Production: Vocaloid vs H!P vs K-pop

Sooo, I was thinking about a conversation I had with the otherchild last month.

[4/1/2013 8:38:50 PM] Chiisana: there's a certain sound to vocaloid mixing to me x-x idk
[4/1/2013 8:41:36 PM] Eva: yeah
[4/1/2013 8:41:39 PM] Eva: i know exactly what you mean lol
[4/1/2013 8:41:48 PM] Eva: vocaloid mixing = compression and high frequencies
[4/1/2013 8:41:56 PM] Eva: H!P mixing = make everything sound distant, cake reverb
[4/1/2013 8:42:06 PM] Eva: k-pop mixing = do nothing but put stuff on top of instrumental; sometimes autotune
[4/1/2013 8:42:21 PM] Chiisana: so accurate LOL

I guess I felt like expanding on this and just wanted to note down some observations since I've been watching and have taken part in all three of these spheres. ;u; (I want to add more later if I take note of anything else!)

It's interesting how there are such differences when we're all really the same: people on the internet that sing songs in Asian languages, upload covers on youtube, and participate in collaborations. I know a lot of people are involved in more than one of these circles, but there's still a certain style that generally seems to pertain to each--and I guess this goes to show how much we influence each other just by being surrounded by each other or perhaps being role models. :'D

Disregarding the topics of attitude/friendship/community, I'm focusing more on [post-]production work because I think there is a difference depending on which community you're based in or from.

(THESE ARE JUST MY OBSERVATIONS OF THE GENERAL TRENDS ;A;)


Mixing and Vocals
Vocaloid: Emphasis on high frequencies, thin sound, focus on EQ and mastering, reliance on tuning and much pitchiness when not tuned, more polished final sound, sensitive to distorted (bad quality or pitched) instrumentals, vocals often off-time or with volumes unbalanced, overuse of compression
Hello!Project: Distant-sounding vocals embedded in the instrumental, pretty good balancing of levels, some EQ work but not the best, a little pitchy, usually good blends, overuse of reverb
K-pop: Raw sound, little to no EQ work, more effects and creative choices, no tuning yet vocals aren't usually noticeably pitchy to begin with, pretty good timing, not strict about bad or fanmade instrumentals (because not many official ones are available), versatility and uniqueness in general, what the hell is compression?, lol it's k if you have bad mic if you have badass voice


Videos
Vocaloid: STANDARDS ON THE RISE (sigh)... After Effects and pretty animation, focus on aesthetics, conformed standard of "what looks nice" (sometimes rejection of styles that're different), cropped anime-style art or original art
Hello!Project: Shrunken music video on a frame usually made from a picture of a group
K-pop: LOL PEOPLE MAKE VIDEOS FOR THEIR COVERS??


There's definitely a difference in what specific area people put more effort in depending on which circle you're from or more exposed to, and here I'll refer to the 3 stages of production.
I'm gonna leave H!P out of this discussion because it's the one that I'm the least familiar with and it feels more like middle ground, other than the distinct characteristic of distant-sounding vocals.

Vocaloid sees more emphasis on pre-production and post-production. I kind of have a problem with the fact that many people get really lazy with doing their lines, especially because 1) they're probably friends with those they're working with and thus take advantage of that, and/or 2) there's this attitude of "The Mixer Will Fix It." You can definitely see how much they put into post-production what with the fancy schmancy mixing, animation, and art. Pre-production is interestingly important too, and I've noticed that people take organizing very seriously (a lot of credit there.. sometimes even when unearned). But then it does require more effort what with the general trend of laziness among vocalists who seem to need more and more pushes to get their lines done, AND scripting becomes a big deal because vocaloid songs aren't already divided into parts. And this is why they say this circle is full of masochists.

K-pop, on the other hand, is really emphasized on the actual production. You can tell there's a lot of effort put into one's lines, whether singing or rapping. It's kind of drilled into your mentality to try to express emotion or fierceness because unlike vocaloid, you're covering a song that was made for and originally performed by humans who require vocal presence and a way to shine. And because tuning isn't usually utilized, you MUST watch your pitch because ain't nobody saving yo ass if you're off. Pre-production is also not a problem other than casting people fitting for parts, because there's less of a community and more of a business attitude.
What I like though is that because nobody cares about what the video looks like, you have people appreciating the actual vocals more. Unfortunately, the final product usually isn't very polished or shiny.

I guess I think about this a lot because I myself am based in the K-pop sphere but have somehow been integrating into the vocaloid one, and I had/am having trouble adjusting in terms of mixing and the standards for videos.

Because I never really needed to care about videos, I don't have an eye for aesthetics; and although I didn't have any problem during DUBattle as I eagerly learned more and more about Sony Vegas, I just don't want to make videos anymore because of the demanding rising standards and narrowing expectations.
And because I never needed to EQ or tune, I'm really sensitive and detailed when it comes to timing and volumes when mixing. I guess I'm okay at tuning, although I have trouble with vocaloid songs especially with their unpredictable, unfamiliar melodies. But I can't--for the life of me--figure out how to make a clean and polished-sounding final mix.. and I really only started seriously doing EQ-work recently. which I suck at. But I'll just keep working at it and make it a goal to try to take the strengths of the characteristics of each of these styles, work hard all around, and make beautiful things. :'D