Meet Leyla, a soprano from Palestine - one of the 8 singing wooden dolls that make up the Teenage Engineering choir. Made of beech wood, with a built-in dynamic module, each doll can perform pre-composed music or be controlled by 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, as well as perform your own original compositions in MIDI format on BLE. Each participant has their own distinctive vocal range. Individually, each can sing a dynamic solo, and together they will perform an exciting a cappella concert. The choir is based on the original absolut choir, the very first project from Teenage Engineering.
Behind the scenes
A repertoire of pre-programmed classic songs has been created and performed using an algorithm based on melodic counterpoint - a compositional method 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. Tap lightly on the doll's head or on the table to start or pause playback, or tilt the doll left or right to respectively decrease or increase volume. If she starts annoying you, you can gently slap her to turn her 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. While each has its own voice type, an individual doll can adjust her 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 a full choir experience.
What's inside?
At the core of each doll is a magical acoustic module, which also functions as a central processor and BLE transmitter and can be charged for up to 4 hours. Each doll is handcrafted from beech wood and individually polished with hard wax oil. The speaker modules inside are both detachable and rechargeable.
Compatibility with MIDI for choirs is where the real magic happens. Conduct your choir using 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. Just like in any live performance, each performance will be unique in its own way.
Full repertoire
Your favorite choir presents a collection of classic songs from 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 (Leyla)
- USB cable
- Documentation
