Vocaloid is a singing synthesizer product. It's signal processing sofware was developed through a joint research project, between Yamaha Corporation and the Music Technology Group in 1997. The software was ultimately developed into the commercial product "Vocaloid" that was released in 2004.
Vocaloid uses synthesizing technology with specially recorded vocals of voice actors or singers to create music. For songs, the user must input the melody and lyrics. A piano roll type interface is used to input the melody, and the lyrics can be entered on each note. The software can change the stress of the pronunciations, add effects such as vibrato, or change the dynamics and tone of the voice.
Various voice banks have been released for use with the Vocaloid synthesizer technology. Each is sold as "a singer in a box" designed to act as a replacement for an actual singer. As such, they are released under a character. These avatars are also referred to as Vocaloids, and are often marketed as virtual idols; some have gone on to perform at live concerts as an on-stage projection, pictured in the background here. Due to this characterization of the voices, a greater community has sprung featuring them.
