VOCALOID Piracy

Pocaloid/Pokaloid was the name of the illegal version of the Vocaloid software whose coding has been cracked to allow unlimited use without purchase. The most current version of this illegal software goes under the name of "3 ASSiGN Edition" rather than "Pocaloid", but will still be detailed here as well.

Note; the Wikia will not give links to the software or post the names of sites and forums that do allow this out of respect for the companies.

General Information
While there are other illegal variants of the software, Pocaloid is the most famous illegal form of the Vocaloid software known. Pocaloid was released by "TEAM ASSiGN", based from the original Vocaloid software.

Pocaloid is the combination of Peace-out and Vocaloid. TEAM ASSiGN was formerly called TEAM Peace-Out.

ASSiGN chose to crack Vocaloid and Vocaloid2 as a "call" to Yamaha to correct their software's flaws, which they claim, causes problems even to legitimate users. They made additional modifications from the original to supposedly 'improve' the Vocaloid experience. Due to these claimed improvements some producers are enticed to use Pocaloid instead in spite of risks of indignation.

They recently moved onto Vocaloid 3 and have cracked most, if not all, of the Vocaloid 3 voicebanks released in 2011. For Vocaloid 3 they release it under the name "3 ASSiGN Edition" or (V3AE), the software contains all the functions of the Editor Vocaloid3 it will not deactivate after the trial period, its protection is also removed and it does not require online activation. All previous Pocaloid 2 voicebanks cannot be directly imported into V3AE and may require a second seperate download for to obtain a V3AE version, the same may occur for actual Vocaloid 2 versions.

Depending on demand and availability, Pocaloid versions tend to appear quite fast.

Identification
Some editions of Pocaloid can be harder to determine then others, typical signs of Pocaloid are the splash page/loading screen, which often displays a fanart instead of the Vocaloid splashpage. Inside the software, the interface may have a slight glitched look along the tool bars, with the pen and other tools being a different colour to normal Vocaloid which is all black. Pocaloid also carries the software title of "Pocaloid" and a tiny picture of a Vocaloid character in its header.

Users often hide their Pocaloid usage by not allowing the toolbar to be seen or never showing the Vocaloid interface in a video, as this will give away to acknowledged fans that they are using Pocaloid.

In the case of expansion packs such as the Appends they often work without having to own the original voicebank. This can also give away if someone doesn't own the legit version as they don't have access to the original voicebank at all.

Within Japan as well, Pocaloid is sometimes suspected when relatively unestablished producers are seen with a number of Vocaloids. Since Vocaloids are often not very cheap to purchase in the first place and most new producers start with just one or two vocals due to tight financial situations or lack of experience, having more vocals then expected can often catch fan attention. In most cases, this can be said to be a fairly reliable gauge for spotting illegal versions. However, outside of Japan this is not such as easy factor and it is hard to determine the financial earnings of any Producer. However, Producers who gain a Vocaloid too soon after its inital release (all software has to be exported from Japan which takes time) or have far too many Vocaloids, especially hard to acquire vocals are often suspected.

V3AE's interface is a lot less obvious and discovering individuals who have used it is much harder. However the use of exclusive or limited time available voicebanks in Vocaloid 3 can prove the use of V3AE.

Level of Usage
It is unknown how many fans are using this version of the software, however since Japanese Vocaloids are difficult to purchase by westerners due to region screening, shipping and limited importers, it is expected that the numbers are quite high. Many of the cover songs seen on youtube, using VSQ files common to be found within the fandom, are thought to be made from users who have a version of Pocaloid. Those who are seen using several Vocaloids, in particular ones that are known to be difficult to purchase, are suspected to be using Pocaloid, particularly if no original works are seen from the user.

Though many are using the software to obtain the Japanese Vocaloids, the line is not drawn here and at the same time English Vocaloids have also been the target of Pocaloid cracking as well. This, despite the fact the English Vocaloids are much easier to purchase than their Japanese counterparts for westerners and in a number of cases may even sold at a much cheaper price. Prior to the alternative discovery of how to make a Japanese interface English, Prima was also a heavy target for Pocaloid users wanting their software in English as installing would alter the interface into the English version.

As of Vocaloid 3 Japanese Vocaloids can now be purchased via the Vocaloidstore, removing the common excuse about region locking and Vocaloids can be purchased here instead. Furthermore, fans have discovered ways and means to get around the problem with limited access to some of the older Vocaloids, as well as the new ones. To date, most Vocaloids can be legitly bought from various 3rd party websites even without visiting the Vocaloid Store.


 * Where to buy Vocaloids

Software Concerns

 * See Controversy Concerns

Alternatives to Pocaloid
One argument against the use of Pocaloid is also that UTAU exists and is legally able to be downloaded without any security problems or legal implications that Pocaloid carries with its use. Unlike Pocaloid, users will also have to seek out advice if software difficulties are encountered, the fandom will not shun the use of UTAU and all Vocaloid fandoms will support it indefinitely. UTAU is also free, downloadable from a legitimate source and usage is not only encouraged by fans but supported by studios like Crypton Future Media. Another two free voice synthesizers that are suitable for singing are Sinsy and AquesTone.

There are few notable free Vocal synthesizers also around the net. They may be difficult to find and are not suitable for music, but with audio tuning software can be made to "sing". There are a number of ways to achieve results from such software, some may however not be used for commercial reasons so it is best to check the legal documentations for each synthesizer.


 * link - this video shows a Producer tuning Google Translator to be able to sing, using audio tuning software.

Trivia

 * "Pocaloid" is also one of several misspelling of the actual Vocaloid software. This is due to the flickness of romanization of words from Japanese to English. Even though "Vocaloid" is commonly seen in Latin text, some users still translate directly from Japanese sources. This is also the same reason as why Kagamine Rin/Len get called "Kagamine Lin/Ren" and Megurine Luka "Megurine Ruca".