Miku voices in your "Pocket"!

"Pocket Miku" is a gadget with simplified version of Hatsune Miku software released by Japanese science magazine. Here is an English review from our good friend Fumi. (She was a speaker at Snow Miku festival 2012)

Pocket Miku (NSX-39)  is a simplified version of Hatsune Miku for computers, it includes library developed by Crypton Future Media for NSX-1 based on the vocal library of Japanese Hatsune Miku. It is released under Gakken's "Otona no Kagaku" series, which is a popular Japanese science magazine.

Basic modes

You can use the keyboard to make Miku sing in 3 different modes:

1) do-re-mi mode with scales (default)

2) a-i-u-e-o mode with vowels (shift + vibrato button)

3) preset mode with 5 lyrics (shift + aiueo buttons)

Buttons

The device has a keyboard and 9 buttons.

1-5: a-i-u-e-o (vowels)

6: vibrato

7: shift

8: volume up

9: volume down

7+1-5: preset mode (lyrics)

7+6: do-re-mi mode (scale) <-> a-i-u-e-o mode (vowels)

7+8: octave up

7+9: octave down

6+8+keyboard: pitch bend (half note up)

6+9+keyboard: pitch bend (half note down)

Keyboard

Lower part of the keyboard has the scale for chromatic keyboard, and upper part of the keyboard has ribbon for portamento keyboard. You can play music using the stylus.

Preset mode

7+1: Konnichiwa Arigato (Hello, thank you)

7+2: Butterfly song (choucho)

7+3: Cherry song (Sakura)

7+4: Auld Lang Syne (Hotaru no hikari)

7+5: Irohanihoheto

Power

1) Use battery

2) Use Micro-USB cable to connect

Midi mode

You can control Pocket Miku via Pocket Miku applications.

http://otonanokagaku.net/nsx39/app.html

1) App to input lyrics

http://otonanokagaku.net/nsx39/appli/01/

2) App to play in realtime

http://otonanokagaku.net/nsx39/appli/02/

3) App to change config (not released yet as of 2014/06/13 but coming!)
http://otonanokagaku.net/nsx39/appli/00/

How to use the apps:

1) Connect Pocket Miku with your computer via Micro-USB cable

2) Enter the app URL in your browser (Google Chrome Version 33 or later)

3) Enable Web MIDI API (chrome://flags/#enable-web-midi) and reboot browser

4) Re-enter the app URL and agree to TOS. You will be able to connect with NSX-39 (Pocket Miku)

NSX-1 chip

Pocket Miku uses an audio chip called NSX-1.

YAMAHA's LSI NSX-1- specification (English)

http://yamaha-webmusic.github.io/nsx1-apps/specs/ANMW820A-001-10-j.pdf 

YAMAHA's open source sample apps for NSX-1 (Japanese)

http://yamaha-webmusic.github.io/

Note: In order to use these applications for NSX-1, you must switch Pocket Miku to "NSX-1 mode" by pushing 3 + 8 + 9 simultaneously.

Advanced settings

- NSX-1 has 16 MIDI channels and Pocket Miku Voice is fixed to channel 1, so you can actually use other channels as GM voice set.

- NSX-1 has Reverb x 29 types, Chorus x 24 types, Insertion x 181 types and Master EQ (5 bands), so you can use those effects.

- You can customize the buttons using system exclusive message.

Many developers creating apps for Pocket Miku!
"Web MIDI API, Chrome for Android (not Chrome Beta) - using a smartphone to send system exclusive messages to Pocket Miku"
Blog post in Japanese is here

How to send system exclusive messages to Pocket Miku using Android - Web app using Web MIDI API & Android Chrome Beta
-Using XG effects of Pocket Miku using SONAR
Blog post (Japanese)
Video
-Text Input to Pocket Miku for Android Chrome beta will work with IE
(official app only works with Chrome)
Blog post (Japanese)
-Created an app to enjoy the effects of Pocket Miku with iPhone
Blog post (Japanese)
Video

See also this blog post by +Takashi Toyoshima  summarizing Web MIDI implementation status on Chrome. (Japanese + English)
http://blog.toyoshima-house.net/2014/06/chromeweb-midi-api.html

Blog post series by Fujimoto-san
-Pocket Miku's value becomes 100x using USB connection with computer (Japanese)
-Using 120% of Pocket Miku's functions using Web Apps (Japanese)

Troubleshooting

Panic Command: 1+8+9 (Use this command to reboot the chip and initialize MIDI setting and re-register table data)

Initialize Command: 7+8+9 (Use this command to revert back to factory default setting)

Tuning Command: 5+8+9 (Use this command to fix the tuning, touch each note on the keyboard with stylus)

NSX-1 App Compatible Mode: 3+8+9 (Use this mode to use apps and midi data for NSX-1)

More info : http://fumiopen.blogspot.com/2014/06/pocket-miku.html