{
  "guide": {
    "slug": "teenage-engineering-choir-leila",
    "title": "Teenage Engineering Choir Leila Buyer Guide",
    "subtitle": "Leila’s soprano register, dimensions, controller requirements, and comparison with nearby Choir voices.",
    "summary": "Leila is the soprano member of Teenage Engineering’s Choir. Choose the voice and physical form you want, then verify the controller and ensemble setup.",
    "archetype": "buyer",
    "category": {
      "slug": "hardware",
      "name": "Hardware",
      "description": "Product factsheets for computers, devices, peripherals, and buying decisions."
    },
    "tags": [
      "teenage-engineering",
      "hardware",
      "design",
      "teenage-engineering-choir-leila"
    ],
    "version": "2026-10-18.2",
    "publishedAt": "2026-10-18",
    "updatedAt": "2026-10-18",
    "freshness": "Checked October 18, 2026. Specifications and catalog prices are manufacturer statements. This is a source-based buying reference, not an independent hands-on test or live offer feed.",
    "heroLabel": "Teenage Engineering",
    "vaultPath": "Research/Technology/Hardware/Teenage Engineering Choir Leila Buyer Guide.md",
    "r2JsonKey": "guides/teenage-engineering-choir-leila/2026-10-18.2.json",
    "stats": [],
    "thesisCards": [
      {
        "label": "Buying call",
        "title": "Choose Leila when you want the soprano role.",
        "body": "Leila’s soprano register, dimensions, controller requirements, and comparison with nearby Choir voices."
      }
    ],
    "sources": [
      {
        "id": "doll",
        "title": "CH-8 Leila specifications",
        "url": "https://teenage.engineering/store/ch-8-leila",
        "publisher": "Teenage Engineering",
        "sourceType": "official",
        "role": "spec",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18"
      },
      {
        "id": "voices",
        "title": "Choir voice ranges",
        "url": "https://teenage.engineering/products/choir",
        "publisher": "Teenage Engineering",
        "sourceType": "official",
        "role": "spec",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18"
      },
      {
        "id": "manual",
        "title": "Choir user guide",
        "url": "https://teenage.engineering/guides/choir",
        "publisher": "Teenage Engineering",
        "sourceType": "official",
        "role": "spec",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18"
      },
      {
        "id": "manual-pdf",
        "title": "Choir operating manual PDF",
        "url": "https://assets.teenage.engineering/_img/636c37045334794ec4ee7f34_original.pdf",
        "publisher": "Teenage Engineering",
        "sourceType": "official",
        "role": "spec",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18"
      },
      {
        "id": "updates",
        "title": "Choir firmware and repertoire",
        "url": "https://teenage.engineering/downloads/choir",
        "publisher": "Teenage Engineering",
        "sourceType": "official",
        "role": "spec",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18"
      },
      {
        "id": "us-api",
        "title": "Official US product price and status feed",
        "url": "https://teenage.engineering/_api/mw2/products.json",
        "publisher": "Teenage Engineering",
        "sourceType": "official",
        "role": "price",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18"
      },
      {
        "id": "hands-on",
        "title": "Hainbach first-person Choir test notes",
        "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/z13q7p/i_promised_a_video_on_the_teenage_engineering/",
        "publisher": "Hainbach",
        "sourceType": "review",
        "role": "review",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18"
      },
      {
        "id": "teardown",
        "title": "Choirama owner research and teardown",
        "url": "https://github.com/jetztgradnet/Choirama",
        "publisher": "jetztgradnet",
        "sourceType": "teardown",
        "role": "background",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18"
      },
      {
        "id": "community",
        "title": "Owner controller and setup reports",
        "url": "https://op-forums.com/t/teenage-engineering-choir-with-op-1-field/23302?page=3",
        "publisher": "OP Forums",
        "sourceType": "community",
        "role": "community-signal",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18"
      }
    ],
    "claims": [
      {
        "id": "claim-1",
        "claim": "Leila is the soprano doll, measuring 80 × 80 × 249 mm and weighing 877 g.",
        "sourceId": "doll",
        "sectionId": "voice",
        "guideLocation": "voice",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "Manufacturer documentation checked October 18, 2026; no independent performance or condition verification."
      },
      {
        "id": "claim-2",
        "claim": "The family page lists C#4–A5 as the characteristic register for Leila.",
        "sourceId": "voices",
        "sectionId": "voice",
        "guideLocation": "voice",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "Manufacturer documentation checked October 18, 2026; no independent performance or condition verification."
      },
      {
        "id": "claim-3",
        "claim": "The manufacturer lists 3–4 hours of continuous singing.",
        "sourceId": "doll",
        "sectionId": "operation",
        "guideLocation": "operation",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "Manufacturer documentation checked October 18, 2026; no independent performance or condition verification."
      },
      {
        "id": "claim-4",
        "claim": "Bluetooth MIDI controllers and Ortho Remote can control the Choir; one connected doll controls the group.",
        "sourceId": "manual-pdf",
        "sectionId": "control",
        "guideLocation": "control",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "Manufacturer documentation checked October 18, 2026; no independent performance or condition verification."
      },
      {
        "id": "claim-5",
        "claim": "All dolls must share the same OS version to sing together.",
        "sourceId": "updates",
        "sectionId": "setup",
        "guideLocation": "setup",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "Manufacturer documentation checked October 18, 2026; no independent performance or condition verification."
      },
      {
        "id": "claim-6",
        "claim": "The US feed lists individual dolls at $249, mini ensemble at $747, and full ensemble at $1,992.",
        "sourceId": "us-api",
        "sectionId": "comparison-ladder",
        "guideLocation": "comparison-ladder",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "Manufacturer documentation checked October 18, 2026; no independent performance or condition verification."
      },
      {
        "id": "claim-7",
        "claim": "The mini ensemble contains Carlo, Hatshepsut, and Ivana; the full ensemble contains all eight names.",
        "sourceId": "us-api",
        "sectionId": "comparison-ladder",
        "guideLocation": "comparison-ladder",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "Manufacturer documentation checked October 18, 2026; no independent performance or condition verification."
      }
    ],
    "sections": [
      {
        "id": "decision",
        "eyebrow": "Decision",
        "title": "Choose Leila when you want the soprano role.",
        "body": "Leila has the highest upper note in the family’s published characteristic registers. If you are building contrast against Bogdan’s bass, that is a concrete reason to audition Leila. It is not proof of greater loudness, clarity, or realism. Listen to the synthesis character at the notes you actually use, especially if exposed high melodic lines will dominate the arrangement."
      },
      {
        "id": "voice",
        "eyebrow": "Compare",
        "title": "Leila has a specific register and physical shape.",
        "table": {
          "columns": [
            "Item",
            "Official specification",
            "What it means"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "Voice",
              "Soprano",
              "A characteristic vocal role, not a speaker frequency-response test."
            ],
            [
              "Listed register",
              "C#4–A5",
              "The family page says solo performance can adapt beyond the characteristic role; do not treat this as a proven hard MIDI boundary."
            ],
            [
              "Dimensions",
              "80 × 80 × 249 mm",
              "Leave additional room for hands, controls, and charging."
            ],
            [
              "Weight",
              "877 g",
              "Use a stable surface and handle the wooden parts carefully."
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "id": "operation",
        "eyebrow": "Operation",
        "title": "A singing instrument with a built-in repertoire.",
        "body": "The solid-beech figure contains a speaker module and plays prepared songs on its own or joins other Choir dolls. A gentle tap controls play/pause, and tilting changes volume. The manufacturer specifies 3–4 hours of continuous singing. That is a battery claim, not a measured result here. Think of it as a small physical performer, not a general-purpose Bluetooth music speaker."
      },
      {
        "id": "control",
        "eyebrow": "Control",
        "title": "Confirm Bluetooth MIDI compatibility before buying a controller.",
        "body": "MIDI carries musical instructions such as notes; Bluetooth audio streaming is a different function. Teenage Engineering names OP-1 field, OP-Z, compatible Bluetooth MIDI keyboards, and Ortho Remote. The remote handles start/stop and volume; it is not a keyboard. Pairing one doll can control the group. A keyboard with USB or five-pin MIDI alone does not establish the required wireless connection."
      },
      {
        "id": "setup",
        "eyebrow": "Setup",
        "title": "Plan Leila’s charging and update access.",
        "body": "The manual lists the hidden charging inputs specifically for Bogdan, Olga, and Ivana; inspect Leila’s own module access and cable route rather than copying another figure’s setup. Charge and test the doll individually before adding it to an ensemble. The official download page requires all participating dolls to use the same OS version. On October 18 it listed 1.2.2 with a midsummer repertoire alongside older repertoire downloads. Choose a consistent version deliberately; update files are transferred through the doll’s USB drive according to the official instructions."
      },
      {
        "id": "comparison-ladder",
        "eyebrow": "Compare",
        "title": "Compare Leila with adjacent voices and the actual bundles.",
        "table": {
          "columns": [
            "Choice",
            "Reason to compare",
            "Budget or contents"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "Leila",
              "Your target soprano voice",
              "$249 in the October 18 US catalog."
            ],
            [
              "Gisela",
              "B3–G5 mezzo soprano; a lower published upper endpoint.",
              "A different named doll; verify its own offer."
            ],
            [
              "Hatshepsut",
              "A3–F5 mezzo soprano; a lower starting register and taller figure.",
              "A different named doll; do not reuse this page’s Amazon link."
            ],
            [
              "Mini ensemble",
              "Carlo + Hatshepsut + Ivana; does not include Leila",
              "$747 catalog price: three times $249, not an observed discount."
            ],
            [
              "Full ensemble",
              "All eight named voices",
              "$1,992 catalog price: eight times $249; more devices to charge and update."
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "id": "evidence",
        "eyebrow": "Evidence",
        "title": "Listen to the timbre and test your own connection.",
        "body": "Hainbach’s first-person notes describe the interest of microphone placement and an early Mac connection problem. Choirama supplies owner research and a teardown; OP Forums contains mixed controller reports, including setup mistakes later corrected. These are useful hands-on and community sources, not standardized tests of every doll or current firmware. They do not establish today’s latency, failure rate, or battery duration. This guide has not independently auditioned Leila."
      },
      {
        "id": "buy",
        "eyebrow": "Buy",
        "title": "Buy the named Leila doll, not a generic Choir listing.",
        "body": "{{commerce:target|View the official Leila product}}. No exact Amazon identity was accepted for this doll. The official direct link is not an affiliate link; confirm current stock, price, contents, and returns. Other Choir names are different products, not substitutes."
      }
    ],
    "commerce": {
      "disclosure": "Official manufacturer link; no affiliate commission from this link.",
      "primaryLinkId": "target",
      "priceApi": {
        "provider": "merchant-observed",
        "status": "not_configured",
        "note": "No live offer feed. Confirm exact product, price, availability, seller, and returns."
      },
      "links": [
        {
          "id": "target",
          "merchant": "Teenage Engineering",
          "title": "Teenage Engineering Choir Leila",
          "label": "Teenage Engineering Choir Leila",
          "description": "Exact model reference; confirm offer terms before ordering.",
          "url": "https://teenage.engineering/store/ch-8-leila",
          "relationship": "direct",
          "role": "target",
          "factCard": {
            "summary": "Leila is the soprano member of Teenage Engineering’s Choir. Choose the voice and physical form you want, then verify the controller and ensemble setup.",
            "caveat": "Identity is established; current offer, condition, delivery, and return terms require seller verification."
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "publicUrl": "https://fieldguides.co/g/teenage-engineering-choir-leila"
}