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Hatsune Miku VOCALOID2 Append English VOCALOID3 Light Vivid eVocaloid VOCALOID4 V4 English V4 Chinese | Piapro Studio | Songs Albums Notable Originals


This article is about the VOCALOID2 software known as a voicebank, dubbed Append. If you are looking for the VOCALOID character then click here.

History[]

Crypton's next project involving Miku started on Valentine's Day 2009.[1] On 01/08/2009 the first two Appends were confirmed as "CV01-dark-ProtoTYPEβ" and "CV01-vivid-ProtoTYPEβ".[2] Later the names of "dark (soft dark)", "soft", "vivid", and "very small" were confirmed.[3]

The Hatsune Miku VOCALOID2 voicebank and the Append voicebanks are sold separately. The voicebanks of Miku Append are different from the original Miku voicebank. All the new voicebanks were voiced by Saki Fujita. (The voicer of the original.) The name of the voicebanks are Soft, Sweet, Dark, Vivid, Solid, and Light. Crypton announced that it was アペンドディスク an append disk (an addition which offers extension to computer softwares and is similar to expansion packs in English) and that users would need the original Miku to utilize Miku Append. They cost collectively slightly under the original Miku price. [4] While Append had been announced on Miku's second birthday, it was released over eight months later. The different appends are meant to capture the "moods" of Miku's voice, and were described by Crypton Future Media as "like a rainbow of color" that had been created from vocal performance of her voice provider.[5]

Prior to the release, demos had been released on Crypton's website. These included productions by various VOCALOID producers from Nico Nico Douga. Ryo's "Black Rock Shooter" 2M mix had also been done with one of the beta voicebanks.

Despite the success of Miku herself, her Append did not sell as many units. Following the Kagamine Append release, both the Kagamine and their Append software pushed Miku's Append software into 6th place on Crypton's sales page. Though it returned to popularity soon after, the reaction to the Append has never reached the same level as her original voicebank.[6]

Her append boxart shows her hair colored much more green than her original product, and her outfit has changed to a much more varied color scheme.

Demos

Later, during the Kagamine Append production, Wat mentioned that the "sexy" Append voice had been divided between "Dark" + "Soft" respectively.[7]

Further Appends[]

Wat also mentioned they had recorded a 7th vocal a "falsetto" voice, however, they have no plans to release a independent vocal such as this as they felt it wouldn't be useful.[8]

During the Kagamine development, a "darkish Whisper/Sweet" append was being considered.[9]

Currently it is unknown when these additional vocals will be released, if ever. They were never released for the VOCALOID2 engine.

Final Retirement[]

At the end of 2015, it was announced that from March 31, 2016, VOCALOID2 was being retired and no new serial codes were issued by Yamaha.[10]

Product Information[]

Demonstrations[]

Demonstrations

(vivid-β) Crypton
(soft-β) Crypton
(very small-β) Crypton
(dark PROTOTYPE-β)
(solid-β)
(very small-β)
CV01 Hatsune Miku Append DEMO Assort YouTube
夜の虹 Crypton
shoelace Crypton
影踏み Crypton
私らしさ Crypton
Chocolat Crypton
ハニビー! Crypton

System Requirements[]

  • Must have installed and activated the "Hatsune Miku" software
  • The free space of 8GB or more hard disk
  • 512MB of RAM or more
  • DVD-ROM drive (for installation)

All other requirements are identical to the original VOCALOID2 "Hatsune Miku" software.

Voicebanks[]


Product Information
Versions
  Trial/Demo Vers?: Yes
Package details as noted:

They are designed to give Miku "expression of colour". Like the original Hatsune Miku vocal, they are based on vocal performance and do not produce professional singer results. Each one is an example of a different voice acted tone.

It needs the original Hatsune Miku for successful installation.

Vocal traits as noted:
  • Upon installation 6 new voicebanks are installed, they are set up with the following intention;
    • The vocals themselves are divided into 2 sets of vocals, 3 "whisper" vocals ("Sweet", "Dark" and "Soft") and 3 "solid" vocals ("Light", "Vivid" and "Solid").
    • In each of the two sets has a voicebank that has a tone that is high ("Sweet" + "Light"), medium ("Soft" + "Vivid") or lower ("Dark" + "Solid").
    • As well as this, each vocal itself is partnered up with another vocal ("Light" + "Dark", "Soft" + "Solid", "Sweet" + "Vivid") to give a polar opposite effect on each
  • The voicebanks allowed the character of "Hatsune Miku" to sing genres of music she had never been able to do before and fulfil many roles previously she could not achieve. appends capabilities.
  • This is the first example of a multi-voicebank release with multiple voicebanks for the same character. The closet to this until now was the release of both Act1 and Act2 for the Kagamines, though Act2 was acting as a complete replacement for Act1.
  • The amount of tones offered between all 6 voicebanks meant that Hatsune Miku could compete with later VOCALOID2 releases such SF-A2 miki, and added to the versatility already offered by the original Hatsune Miku voicebank.
    • With all 7 voicebanks at the user's disposal, it was very easy to fill more then 16 tracks of the VOCALOID editor with the "Hatsune Miku" voice and maintain quality while doing so.
  • Each vocal is of higher quality, rendering smoother results than Miku's original voicebank. They were also rated as one of the easiest VOCALOID2 vocals to repair the faults of tone. This distinction was shared with the Kagamine Append, Iroha Nekomura and VY1.[11]
  • Many of the Append vocals overlap each other, making switching Appends mid-song relatively unnoticeable and with correct use can make Miku sound more realistic compared to just using her original voicebank alone.
  • This would remain the largest single release for any Vocaloid until Megpoid V4, due to the release of Hatsune Miku V3 without Light and Vivid within the standard package.
Software issues as noted:
  • Though the original Hatsune Miku vocal was fairly popular the Appends left Japanese fans divided on opinions about it. One of the most common things spoken was how a few of the Appends did not sound like "Miku was the one singing".
    • The behaviour of vocals such as "Dark" were a great contrast to the original voicebank at times and what worked for "Hatsune Miku" did not nesscarily work for this new vocals. Meaning that despite their quality increase they were not all equals, their usefulness varied per voicebank and they did not nesscarily have the original voicebanks flexibility to morph into new tones.
    • In short techniques that worked on the original could be useless on individual voicebanks. Each voicebank had to be treated almost like a entirely new VOCALOID. Future releases for other VOCALOIDs did not have this problem, but for many this was the first time they encountered it, particularly as Miku was for many VOCALOID2 era producers their only VOCALOID.
    • For these reasons, or others, many producers choose to skip the purchase of the Appends, as well as the later Kagamine Rin & Len Append.
  • As expressive vocals, natural sounding tone is not always maintained within each vocal. It is very possible for a switch between certain vocals mid-song despite their overlapping ranges, compared to later releases such as V3 Megpoid. This simply because of the sharp contrast between the voicebanks at times.
    • For example, due to the harder sound tones of all 3 "Solid" voicebanks, they were often easier to hear a switch between then the 3 "whisper" vocals, simply because the 3 "Whisper" vocals had a more blended undertone. So switching from "SOLID" to "Light" was much more noticeable then "Sweet" and "Soft".
    • Jumping between the 3 "Solid" vocals and the 3 "Whisper" vocals could also at times be noticed as well for much the same reasons. Particularly this is often the case with "Light" + "Dark" or "Sweet" + "Vivid" because of how contrasting they are.



Individual Vocals[]

Product Information
Optimum
  Genre: French Pop, Ballad, Electronica  Optimum Range: F3 ~ D5  Optimum Tempo: 55 ~ 155 BPM
  Total Tempo (min-max): 100 BPM  No. of Keys: W ~ 13, B ~ 9, Total ~ 22
Package details as noted:

DB 1 SWEET Append is meant to be a sweeter sounding version of Miku's voice. It is the first of the 3 "whisper-like Appends" and is focused on the highest pitched voice of the 3, resulting in a cutesy tone.

Vocal traits as noted:
  • It is good for slow songs as its lowest tempo range is 55 bmp which is the lowest of all Hatsune Miku Appends.
  • This vocal is the quietest of the six Miku Append voicebanks due to its light and whisper nature. It can easily be absorbed into the BGM if producers are not careful and can have issues with clarity.
  • Out of the 3 harder sounding Appends "Solid" provides the most contrast to the "Sweet" vocal.
  • It has the largest tempo range of any of the Hatsune Miku appends.
  • Its mirror opposite vocal is "Vivid".
Software issues as noted:
  • One of the vocals within the Append package that is often mentioned to sound less like the original Miku voice.
Voicebank sample

Hatsune Miku V2 Sweet


Product Information
Optimum
  Genre: Ballad, Jazz, Folk, Ambient  Optimum Range: D3 ~ B4  Optimum Tempo: 60 ~ 145 BPM
  Total Tempo (min-max): 85 BPM  No. of Keys: W ~ 13, B ~ 9, Total ~ 22
Package details as noted:

DB 2 DARK Append is a quiet and flat vocal designed to sound mature and heart broken. Wat described Miku's "sexy" vocal as being broken up between this voice and "Soft". Dark is the second of the 3 "whisper-like" vocals within the Append package.

Vocal traits as noted:
  • "Dark" has become one of the more preferred vocals by producers from the Append package. The reason is that it is easily one of the more emotionally expressive Append vocals within this package.
  • The vocals flatness is a result of the combination of use of a soft/whisper-like tone and its range falling towards a lower pitch compared with other vocals within this package, this gives it a "lifeless" feeling to the vocal.
  • Dark does on occasion suffer from a lack of clarity due to its more looser pronunciations.
  • While "Sweet" has the lowest tempo rating (55 bpm), the recommended tempo range for Dark peaks only 145 bmp which is the lowest peak range of any of the Appends. This makes "Dark" a the Append vocal with the most focus centered around lower tempos within the Append package.
  • The most contrasting vocal in the Append package to "Dark" is "Light", which is also its mirror opposite.


Voicebank sample

Hatsune Miku V2 Dark


Product Information
Optimum
  Genre: Soft Rock, Ballad, Folk, Ambient  Optimum Range: A3 ~ E5  Optimum Tempo: 70 ~ 150 BPM
  Total Tempo (min-max): 80 BPM  No. of Keys: W ~ 12, B ~ 8, Total ~ 20
Package details as noted:

DB 3 SOFT Append is optimal for backing vocals and long notes. Wat described Miku's "sexy" vocal as being broken up between this voice and "Dark". Out of the 3 "whisper-like" vocals within the Append package, "Soft" focuses the most on the medium range of the 3.

Vocal traits as noted:
  • This vocal is also the closest one to the original Hatsune Miku vocal in terms of optimum performance having both the same optimum tempo and range.
  • The softness of the vocals make this voicebank weak in terms of vocal range and clarity and is suffers the most from these issues.
  • Its mirror opposite vocal is "Solid".
  • It can act as a bridge between "Sweet" and "Dark".
  • Soft has the smallest tempo range of all the Hatsune Miku appends.


Voicebank sample

Hatsune Miku V2 Soft


Product Information
Optimum
  Genre: Pop, Rock, Dance, Techno Pop  Optimum Range: A3 ~ D5  Optimum Tempo: 85 ~ 175 BPM
  Total Tempo (min-max): 90 BPM  No. of Keys: W ~ 11, B ~ 7, Total ~ 18
Package details as noted:

DB 4 LIGHT Append is cute sounding and has a sense of happiness to it. Light is the first of the 3 harder sounding Appends and the one with the highest pitch. It focuses on maintain clarity on higher notes.

Vocal traits as noted:
  • Its most contrasting vocal within the package is "Dark", which is also the vocal that mirrors Light's vocal.
  • Since it is focused more on its harder sounds to produce clarity, "Light" can handle a faster tempo than "Sweet" but is not soft enough for slower paced song genres.
Software issues as noted:
  • As noted by producers, "Light" and "Vivid" can often sound too much alike because of their similar range and tempo. Often the only trait which separates the two is the higher pitched focus of "Light" and while both have the same highest optimum vocal range, "Vivid" has slightly bigger vocal range.
Voicebank sample

Hatsune Miku V2 Light


Product Information
Optimum
  Genre: Pop, Techno Pop, Trad  Optimum Range: G3 ~ D5  Optimum Tempo: 95 ~ 180 BPM
  Total Tempo (min-max): 85 BPM  No. of Keys: W ~ 12, B ~ 8, Total ~ 20
Package details as noted:

DB 5 VIVID Append is a strong sounding vocal. As its name implies, Vivid is designed for faster, livelier songs and is the most "medium" range of the 3 harder sounding Appends.

Vocal traits as noted:
  • Vivid handles faster tempo songs the best out of all the Miku append vocals due to having the highest tempo capablities (180 bpm) , but is the least adapt at handling slower paced songs (its lowest range is only 95 bpm).
  • Its "mirror" vocal within the Append package is "Sweet".
  • Can act as a bridge between "Light" and "Solid".
Software issues as noted:
  • Producers have noted that "Vivid" and "Light" often sound very similar due to their similar tempo and ranges. Often the thing that separates them is Vivid slightly lower pitch. The Vivid voice itself has the same highest note capabilities as "Light", however, has a slightly larger overall vocal range.
Voicebank sample

Hatsune Miku V2 Vivid


Product Information
Optimum
  Genre: Pop, Rock, Dance, Electro  Optimum Range: D3 ~ C5  Optimum Tempo: 65 ~ 160 BPM
  Total Tempo (min-max): 95 BPM  No. of Keys: W ~ 13, B ~ 9, Total ~ 23
Package details as noted:

DB 6 SOLID Append gets its name from its clear and loud pronunciations, it is designed to focused on clarity for songs that require the lyrics to be clear and precise. "Solid" is the lowest pitch of the 3 harder sounding Appends.

Vocal traits as noted:
  • This voicebank sounds strong and powerful.
  • Because of its loud tone, SOLID can overpower other vocals in a song, particularly softer vocal types.
  • Its opposite vocal within the Append package is "Sweet", however, the vocal itself is a mirror to "Soft".
  • Due to having the harshest sounds of the 3 hard-sounding vocals, it lacks smoothness. As a result, it has the 3rd lowest tempo capability (65 bpm) out of all the Appends and its highest tempo count is the lowest out of "Light", "Vivid" and itself (160 bpm).
  • Despite the slowness of its tempo range, the Solid has the second largest tempo range within the Hatsune Miku append package and is beaten only by the tempo range of "sweet".


Voicebank sample

Hatsune Miku V2 Solid


A trial version has been released of this product.

References[]

  1. link
  2. link
  3. link
  4. Crypton - Miku Append
  5. Tweets - 8:50 PM Apr 12th, 2011
  6. Vocaloid Blog - クリプトン社発売のソフト音源についての2011年1月のトップセラー! (Top of the January 2011 release of the software's sound on Crypton!)
  7. link
  8. link
  9. link
  10. link
  11. Taken from Nico Nico Pedia

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