The 3Represents TV Youtube Channel

 Okay, we've created a Youtube channel called The 3Represents TV. This Youtube channel will basically feature some experimenting with video and other things. Our demos will still be put out on the Anomie Train Youtube channel first.

vtuber is out now!

I though I would gather up all the links for out newest album, vtuber, in one spot! So here they are! I think if we knew how many titles already had "vtuber" in them, we would have named it something else, LOL.

Spotify

YouTube Music

Apple Music

Bandcamp

Deezer

Amazon Music

Pandora

It's also available overseas on KKBox and Line Music among others!

The 3Represents's Third Release - vtuber - Will Be Out Soon!

The 3Represents vtuber album
to be released soon!

 Our third album, vtuber, Out Now on Bandcamp and All Streaming Platforms!

Track list:

01 Kronii

02 Day After Day

03 Commute

04 vtuber

05 Last Donut

06 Ten Seconds

07 National Cow Appreciation Day

08 Fat

09 Shohei Ohtani

10 I Wear a Mask to Hide My Ugly Face

11 Garden of Failure

12 Nobody But You

13 Free

Please look forward to its release!

Lyrics

Kronii

Kronii, my sweet Kronii

would you like some baloney?

or, how about macaroni?

or maybe Rice-a-Roni

Kronii, can I touch you?

Can I also smell you?

What's your favorite brand of soap

and where do you buy shampoo?

Can you tell me

why am I like this?

Can you help me see

something I may have missed

I'm so obsessed with you

'cause you're so beautiful

You're telling me if I don't wanna be this way

All I gotta do is just not be this way

Kronii, my sweet Kronii

Kronii, my sweet Kronii

Do you ever get lonely?

Or cry yourself to sleep?

Or wander alone in the street?

Kronii, can I touch you?

Can I also smell you?

What's your favorite brand of soap

and where do you buy perfume?

Can you tell me

why am I like this?

Can you help me see

something I may have missed

I'm so obsessed with you

'cause you're so beautiful

You're telling me if I don't wanna be this way

All I gotta do is just not be this way

Kronii, my sweet Kronii

Kronii, my sweet Kronii

******************

Day After Day

I comb through the weekly ad, it's not bad

Chicken thighs are pretty cheap this week

I can buy a ten pound bag and make it last

Every week I scrounge up all the change I have

That determines my diet for the week

Survival mode is my permanent state

It's what I deal with day after day after day

It's what I deal with day after day after day after day

Day after day

I blew some cash on the lottery, I didn't win

It was a stupid thing to do

When you've got no hope, it's what you tend to choose

Survival mode is my permanent state

It's what I deal with day after day after day

It's what I deal with day after day after day after day

Shut up with your talk about pulling myself up by my bootstraps

You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth

So spare me your precious advice

Every week I scrounge up all the change I have

That determines my diet for the week

Survival mode is my permanent state

It's what I deal with day after day after day

It's what I deal with day after day after day after day

Day after day

********************

Commute

I'm still in bed and it's half past noon

I see no reason to get up any time soon

I have a job that means nothing to me

Any way you look at it the future's pretty bleak

I'm counting on some kind of disaster to make me feel alive

My commute takes about an hour long

Long way to go just to end up somewhere wrong

Mr. Bus Driver feel free to take a nap

If we plunge off the bridge just say the brakes were pretty bad

I'm counting on some kind of disaster to make me feel alive

I've got some kind of chain around my neck

and it's pulling me down, down

The water keeps rising above my head

I fear I'm gonna drown, drown

I'm calling and calling out for some help

but no one's ever around, 'round

I'm screaming and screaming my lungs out

but I can't seem to make a sound, sound

Looks like I made it home, safe and sound

Maybe my luck would change if I weren't on the ground

Hurricane season is supposed to be bad

A Category 5 should wipe the place off the map

I'm counting on some kind of disaster to make me feel alive

I've got some kind of chain around my neck

and it's pulling me down, down

The water keeps rising above my head

I fear I'm gonna drown, drown

I'm calling and calling out for some help

but no one's ever around, 'round

I'm screaming and screaming my lungs out

but I can't seem to make a sound, sound, sound

********************

vtuber

Ugly boy, what are you doing?

I can see you following me

Don't you know that you don't stand a chance?

With a girl as pretty as me?

Stupid boy, just go on home

Your constant whimpers are bothering me

Don't you know that you're wasting your time

with a girl who's out of your league?

Nerds, weebs, and weeaboos

They all make me so miserable

I just wish they would leave me alone

They need to start living a life of their own

I'm just a vtuber, I love to sing

but I won't be your personal slave

There are things that I want to do

without the stares of nerd boys like you

I want to go to my local cafe

and not have to worry about you sniffing my chair

Or look out my window to see some nerd

going through my trash for a souvenir

Nerds, weebs, and weeaboos

They all make me so miserable

I just wish they would leave me alone

They need to start living a life of their own

I'm not your girlfriend, I'm not your wife

I'm just a vtuber

I'm just a vtuber

I'm just a vtuber

*************************

Last Donut

I was gone for only five minutes

When I got back, someone ate the last donut

Even though I said, 

"Hey, can you save the last donut for me?"

They couldn't even do me this one favor

Those motherfuckers only think about themselves

Fuck them!

They can all eat shit and die

I want my donut right now

Someone better bring me a jelly donut

I'm not kidding, I'm going nuclear

Better stand back, I'm gonna blow

Just bring me my jelly donut

It's my god given right to eat a donut

I'm not kidding, I'm going nuclear

Better stand back, I'm gonna blow

I've calmed down, but I'm still mad as hell

No one ever looks out for me

I try to be nice and be considerate

But I never get the last donut

They couldn't even do me this one favor

Those motherfuckers only think about themselves

Fuck them!

They can all eat shit and die

I want my donut right now

Someone better bring me a jelly donut

I'm not kidding, I'm going nuclear

Better stand back, I'm gonna blow

Just bring me my jelly donut

It's my god given right to eat a donut

I'm not kidding, I'm going nuclear

Better stand back, I'm gonna blow

***********************

Ten Seconds

I'm sorry, but I won't be coming in today

There's a stream with Kronii, Fauna, and Mumei

I'm afraid you'll have to way until the stream is done

My priority in life is to have a lot of fun

They're really cute and funny, clever, and so smart

In just two years, they've secured a place in my heart

All my spare time is now reserved for Hololive

It's okay if always watching them leaves me sleep deprived

I'm writing comments hoping they'll be read aloud

But they never do, it hangs over me like a cloud

I'm afraid I'll have to spend some money for superchats

That's the only way for you to notice me, you little rat

My income's gone and money's getting really low

Should I sell my blood, that way I can raise some dough?

Don't forget I also want to buy some really cool merch

That's the price I pay for joining the Hololive church

Ten seconds, that's all I can get

After that, they'll just move on to whoever's next

They'll read my name, but that's about it

For those ten seconds, I feel alright for a little bit

My affirmations come in ten dollar chunks

If I quit cold turkey, I wouldn't last a month

Ten seconds, that's all I can get

After that, they'll just move on to whoever's next

They'll read my name, but that's about it

For those ten seconds, I feel I'm loved for a little bit

My affirmations come in ten dollar chunks

If I quit cold turkey, I wouldn't last a month

I wouldn't even last a day

I feel as though I'm getting really close to them

Is it cringe for me to say they're my only friends?

I know they don't know me from Adam but that's okay

Friends don't need to be made of fresh and blood in this day and age

I'd never go out to a karaoke bar

I don't have to 'cause IRyS sings while I play the guitar

All my spare time is now reserved for Hololive

It's okay if always watching them leaves me sleep deprived

Ten seconds, that's all I can get

After that, they'll just move on to whoever's next

They'll read my name, but that's about it

For those ten seconds, I feel alright for a little bit

My affirmations come in ten dollar chunks

If I quit cold turkey, I wouldn't last a month

No...

Ten seconds, that's all I can get

After that, they'll just move on to whoever's next

They'll read my name, but that's about it

For those ten seconds, I feel I'm loved for a little bit

My affirmations come in ten dollar chunks

If I quit cold turkey, I wouldn't last a month

So I think I'm gonna keep on buying

Those superchats are the only thing that keeps me from crying

I'm always ten seconds away

(I'm always)

                 ten seconds away

(I'm always)

                 ten seconds away

*********************

National Cow Appreciation Day

Hey, Mr. Cow, I just want to tell you

how much I appreciate you

You give us milk and let us eat you

Sorry about that

I just want to make sure you're comfortable

If you need something, just let me know

I've got some carrots as a treat just for you

Hey, Mr. Cow, I just want to tell you

how much I appreciate you

I don't even mind the constant farting

You do you

I just want to make sure you're comfortable

If you need something, just let me know

I've got some timothy hay just for you

Your flesh is delicious

Too bad we have to kill you for it

But one day we'll grow it in a lab

I hope you'll live to see it

I just want to make sure you're comfortable

If you need something, just let me know

I've got some juicy apples just for you

I just want to make sure you're comfortable

If you need something, just let me know

I'll give you all the fresh cut grass you want

***********************

Fat

I'm getting fat and I don't care

Would you mind passing me that bowl of gummi bears?

Oops, I just split my pants, so what?

I can fix that with a napkin to cover my butt

What are you looking at?

I'm not some goddamn animal in the zoo

I still have my dignity

Oh, look, someone dropped that Twinkie on the ground

It's my lucky day

Who wouldn't love a free Twinkie?

I was thin and I still never got anywhere

So I'll just be helping myself to my share

Oops, I just ate the whole cake, my bad

Oh well, no cake for you, sucks to be you

What are you looking at?

I'm not some goddamn animal in the zoo

I still have my dignity

Oh, look, someone dropped that HoHo on the ground

It's my lucky day

Who wouldn't love a free HoHo?

I'll take that

and I'll have some of that, too

You might as well give me everything

I never get anything

What are you looking at?

I'm not some goddamn animal in the zoo

I still have my dignity

Oh, look, someone dropped that Twinkie on the ground

It's my lucky day

Who wouldn't love a free Twinkie?

What are you looking at?

I'm not some goddamn animal in the zoo

I still have my dignity

Oh, look, someone dropped that HoHo on the ground

It's my lucky day

Who wouldn't love a free HoHo?

*********************

Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani slept with my poor mommy

and now I'm gonna have a baby sister

What's that you're saying? My mother is a liar?

Okay, I admit that she's a serial grifter

Part of me still clings to the hope that it could be true

Please, please, let it be true

I want Shohei to help me play in the Major Leagues

Please, please, that would be so cool

Shohei Ohtani, won't you marry mommy

and be the father I so desparately need

I'll be a good daughter and bring honor to your name

I'll stay in school and get good grades and still watch all your games

Part of me still clings to the hope that it could be true

Please, please, let it be true

I want Shohei to help me play in the Major Leagues

Please, please, that would be so cool

I would be the first ever woman

to play in the Major Leagues

I would have to be a knuckle baller

to have a chance to succeed

I promise to train very hard

I'll measure up to any bar

You'll be proud of me I swear

No rice, no life!

Shohei Ohtani slept with my poor mommy

and now I'm gonna have a baby sister

My whole life is a wreck, my mother passes bad checks

Ohtani san, please help me and assist her

Shohei Ohtani

please help my mommy

You're my only hope

I need some way to cope

Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani

*********************

I Wear a Mask to Hide My Ugly Face

You'll never catch me going out of my house

without my mask on, no you'll never see that

It's not because I'm afraid of catching the flu

That's not the reason, no that's not the reason

When I was born, I was hit with an ugly stick

That's what they told me, that's what everyone tells me

So you see I wear a mask to hide my ugly face

I don't want anyone to see me, sorry you can't see me

I spent my entire life hiding in a corner

Like some dog who's never been loved

You better be careful, don't stick your hand out

I just might bite it off

I wear a mask to hide my ugly face

It's for my protection, I can't stand the rejection

I've been told I need to stay in my place

The world's for the beautiful, and my ugliness is indisputable

This is the hand that I was dealt

I don't expect to receive anyone's help

Just go your own way while I tend to myself

When time has passed on, will anyone remember me?

They won't remember, no they won't remember

I'm no different from office furniture

I'm just some furniture, a piece of furniture

I spent my entire life hiding in a corner

Like some dog who's never been loved

You better be careful, don't stick your hand out

I just might bite it off

I wear a mask to hide my ugly face

It's for my protection, I can't stand the rejection

I've been told I need to stay in my place

The world's for the beautiful, and my ugliness is indisputable

This is the hand that I was dealt

I don't expect to receive anyone's help

Just go your own way while I tend to myself

I wear this mask to hide my ugly face

I don't fit in with the human race

All you ugly people out there know what I mean

We are not heard, and we sure as hell ain't seen

Ooooh...

I wear a mask to hide my ugly face

It's for my protection, I can't stand the rejection

I've been told I need to stay in my place

The world's for the beautiful, and my ugliness is indisputable

This is the hand that I was dealt

I don't expect to receive anyone's help

Just go your own way while I tend to myself

I don't expect to receive anyone's help

Just go your own way while I tend to myself

I wear my mask to hide my ugly face

I've long accepted that this is my place

**********************

Garden of Failure

Got my gloves and a floppy hat

and I put on a pair of worn out jeans

Gonna get my hands dirty, get 'em really dirty

Like an oil rig worker's hands

Prepping my garden takes a lot of work

but I'm gonna reap a bounty that will prove its worth

Gonna plant some beans, tomatoes, cucumbers

I'll be saving so much money

My daddy, he told me

hard work always pays off in the end

But my daddy was left a broken man

When his pension went down the can

You tell yourself, I'm prepared

I've got everything in the bag

But you don't know

It's all rigged against you

It's been a few weeks now and nothing's grown

All I've got is a pile of dirt and rocks

I guess I don't have a green thumb

I'm really clueless like that guy from Green Acres

My daddy, he told me

hard work always pays off in the end

But my daddy was left a broken man

When his pension went down the can

You tell yourself, I'm prepared

I've got everything in the bag

But you don't know

It's all rigged against you

You tell yourself, I've worked hard

I've done everything I'm supposed to do

But then you realize

You never stood a chance

It's not my fault

I didn't do anything wrong

I'm just a cog

I'm not in control

You tell yourself, I'm prepared

I've got everything in the bag

But you don't know

It's all rigged against you

You tell yourself, I've worked hard

I've done everything I'm supposed to do

But you don't know

It's all rigged against you

*******************

Nobody but You

I just picked up my pizza

and I was walking back to my car

when this kid came up to me

and asked if he could have a slice

I just looked at him and told him fuck off

Who the fuck are you to think you could

come up to me and ask me for a slice of my pizza?

I don't even know you, you're just a total stranger to me

You little brat

I work hard every week

I think I deserve to treat myself to a pizza

If you want a pizza, too

then get a fucking job like the rest us

I don't care if you're only ten years old

That's not my fucking problem

Go ask your stupid parents for a pizza

and leave me the hell alone

I learn my lesson long ago

There ain't gonna be anyone to help you

Anything you get in life is gonna be

Through your own hard work that you do

You're on your own, don't ever depend on friends

They'll never have your back, that's just a dead end

Nobody's ever gonna help you

You gotta learn you're the only one you can rely on

There's some guy in the parking lot asking for

bus fare so he can get back home to his cat

How'd you get out here, then, with no cash?

This sound like bullshit

I just looked at him and told him fuck off

Who the fuck are you to think you could

come up to me and try to scam me with some bullshit story

I don't even know you, you're just a total stranger to me

I learn my lesson long ago

There ain't gonna be anyone to help you

Anything you get in life is gonna be

because of you, and nobody else but you

You're on your own, don't ever depend on friends

They'll never have your back, that's just a dead end

Nobody's ever gonna help you

You gotta learn you're the only one you can rely on

I learn my lesson long ago

There ain't gonna be anyone to help you

Anything you get in life is gonna be

because of you, and nobody else but you

You're on your own, don't ever depend on friends

They'll never have your back, that's just a dead end

Nobody's ever gonna help you

You gotta learn you're the only one you can rely on

I learn my lesson long ago

There ain't gonna be anyone to help you

Anything you get in life is gonna be

because of you, and nobody else but you

You're on your own, don't ever depend on friends

They'll never have your back, that's just a dead end

Nobody's ever gonna help you

You gotta learn you're the only one you can rely on

********************

Free

I hold in my hands

The key to my happiness

I'm talking about this little lottery ticket

I know it's gonna come through for me

Just you wait, I'm gonna be a winner

I'm gonna buy me a big house

With so many rooms,

I'm gonna sleep in a different room every night

And when I wake up in the morning

I'll be feeling right

'Cause I'll be free

The way I was meant to be

Virtual Singer Jamboree! - New Album Released!

Virtual Singer Jamboree! Album

 It's been four years since Universal Healthcare Now! came out.

Now we have Virtual Singer Jamboree! released! Hooray! We seem to like to use exclamation points for our titles.

It's already out on Spotify (check out our Spotify tab for the embedded player) and is probably out on many other streaming sites already, too! We'll be putting it out on Bandcamp very soon.

It took us that long to get enough material that we felt would be worthy of release because honestly, we wrote a lot of crappola.

Here's the track list:

1. Be Best
2. Asian Parents Stories II
3. Guan Guan
4. Worst in You
5. Dirt Spoon Girl
6. I So Pale
7. Forget About Me
8. Number One Girl
9. My Butt Hurts
10. The Great Resignation
11. Stay Alive
12. Naptime in the Subway
13. Kiara's Lonely Floating Vomit Pile
14. White Baby Lover
15. I'll Keep Mine
16. Hey Stinky

We've released these as demos over the years on YouTube, but we've now finalized them and here they are in the final form. So get ready!

Our Entries in Eclipsed Sounds's SOLARIA Original Song Contest

 

We entered two songs for Eclipsed Sounds's SOLARIA Crowdfunding Anniversary Original Song Contest! Have you heard them? Check out the videos below.

We don't really need the money (but sure, money would be nice) and we already have the SOLARIA license (but it would be nice to have another license so we can put it on our laptop), so "winning" the contest is not a big deal. What we would really like is to come in 5th place. Why? Because we'd get that merchandise we missed out on during the crowdfunding campaign. It was a blunder that we regret. Megumi just didn't think SOLARIA sounded all that good, and in her defense, the rough preview wasn't anything special. We just didn't really how rough and preliminary the voice sampling was at that point.

You're allowed to submit more than one song, so we ended up doing two. We probably should have taken more time in refining the lyrics because they're kind of clunky in spots.

Our Second Submission

Our First Submission

Mei You Ru Guo by Fish Leong (cover song) -- but We Messed Up the Mix!

 

Hey guys, how have you been? We covered a song by Fish Leong, "Mei You Ru Guo." You may remember it if you have watched the Taiwanese drama, "My Queen." If you've never seen it, you should watch it, it's good!

We recorded the parts in two days and mixed it and posted it. Which leads me to the subject of today's post: Never do that!

Why? As it turned out, the mix levels were off. What sounded good that day turned out to be not so good. Why does this happen? Well, the problem with recording/mixing for an entire day is, after a while, your ears suffer from ear fatigue. Don't consider the song "finished" at the end of a long recording/mixing session. Put it aside. Come back to it after a day, or even two days. You want to listen to the mix with fresh ears.

The problem with our mix was that the lead vocals was too loud. Also, some of the other parts like the acoustic guitar and keyboards were too soft. It's funny how the levels sounded good to me at the end of the day, but the very next day, I realized that the levels were not correct. It's a rule I should always follow--always check the mix again the next day before you consider the mix to be finished--but I keep breaking this rule because I'm so impatient!

But don't be like me! Take your time! Let the mix "rest" and come back to it the next day.

Here is the song with the incorrect mix levels.

Mix levels need to be corrected

Can you hear it? So let that be a lesson for me. I don't have really good ears--I'm not one of those people who can really hear things like legendary mixers Bob Clearmountain or Chris Lord-Alge. I need to be pretty slow and methodical and not rush things, but it's hard for me because I'm impatient and just want to get things over with!

Gearing Up For FAWM 2022!

 

FAWM 2022 is just around the corner, folks! This is a good way to practice getting into the routine of regular songwriting. Megumi, Yasuko, and I will be throwing ourselves into the ring, for sure!

You'll need to write a song every two days, so you can't get bogged down trying to make it "perfect." I'm planning to just construct simple songs--verse/chorus/verse/chorus. Nothing too complicated, not too many chord changes.

I know Megumi doesn't want to always have to set up her guitar to record a backing track, so she's planning on writing many of the songs just using the built-in virtual instruments (such as the piano) in the DAW. In fact, she downloaded a whole mess of pre-constructed midi chord files so she can just drag and drop the chord in. Drawing in the notes for the chords isn't hard, but it gets tedious so this will sure make things go faster.

You can download these chord files at:

https://pythonrepo.com/repo/ldrolez-free-midi-chords-python-audio

We've already started practicing writing songs! Synthesizer V Solaria will be singing our demos for us! Check out our first "pre-FAWM" song:

I Think It's Time Everybody Hop on the Synthesizer V Train

 

Hey, folks! How is everybody doing? Did you have a good Christmas? With 2021 winding down, I think we can look ahead to 2022 and see what it holds in store for us regarding vocal synthesis.

In my last post, I posed the question: Is it time to ditch Vocaloid in favor Synthesizer V? Six months later, I can confidently answer that question with a resounding YES.

First, for someone starting from scratch, the cost is ZERO. Synthesizer V Studio Basic and all the lite voicebanks are free.

Second, moving up to Synthesizer V Studio Pro to take advantage of all the great features of the full version and buying the full version voicebanks is very reasonable in terms of cost. The editor is only 90 bucks. You also aren't forced to buy a bundle of voicebanks--you can just build your library with the ones you want.

Third--and this is a huge reason to throw your hat in with Synthesizer V--with the 1.5 update, through the magic of AI, the full version of the AI voicebanks can now sing in English, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese without manually messing with the phonemes. That basically triples your voicebanks! (Note: this feature is only available with Studio Pro and the full versions of the AI voicebanks).

Of course, Eleanor Forte singing in Japanese or Chinese won't match up with a true native singer in those languages, but she is surprisingly good at it. Definitely more than good enough to use her as a backup singer in those cases. And the same is true for Koharu Rikka singing in English or Chinese and all the other voicebanks.

The case of Tsurumaki Maki AI (JPN) is interesting because I've read posts from people saying that her singing in English sounds exactly the same as Tsurumaki Maki AI English!

And if this isn't enough of a reason, in January, Solaria will be released. Solaria has a powerful voice. Have you heard her demos? She can really belt out a song. Think power singers like Linda Ronstadt or Kelly Clarkson. And, a male English voicebank is in the works.

There really isn't a reason NOT to move on to Synthesizer V. Although, honestly, there is a huge contingent in the vocal synthesis sphere that likes the older stuff--I'm talking about Vocaloid 2 or 3 voicebanks. I just think that's kind of weird. It's like using Windows 3.1 instead of Windows 10 (and soon, Windows 11). But hey, you like what you like, right?

Synthesizer V Studio Pro: Time To Ditch Vocaloid 5?

 

Ever since Synthesizer V came out, I've been keeping an eye on it. The Basic version of the Synthesizer V Studio software is free as are all the lite versions of the voicebanks. There's no reason not to try it out, right? Because they are not trial versions, they are free versions to use forever!

I was impressed by the ease of use. I think the interface is easier to use than the Vocaloid 5 editor or the Piapro Studio VST. The only thing that made me hesitate to buy Synthesizer V Studio Pro was the lack of English voicebanks. They have Eleanor Forte lite, and initially, I thought it wasn't really suitable for most genres, and I have since come around--I think she does very well in specific situations. You just have to pick the right song for her.

So for the longest time, I was sitting on the fence. Then AH-Soft announced the Tsurumaki Maki voicebank--in both Japanese and English! That was the game-changer for me. I went ahead and purchased Synthesizer V Studio Pro and then bought Tsurumaki Maki AI English and also the Koharu Rikka AI voicebank. It was a tough choice for me between Rikka and Saki because both sound really good. I felt I should have one full version Japanese voicebank. And you know what? That not only gives me the option of creating songs in Japanese but also in English because the Japanese voicebanks can sing in English pretty decently!

What I like about Synthesizer V is the ability to draw parameter curves with much more control. Vocaloid 5 has the Attack/Release effects--which are great, but sometimes you want to manually draw in a parameter curve, and although Vocaloid 5 kept the parameters feature, drawing in the curves is really clunky.

Synthesizer V, however, does it very smoothly, and in the case of Pitch, you can draw the curve right on the piano scroll over the notes. That is a huge advantage.

Synthesizer V does not have a note preview though. I hope they can add that in in the future. Because what that means is that I constantly have to click on the keyboard to check the note rather than just hearing the note as I draw it in.

Most of the voicebanks have two options--Standard and AI. I prefer the AI version. The Standard version sounds more like the traditional Vocaloid voicebank. The AI version is inching ever more closely to a real human voice. The AutoPitch feature available in the AI version is KILLER. Let me say that again. The AutoPitch feature available in the AI version is KILLER. 

So should you buy Studio Pro and the full voicebanks? The free versions are all very usable. If you are a hobbyist, it's fine to use the free versions. In the context of a mix, you probably won't really notice it. Well, unless you make a direct comparison to the full, paid version. There is a difference. I can hear it easily. The full voicebanks are sampled at multiple pitches whereas the lite version is sampled at only one. This means the voices can get pretty thin and raspy when you go outside the range.

Listening to Tsurumaki Maki, she sounds a lot warmer than her lite version. There is a richness in the tone of her voice that is lacking in the lite version. Again, this is not to say that the lite version is bad--on the contrary, it's very, very good. But if you want your song to sound its best (and also do commercial stuff with it), you should buy the full versions of the voicebanks.

I still have all these Vocaloid voicebanks, so I'm still going to be using them, but...it doesn't make sense to me to invest in any more Vocaloid voicebanks. Unless Yamaha wakes up and makes Vocaloid 6 AI, that is. We'll see if that happens.

For now, the future is extremely bright for Synthesizer V.

Here is a cover of We Are the People (Martin Garrix) sung by Tsurumaki Maki AI English!

Adjusting Pitch in Piapro Studio vs Vocaloid 5 Editor

 

Hey, Everyone!

You know, adjusting and manipulating pitch is probably the single most important thing you can do when tuning Vocaloids in order to make them sound realistic.

The problem, though, is that doing it by hand (drawing pitch curves) is extremely tedious, not to mention, very inaccurate. It involves a lot of trial and error until you get it to sound the way you want it to.

This is why I love the Vocaloid 5 Editor. With Attack and Release effects, you can save a lot of time and cut out a lot of that trial and error. And, if you don't find an attack or release effect that is quite what you're looking for, you still have to old tools available to you to manually draw the pitch curve.

Unfortunately, Yamaha does not sell the Vocaloid 5 Editor by itself. You have to buy a package, either Standard or Premium. Buying a package saves you a whole lot of money in the long run because--in the case of the Standard package, you get four Vocaloids with it. But it's a pretty steep initial investment.

Whereas, if you buy a Crypton Future Vocaloid (like Miku V4 or Rin), they give you the Piapro Studio VST plugin. It's not as full-featured as Vocaloid 5, but you can still pretty much do everything you need to do with it.

Let's take a look at the Enka attack in Vocaloid 5. It's one of my favorites! Here is what the pitch curve looks like.

Enka attack in Vocaloid 5

Let's see if we can replicate it by drawing the pitch in Piapro Studio!

Replicated Enka attack in Piapro

Not quite the same, but kind of similar! That's what you get when you're trying to draw a curve with a computer mouse!

Now, let's hear what they sound like! (Vocaloid 5 is first, the Piapro comes second)

Vocaloid 5 vs Piapro Studio

Okay, so it's not perfect, but I think it's in the general ballpark. It just means you have to tweak it some more. In other words, how much time are you willing to put into tuning before you are satisfied with the outcome? And, also, let's not forget--the more you do something, the better and faster you will get at doing it, and I have to admit--I don't do a lot of manual pitch drawing.

I guess the point is--don't sweat it if you can't afford Vocaloid 5. Use the tools available to you and work to be the best at them. This advice applies to a lot of things. Like, say, guitar.

Oh, incidentally, Synthesizer V manual pitch drawing is superior to everybody, I think. It's a lot smoother to draw so you have more control, and, you see the pitch line being drawn right on the lyrics.

Megumi Introduced Us to a New Friend of Hers--Some 16 Year Old Girl With Blue Hair Named Miku

 

Megumi met this girl--a kid, really--I mean, she's only 16 years old. Her name is Hatsune Miku. She loves to sing, so Megumi invited her over to one of our band practices. She's a nice kid, has kind of a quirky voice, and she has very long blue hair tied up in pigtails. My first thought was, "What the...??"

Well, long story short, we wrote a song and Miku is singing it. What a crazy world, eh?

I'm the Girl Who Crapped in Your Car (old song revisited)

 

Hi, All!

Hope everyone is doing well. Hang in there! Who knows how long this will last. Keep wearing your masks, keep your distance from people, and wash your hands! Just make it a habit, you know? Here in Asia, wearing masks is quite normal. Why do some countries freak out about it so much?

Anyway, Gumi wanted to sing an old Anomie Train song, but she had to re-write it to sing it. And no, Gumi never crapped in anybody's car! Gumi also added a bridge section to the song and worked in a diminished chord in there. We also did a fade-out, which is something we normally don't do. Remember when most songs faded out?

New Song - I've Seen the Worst in You (Gumi)

Hey, everybody! I hope you all are hanging in there. It's a strange time, for sure. You know, in school, you learn about wars, The Great Depression, and going way, way back, The Black Death--but you never think about living through a period where people will learn about the things you lived through in a future history class. You just live through it, just like all those people lived through World War II.

Anyway, me and Yasuko are hunkered down while Megumi is busy writing in her home. I mean, she's been really busy. We've been passing files back and forth over the Internet since we can't be together in one space.

We've just wrapped up Megumi's latest song, I've Seen the Worst in You. She wanted kind of a shoegazy sound to it, so we added a bunch of reverb and delays, and Megumi added a really heavy guitar on the track. Megumi also had her friends Ken and Kaori sing a bit of background vocals on it along with Yasuko.

The 3Represents · I've Seen the Worst in You (Gumi English Vocaloid)

I've Seen the Worst in You

I've been rejected for a long time
social distance is a daily practice of mine
If you want, I can drive your guests away
I do it every day

All I have to do is show up
then watch the roaches leave everything in the dust

Over there is a fat kid getting bullied
I don't care 'cause that fat boy stole my lunch money
It never pays to try and do a good deed
This is advice you should heed

I stop caring so long ago
I just do my best and try to keep the status quo

I've seen the worst in you
You can't hide what will always come through
You like to claim it will be great again
Fat chance! We've reached the end

Who the hell is hoarding all the toilet paper?
Pretty sad that it's coming down to neighbor vs. neighbor
I'm not surprised--but know this
I won't lose to a piece of shit

I stop caring so long ago
I just do my best and try to keep the status quo

I've seen the worst in you
You can't hide what will always come through
You like to claim it will be great again
Fat chance! We've reached the end  (x3)

I've seen the worst
It's not getting any better
I've seen the worst
It's not-
It's not-
It's not getting better

Vincent Chin

Megumi wanted to cover our elders' song, "Vincent Chin" by Anomie Train.

Vincent Chin was beaten with a baseball bat on June 19, 1982, by two unemployed autoworkers in Detroit, resentful of Japan's inroads into the American automobile industry, who apparently mistook him for being Japanese. He died four days later.

New Demo - My Cat Hates My Guts

What's up, folks? Megumi has written a new tune, My Cat Hates My Guts, and we did a demo of it. It's her homage to Shonen Knife.

We're using a PRS Santana SE and a Squier Affinity Telecaster on it going into a Caline Pure Sky pedal and then into the computer (Presonus Studio One).

The amp sim VST we are using is bx_bassdude.

For drums, we are migrating from audio drum loops to using Session Drummer (which we have from the days I used to run Cakewalk Sonar). Session Drummer is a VST so we can use it in any program that uses VSTs. The loaded kit a the Led Zep kit, and the drum patterns are from Groove Monkey (Rock Essentials). It's a lot more flexible this way since we can adjust the individual hits, and we think the Led Zep kit sounds pretty good!

My Cat Hates My Guts
The 3Represents

Verse1

D                            A
My cat, she hates my guts
When I sleep she bites my butt
She pissed my clothes and made them stink
Then took a dump in the kitchen sink

Chorus

G                    A           D
But I'll always love my cat
She's really good at killing rats
The rules of home are understood
I give her food and it's all good

Bridge
Em       G          A    D     A   D

People always tell me to get a dog
and I always tell them to get a cat

F#      Em      B#m        GM7
I'm sorry, I don't trust animals who eat their own poop


Solo 

D                A
D                A
D                A
D                A
G                A       D
G                A       D
G                A       D
G                A       D

Verse 2

My cat, she hates my guts
When she found me, I was down on my luck
I know she always has my back
I can show you where her claws left tracks

Chorus

G                    A           D
But I'll always love my cat
She's really good at killing rats
The rules of home are understood
I give her food and it's all good

Universal Healthcare Now! - The New Album by The 3Represents

Finally! Megumi, Yasuko, and I have finally finished our upcoming album, Universal Healthcare Now!

It consists of 12 songs that Megumi has written over the years. There are demos for several of the songs out there, scattered about on YouTube, Soundcloud, or whatever. Originally, it was supposed to be out in the Spring, but then it got pushed back to August, and then it got pushed back again until finally we got it done and it should be out soon!

Part of the problem is that we (meaning me) are lazy, and part of the problem is that Megumi kept wanting to redo parts. And I kept wanting to redo the mixing. But it's done. IT'S DONE!!!

The cover of the new CD

As far as the title goes, well, that was Megumi's idea. Yasuko didn't care one way or the other, but I questioned Megumi why she thought of that. I mean, none of the songs have anything to do with healthcare!?

Megumi told me that she thought everybody should have universal healthcare, so if we named our CD Universal Healthcare, then everybody should have our CD!

Well, okay...

Anyway, it will probably take some time for the CD to make its way on CD Baby and especially all the distribution channels like iTunes and Spotify, so keep an eye out for it!

We'll put out a video on YouTube of the single, You Say, soon. Although, it's kind of stupid to say that it's the single--it doesn't mean anything. It's not like it's a separate thing going out to radio stations. But I like to say that because it reminds me of the old days. You Say features Anne McCue on guitar!

Here's the Track List:

01 At the Zoo
02 You Say
03 My Pasmo Card
04 Mochi Mochi
05 Trade My Life
06 Disneyland
07 Making Takonashiyaki with Toyosaki Aki
08 Time's Up!
09 From My Bed
10 Makeinu
11 Stop Walking Over Me
12 You Gotta Try Harder

Update: the album is now available on Bandcamp and CD Baby!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*All songs feature the Vocaloids Megpoid English and Avanna

Our Friends Amy and Chris Join Us for a Song

Hey everybody! I hope you all made it through Typhoon Trami okay. It sure seems like we're getting a lot of typhoons here recently!

Our good friends Amy and Chris from America are visiting us, and they got caught up in the typhoon and hunkered down with me, Yasuko and Megumi. Since we were stuck inside, Megumi thought it was a good idea to jam (as long as the power held out, hehe).

Megumi had been working on a song that she felt wasn't really suited for her voice, so she asked Amy if she would sing on it. Chris chipped in on the harmony part.

Megumi is playing a Fender Stratocaster going into a Caline Pure Sky pedal. That goes into the DAW (Presonus Studio One) and the bx_bassdude amp sim through a Presonus Audiobox USB96 interface. Yasuko is playing a Yamaha RBX260 bass that goes into the bx_bassdude amp sim as well.

Megumi wrote the music, but the lyrics are from a Christina Rossetti poem, Song (When I am Dead, My Dearest). Megumi started getting into the works of Christina Rossetti when she took a class on 19th century English Literature and learned about the Pre-Rafaelites.

Using Megpoid English (Vocaloid 3) in the Vocaloid 5 Editor

Hey guys! We've upgraded to Vocaloid 5! We think this is a must upgrade if you are still using Vocaloid 3.

The Vocaloid 5 editor has a bunch of new, very useful features, such as Attack/Release parameters as well as built-in styles for the Vocaloid 5 voicebanks (which are really good. In the future, you'll hear our friends Amy, Chris, Kaori, and Ken singing with us!).

Listen to Gumi singing this Jonathan Coulton song, My Monkey, in the Vocaloid 3 Editor.

Now, listen to Gumi singing this in the Vocaloid 5 Editor.

There are subtle but noticeable differences. You don't have any built-in styles with Vocaloid 3 voicebanks like you would with the Vocaloid 5 voicebanks, but you get to modify many more parameters in Vocaloid 5. This really breathes new life into the Vocaloid 3 voicebanks. Megumi doesn't hesitate to tell Yasuko and me how much she's improved as a singer every chance she gets!

In the remix, which I think sounds better overall, I got to use some new plugins. I'm using Waves Vocal Rider on Gumi's vocals to help smooth it out better, and I'm using my new bx_bassdude plugin on the guitars and bass. This is a huge improvement over the AmpireXT amp sim that comes with Presonus Studio One. If you don't have any need for metal type amp sims and only want that Fender sound, bx_bassdude is the plugin to get!

Time's Up! -- Our Losing Entry in the Hatsune Miku Expo 2018 Song Contest

We entered the Hatsune Miku Expo 2018 Song Contest...and lost. Not even an honorable mention. Yasuko just wanted free tickets to the MikuExpo. But hey, it was still fun, as we had a special guest, Hatsune Miku, sing on it!

The song was inspired by watching a bunch of YouTube videos of Japanese rock bands in the 1950s and 1960s. Very groovy, man!

We were also greatly inspired by a fantastically snarling performance by Cliff Richard and the Shadows of Move It! on TV.



Time's Up!

Verse

I got a call saying you wanna meet me in your room, yeah
I'm here just to work so you better not assume, yeah
I'm not the bride and you sure as hell ain't the groom, yeah

You're crazy if you think I wanna watch you take a shower
You've mistaken me for some kind of delicate flower
Time's up old man, you ain't gonna make me cower

Chorus

We've been keeping silent now for too many years
Exploited and preyed upon and shackled by our fears
here comes the tidal wave baby
it can't be stopped now
Time's up on all of you
Which side will you choose?

Verse

On a movie set or in the halls of Congress
We're not gonna put up with any more nonsense
this needs to be more than just a work in progress

Repeat Chorus

Verse

We're not gonna let this quietly fade away, yeah
We've got way too much at stake, yeah
Time's up we've gotta make a change yeah

Outro

Better move on over, baby, time's up
Did you hear me?
Time's up
Time's up
What did I say?
Time's up
Time's up

Vocaloid Song: My Pasmo Card

Hey everyone, here's a new song to cap off 2017! It was done an example for the 2017 Losertown Japan Grab Bag Giveaway! You know, there still is time to whip up an original Vocaloid song and enter!

This is the first song we did using our new Presonus Audiobox USB 96 interface. Before we were messing around with a cheap XLR to USB cable. The cable is okay if that's all you have, but the sound using an actual USB audio interface is so much better!

Now that we have a proper interface, Megumi wants us to do an actual album! I'm kind of nervous about that, but Yasuko and I agree--we should do it! So that will be our project for 2018! In the meantime, I'm trying to learn as much as possible about mixing.

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful, fantastic holiday season!

--Satoshi, Megumi, Yasuko