GUMI is now a Voiceroid too!

Megpoid Talk is a new – and, to me at least, completely unexpected – product that gives the singer we more commonly know as GUMI proper speaking abilities via a separate voicebank and user interface.

So far at least, it seems that it is only in Japanese; but as Megpoid English already exists as a Vocaloid, it would be no surprise if an English version of Megpoid Talk were to appear as well, either with this or in the future. I have no idea on this point as yet, but shall keep watching developments.

The new package will be released in February 2014 and will contain a range of expressive and other controls, a selection of what might be termed 'mood sounds', and even allows one to speak into the software and it will have Megpoid speak it in the same tone and inflections – this last feature being somewhat like VocaListener. It can also handle vocaloid-format sound files (VSQs).

I do not know what its intended applications are, but no doubt the style and location of advertising of the new product will reveal distinct clues in this regard.

The following short demo gives a very good idea of what will be possible, and it seems to do it mostly perfectly. Time will tell whether there are any significant issues, but my initial impressions are very favourable....

Gumi's 'ET' in English

Now that Gumi's English "Megpoid" voicebank has been completed, it is proving to be exceptionally fine. It isn't perfect, but it's very good indeed, allowing English songs (or English language versions of songs) to be produced that have little or no need for subtitles.

This song, ET, does have (more-or-less unneeded) subtitles along with a visually stunning image of Gumi – which is far better than the usual somewhat cartoon-y images and models one usually encounters of her – and is quite remarkable.

In a very real sense, the true worldwide spread of the Vocaloids begins right here...