User blog comment:DisaPP/What do you expect of future voicebanks the VOCALOID program?/@comment-74.140.203.175-20140302141613/@comment-5665682-20140305163659

Actually Misteryeevee my Thesis is about how publicitary gimmicks (like product mascots) affect the vision of customers. I made an experiment (using the vocaloid example):

1) I made listen to 5 otakus (but not Vocaloid-fans) friends a song made using SweetAnn vocals, and then one using IA's vocals. They commented how wonderful and peculiar SweetAnn sounded (it seems her sassy way to sing is way too notorious) and they said IA sounded pretty good but robotic on some notes.

2) I made listen them MAIKA and Clara, singing the same song (because we are all spanish speakers) They said both had a great way to sing.

3) I made them listen VY1 and SF-A2 miki (both japanese vocals), using the same song. They loved VY1 vocal and said "miki sounds choppy"

I must add that I never told them the name of the vocaloid they were listening. Then I showed them the boxarts. And I put the same music in the same order again. Results? Here they are:

1) When they listened SweetAnn, they said "she's an 30's monster?" that's weird". And when they listened IA, they said "wow, she match perfectly with the design, how realistic!"

2) When listened and watched MAIKA and Clara AGAIN, they just said "MAIKA" (even if both vocals have hispanic accent, and the same pronounciation)

3) They still loved VY1 song, but they just found more interesting miki's boxart, and when I said "Yuzuke Kozaki" they just NoMoreHeroes-fangirlboyed.

This gave me a big idea of how a mascot can make the difference. As you said Mysteryeevee, Crypton knows that if they put a moe/anime/manga character in the boxart, japanese and otakus/weaboos gonna love the product, no matter if is low quality, a cute mascot gives them the illusion of "good product".

'''And now I must list another thing I want for VOCALOID software: A popular and succesful avatarless Vocaloid admired and loved by fans. '''