Vocaloid Live Concert at Tokyo

I was locked up in my house last weekend, mesmerized with the thing I consider the ultimate in alternative reality. I am talking about the 2011(or was it 2010) live performance of Vocaloid Miku Hatsune at Tokyo.

For those, like me, who always heard of Miku Hatsune but never traced who she really is, and here she came from, she is now the top virtual idol from the vocal synthesizer program of Yamaha called 'Vocaloid'.

Derived from the term 'Vocal' and 'Andoid', it is a program that enables composers to make vocal tracks by typing in the lyrics, then changing the pitch. Although the syllabication of the words are not perfect, and the change in tone makes it sound like Auto-Tune, Yamaha packaged a software that is unique and easy to use for hobbyists.

Now, the live concert was not done by voice actresses, or cosplayer lip syncing to a preset program. Its a live band, with a virtual projection, much like a hologram, as a vocalist. The experience was mind blowing. Miku is projected into a translucent film which appears like a hologram, and you can still see the band in the background.

Its a step up on what the virtual band 'Gorillaz' did, and a right push towards well known virtual idols and divas like 'Simone' or Macross Plus' 'Sharon Apple'.

This concert has already played since 2009 and have played in the U.S.

And for you lucky guys at Singapore, a scheduled concert on November 11.