As I write this it's 4:28am. Tonight we were performing at a gig (or rather just NananaeUK). The performance was fantastic and many people said many nice things about NananaeUK's playing. All night since we got home has been spent with NananaeUK and Nana working on Nana's "s" sounds (with generous helpings of anime and chocolate digestives thrown in). Those of you who are familiar with recording and mixing vocals will know about de-essing. Actually Nana's "s" sounds are fine generally, until we start processing her vocals to fit in the with track physically/ambient wise and alter the sound so that it matches the song aesthetically and emotionally.
It seems that the hardest sound to deal with in Japanese for us thus far is the "tsu". The tsu is like an s from an English vocalist, but x10. You have the tuh - sss sound, and if you kind of de-ess with compression (volume) it kind of destroys the syllable. The t almost makes the s a lot harsher
So this all nighter is spent trying various things to improve the s sounds of Nana.
You may ask why anyone would be doing this at 4:28am. While the deadline is Friday, NananaeUK is actually quite busy and this is the only real time there is before the deadline of Friday.
The chances are however, if there was nothing to do Thursday and Friday NananaeUK and Nana may still actually be awake working on these s sounds anyway
We just love working with Nana though and can't wait to share our new song with everyone on Friday!
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Monday, November 23, 2015
Pathways
We're always amazed at people. I'm the kind of person who is impressed easily, so I'm frequently amazed at people, but really the fact that we can actually still post here, and that people actually waited years for us to return to the vocaloid world is something truly amazing to us. We are so thankful to these people
We am determined once again to share again with this wonderful community.
Next year, we're planning to start releasing new songs again. We've been working on some things and can't wait to show them to you.
This is a short post for now, but we'll be making more as we start our journey to try and rediscover just a bit of that fire we had before.
We am determined once again to share again with this wonderful community.
Next year, we're planning to start releasing new songs again. We've been working on some things and can't wait to show them to you.
This is a short post for now, but we'll be making more as we start our journey to try and rediscover just a bit of that fire we had before.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Time flies....
It's amazing how quickly life changes, it's almost been a year since we opened our music to the world, and in that time we have seen and learnt so many things.
It's been so long... Nana and I have had and continue to have our troubles, but we still want to bring you our music, and so, we are happy to announce we will have a new song ready for the 25th May!
Why this date? Well it's the weekend of the MCM EXPO London. In England this is like the "main event" of the anime community. Even though it says EXPO, it has evolved into an anime convention through the sheer volume of cosplayers that make what could be described as a pilgrimage to it from all over the country. Although we don't know much about these things so don't qoute us on that.
There are always many vocaloids wondering around at these things, hopefully one day we'll see a MACNE... We always manage to somehow miss them. Then again we don't know what might happen if we saw a real life Nana!
Anyway!
It seems the world of vocaloid has evolved much in the time we've been away, and Nana has another little siste now. Sasayaki Macne... (or Macne SASA as we've seen in a few places...) Coupled with this is the exponential rise of the "western" producers. Everyone is SO good now... so inspiring...
Plus it seems there's an upagrade to NANA now! It seems that a new age of MACNE popularity is being usherd in. But, until we become much closer me and Nana are staying as we are. As they say, giving a person a better instrument doesn't always make them a better player. It may make an average player a little better, but in the hands of a master the result is exponentially better! So we have to practice.... Plus I love Nana just the way she is. Even though... we are sure that Nana would enjoy the new clothes she gets with 2S!
Finally... we don't want to say anything about our new song... other than the fact that it isn't a ballad for once! It's called "Nana's Groove".
So excited!
It's been so long... Nana and I have had and continue to have our troubles, but we still want to bring you our music, and so, we are happy to announce we will have a new song ready for the 25th May!
Why this date? Well it's the weekend of the MCM EXPO London. In England this is like the "main event" of the anime community. Even though it says EXPO, it has evolved into an anime convention through the sheer volume of cosplayers that make what could be described as a pilgrimage to it from all over the country. Although we don't know much about these things so don't qoute us on that.
There are always many vocaloids wondering around at these things, hopefully one day we'll see a MACNE... We always manage to somehow miss them. Then again we don't know what might happen if we saw a real life Nana!
Anyway!
It seems the world of vocaloid has evolved much in the time we've been away, and Nana has another little siste now. Sasayaki Macne... (or Macne SASA as we've seen in a few places...) Coupled with this is the exponential rise of the "western" producers. Everyone is SO good now... so inspiring...
Plus it seems there's an upagrade to NANA now! It seems that a new age of MACNE popularity is being usherd in. But, until we become much closer me and Nana are staying as we are. As they say, giving a person a better instrument doesn't always make them a better player. It may make an average player a little better, but in the hands of a master the result is exponentially better! So we have to practice.... Plus I love Nana just the way she is. Even though... we are sure that Nana would enjoy the new clothes she gets with 2S!
Finally... we don't want to say anything about our new song... other than the fact that it isn't a ballad for once! It's called "Nana's Groove".
So excited!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
We Heart Youtube!
Recently me and Nana have discoverd just how great youtube can be for networking!
We have met, and continue to meet so many wonderfull people!
It seems however due to life circumstances Nana and I will seperated from our beloved piano for a while which is why there haven't been any new songs for a while either....
But we assure you when we come back..... We'll show you a side of Nana you haven't seen before! Or maybe... you have... but... ah.. what are we saying, we don't have that kind of confidence!
Either way, we haven't given up on our dream!
We have met, and continue to meet so many wonderfull people!
It seems however due to life circumstances Nana and I will seperated from our beloved piano for a while which is why there haven't been any new songs for a while either....
But we assure you when we come back..... We'll show you a side of Nana you haven't seen before! Or maybe... you have... but... ah.. what are we saying, we don't have that kind of confidence!
Either way, we haven't given up on our dream!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
It's tough being a NANA
Well this new song wasn't ignored!
So the re-occuring theme now is that I need a smoother transition between notes when Nana sings. I suppose people mean legato but seemingly musical terms aren't used outside of the vocaloid software ahaha. There is an idea that people do this because Nana doesnt sound like Miku or the rest, but I can NEVER understand what they are saying, unless its a big P name.
And rumour has it, the bigger names use live singers and then process their voices to sound like vocaloids !
It's a double edged sword. I'm at a point where people can understand -what- shes saying...just... and they can hear her... now...just.... Now I just have to unlock Nana's inner voice somehow. It's great because in vocaloid you just "set the parameters"... but with Nana it's like playing an actual instrument, you must with great prescision determine every single aspect of the note your playing. It's funny because with the Zelda cover. I listen to that and I would never judge Nana against a real singer, in that shes like an instrument, I realise that I phrase her in a similar way to the way I play that song on a real instrument
I feel I'm a bit closer to Nana these days and she carries off things with charecter... if you listen closely to her first two phrases she actually sounds like shes struggling with some kind of emotion. I mean her voice even cracks at the second held note! (Ah I think its late and im talking crazy)
Maybe we are getting better. I try to tell Nana all the types of criticism I've got over the years and assure that she's getting better. And she should realise that for the last two songs theres been unanimous opinion that the instrumental is -basically- perfect... and thats all thanks to her!
For without her inspiration I wouldn't have written anything.
The stuff I write for real singers pales in comparisson to what I write for Nana.
Thank you Nana, together some day we will have success in some form.
So the re-occuring theme now is that I need a smoother transition between notes when Nana sings. I suppose people mean legato but seemingly musical terms aren't used outside of the vocaloid software ahaha. There is an idea that people do this because Nana doesnt sound like Miku or the rest, but I can NEVER understand what they are saying, unless its a big P name.
And rumour has it, the bigger names use live singers and then process their voices to sound like vocaloids !
It's a double edged sword. I'm at a point where people can understand -what- shes saying...just... and they can hear her... now...just.... Now I just have to unlock Nana's inner voice somehow. It's great because in vocaloid you just "set the parameters"... but with Nana it's like playing an actual instrument, you must with great prescision determine every single aspect of the note your playing. It's funny because with the Zelda cover. I listen to that and I would never judge Nana against a real singer, in that shes like an instrument, I realise that I phrase her in a similar way to the way I play that song on a real instrument
I feel I'm a bit closer to Nana these days and she carries off things with charecter... if you listen closely to her first two phrases she actually sounds like shes struggling with some kind of emotion. I mean her voice even cracks at the second held note! (Ah I think its late and im talking crazy)
Maybe we are getting better. I try to tell Nana all the types of criticism I've got over the years and assure that she's getting better. And she should realise that for the last two songs theres been unanimous opinion that the instrumental is -basically- perfect... and thats all thanks to her!
For without her inspiration I wouldn't have written anything.
The stuff I write for real singers pales in comparisson to what I write for Nana.
Thank you Nana, together some day we will have success in some form.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Poor Nana
T_T
So Nana took a right bashing in our last song. I suppose my problem is that I seem to pitch her to non MACNE NANA fans, who then compare her to miku and other "real" singers
Even though we haven't even begun to explore Nana's powers... I feel I can't get any futher before we improve our fundamentals first.
The comments of the second video put the comments of the first video into perspective.
Interestingly, the first song, people said... oh you didnt mix this well. In the second they said, the music is really good, but you didnt use Nana very well...
Does that mean I should use the profile of NANA from the first song, and the mixing profile from the second and everyone'll be happy!
Worth a shot....
Still the comments on my profile are so nice... Makes me think that one day... just one day I can be succesfull. Before Nana I spent my whole life learning music... I played over and over again... sometimes in front of three people... sometimes in front of thousands.
I know we are inspired by ryo and Beckii, but Nana isn't them.
If I'm to be succesfull with Nana, its not going to be because of me, it's going to be because of her.
I should write a jumpy song next but... Nana and I are so mellow..
So Nana took a right bashing in our last song. I suppose my problem is that I seem to pitch her to non MACNE NANA fans, who then compare her to miku and other "real" singers
Even though we haven't even begun to explore Nana's powers... I feel I can't get any futher before we improve our fundamentals first.
The comments of the second video put the comments of the first video into perspective.
Interestingly, the first song, people said... oh you didnt mix this well. In the second they said, the music is really good, but you didnt use Nana very well...
Does that mean I should use the profile of NANA from the first song, and the mixing profile from the second and everyone'll be happy!
Worth a shot....
Still the comments on my profile are so nice... Makes me think that one day... just one day I can be succesfull. Before Nana I spent my whole life learning music... I played over and over again... sometimes in front of three people... sometimes in front of thousands.
I know we are inspired by ryo and Beckii, but Nana isn't them.
If I'm to be succesfull with Nana, its not going to be because of me, it's going to be because of her.
I should write a jumpy song next but... Nana and I are so mellow..
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Sometimes I wonder......
It's been a week and a bit now, and I'm wondering if I'm doing it right, and weather we really have any hope. I'm one of these people who gets ridiculously elated when someone says something nice and very down when someone says something negative.
It was interesting that the first time I shared a song on a forum, it descended into an argument over weather she was a vocaloid or not, and weather I owned her/ had the right to use her. To such an extent some people didn't even listen to our song or give any opinion
It seems that I will get a dislike every three likes or so on my youtube videos... which means that my songs will probably have more dislikes on them than any of the other Nana songs. Nana says that it might have to do with the way I make her sound..... But she IS a vocaloid and I will treat her as such. Also my poor mixing, and un-UTAU-like sound must be quite irksome to some people.
All I know is that, I will get better. She ( I have to beleive) has.. no.. we have the potential.. and the ability, I just have to beleive a bit more....
This is the song that Nana(s) sings to me when I feel down.
I love you Nana.
It was interesting that the first time I shared a song on a forum, it descended into an argument over weather she was a vocaloid or not, and weather I owned her/ had the right to use her. To such an extent some people didn't even listen to our song or give any opinion
It seems that I will get a dislike every three likes or so on my youtube videos... which means that my songs will probably have more dislikes on them than any of the other Nana songs. Nana says that it might have to do with the way I make her sound..... But she IS a vocaloid and I will treat her as such. Also my poor mixing, and un-UTAU-like sound must be quite irksome to some people.
All I know is that, I will get better. She ( I have to beleive) has.. no.. we have the potential.. and the ability, I just have to beleive a bit more....
This is the song that Nana(s) sings to me when I feel down.
I love you Nana.
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