“Snowfall” is a great example of music written using Vocaloid software. When listening to this artificial synthesized singer one can appreciate the software’s sophistication and realistic results.
The choice of musical instruments– xylophone, drums, snare drums, and bells– visuals in the video– blue background with snow falling, and white font for the lyrics– all evoke Winter. It isn’t long after the voice stops singing the first stanza that the most astonishing part of the song takes place: a choir joins in to sing the chorus. It is common to see choirs used in Vocaloid pieces, but it is very unusual for that choir to be formed by one single Vocaloid library. The melody also evokes a Scottish or Celtic culture by playing bagpipes before and during the choir. The overall effect is evocative of a medievalist fantasy adventure: a love song by a singer who yearns to be reunited with her love.
The singer is part of the 3rd generation of English Vocaloid named Avanna, imagined as an 18 year old female by the Irish singer who provided the voice. Although a physical, robotic, or real model is not sold with this synthesized voice, the singer has a bio as well as a physical model and fashion, a famous “trend” in the Vocaloid industries that started out with the release of the Vocaloids Hatsune Miku, Len & Rin Kagamine and Megurine Luka. This trend also evoked fans and customers to create a personality for each Vocaloid, relating them with each other, and suggesting relationships between them. Sometimes they are presented as friends, rivals, siblings and/or lovers. And with fans and producers all over the world writing and composing the stories, no one really knows just how unexpected, fascinating and twisted their lives might get or what new dark secret might be uncovered after a new song or video comes up. After all they are, literally, in our hands.