstration and introduction of the special features of VOCALOID3. According to Kimura-san VOCALOID3 has three major special features.

The first is it being more user-friendly. The operation is basically the same for users up to VOCALOID2, but it has been improved for new users with simplified operation.

Next is the improved quality of the synthesized vocals. Velocity (volume level of the sound) and opening (mouth) have been improved, so quick vocals in an up tempo song come over in natural pronunciation.

Thirdly is the “Open VOCALOID”. Yamaha have released the specifications, and companies and individuals can freely create more functional tools to improve performance. Until now there has been only a line between Yamaha and developers, and the creators known as VOCALO Ps. But from now on between these two groups programmers can now participate and create a new VOCALOID environment. In closing, Kimura-san commented that he feels it is his mission to contribute to VOCALOID culture and help provide a rich new emotive expression and music experience. (Right) Kimura Yoshikazu explaining VOCALOID3

To commemorate the release of VOCALOID3, Niconico douga broadcast a special live “53 hour Live Yatte Mita”. Internet Co., Ltd’s President Murakami appeared until late night on this program, before coming to Fukuoka. Despite Thailand being ravaged by floodwaters, Negibose Thailand’s Kondo-san and cosplayer Yugene Fay made their way to Fukuoka. We would like to express our deepest appreciation to the illustrious performers who came to the event. Thank you very much Arigato Gozaimasu!
text:koe

VOCALOID is a registered trademark of the YAMAHA Co., Ltd.
“Hatsune Miku”“Kagamine Rin”“Kagamine Ren”“Megurine Luka” “MEIKO”“KAITO”are registered trademarks of CRYPTON FUTURE MEDIA INC.
“GACKPOID”“Kamui Gakupo”are registered trademarks of INTERNET CO., LTD.
“SeeU”are registered trademarks ofSBS ARTECH.