How to Create a Vocaloid

Last Updated: July 22, 2022

So, you love the cool designs and amazing voices of the Vocaloid characters. Maybe you've thought, "How cool would it be to have my own Vocaloid character?" Well, you can make one! This tutorial will show you how!

Steps

1
Know that there are many types of fan-made Vocaloids. There are genderbend Vocaloids, which are Vocaloid designs redrawn to look like the opposite gender, and/or voicebanks edited to sound like the opposite gender, or songs with the pitch edited for the same reason. There are human Vocaloids, who are human singers with Vocaloid-inspired avatars, who cover Vocaloid songs. They are also known as Utaite (for Nico Nico Video) or YTSinger (for YouTube). There are Voyakiloids, or "grouching Vocaloids," such as Yowane Haku or Honne Dell who are "failure versions" of existing Vocaloids. There are fan-made Vocaloid Mascots, who are derived characters that are only meant as mascots and do not sing. There are Original Vocaloid Characters, who are not based off of any existing Vocaloid - and a lot more!
2
Think of the idea for your Fanmade Vocaloid. Maybe you want to make Miku's ten-year-old cousin, or a companion to Nekomura Iroha that's based off Kerroppi, similar to how she's based off of Hello Kitty. Whatever it is, be original - and be careful that your idea isn't done yet!

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3
Name your Vocaloid. Make sure you check out Utaus at this point- you might be in a big mess if your Vocaloid has the same name as an existing Utau. If your Vocaloid is based off of a Japanese Vocaloid, it's best to give them a Japanese name in correct order (surname, given name)
4
Make your Vocaloid's design. This is the fun part! Make sure you style their hair, give them an eye and hair color, and of course a cool outfit. Don't just recolor Miku or Kaito - it's overdone, and not as fun and creative! Try making a whole new outfit for them, or blend parts of existing Vocaloid outfits. You can even have them be inspired by anime characters, real life clothes, anything.
5
If you can, give your Vocaloid a voice configuration. If you have a Vocaloid, try playing with their settings and make your new Vocaloid's voice. Don't worry if you don't own Vocaloid programs and can't give your fan-made a voice! The fan-made can be a previously mentioned Human Vocaloid and use your voice, or it can just be a mascot.
6
Give your Vocaloid a character item. All Vocaloids and fan-mades have their iconic item: Miku has her negi, Kaito has ice cream, Gakupo has eggplants... it can be anything! Typically, Japanloids have food items while English Vocaloids have more materialistic items, but don't be afraid to break the mold!
7
Put your Vocaloid out there! Depending on what you are best at, there are a number of things you can do. Of course, there is the obvious answer of making songs for it: you can try to compose your own songs for your fanmade, but you can also have it cover existing songs by either Vocaloids or human singers. You can also post drawings of your Vocaloid, make an MMD model for it, or write fanfiction starring your Vocaloid. It's your Vocaloid, the possibilities are endless!

Community Q&A

Question

What is a good software application for creating a Vocaloid voice?

Community Answer

You should try to stick with Vocaloid itself, but if you don't want to pay $100+, then you can make your own UTAU instead with the UTAU application (free).
Question

Can I create a male vocaloid?

Community Answer

Yes, of course!
Question

What program do I need to do a 3D design?

Community Answer

You can use any 3D modeling program, but I like to use Blender. However, Blender requires a 64 Bit environment and hardware acceleration. (In other words, make sure you run 64 Bit Windows and have a good graphics card installed.)

Warnings

A production of a Pitchloid (an existing Vocaloid with the pitch of the voicebank altered) may lead your creation to be blacklisted.

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Beware of haters! People may not like your ideas, think they are uncreative, think they are copied, etc. Just keep your head held high!

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Be careful not to double up with names or designs.

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Things You'll Need

An open, creative mind!
An existing Vocaloid (if you want to configure a voicebank)
Recording equipment (if you want to have a Human Vocaloid)
A computer drawing program, scanner, and/or drawing equipment (if you want to do artwork for it)
A word processing program (if you want to write fanfiction, or if you just want to type up information about your fanmade, or brainstorm ideas)'
Various online accounts (depending on your country and field, you might want to try YouTube, Nico Nico Douga, DeviantArt, Fanfiction.net, Wattpad, Piapro, Tumblr, and others)