After all the suspense, the locations and dates for MIKU EXPO 2020 in Europe have been announced! This year, in addition to London, Paris and Berlin, there will be concerts in Amsterdam and Barcelona as well!
Tickets will go on sale starting from September 27 at 5:00 PM (JST), so make sure you’re ready! They will all be available for purchase via the official MIKU EXPO 2020 website.
Furthermore, a MIKU EXPO 5th Anniversary song contest will be held soon, and the winning entry will be performed on stage during the tour! Entries can be in any language as long as Miku is singing the main vocals. The contest organizers will be accepting entries from October 1, 5:00 PM through Ocober 31, 11:59 PM (JST).
Be sure to check out the official MIKU EXPO Twitter to find out more details about the contest soon after ticket sales begin on September 27.
Along with this tour we are planning a #MIKUEXPO5th Anniversary Song Contest!! Details will be announced on Sept. 27th when the ticket sales start. This time we will be accepting songs featuring Miku in any language!
Deutsche Telekom AG is now offering early pre-sales of tickets for MIKU EXPO 2020 in Berlin. German fans with a Telekom landline and / or mobile contract, and a valid login account can use the top-class Prio tickets 48h before official pre-sales at their streaming platform MagentaMusik 360.
Be sure to check them out below and get your Berlin tickets early via Telekom if you fall under these conditions!
The first video preview from ARIA Station is now available for viewing. In it, IA and ONE go through which parts of “てるみい / Tell Me” and “ 祭・祭・祭 / MA・TSU・RI” fans can cheer at, and what cheer they should use to get into the concert vibe! It’s invaluable learning for anyone who plans to attend a 1st Place concert!
New Yuzuki Yukari LINE Stickers are now available from VOCALOMAKETS for just ￥120 JPY! They’re called ウザかわいい結月ゆかりスタンプ (Usa Kawaii Yuzuki Yukari Stamp, Cute Bunny Yuzuki Yukari Stickers) and are illustrated by 揚げたわし / Agetawashi.
Keep in mind that availability of these stickers is limited to the following territories:
Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Netherlands, Uruguay, United States of America
Alongside announcements like their ongoing collaboration with K!!te and Songle Sync, and a free update to Hatune Miku V4 Chinese sometime this year, the two companies also announce the new engine and software that they are developing for Miku and the rest of their character voice banks. The below information is gleaned from tweets posted by NAT and Cyross on Twitter, who were present at and shared photos and information from the presentation.
In one of the first slides of the presentation, Sasaki describes Crypton’s aim, which is to create new voice databases. What they want is for each of their virtual singers to be able to sound great no matter which pitch they sing in, and no matter what syllable they are pronouncing. This means being able to maintain sound balance during syllable transition, keeping the consonant part of each note clear and concise, and resonating each vowel sound.
To meet this aim, Crypton has begun the process of adjusting Miku’s entire voice database. Once Miku’s new database is complete, it will serve as a reference for creating the new and improved databases for the rest of their virtual singers.
Sasaki then moved on to the new voice effectors that Crypton has been developing for about two years. They plan to implement them in piapro studio for use with each of their virtual singers’ voice. These new effectors include VocalDrive and CherryPie, which were introduced earlier this year as a project by Crypton’s technology research lab, Labopton.
In fact, we have recently heard one application of VocalDrive with Mitchie M‘s Seraphim On The Ring, which uses the effector for KAITO’s spoken parts. Through this, we can get an idea of how VocalDrive and the other effectors in development can make a character voice bank sound.
In the next slide, Crypton reveals that it’s not just new voice effectors, but an entire new sound system that they will be using for their virtual singers. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that it is not with VOCALOID5, but with an entire new software series that they are developing with AIST. Both Itoh and Goto join the panel at this point.
The flow of the new sound system would be to take the base phonemes from the CVVC databases, run them through piapro studio editor where they can be read, then have them further processed and tuned in the voice effectors before being put out.
The development goal of the new sound system is to preserve what makes each character voice sound unique while giving the users more control over their individual nuances. Their aim is to develop a next generation E.V.E.C. and new voice expression technology with various voice manipulation capabilities.
Continuing talks on their technology in development, the panelists went on to describe the next generation piapro studio. The slide mentions that it will come with many improved functions and features such as:
Crypton and AIST plan for a release of the currently nameless voice software series sometime during the first half of 2020. Even after the final product is complete and released, they plan to continue developing and updating it as time goes on.
According to NAT and Cyross, Itoh explained that the decision to develop the new sound system, engine, and software series for the future of their character voice banks is one that was made after talks with YAMAHA, creators of the VOCALOID engine. Their top priority is to support the existing users of their products, and will market the new software in a way that will make the transition easy for customers. Itoh adds that they will be working with individuals like Akira Nakamura of AIST to meet their company goals, but also wishes to continue working with YAMAHA in some way.
This means that the piapro characters will not be VOCALOID products going forward. Itoh explains that Crypton Future Media is a sound company whose singular goal is to use the power of technology to bring new sound experiences to the future of virtual music and its fans. Using VOCALOID up to now for their character voices was an extension of that goal, and development of Hatsune Miku no doubt played a big part in the growth of the VOCALOID community and culture, a culture that Itoh respects and loves greatly.
In the end, though, they are still a sound company that is ever changing and looking for more ways to support creators and producers; their collaboration with K!!te and development of their own engine are examples of this.
Sasaki then takes the mic to sum up the main points of the presentation, and assures listeners that Miku will still sound like Miku even on a different engine. He also explains that the main reason for not going with VOCALOID5 for Miku was because of problems they discovered when running Saki Fujita‘s voice in the engine; it was not because of some kind of dispute with YAMAHA. Crypton will in fact proceed in the most appropriate fashion possible so that their departure from using the VOCALOID engine does not jeopardize their relationship with YAMAHA, and will continue to work with them.
Based on Cyross’s observation, Sasaki may have even shed a tear at one point during the presentation.
In conclusion, Itoh remarks that he very much likes the vibe of the new deal that they have with AIST and the technology that they are developing, and looks forward to a long working relationship with them.
As for how Crypton Future Media’s departure from VOCALOID will influence other companies who still use VOCALOID for their voice banks, we will have to wait and see how things play out. There has been one interesting tweet from Tohoku Zunko’s official Twitter account that suggests Crypton may not be alone in researching and developing new engines for future releases of their character voice banks.
In the tweet, she brings up how the Tohoku Sisters have software that are compatible with not only VOCALOID, but also UTAU, VOICEROID, and even voidol, and they may not be stopping there. They are currently preparing the reveal of heir own new singing voice synth engine data for Tohoku Kiritan with the help of Masanori Morise, an engineering doctorate at Meiji University.
It is probably safe to say that the tweet was prompted by the news from Crypton Future Media. An important distinction to note is how they, too, seem to be developing their own patented singing voice synth engine as opposed to changing over to an existing engine (such at 1st Place to CeVIO Creative Studio, or Quadimension to Synthesizer V).
What the future holds for the VOCALOID community – or even if it will continue to be called that – we will keep a close eye on and will always continue to report.
We thank NAT and Cyross for their tweets and information sharing!
As you may know or not, Haiyi was released early, on September 6: About one week before her scheduled release. To celebrate, Quadimension’s official tuner, Haru.jpg (also known as Napstina)
As you may know or not, Haiyi was released early, on September 6: About one week before her scheduled release.
To celebrate, Quadimension’s official tuner, Haru.jpg (also known as Napstina), has published new cover of “pick me up“, MIKU WITH YOU 2018 song contest winner!
This cover features Haiyi’s new, SynthV voicebank.
She used to have four voicebanks in the past: Yet now, her package contains only normal database and a falsetto one.
Do you enjoy new voice of Haiyi, refreshed by SynthV engine? We hope so, let listening to her be like a comfy drizzle during a hot day.
If you wish to use Haiyi and to support Quadimension, you can buy Haiyi here
Let’s enjoy their new, bunny look, and make sure to treat yourself with a mooncake, either as a Quadimension keychain for your collection, or as a real one to taste. It’s up to you!
The campaign has officially concluded, and closed out with a whopping 182% completion! Congratulations to all campaign organizers and participants! We will see you on November 30!
On November 30 and December 1, 2019, 1st Place will be holding double concerts at the DMM VR THEATER YOKOHAMA, both IA’s “PARTY A GO-GO” Super Edition and ARIA – IA MUSICAL & LIVE SHOW-Encore Performance! To make them the best concert experiences possible, they will be starting a crowdfunding campaign on muevo beginning on September 12. After all, holding these two very stylistically different shows together on the same day won’t be easy, and 1st Place needs our help to make IA’s performances a success!
**UPDATE ON OCTOBER 31, 2019**
The campaign has just reached 100% completion! Congratulations to the campaign organizers, and to 1st Place! Below, you can watch a thank-message from IA herself!
The purpose of this crowdfunding campaign is twofold:
To share information and details on the concert preparations, and make the performances the best that they can possibly be along with the fans
To make IA even more well-known throughout the world, and help her move the hearts of more and more people
The campaign organizers aren’t as concerned about tallying up their total amount of fund, but are more interested in tallying up the total amount of supporters that they can attract. For this reason, as you can see below, there is even a zero yen donation option!
Both PARTY A GO-GO and ARIA are very much concert experiences that 1st Place has been creating together with fans of IA and ONE. This is all for the sake of getting the ARIA sisters more well-known, and helping them put on unique performances that include both humans and the virtual artists for a truly new form of performing arts. This has been 1st Place’s singular vision, and one that they hope fans can help spread by participating in this campaign, and getting others to do the same.
Plans for How Fans Can Participate in Concert Preparations
Concert Setlist Meeting
Those who participate in the campaign will be able to fill out an upcoming survey for which songs they would like to hear during the concerts. The survey results will help determine the setlists for the performances.
Official Goods Design
1st Place will be accepting design ideas for official merchandise to be sold on the day of the performances! Details to follow.
Concert Participation
1st Place is also working on a plan for campaign participants to get their messages to IA and ONE included as part of the ARIA performance.
※Plans not finalized. There is the possibility of more fan participation plans being added, and even the above-mentioned plans are subject to change without prior notice
Concert Details
IA’s “PARTY A GO-GO” Super EDITION
Performers: IA / ONE
Dates and times: Saturday, November 30, 2019 and Sunday, December 1, 2019 Venue opens at 12:30 PM, concert starts at 1:00 PM
Ticket prices S seats: ¥7,990 JPY (comes with goods) A seats: ¥4,990 JPY
※Requires additional￥500 JPY drink charge ※Children under the age of 3 can enter for free
**UPDATE ON NOVEMBER 8, 2019**
We now have an idea of what’s going to make this the “Super Edition” of PARTY A GO-GO!
Three new songs will be added to the setlist by fan votes and requests:
3. DAYBREAK FRONTLINE by Orangestar (most requested song, and making its concert debut)
Furthermore, the setlists for the November 30 and December 1 shows will actually differ, so fans who will be attending both shows will have an extra treat! Rest assured, though, that the three above-mentioned songs will be a part of both shows.
Dates and times: Saturday, November 30, 2019 and Sunday, December 1, 2019 Venue opens at 4:30 PM, concert starts at 5:30 PM
Ticket prices S seats: ¥9,990 JPY (comes with goods) A seats: ¥6,990 JPY
**UPDATE ON OCTOBER 26, 2019**
The exclusive goods for those who purchase S seats have been revealed! They are full-graphic T-shirts and A4 acrylic plates, and both PARTY A GO-GO and ARIA will have their own versions!
【S席入場者特典デザイン公開！11/30公演の前売券完売目前！】 IAワンマンライブ「PARTY A GO-GO」とミュージカルライブ「ARIA」がDMM VR THEATER YOKOHAMAにて11月30日、12月1日と2日間4公演で開催！ 前売券はプレイガイド（ローチケ・ぴあ・イープラス）で発売中！ ★詳細→https://t.co/QzEYcUQccwpic.twitter.com/Xalk6sV2MY
“Backstage” concert pamphlet containing additional photos, information, and interviews with the developers not found in the standard pamphlets (planned to be distributed after the concert in January of February, 2020)
Rare, impromptu photo sets of IA off-stage (1 set out of 3 available sets); comes with video content as well
Your name in the endroll credits and “Backstage” concert pamphlet (nicknames allowed)
Your name on the ARIA website (nicknames allowed)
**UPDATE ON NOVEMBER 7, 2019**
The design for the special pamphlet has been revealed!
Digital video of either IA or ONE addressing you with a message of special thanks (you can choose which ARIA sister, and what name they call you)
￥40,000 JPY: Group Photo with IA Plan (PARTY A GO-GO)
A group photo will be taken with IA on stage during the PARTY A GO-GO performance
The photo will be placed in a special frame and delivered to you (requires that you purchase a special ticket; photo to be delivered in January or February, 2020)
￥40,000 JPY: Group Photo with IA Plan (ARIA)
A group photo will be taken with IA on stage during the ARIA performance
The photo will be placed in a special frame and delivered to you (requires that you purchase a special ticket; photo to be delivered in January or February, 2020)
**UPDATE ON OCTOBER 28, 2019**
The background images that will be used for the groups photos have been revealed!
A chibi version of you will be drawn together with IA and ONE, and the illustration will be sent to you in a special photo frame (A4 size; requires that you send a full-body photo of yourself; illustration will be sent in January or February, 2020)
￥150,000 JPY: Co-Performance Plan
Chance to perform together with IA and ONE during the ARIA show
Receive a video recording of your performance after the show
Chance for a group photo with IA, ONE, and the dancers for the show, to be sent to you in a special photo frame sometime in January, 2020
Your name in the endroll credits (nicknames allowed)
A certificate of official support will be given to you on the day of the performance, along with a special gift that will be announced later (requires that you purchase a special ticket)
**UPDATE ON OCTOBER 29, 2019**
The outfits that the ARIA sisters will be wearing for the co-performances on November 30 and December 1 have been revealed!
With just four days left of the ccrowdfunding ampaign, a new stretch goal has been announced. If the campaign reaches 150% completion, then donors to the campaign will receive a free calendar!
Furthermore, the look of certificate of official support for those who donate ￥150,000 JPY for the co-performance plan has been revealed!
Those with the official certificate will also receive a VIP pass on the days of the concerts, which will net them the following items for free:
Party A Go-Go Towel
A1 size ARIA Poster
**UPDATE ON NOVEMBER 8, 2019**
Message Campaign
From now until November 17 at 11:59 PM (JST), anyone who contributed to the campaign can present a special message to IA and ONE through the below form. The messages will then be played during the concerts!
1st Place wants to thank all IA and ONE fans for their support in spreading the popularity of the ARIA sisters worldwide, and for their part in making these concerts as magnificent and enjoyable as they are.
Remember that you can also opt for the ￥0 JPY plan and still show your support for the concert effort and take part in the upcoming fan participation plans.
If you’re ready to make a pledge, then visit the muevo crowdfunding page below starting on Thursday, September 12 at exactly 8:00 PM (JST)
2019 marks the 20th anniversary since the first ever episode of Digimon Adventure was aired on March 7, 1999! Among the announcements made right on the big day was the collaboration with Hatsune Miku, and now we have details about it!
Hatsune Miku Cover of “Butter-Fly”
Toei Animation revealed the Butter-Fly ~Hatsune Miku Version~ cover of the opening song for the classic anime! It features the main collaboration visual of Miku and Agumon illustrated by Atsuya Uki, the character designer for Digimon Adventure tri, plus many famous scenes from the original Digimon Adventure anime, making it a nostalgia trip for anyone who watched the series way back when!
When I was first contacted about creating the Hatsune Miku cover of Butter-Fly, I had my doubts about it, having not grown up in the “Digimon generation.” However, I knew that this would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to become part of the ‘music’ side of Digimon, a very integral part in the creation of the franchise. So it was with great honor that I took up the task. To get in on the 20th anniversary celebrations, I decided I would watch all the past Digimon series up to the movie in 2020. I’m really excited for my first Digimon experience.
Collaboration Goods and Store
Furthermore, numerous crossover illustrations with Miku, Len, Rin, Luka, and famous Digimon and were revealed on the same day as the music video! They were created by Rella, サメヤマ次郎 / Sameyama Jiro, さいとうなおき / Naoki Saito, and artists at Toei Animation.
Finally, it was confirmed that official goods will be created out of these illustrations, and will be available at three different Premium Store locations later this year! For every ￥3,000 JPY that you spend at the shops, you can get a free postcard (while supplies last). Stay tuned as the merchandise is revealed later!
※Please note that all dates and locations are subject to change ※All times are JST
*UPDATED ON October 28, 2019*
In Osaka
Location: 4F Abeno Hoop Dates: November 2 through November 10 Business times: 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM
In Fukuoka
Location: 2F Canal City Hakata South Building Dates: November 16 to November 24 Business times: 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM
In Tokyo
Location: THE AKIHABARA CONTAiNER Dates: November 21 to November 27 Business times: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Merchandise (**UPDATED ON NOVEMBER 1, 2019**)
We now finally get the see the collaboration merchandise that will be available at each store! All prices below are before-tax.
Hibari Misora was a famous Japanese singer and actress who is perhaps most well known for the song Kawa no nagare no you ni, and who passed away in 1989.
So it must have caught some people off guard when NHK announced a special program called “Hibari Misora Resurrected With Artificial Intelligence (NHKスペシャル AIでよみがえる美空ひばり)” (working title) to air on September 29. Yamaha reported that they are making this possible with the newly announced VOCALOID:AI, their voice synth and A.I. technology that uses deep learning to recreate the late singer’s persona for a live concert performance!
Thirty years after her death, the late Misora’s image will be projected as a life-size 3D hologram on stage. Using VOCALOID:AI to recreate her voice, she will be singing an original song written by Yasushi Akimoto – the producer for Kawa no nagare no you ni – called “あれから / Arekara.” The new technology uses recorded data of Misora singing, and can reproduce her voice for both singing songs and speaking lines.
If some of this sounds familiar, it’s because similar projects have been attempted before. Fans may be reminded of Ueki-loid, hide, and the CeVIO voice bank HAL-O-ROID, which were all created with the aim of resurrecting the voice of a deceased singer.
However, VOCALOID:AI is an artificial intelligence program that does more than just play a singing voice; thanks to deep learning, it can even mimic the mannerisms and other peculiarities of the singer. In short, it aims to reproduce the entirety of the singer’s vocal identity.
Through this project, Yamaha aims to further the potential for voice synthesis technology to produce music and musical performances that can truly transcend time and captivate audiences of all generations.
The NHK special, Hibari Misora Resurrected with Artificial Intelligence, is scheduled to air on September 29 from 9:00 to 9:49 PM (JST).
Here is also a video explaining the BIG FestivAL, which you can watch while enjoying a slow rap melody composed by Celestrai!
⚡️💀 WELCOME TO BIG FESTIVAL! 💀⚡️
BIG FESTIVAL is a BIG AL 10th Anniversary fan event, run by @celest_rye! It is completely open to any participants! It will include a charm contest, cover event, art zine, and original album!
The 20-day charm design contest for BIG FestivAL is now underway! See the tweets below for design and submission guidelines.
💀 BIG FESTIVAL Celebration Design Reference 💀
A reference for the BIG FESTIVAL design made by @celest_rye This design takes influence from all previous BIG AL designs, and tries to combine them into a design that exemplifies his most popular "look" while still being new! pic.twitter.com/e6FQvPlv6R
After the submission period ends, make sure to cast for your vote for your favorite entry within the following 5 days. You can then order your desired one in October!
VOTING ON THE CHARM CONTEST WILL BE PUBLIC, AND HELD FOR FIVE DAYS, FROM SEPTEMBER 26 TO OCTOBER 1
Charm orders for both charms will then be accepted from October 2 until October 25th!
The charm designs are in, and now you can vote for your favorite ones! Choose your first and second choices from the 12 entries on the below google doc by Sunday, October 6:
The results of the charm contest are now in! Congratulations to HotGrenade for their winning design! You can also see the rest of the finalists in the thread below.
⚡️ CHARM CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED! ⚡️
Congratulations to .@hotgrenade_ for winning our charm contest with a plurality of the votes! Huge shout-out to .@zombii_yuurei for placing second in the contest!
Also avilable is a Big Al acrylic figure stand designed by MystSaphyr!
⚡️⚡️BIG FESTIVAL MERCH PREORDER FORM 💀⚡️⚡️
Here you can purchase either of the fest Charms, or (our special surprise) an acrylic stand illustrated by .@MystSaphyr !! ⚡️ Perfect for any AL fan or Engloid lover!
In fact, those who will be attending Anime Weekend Atlanta will actually be able to meet Celestrai in person and purchase the charms and figure stand directly!
IF YOU ARE ATTENDING ANIME WEEKEND ATLANTA AND ARE WILLING TO MEET UP WITH .@celest_rye (our Coordinator who will also be handling charm orders), YOU CAN BYPASS SHIPPING CHARGES AND GET YOUR CHARM IN PERSON!
VocaSphere 