There’s been a lot of interesting Vocaloid-related news in the last few days, so here I’ll give a brief summary of each!

Racing Miku 2016 finalists

Following the livestream on the 22nd, we now have the 5 finalists for the 2016 Racing Miku design contest! However, there seems to be a problem with deciding on the winner, so the final results will be announced on the 8th August. You can see the 5 final designs below, along with the artist name and link to the Piapro page.

EDIT: It seems that instead, a professional artist will be creating an entirely new design, by taking elements from the 5 finalists. There will not be 1 winning design.







YAMAHA’s latest VOCALOID4

YAMAHA have announced a brand new V4 voicebank, named ‘Sachiko’! She is designed to be a realistic enka-styled vocalist. Her voice provider is Kobayashi Sachiko, and she is illustrated by Foo. She will have a Job Plugin named ‘Sachikobushi’ that can apparently recreate her voice provider’s vocals, as well as around 400 exVOICE sounds. A demo will be revealed on the 27th, as well as a trial up for download. Physical release is expected to be sometime in August!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Miku vs Shadows in Persona 4: Dancing All Night!

Following the artwork by Shigenori Soejima for Namie Amuro’s ‘B Who I Want 2 B’, Miku will be add as DLC for Persona 4: Dancing All Night, along with the song ‘Heaven’ remixed by ATOLS. You can see the original artwork, as well as the new art and screenshots below! (Images from Famitsu).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

8#Prince new PV and album

Popular electronic producer 8#Prince/HachiojiP recently uploaded his latest song, titled ‘Little Scarlet Bad Girl’, with a PV directed by Wakamura, featuring TDA’s Append Miku. It will be included in 8#Prince’s upcoming album ‘Desktop Cinderella’, which is now available to preorder! With artwork illustrated by TNSK, the album will have both a limited edition version (CD+DVD), and a standard version (CD). You can find the PV, artwork and links to the preorder pages below!

CD+DVD:http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B010CNUUXG

CD:http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B010COODFG

Second episode of ‘TOGETHER WITH MIKUDAYO’

Thanks to Crunchyroll Gaming Community, we can now view the second episode of this hilarious Project Mirai DX feature!

Listen to Marvyanaka’s heavenly use of Luka in their latest song

Producer Marvyanaka has uploaded their latest original song, titled ‘dOll’, featuring Megurine Luka. With the simple beat and stunningly tuned vocals, this song is not to be missed!

Dysergy – a hidden gem!

The little-known metal producer named Dysergy, inspired by the likes of Yuppe and Muryoku, has really caught my eye in the past couple of days. Not only does he upload original compositions, but he also creates metal arrangements of popular songs, as well as vocal covers. His latest song ‘Free’, featuring Megurine Luka, could easily be mistaken for a song by one of the much more famous metal producers. If you’re a fan of metal music, you’re sure to love this song, from the harmonies in the chorus to the gentle piano melodies!

Another upload of Dysergy’s that caught my eye was his vocal cover of Niki’s ‘Yuragi’. His smooth, silky voice really works with this song – so much so that I actually physically stopped what I was doing, and sat there fascinated. The vocals in the chorus really caught me off-guard, you can really feel the raw power and emotion. It’s a wonder it only has 143 views!

YZYX back with a new hit song!

Popular producer YZYX, famous for songs such as ‘The Little Witch’ and their arrangement/cover of Teddyloid’s ‘ME!ME!ME!’, has uploaded their new song – and it’s as stunning as you’re expecting. It features GUMI and Cyber Diva on vocals, and keeps the loud, electronic beat that YZYX is popular for. The PV (created by Bakyaan and illustrated by José Zeta-O) is a work of art, with smooth transitions, subtle animation, and unique designs.

New Hatsune Miku figure teaser

The developers for ‘Rage of Bahamut’, a popular card game on iOS and Android, have teased a new figure, titled Winter Heroine! You can view the tweet below!

Ruby’s final design revealed

This is a little old, but we’ll feature it just in case! Last week, Ruby’s official art was uploaded for the world to see. And it looks like Misha won the battle! The design has been reverted to the original concept, and is illustrated by Natasha Allegri.

That about does it for this news roundup! Don’t be afraid to contact us for more details, if one of these stories really caught your eye!

Please remember that we’re also more than happy to accept submissions! Have you created an illustration that you’re proud of? Or perhaps you and a friend have created an original song or cover? Or do you want to write your very own review about one of your favourite artists in the Vocaloid world? Whatever it is, feel free to email us or get in contact over social media, and we’ll be sure to add you in!

Below are some links worth visiting!

Sachiko’s website:http://www.vocaloid.com/sachiko/

Famitsu’s P4:DAN article:http://www.famitsu.com/news/201507/23084087.html

8#Prince’s Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/hachiojip

8#Prince’s Twitter:https://twitter.com/8_Prince

8#Prince’s NND account:http://www.nicovideo.jp/user/15104449

8#Prince’s YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD7pKXtQ-ZFixYZp8NYAY1Q

Marvyanaka’s DeviantART:http://marvyanaka.deviantart.com

Dysergy’s website:http://www.dysergy.uk

Dysergy’s Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/dysergy?fref=ts

YZYX’s Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/yzyx.music?fref=ts

Ruby’s Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vocaloid-Ruby/1407342816226687

Ruby’s Twitter:https://twitter.com/Vocaloid_Ruby

Misha’s Twitter:https://twitter.com/Mishakeet

Natasha Allegri’s Twitter:https://twitter.com/natazilla

-cakey