#008. Singing Like a Vocaloid
After wrapping up successful meetings with the other members, we all plunged headfirst into debut preparations. With vocal training sessions at the agency pulling us together so often, it was only natural that we'd grow closer.
Most VTubers have something called RP—Role Play. I see it as crafting a character concept that stands in for your real self, something to make you stick in people's minds in a special way. My RP? An autonomous AI that's gained a human body. The key point is that having this body has weakened my filtering function. But it's not like I speak without real emotion—my concept is that I'm slowly awakening to feelings now that I've taken over a human form. Of course, once you build a solid fanbase, that RP often cracks a bit... but hey, isn't it a solid way to brand yourself to viewers in a short time?
Today was vocal training day: learning how to project your voice properly, how to nail a tone that fits your RP, and even how to sing. We gathered as a group for the lesson, and surprisingly, Luna was struggling the most.
"Luna, your overall tone is a bit too bright right now. To match your RP, something lower might work better."
"Ah, got it! This is trickier than it looks!"
What can I say? Luna's whole vibe radiates energy. Like I'd mentioned before, she didn't quite fit the mob boss image. If anything, she screamed action captain more than boss.
Ren, who I'd pegged as the one who'd struggle most, was actually doing great.
"Ren's a natural in the clutch, huh."
"Heh, hehe..."
Is that what a streaming voice is supposed to sound like? Her tone didn't change drastically, but the vocal coach said her base voice was soft and flowing, with a wide range she could tap into.
Yuzha? She was already good at it. Being an ex-idol trainee, her powerful, upbeat projection came naturally.
"...What about me? Anything to fix?"
"Hmm, honestly, Neru, your natural voice already suits you so well..."
Fair enough. I'd scoured every TTS engine out there when designing this body as an AI VTuber, fine-tuning it to perfection. Of course it'd fit like a glove. A weird surge of pride hit me.
"That said, there's a lot to tweak when you sing... hang tight."
"Yeeeah..."
Pride lasted all of a second. Yuzha nailed singing too, thanks to her trainee background. Luna's powerful base made her pick up songs fast. Ren's gentle voice was inherently pleasant to listen to, so she focused on highs and lows.
And me...
"Aaaaaah—"
"Hmm... that's intriguing."
I was singing, but it felt off even to me. Not tone-deaf or rhythm-blind—just unnaturally stiff overall.
"Neru, you sure your RP hasn't swallowed you whole?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"It sounds just like a Vocaloid."
Put simply: when the pitch rises or falls, it didn't flow naturally—it jumped in abrupt chunks. I knew intellectually it was unnatural, but fixing it? No dice.
"That style can work great for some songs, or flop for others..."
"Yeah... but I don't think I can shake it easily."
"Honestly? I don't see it as bad. You could even lean into it more."
Thankfully, the coach got my "style." Probably the body swap's fault. Neru's voice was TTS-based and tuned that way. I'd sidelined singing for conversational naturalness back then.
'Human Vocaloid... could roll with that.' Thinking of that super-popular blue-haired Vocaloid model, it didn't sound half bad. Vocaloids had hit songs galore—covering those could play to my strengths.
"Alright, let's refine it this way. It might even come off as unique."
"Sure."
Twice or thrice a week at the agency, bonding with the members—time flew.
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"Ugh, why's there so much..."
I sighed at my virtual character sheet. RP felt familiar now, but there was still a mountain to memorize.
Once I sketched the basic RP frame, the design team would suggest additions and feedback. This sheet was the result.
Not all of it was new since I'd kicked things off, and post-debut, some traits wouldn't come up again. But with debut solo via PPT, memorizing ahead would smooth things out.
My virtual avatar was nearing completion—insanely high quality. A league above the outsourced one I'd commissioned.
"Early June target... not much time left."
Mid-May now. Three weeks to go. Plenty? Or not enough? Depends.
Still didn't fully feel like a VTuber, but what could I do? Streaming was the path back to my old body. Plus, curiosity about how my creation Neru would land with people.
'Gotta deal with crowds anyway... time to get used to it.'
I wasn't super social. Not shy either—just didn't build wide circles. Now? Befriending thousands. Felt... not bad, but itchy.
"Sigh. Better practice singing."
Long story short: couldn't fix the style. Added light autotune, sounded straight-up Vocaloid. Decided to commit.
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Time sped by; I powered through the schedule. May blinked past in a frenzy.
"Neru, some avatar tweaks?"
"...It's already cute."
Debut prep's final stretch. I'd greenlit the near-final version as pretty enough, but this passionate design team kept sending revisions for feedback.
Chatting via Discord with a designer now. I'd okayed it at revision 4; this was 8.
"Longer sleeves? Hiding the hands a bit... cuter, right?"
"...Yeah, cuter."
"See? Triggers that protective instinct."
Infuriating part? Each revision made it prettier. Couldn't say stop.
"Others getting this treatment?"
"Yup. Luna and Ren's are design-complete, onto motions."
"Yuzha?"
"She's super passionate... exchanging feedback nonstop."
Makes sense—Yuzha'd love design stuff. Ex-idol, image-conscious.
(Mine's motions done; rigging guy's suffering from all the redesigns.)
"This is the real final-final, right??"
"Ah, yes. Debut soon—gotta wrap here."
"Phew."
Third time hearing it, but felt legit. Prep mostly done. Just review debut PPT, then go live.
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Debut day arrived. All prepped, we 2nd gens huddled in a Discord call, sharing nerves.
"Man, tense."
"Yeah... Teasers up, promo everywhere."
2nd gen teasers on Yuseol's and Universe official channels: ~500k views combined after a week. We'd busted ass for this—excitement simmered amid the jitters.
7-9 PM joint debut stream. We swapped encouragement.
Then Yuseol joined.
"Everyone set? Share screens."
"Yesss."
She checked rigs, confirmed all good, eased us.
"Don't overthink. Stick to prep—no issues."
"Yes, President!"
"Yup."
Yuseol seemed aloof, but her warmth shone through training. She'd supported us most.
"Three chat managers per room—no worries. Watch phone DMs from staff."
"Got it."
Ten minutes to go. Final cyber hugs, then... stream on.
Neru is live!
[DEBUT STREAM] System boot complete. AI Neru here.