Meet Bogdan, a member of a Cossack choir with a deep bass vocal - one of 8 singing wooden dolls that make up the Teenage Engineering choir. Made of solid beechwood, with a built-in dynamic module, each doll can perform pre-composed music or be controlled with a MIDI keyboard, sing solo or with 15 other choir singers via BLE signal.
You see eight wooden dolls, designed to serenade you with classic choral repertoire and perform your own original compositions in MIDI format on BLE. Each participant has their own characteristic vocal range. Individually, each can sing a dynamic solo, but together they will perform an exciting a cappella concert. The choir is inspired by the original Absolut choir project, the very first project from Teenage Engineering.
Behind the scenes
The pre-programmed repertoire of classic songs was created and performed using an algorithm based on melodic counterpoint - a compositional technique that involves an independent but complementary relationship between two or more melodic lines performed simultaneously.
Tap, tilt, or slap
To get the choir singing, they need a helping hand. The sensor inside the dynamic module responds to vibration and movement, so controlling the choir itself is an engaging activity. Gently tap the doll on the head or table to start or stop playback, or tilt the doll left or right to decrease or increase the volume, respectively. If it starts to annoy you, you can gently slap it to turn it off.
Let's introduce our ensemble
Each doll, based on cultures and characters from around the world, is unique and has its own voice timbre. Although each has its own type of voice, each doll can adjust its vocal range to perform a dynamic solo. When multiple choir members are together, in any combination, they communicate with each other and recognize choir members within reach, joining in for a full choir experience.
What's inside?
At the heart of each doll is a magical acoustic module, which also acts as a central processor and BLE transmitter and can be charged for up to 4 hours. Each doll is handmade from solid beechwood and individually polished with hard wax oil. The speaker modules inside are both removable and rechargeable.
Compatibility with MIDI for choirs is where the real magic happens. Conduct your choir with an OP-1 field, OP-Z, or any other MIDI keyboard with Bluetooth connectivity. or connect the ortho remote control for wireless control. Connecting one doll will pair the entire choir, instantly playing notes from your composition. Like any live performance, each performance will be unique in its own way.
Full repertoire
The beloved choir features a collection of songs from classical baroque to folk:
- ernest ball, dave reed jr. – love me, and the world is mine
- tom pitts, raymond egan, roy marsh – i never knew
- wilhelm stenhammar – SVERIGE
- theodore morse, henry buck – dear old girl
- robert schumann, friedrich rückert – gute nacht
- harry armstrong, richard gerard husch – sweet adeline
- trad. european – warm-up exercise: signore
- al piantadosi, joe mccarthy – in all my dreams, i dream of you
- trad. israel kolmodin – den blomstertid nu kommer
- trad. american folk – i've been working on the railroad
- mykola leontovych – shchedryk (carol of the bells)
- trad. via robert burns – auld lang syne
- thomas morley – now is the month of maying
- trad. medieval – gaudeamus igitur
- trad. european – warm-up exercise: zing-a-mama
- shelton brooks – the darktown strutters' ball
- ludwig van beethoven – an die freude
- charles wood, thomas oliphant – deck the halls
- adolf fredrik lindblad – en sommarafton
- pierre attaingnant, césar geoffray – tourdion
- les applegate – goodbye my coney island baby
- johann sebastian bach – o haupt voll blut und wunden
- helan går – swedish trad
In the Box:
- Synthesizer doll (Bogdan)
- USB cable
- Documentation
