INFORMATIVE MOMENT.
No. I don’t dislike Miku. Actually, I really like her. But I like her for what she is, not for what people pretend her to be.
Hatsune Miku is considered by many as the most popular and worldwide known Vocaloid (and that’s TRUE) but is NOT because “She’s the best vocaloid ever created”. In fact, Miku is really down in the quality list compared to all the other Vocaloids (though she’s still an amazing voice).
Her popularity was caused by certain factors unrelated to her voice, being the most notorious:
1) Viral internet spread. We all know the Ievan Polkka (ievan, not Levan) song and video. That thing got viral in Japan and spread her aknowledgment. Plus, a number of Internet memes along with well planned merchandise increaded her popularity.
2) Otakus: Japanese otakus discovered an amazing creativity chance when they were able to purchase the voice of a “moe, young teenage girl” to sing whatever they want. Also, Miku’s design was specifically created using certain archetypes and visual elements that are appealing for that sector (anime schoolgirl, fantasy theme, young kawaii concept, etc.)
BUT, why do VY1 being the queen is a fact? Obviously, I’m not using the term “QUEEN” in the same way most fans use it. I’m using queen as a way to point out that the really important, and the most representative Vocaloid between all the whole 80 voicebanks is, by default, VY1.
Let’s compare two things in a very objective way:
1) Hatsune Miku is not the main interest nor the face of the official Vocaloid website. Actually, YAMAHA treats Hatsune Miku as any other Vocaloid library. She’s just another product. No matter if she’s internationally recognized or the most popular.
2) In contrast, YAMAHA themselves use VY1 as the standard library in any Vocaloid engine and derivatives. VY1 is the only library in the whole “vocaloid family” that has is fully compatible with ALL the Vocaloid engines (even VOCALOID1, and recently, VOCALOID4)
This is because VY1 is their most high quality, professional female vocaloid product, and that’s a fact, not something stated by me.
Those engines are:
VOCALOID2, VOCALOID3, VOCALOID4, VOCALOID NEO, iVOCALOID, VocaloWitter, VOCALOID First, eVY1 & eVY1 module (a chip that uses a version of the VOCALOID1 engine), VOCALOOP, and the engine included in Daigasso! Band Brothers P
Yes, though Miku is worldwide known, has concerts, events and tons of merchandise, she’s not the most important vocaloid for the creators and the owners of VOCALOID (YAMAHA), giving her the same status of any other vocaloid product. While VY1, even if is not recognized, nor popular or widely known, it’s the most important product and the “face” of YAMAHA’s VOCALOID engines.
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Some words in defense:
"There are much better musicians using Miku than all the other vocaloids"
Partially true. Yes, there are thousands of musicians using Hatsune Miku (V2, V3 and Appends) in a much better way, but that’s just because Miku is a really easy to use vocaloid. Her voice is soft and cutesy in her raw state so you don’t have to be really skilled to make her sound good. That’s why musicians using her focus more on the music rather than the vocaloid programming. It explains why the most popular vocaloid songs have great tunes, yet, really weak Vocaloid programming (Triple Baka, The Dissappearance of Hatsune Miku, Rolling Girl, etc.)
"If other vocaloids, like VY1, are much better quality, why Miku is still the most used, huh?"
As said before, Miku is easy to use. Her low quality is not related to her being really user-friendly or the way she is used. The low quality is related to her particular voicestyle and technollogy. She was created using cheap resources, using a seiyuu (voice actress) instead of a professional/skilled singer, with very few development time and a limited japanese phonetical data. In contrast, other vocaloids are created with much better quality, making them, in consequence, complex to use. It’s like using a hammer to break down a wall and using a wrecking ball machine. The second one is more effective but the hammer is easier to use. Also, japanese producers tend to use Miku more because, obviously, if you want to become a famous Vocaloid artist, you’ll have more chances to be recognized if you use a popular vocaloid instead of a lesser known character.
"Miku will always be the queen, you baka!"
As said on the picture, she’s the queen according to fans, and that’s not wrong, Vocaloid Fandom is a democracy, so you have a total freedom to choose your faves, but you also have the obligation of keeping yourself well-informed about what you like, and spread the correct information, just like any other fandom.
Remember, this is an informative post, I’m not trying to promote Miku hate, and if you use it with those purposes, shame on you, because that’s horrible. I’m trying to spread correct information to all vocaloid fans. This fandom is always terribly misinformed, sadly. If you like Miku, you should like her for what she is (an amazing, cute and really appealing vocaloid voicebank and character), not for what you pretend her to be (a queen, a diva and the best thing in the world ever created)
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