For those readers who don’t know what a Hatsune Miku is, Hatsune Miku is a human-like animated character who’s voice is created using a sound synthesizing application. In this case, that application is known as Vocaloid 2 and Vocaloid 3. More informally, Hatsune Miku herself (and others like her), are called vocaloids. On top of this synthesizing software, Piapro Studio and VSTi Plugin are used.
And now for the less technical part. Hatsune Miku has been known to put on concerts for legions of fans. Miku can attract fans like the best rock and pop stars. The concerts are set up like most other concerts. There’s the sound equipment, supporting musicians, lighting infrastructure, body guards, and, of course, legions of fans. And Miku is center stage, the star of the show. Just how does Miku “get up” on stage? She’s a projected onto a large Dilad screen (a semi-transparent, diffusive, polymer surface) anchored at the front of the stage. The 3D effect is caused by this projection.
This is rather old 3D technology, however, the effects are wonderful. What’s more wonderful is Miku, herself. Her movements are fluid, her voice is spectacular, and she has a ton of personality. Her fans love her as much as KISS fans love KISS. Her fans are fanatical, like all die-hard fans should be.
She’s human or more than human. Or, perhaps more accurately, an ideal human. A machine as an ideal human. Just another staple of our common future.
It’s so human for humans to find human qualities in everything. Throughout history, humans have claimed that the planets were calm, the weather was angry, and the earth pensive. It’s only reasonable that, now, in the computing age, humans should attribute human characteristics to computers. The computer is thinking, the computer is upset, the computer is angry, the computer is stupid, etc. I’ll be back to this in a minute.
Like I said before, these concerts are one of the most beautiful displays of the melding of technology and culture. However, there is more to this. Hatsune Miku is a program, a computer-generated image, a machine. But her fans don’t seem to care, they love her in spite of her mechanical origins. This is an oddity.
Concerts are one of the most human of events. For thousands of years, people have attended concerts to be entertained, to be inspired, and to be enlightened. Perhaps what made people love concerts was the humanity imbued within the concert. The human musician or actor was the one irreplaceable element within the concert. We’ve taken this for granted, yet, that human element we all love is present. I couldn’t imagine a classical opera enthusiast choosing a machine over a live, living, human vocalist. Even a machine as lovely as Hatsune Miku.
The fact that crowds of people would attend a Hatsune Miku concert to watch a projected image dance and sing reveals something about people’s acceptance of technology. Yes, most people love what technology offers: comfort, entertainment, life, etc. But the love usually ends there. Conversely, at a Hatsune Miku concert, people seem to wholly embrace the Miku machine. These people are willing to let a machine into their very personal, cultural lives. And at a concert, no less, one of the most human of all events where the human musician was the one, traditionally, indispensible element. People are almost intimate with Miku. Why is this?
I think the reason why Hatsune Miku is so loved, while being a machine, is that she is so human-like that it minimizes the machine's presence. Miku’s perceived humanity is able to bridge the gap between man and machine, making it easier for people to fully embrace the machine. Miku makes technology seem more human and, thus, more relatable for the average human. This allows technology to successfully replace the human performer without too much “culture” shock.
Remember when I spoke of humans attributing human characteristics to computers? Hatsune Miku makes it easy. Her movements are fluid, her voice is spectacular, and she has a ton of personality. I’m repeating myself now, but only to show how easy it is to give human qualities to the Miku machine. An animated character has successfully replaced a living pop-star for thousands of fans, and people welcome it! Says quite a lot about the acceptance of technology and human perception doesn’t it?
Now, the likes of Hatsune Miku concerts is a very new phenomenon and most people will still prefer to see the live, living musicians they love, myself included, but all great phenomenon have humble origins. We may see more of Miku, and others like her in the future as the costs of putting on such shows decreases. At the moment, the projectors are extremely costly, but humans have a way of making things they love happen. This isn’t the last we’ve seen of these animated characters. They are here to stay.
One of Hatsune Miku’s songs is titled “World Is Mine”. Oh how right she is.
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