View source for User:ChifuyuDownTheLine/Style guide

{{Ambox|type=style|text=Abstract: This is a style guide for pages on the [[Vocaloid]] (vocal synth) topic, describing templates [[etc]].}}
This page is intended for self-reference more than anything, but should hopefully be accessible enough for anyone else to use.

This is effectively a standard I will apply to many, but not all, topic-relevant pages. In general, it should be all or nothing. For sourcing data (illustrations, statistics, etc), VocaDB is usually the best source. Almost anything public is documented, even including [[lost media]]. Vocal synth usually has slightly different relevant data points from traditional media of that category:
*both producer and vocalist separately being much more important than the artist tag
*songs sometimes appearing on multiple albums/compilations unrelated to initial publication
*only being released to video platforms or later bundled in compilations
*regularly having over 100 cover songs for an original song.
==Characters==
{{Infobox character|name=[[Hatsune Miku]]|franchise=Crypton Future Media|image=<tabber>|-|V2=[[File:初音ミク.png|200px]]|-|V3=[[File:初音ミク V3.png|200px]]|-|V4 (V4X)=[[File:初音ミク V4X.png|200px]]|-|V6 (pre-release)=[[File:初音ミク V6.png|200px]]</tabber>|caption="The first sound of the future"|first=2007 (Vocaloid 2)|last_major=2026 (Vocaloid 6)|voice={{Tooltip|藤田咲|Saki Fujita}}|designer=KEI|lbl2=Birthday|data2=31st August|family=Everyone|home=Everywhere|lbl3=Languages|data3=Japanese, English, Chinese|lbl4=Programs|data4=Vocaloid (2, 3, 4, 6), New Type}}
For characters, use the '''Infobox character''' template for the infobox. While it lacks precise bindings, it has many unassigned label and data fields bound. A few examples of complete infoboxes:
*<code><nowiki>{{Infobox character|name=Hatsune Miku|franchise=Crypton Future Media|image=<tabber>|-|V2=[[File:初音ミク.png|200px]]|-|V3=[[File:初音ミク V3.png|200px]]|-|V4 (V4X)=[[File:初音ミク V4X.png|200px]]|-|V6 (pre-release)=[[File:初音ミク V6.png|200px]]</tabber>|caption="The first sound of the future"|first=2007 (Vocaloid 2)|last_major=2026 (Vocaloid 6)|voice={{Tooltip|藤田咲|Saki Fujita}}|designer=KEI|lbl2=Birthday|data2=31st August|family=Everyone|home=Everywhere|lbl3=Languages|data3=Japanese, English, Chinese|lbl4=Programs|data4=Vocaloid (2, 3, 4, 6), New Type}}</nowiki></code>
*<code><nowiki>{{Infobox character|name=Zundamon|franchise=SSS LLC.|image=[[File:Zundamon.png|150px]]|caption=Zundamon in human form no da.|first=2017 (UTAU)|last_major=2025 ("Voiceger"?...)|voice={{Tooltip|伊藤ゆいな|Itou Yuina}}|designer={{Tooltip|江戸村ににこ|Edomura Ninico}}|family=Tohoku Zunko, Tohoku Kiritan, Tohoku Itako|gender=Na no da|weapon=Transforming into an arrow|occupation=Zundamon|alignment=Fairy|home=Currently wandering around Sendai aimlessly (for [[fun.|fun]])}}</nowiki></code>
Priority tags:
*Franchise (developer): <code>franchise=Crypton Future Media</code> / <code>franchise=SSS LLC.</code>
**Use this for the original developer. [[Kasane Teto]] is partially distributed by AH-Soft, but would be TWINDRILL, not AH-Soft.
*Image: <code><nowiki>image=[[File:Zundamon.png|150px]]</nowiki></code> / <code><nowiki>image=<tabber>|-|V2=[[File:初音ミク.png|200px]]|-|V3=[[File:初音ミク V3.png|200px]]|-|V4 (V4X)=[[File:初音ミク V4X.png|200px]]|-|V6 (pre-release)=[[File:初音ミク V6.png|200px]]</tabber></nowiki></code>
**Images should be set to 200px. For a single image, the brackets can be omitted, but a size can't be specified without them. For multiple images, use the tabber parser tag. It's easy to manually write, and formatted similar to tables. <code><nowiki><tabber>|-|title=text|-|title 2=text 2</tabber></nowiki></code>
*First appearance: <code>first=2007 (Vocaloid 2)</code> / <code>2017 (UTAU)</code>
*Last appearance: <code>last_major=2026 (Vocaloid 6)</code>
**Use <code>last</code> instead of <code>last_major</code> if the character isn't receiving upgrades, or is abandoned.
*Designer/Illustrator: <code>designer=KEI</code> / <code><nowiki>designer={{Tooltip|江戸村ににこ|Edomura Ninico}}</nowiki></code>
*Voice provider: <code><nowiki>voice={{Tooltip|藤田咲|Saki Fujita}}</nowiki></code> / <code><nowiki>voice={{Tooltip|伊藤ゆいな|Itou Yuina}}</nowiki></code>
**Use either a translated/romanized name, or put the Japanese name with a Tooltip for the translation. List anonymous voice provider for cases like Kaai Yuki or v flower. Omit designer if not applicable or known.
Suggested tags:
*Name: <code>name=Hatsune Miku</code>
**This parameter is optional if the infobox should have the same title as the page; it will take the page name.
*Birthday (usually initial release): <code>lbl2=Birthday|data2=31st August</code>
*Languages (for multilingual): <code>lbl3=Languages|data3=Japanese, English, Chinese</code>
**Cross-language synthesis can be listed similar to the [[Vocaloid]] page characters block: <code>Japanese* (English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Spanish with SynthV)</code>, but shouldn't be listed as native. Most software doesn't have multilingual synthesis like this.
*Programs: <code>lbl4=Programs|data4=Vocaloid (2, 3, 4, 6), New Type</code>
Add other tags as relevant for the page and comedic effect. In the rest of the article, generally mention initial release time, all or most voicebank programs, and vague timing for version upgrades or new releases.
==Songs==
{{Infobox song|cover={{Rextthumb|https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/YoeIxwFLc6k/hqdefault.jpg}}|title=[[Francium]]|language=Japanese|published=March 17, 2009|genre=Denpa · Glitch · electro drug|length=2:58|producer=kiichi}}
For songs, use the '''Infobox song''' template for the infobox. This is missing definable tags, and is generally a poor match for the topic, and so will have to be forked into a more specific infobox template later. (is there any demand for this?) An example of a complete infobox looks like this: 

<code><nowiki>{{Infobox song|cover={{Rextthumb|https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/YoeIxwFLc6k/hqdefault.jpg}}|title=Francium|language=Japanese|published=March 17, 2009|genre=Denpa · Glitch · electro drug|length=2:58|producer=kiichi}}</nowiki></code>

Priority tags:
*Title: <code>title=Francium</code>
*Published: <code>published=March 17, 2009</code>
*Producer(s): <code>producer=kiichi</code> / <code><nowiki>producer=[[Jamie Paige]], rice, Vane Lily</nowiki></code>{{efn|group=song|name=h|Example from '''Human''' feat. '''SF-A2 miki'''}}
Suggested tags:
*Language: <code>language=Japanese</code>
*Genre: <code>genre=Denpa · Glitch · Electro drug</code>; Separators are entirely vibes-based
*Length: <code>length=2:58</code>
*Cover: <code><nowiki>cover={{Rextthumb|https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/YoeIxwFLc6k/hqdefault.jpg}}</nowiki></code>
Not implemented:
*Vocalist(s): <code><nowiki>vocalist=[[Hatsune Miku]]</nowiki></code>
*Type: <code>type=original</code>
*Albums (especially if multiple): <code>albums=EXIT TUNES PRESENTS VocaloVanguard feat. 初音ミク fast</code>
*Group (if applicable): <code>group=FLAVOR FOLEY</code> {{efn|name=h}}
*Other credits: <code>credits=Charon (voice manipulator), unit.0 (instrumentalist)</code>{{efn|name=h}}
*Other notes
{{notelist|group=song}}

This same group of tags can be applied to '''utaites''', though I don't know if there's any big fans of [[Ado]] and others here or not.
==Producers==
Currently there are no plans for a producer template, but the closest example is the page [[Kikuo]]. If there are any important things that should be documented (such as on [[Jamie Paige]]), feel free to edit to add a list. The existing template feels too focused on flesh and meat rather than the silicon-driven priority of this topic and music production as a whole.