IC History for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
witchesreign
May. 22nd, 2010 11:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vocaloidiotHistory: Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that you happen to be a technologically advanced recording company with bags of money to spare and a seriously snazzy robotics lab at your disposal. With that in mind, then, what do you do when your top-billing idols aren't pulling the weight they used to? How about when your audience are looking for something out of the ordinary, or a fad that won't ever go out of style? In the tumultuous world of the music industry, where poor abused singers burn out like so many little ragdolls, cracking a conundrum like that would mean some very happy fans - and some very fat royalty cheques.
Crypton, at the time backed by Sony, stepped up to the plate; a plan was put into action, and the basic steps of this plan were surprisingly quick and simple to execute. Voice synthesis software had been around since the early days of Windows, after all - all it took was sufficient research and development to make an appropriately realistic sounding version of the software, and they could begin. The success of what begin purely as a pair of programmable voicebanks allowed the company to progress rapidly; assigning traits and visual designs to the two voices increased their fan appeal and gave users something to identify with, and holographic hardware allowed for 'live concerts', with images of the singers (one male, Kaito, and one female, Meiko) overlaid onto a screen on stage.
Of course, that wasn't really enough. A lack of physical presence and autonomous capability meant a lack of PR events, a lack of interviews, a lack of TV coverage without excessive pre-programming of every line of speech. Profits were diverted almost exclusively into R+D for several years, and the company at one point almost went completely dark, apparently leaving the software in the hands of fans. When they returned, however, they had their crowning glory: a pair of robots, Meiko and Kaito. Fully powered with the latest technology, reasonably graceful when up on stage, and best of all completely capable of thinking and acting for themselves. They were an instant hit, paving the way for Crypton's research into the second generation... though at a price. Even with such a sure thing on their hands, the music industry is a fickle beast; the first robot of the second generation, Miku, rapidly replaced the pair as the company's flagship product.
This wasn't about to stop Kaito, though. There were benefits in commanding both the original fanbase and in being one of the few male models - an enduring core of fans and songwriters eager to prove that he could be every bit as good as the newer models, and the novelty and seniority that came from being first. At the same time he settled into something of a big bIrother veteran role; a well-meaning and ever-cheerful reminder to the other robots both of how far they'd come and how to deal with increasing popularity and the benefits and problems it afforded.
Crypton, at the time backed by Sony, stepped up to the plate; a plan was put into action, and the basic steps of this plan were surprisingly quick and simple to execute. Voice synthesis software had been around since the early days of Windows, after all - all it took was sufficient research and development to make an appropriately realistic sounding version of the software, and they could begin. The success of what begin purely as a pair of programmable voicebanks allowed the company to progress rapidly; assigning traits and visual designs to the two voices increased their fan appeal and gave users something to identify with, and holographic hardware allowed for 'live concerts', with images of the singers (one male, Kaito, and one female, Meiko) overlaid onto a screen on stage.
Of course, that wasn't really enough. A lack of physical presence and autonomous capability meant a lack of PR events, a lack of interviews, a lack of TV coverage without excessive pre-programming of every line of speech. Profits were diverted almost exclusively into R+D for several years, and the company at one point almost went completely dark, apparently leaving the software in the hands of fans. When they returned, however, they had their crowning glory: a pair of robots, Meiko and Kaito. Fully powered with the latest technology, reasonably graceful when up on stage, and best of all completely capable of thinking and acting for themselves. They were an instant hit, paving the way for Crypton's research into the second generation... though at a price. Even with such a sure thing on their hands, the music industry is a fickle beast; the first robot of the second generation, Miku, rapidly replaced the pair as the company's flagship product.
This wasn't about to stop Kaito, though. There were benefits in commanding both the original fanbase and in being one of the few male models - an enduring core of fans and songwriters eager to prove that he could be every bit as good as the newer models, and the novelty and seniority that came from being first. At the same time he settled into something of a big bIrother veteran role; a well-meaning and ever-cheerful reminder to the other robots both of how far they'd come and how to deal with increasing popularity and the benefits and problems it afforded.
