Want To Start Singing as a VTuber? Watch This Guide ASAP

I have an interesting hobby. I like collecting covers of my favorite songs and listening to new takes on them. Think Hatsune Miku singing Travis Scott’s “FE!N,” or rachie’s delectable English rendition of DECO*27’s “Monitoring.” Things like that. Among them, one of my favorite covers to play is a very smooth take on my song of summer 2024, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.” What’s so unique about this cover, you may ask? It’s performed entirely in Japanese by a VTuber singer named eerie. Her take is so true to the original, down to her inflection and style, that I often find myself alternating between eerie’s cover and Carpenter’s original.

So naturally, when I learned this anime-themed music producer had put out an entire guide to getting started with singing as a VTuber, I was intrigued. After all, I did groggily wake up one morning, muttering to myself, “When am I finally going to do a cover song?” Allow this guide to be your guide, just as it will be mine (maybe).

Before you drop your first cover, Listen to this vtuber’s advice

Eerie’s YouTube video “Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Recording” clocks in around nine minutes and serves as a crash course into getting started with singing a produced song as a VTuber. The tutorial provides a wide assortment of advice regarding both software tips and recording techniques. For example, if you’re used to performing a song in one take, like during a karaoke Twitch stream? Eerie recommends doing multiple takes and crossfading the best sections across vocal recordings. She also encourages you to set up your recording environment to the best of your ability, even if that means throwing a blanket over your head.

For experienced singers who want advice about audio production, eerie delivers here too. For example, she explains why pitch correction in today’s day and age is recommended for anyone engaging in music production digitally. Everyone does it, herself included. Pitching your voice is just another technique to capture that perfect take in production.

Take notes

“Most songs you hear today are electronic, made with electronic instruments. That means that the instruments are perfect — unless otherwise programmed — and hit notes perfectly,” eerie says. “Us as humans, or human-adjacent, are not perfect. And that’s why we need pitching. To match the perfect instruments. If you need pitching, that does not make you a bad singer. That just makes you just like the rest of us. So please, do not let pitching discourage you.”

Prefer reading over watching? Eerie also includes a Google Doc which links out to audio program Cakewalk, encouraging readers to carefully curate their recording environment, and even defines different terms for newbies. You know, things like, “main,” “overdub,” and “harmonies.” Check it out along with her YouTube video. Drop her a follow on Twitter if you like what you hear. After all, she might just be doing a mixing guide soon.