Kagamine Rin/Len (Vocaloid)
Kagamine Rin and Kagamine Len are VOCALOIDs developed by Crypton Future Media. They use the VOCALOID 2 and VOCALOID 4 singing synthesizing technology and are both voiced by Asami Shimoda. As with many other VOCALOIDs, they have performed in live concerts around the world using proprietary projection technology.
Rin’s name along with her twin brother Len's are derived from the concept of "left" and "right", as in stereophonic sound. Their surname, Kagamine, uses the two Japanese kanji characters "鏡" (mirror) and "音" (sound). Shimoda has said that she sang within her chest for Len's voice and sang at the top of her head for Rin's voice.
Development
Rin and Len were initially developed by Crypton Future Media using Yamaha's VOCALOID 2. They were the second release in the "Character Vocal Series", which included other popular VOCALOIDs Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka. Following Crypton's concept and direction, Rin's design was the first to be illustrated, followed shortly thereafter by Len. The software was released on December 27, 2007 and sold around 20,000 copies.
Due to numerous complaints about how difficult it was for producers to compose music using the twins, an independently package "ACT2" was released. those who purchased the original version were able to claim the updated "ACT2" until September 2008.
In 2010, "Kagamine Rin & Len Append" was released which provided additional styles of vocalization. For Rin, "Power", "Warm", and "Sweet" were included while Len had "Power", "Cold", and "Serious". This allowed for a multitude of cross-genres that the two could now sing along to, while still sounding natural.
"Kagamine Rin/Len V4X" was released for VOCALOID 4 on December 24, 2015. Slight modifications to the voicebank were applied, and Rin would now sing with the options "Power E.V.E.C.", "Warm", and "Sweet", while Len used "Power E.V.E.C.", "Cold", and "Serious". Enhanced Voice Expression Control (E.V.E.C.) is a new system developed for Piapro Studios. Rin and Len also received an English voicebank which was released on the same day as the Japanese voicebanks. The English versions are available separately as a download or as a bundle with the Japanese versions.
The Kagamine twins are popular for the casual appearance and short blond hair. Crypton Future Media initially supplied KEI with the concepts of the twins including the theme of them being "mirror images", them being androids, as well as their approximate ages. Rin was the first of the two to be illustrated. Len's design came after and was based on Rin's initial design.
On the day when the Kagamine Append package was released, it went straight to fifth place of total Vocaloid software sold in the year.
Character Information
Name: Kagamine Rin
Age: 14 years
Birthday: December 27
Height: 152 cm
Weight: 42 kg
| Append | Suggested tempo | Suggested vocal range |
|---|---|---|
| ACT2 | 85-175 BPM | F#3-C#5 |
| Power | 65-170 BPM | F3-B4 |
| Warm | 60-160 BPM | F3-B4 |
| Sweet | 55-155 BPM | G3-C5 |
| V4X | Suggested tempo | Suggested vocal range |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 50-170 BPM | F2-E4 |
| Warm | 50-160 BPM | F2-C4 |
| Sweet | 55-155 BPM | G2-D4 |
| English | 55-155 BPM | G2-B3 |
Name: Kagamine Len
Age: 14 years
Birthday: December 27
Height: 156 cm
Weight: 47 kg
| Append | Suggested tempo | Suggested vocal range |
|---|---|---|
| ACT2 | 70-160 BPM | D3-C#5 |
| Power | 65-170 BPM | A2-D4 |
| Cold | 60-160 BPM | B2-C4 |
| Serious | 55-155 BPM | A2-C4 |
| V4X | Suggested tempo | Suggested vocal range |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 60-170 BPM | D2-D4 |
| Cold | 60-160 BPM | E2-C4 |
| Serious | 55-155 BPM | F2-C4 |
| English | 55-155 BPM | E2-G#3 |
Music
Although many of Rin and Len’s most popular songs are rock-oriented, they are also known to sing other genres, such as ballads, or pop. Some of their most popular songs include:
| Song Title | Year of Release | Producer |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Teddy Bear | 2013 | Neru |
| Alice in Musicland | 2010 | OSTER project |
| Roshin Yuukai / Meltdown | 2010 | iroha |
| Gemini | 2009 | Dixie Flatline |
| Kokoro / Heart | 2008 | Travolta-P |
| Gothic and Loneliness ~I'm the very DIVA~ | 2011 | Narushima Takashi |
| Tengaku / Music of Heavens | 2014 | Yuuyu-P |
| Melancholic | 2010 | Junky |
| Amatsu Kitsune / The Celestial Fox | 2012 | marasy |
Links
Official website
Wikipedia
Wikipedia (Hatsune Miku)
Wikipedia (Megurine Luka)