Happy Synthesizers
A podcast exploring the music and subculture surrounding vocal synthesizers, including VOCALOID, Synthesizer V, UTAU, and more!
Episodes
Part two of my list of favourite songs for every Vocaloid character ever!
Transcript + song links: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QdpJASsCAmMNb1AQmStvsV3BhUb7v7ME/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=109882383577879267781&rtpof=true&sd=true
Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXuYEBV0tq6E7ybbRLiOCItn5AQ29mMS5
There are more Vocaloid voicebanks out there than even I knew about, I didn't think this through.
Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXuYEBV0tq6EonS2m9jm0WRzRQvtJUwLA
A deep dive into the history of Otomachi Una, the cutest singer to ever be themed around a weird little fish.
Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18_hqWtTynojBeSkhXpNQ0tx7zwXgzPSf/view?usp=drive_link
Other links: https://linktr.ee/happysynthesizers
Visual artist and longtime Vocaloid fan Aphelion IC and I sat down for a chat about our favourite singing robots, and the best-designed characters among them.
I sat down with GraySlate, AKA AssBackwards-P, to talk about growing up in the world of vocalsynth, Jinriki UTAU best practises, and the great Goro Majima.
Transcript + sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mbS3iZaoPgbwoDqsg41KBGcltH-169Vh/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=109882383577879267781&rtpof=true&sd=true
I sat down with Kiyoteru Lofe Adlez Dystopia to talk UTAU, fandom engagement, and Hiyama Kiyoteru.
Transcript: https://linktr.ee/happysynthesizers
Other links: https://linktr.ee/happysynthesizers
A look at the meteoric rise of Kanaria, one of the hottest vocalsynth creators of the last five years.
Transcripts and sources (I've linked a LOT of good covers in the sources doc this time, so please check it out!): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/148Vk_tQlzHmXM6JnTMy-PX8195AVRSas?usp=drive_link
Social media: https://linktr.ee/happysynthesizers
Want your episodes early? Head over here! https://www.patreon.com/c/HappySynthe...
I sat down with Spanish translator GoldScans for a chat about the ins and outs of navigating lyrical meaning across three wildly different languages.
Transcript: https://www.patreon.com/c/HappySynthesizers
Ever wondered why your favourite vocalsynth producer picked their name? I know I sure have.
Transcript and sources https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xqYPwK54GQRg4zd9RF9CyjMY1zYJ8oJv?usp=drive_link
I sat down for an interview with special guest ChulipP (and also the Special-est guest, my sister’s cat who gets very offended when things aren’t about him and was meowing outside the door for the first few minutes) to talk about songwriting, musical inspiration, and the icon that is Mizuki Akiyama.
Transcript + notes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HxlTN8_9iCFwwuMDXjmxoZMyfqyGct44?usp=drive_link
I sat down for a chat with Salem about his work with UTAU, and how his creative pursuits in the vocalsynth world have intermingled with his academic interest in linguistics.
Transcript and episode notes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FbODvOzyt6Av1q9CGolO_WPmymJ30vlE?usp=drive_link
The story of Macne Nana and the Macne family
Sources and transcript: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10mGYT1xh2suMNfkGTdoMwZU_9yp2mfFq?usp=drive_link
A look at the life and career of producer 164.
Sources and transcript: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Anqdzcu1F3ALKBZNPUvO4BGEx98xpg2g?usp=drive_link
I sat down with my friend Dylan, AKA Overwelcome, and had a chat about the creative process, getting into Vocaloid, our favourite voicebanks, and more!
Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15XSMK3nmj6chJhh5HjeKOFusEYzfkl3d/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=109882383577879267781&rtpof=true&sd=true
A rundown of some of the best Halloween music the vocalsynth world has to offer.
Transcripts and sources: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DyVMHuR36CUos2bXJlH6eidxDfFhBRRg?usp=drive_link
A brief history of the UTAU vocal synthesizer program, through the lens of its default singer, Utane Uta, AKA Defoko.
Transcript and sources: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aiHHlURu8pu1nnOADy6CNlcbX4KE9vPp?usp=sharing
A look at the career of sasakure.UK, from his earliest hits at the beginning of Hatsune Miku's initial boom to today.
Hatsune Miku is the ultimate digital diva. This is but a brief introduction to her history and impact over the last 17 years.
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.
"SmartLess" with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity. A nice surprise: in each episode of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. What ensues is a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the SmartLess mind. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of SmartLess ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!