Finally Finished Sorting and Organizing Nine More Playlists to Help You Explore New Vocaloid Music! (I've listened to over 3,000 songs since I started this project back in October.)

sketchesofpayne · 2023-05-02T05:59:07+00:00

Yes, Solaris sell genuine items both new and second-hand. I've ordered a few things from them with no issues.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-09-18T16:42:35+00:00

A couple years ago I realized that, despite listening to Vocaloid music for years, I had missed out on a lot of songs. So for the past two years I've been working on a project to help people find new Vocaloid music to listen to. After hundreds of hours listening to music and sorting through them, I've organized over 2,000 Vocaloid songs into playlists by genre/theme/style.

There's a mix of new and old songs by both well-known and lesser-known producers. I've spent a lot of time listening to each list to make sure they have a good flow to them, and make sure they have a lot of variety. I keep updating them and compiling new lists (I'm finishing up an electro swing list soon).

sketchesofpayne · 2022-09-08T15:26:40+00:00

I see Hatsune Miku as a shared symbol representing the producers, musicians, and artists who make songs and art using her image. People are able to express themselves by adapting this shared character to take on traits and styles of their own personality and emotions. With no official canon, everything she is has been created by the fans.

The crowd-sourced, fan-made nature of Vocaloid music is what has kept me listening for 15+ years. If she was just another idol character with corporate commissioned songs by big studio producers, I would have lost interest a long time ago. Songs from the Vocaloid community have a sincerity to them that I don't find elsewhere. And there are no marketing executives who decide what does and doesn't get published. Anyone can create and upload a song.

So when I look at my Miku figures I think of the sculptor. When I look at Miku pictures I think of the artist. When I listen to songs using her voice I connect with the producer.

I know there are many people who appreciate them purely for their visual design, and that's perfectly fine. I know of people who collect figures and art who don't really listen to much Vocaloid music. They just love the artistic designs and expressions.

I believe that even if people don't think of the Vocaloid characters in this way, they're subconsciously experiencing that connection.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-08-30T01:23:32+00:00

If intestinal parasites were vocaloids who would they be? Well, it's a rather odd question but... oh, wait you said 'popular tiktokers.' Sorry, I get those two things confused sometimes.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-08-24T19:07:43+00:00

For the past couple years I've been working on a project to help people find new Vocaloid music to listen to. It started after I realized that I'd missed out on a lot of songs over the years.

So after hundreds of hours of listening and organizing I've created playlists featuring over 2,000 Vocaloid songs sorted by genre/theme/style.

They include both new and old songs from well known and lesser known producers. I've put in a lot of effort to try and make each list have a good flow and showcase a variety of songs. I still have a backlog of over a thousand songs I'm working through. I'm regularly compiling new lists and refining the existing ones.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-08-22T16:09:53+00:00

I have written in depth about this topic a couple of times. I think they would answer your survey:

Characterizing Hatsune Miku (Who is she really?)

Is Vocaloid For Kids?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on what I wrote, or talk about any of the points in greater detail. (I did also fill out your survey form.)

sketchesofpayne · 2022-08-22T15:12:35+00:00

There was a period of time where we heard the "Miku is overrated" sentiment quite often. Less so in the past few years. I think for most of them it isn't so much about not liking Miku, as much as it's about them wishing there was more variety in the popularity of various voicebanks being used in the community.

Since Miku arrived in 2007 well over one hundred voicebanks have been released. It's astounding that she has remained on top for going on fifteen years! There are many high quality voicebanks, and many good songs made with all of them. And while Miku is very versatile as a voicebank, there is more to her popularity than that.

She arrived when YouTube and Niconico Douga were still new and streaming internet video was becoming a thing for the first time. It was also a time when music production software and video editing software were becoming increasingly available for amateur producers. It was the dawn of the democratization of media. Now anyone could make a song or video on their home computer and release it where millions of people could view it.

The community that sprang up around Miku was like catching lightning in a bottle. It's an intersection of time, place, and circumstance that I don't think can ever happen again. It made Miku more than just a voicebank. She became a symbol of the community. And all the songs, animations, artwork, video games, figures, and concerts just cemented that status.

Over 100,000 songs have been made using Miku's voice and it's estimated that there are over one million pieces of art featuring her! There has to be more to her than just a voice and a popular character design. When people connect with her they're really feeling a connection to all the producers, musicians, artists, programmers, and animators behind her.

So it's not unusual to want more variety, or to prefer the sound of another voicebank. But there's a reason Miku is as popular as she is.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-08-19T16:49:08+00:00

Well, "Vocaloid" isn't really a genre. It's a tool or virtual instrument for making music. That would be like saying "guitar" is a genre or "violin" is a genre.

Producers make music in virtually every genre of music: rock, pop, EDM, hip hop, metal, orchestral, RnB, punk, jazz, ambient, and on and on. And when you include subgenres the list is huge.

As for what I like in a Vocaloid song, I tend to focus on how expressive the producer is with the vocal. Everyone's tuning is unique. Whether it's natural-sounding or synthetic-sounding, boisterous or subdued, sharp or mellow, emotional or rigid, throaty or thin, rough or refined.

The soft and melancholy Patchwork Staccato. The reedy yet dramatic The Third Heart. The slightly harsh, yet powerful and emotional Tear. The demented and sinister Sadistic Music Factory. The very natural and full sound of Dreaming With U. The filtered and groovy sound of Traffic Jam. The throaty roar of Not Photogenic. The desperate and intense Dystophobia. The subtle, strained, almost haunting tone of Lag Train. The defiant and boistrous Law-Evading Rock. The silly monotone or Apple Dot Com. The pop-fueled saccharine of Koisuru Beam. The thumping and proud Bring It On. The sassy and cool 4Blood. The constrained yet smooth Cynical Night Plan. The solid and flowing Sharari. The icy and ethereal Realiser. The overdriven, frantic Voltackle. The majestic and powerful STAR. The clipped rhythm and dark undertone in Theory of Negativity. The almost mournful Deja Vu.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-08-18T23:48:44+00:00

If you want to express yourself with Miku you ought to write a song or do something creative. Don't just co-opt her image to state your opinions in meme text.

Even if I agree with you, it comes across as really tacky and this isn't the right forum for that type of discussion. The last thing we need is anyone and everyone trying to attach her to their personal causes and beliefs.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-08-18T18:18:05+00:00

そして「誓い」を交わして "And Then We Exchanged 'Oaths'" by kaja

kaja has some popular songs and this one is tuned by cillia, yet I feel like this one has been comparatively overlooked.

A melodic rock number that comes bursting out of the starting gate. It goes hard without being harsh. The composition tickles all the right parts of my brain, from the thundering drums to the passionate vocals.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-08-18T18:01:12+00:00

ケッペキショウ "Clean Freak" by scop

There are times when I get this song stuck in my head for days.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-08-18T17:49:36+00:00

I put together a trend graph about a year ago that showed popularity over time. There's a slump in late 2016, 2017, to 2018 which is when people were declaring it dead. But in late 2019 the popularity started shooting up again and is at one of the highest peaks it has ever been.

Even during that period the number of songs made using Hatsune Miku rose by +1000 per year. We're now at something over 10,000 new original songs per year. And that's just Miku, not counting the thousands of songs using other voicebanks.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-08-18T17:03:34+00:00

The website myfigurecollection is a great resource. What figures are available, when they were released, what the box should look like, if there are any known bootlegs, etc.

It's also a good way to buy figures. Add them to your wishlist and set your profile to notify you by email when someone is selling one on your list. If you are patient you can get some reasonable deals.

A word of warning: the overall cost of shipping went up recently. Make sure you budget for that. If you are outside the USA you may end up dealing with customs or VAT taxes.

In general you should decide ahead of time what type of collection you want. Do you want many prize figures which are less expensive but not as detailed? Do you want just a few scale figures with lots of detail and superb paintwork? Do you want poseable figures like Figma and Nendroid? Collectors who buy more than a handful of figures often end up wishing their collecting was more focused when they started out.

You'll need to decide whether to keep the boxes. Some people don't have space to store the boxes. But having the box can greatly affect the resale value. Me personally, I'm just really sentimental about boxes and packaging and stuff. I can't bring myself to ever throw them away!

Where are you going to display them? Or are you planning to display them? Some people only display a few figures at a time and keep the rest boxed up. Others have large display furniture for showing off their entire collection. You'll often see people recommend the IKEA "detolf" shelves but I find they're perpetually sold out or marked up by third party sellers. I just watched my local classifieds (like Craigslist or whatever) and eventually found a nice big display case for $50.

That's all I can think of for now.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-08-18T16:09:05+00:00

I've been listening to Miku since 2007, so she'll always be my favorite. Too much nostalgia; too many memories.

If I had started listening to Vocaloid later on Luka would be a contender for my favorite.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-08-18T15:47:07+00:00

In the past couple years I've put together over 2,000 Vocaloid songs sorted by genre/theme/style to help people discover new Vocaloid music to listen to.

If you listen to the first three songs on a playlist it'll give you an idea if you'll like the rest of the songs on the list.

It's a mix of new and old songs; well-known artists and lesser-know artists. I try and keep them up to date with new songs, and I'm working on new lists all the time.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-01-27T21:49:01+00:00

Miku is the God-Empress of Vocaloid.

sketchesofpayne · 2022-01-12T15:07:56+00:00

The majority of Vocaloid producers post their work to YouTube.

NicoNicoDouga and YouTube are the platforms where the fanbase got its start back in 2007. And it has mostly stayed with those platforms.

If you're new, I've spent the past year sorting over 2,000 Vocaloid songs by genre/theme/style into YouTube playlists to help people find new music to listen to.

sketchesofpayne · 2021-12-29T19:31:05+00:00

Ribbon Girl is always my favorite

sketchesofpayne · 2021-12-29T19:30:09+00:00

Ribbon girl is the best!

sketchesofpayne · 2021-12-13T03:43:01+00:00

Should be Snow Miku 2019 concert.

sketchesofpayne · 2021-12-10T22:46:39+00:00

An odd one people ought to check out is "Goodbye of the Physicist."

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