New combination, first improvisation with handpan, theremin and voice

The preview in Sunset's show gave something of an impression, but I can hardly wait to hear it live and direct and have some 'hands off' with it on monday to feel and hear how it plays now. From what you told it was due for a tune-up anyway. I did hear and see some demonstration videos of what the ESPE01 module does for the EW Std and Plus and when I bought my EW Plus I was initially thinking to get the module built in soon too. But then I changed my mind and decided to keep it stock for the time being, and I'm now thinking at a later point I'll get an EW Std with the ESPE01 module built in, as there's not an option to either switch between the unbuffered and buffered state, or a dial that goes from the stock circuit's character to being buffered to eliminate oscilator coupling. 
So I plan at a later point to add a theremin with ESPE01 installed to my sound palette rather than having it replace the sound character of the unmodified Moog circuit.

At least I expect I will not be getting as many theremins as I have accumulated didgeridoos over a few decades (spanning almost one chromatical octave, for some pitches a few instruments with different tone/playing characteristics) 

Today I did a little modification to my Vox Lil' Night Train mini-tube amp (pre-amp tube swap to a lower gain type) to reduce the input sensitivity and give larger control range on the gain dial. In the past I have had it like that too for guitar, when I got the amplifier initially I did a lot of 'tube rolling' to find some good combinations of some old time tubes to replace the new Chinese ones.

"I did hear and see some demonstration videos of what the ESPE01 module does for the EW Std and Plus and when I bought my EW Plus I was initially thinking to get the module built in soon too. But then I changed my mind and decided to keep it stock for the time being, and I'm now thinking at a later point I'll get an EW Std with the ESPE01 module built in, as there's not an option to either switch between the unbuffered and buffered state, or a dial that goes from the stock circuit's character to being buffered to eliminate oscilator coupling."  - DreadVox

You could build my YAWESBM [LINK] and stick it in there.  Simply jumper it out if you don't like the decoupling.  Personally, I'm on the fence as to whether it is a net positive or negative.  It (like the ESPE01) extends and somewhat linearizes the bass playing range, but removes the raspiness of the low end and makes it "meow" (tracking filter / fixed waveform sound).  Perhaps replacing the bypass jumper with a few pF or so might give the best (or worst?) of both worlds.  Don't do the ESPE01 unless you really are certain that you want what it does.

Hi Dewster, yeah I decided I needed first to hear and experience what the oscillator decoupling does firsthand, and I do find use for the raspy effect in the low range, like emulating cetacean sonar clicks and cat's purring (with a fundamental frequency around 22-23 Hz, seems to speed up healing of strained muscles and broken bones). Your YAWESBM circuit, perhaps with a small trimmable variable capacitor across the bypass jumper could be worth trying at some point.

Hi Dread!

If you want the module, please let it build in by Wilco! Than you also will have guarantee ;-)

Love & Waves from the South of the Netherlands

DreadVox, I made an audio recording of before and after the YAEWSBM install in a Big Briar Theremin I recently worked on, see this post for the link:

http://www.thereminworld.com/forums/T/28485?post=213553#213553

Hello DreadVox,

I also had my own approach to modifying the EWS sound found here but I abandoned the idea of mutilating the PCB for such minimal improvement.

You can solder tack a single 47pf or 100pf capacitor across the EWS detector D4 diode for a more mellow sound. In my opinion this method is better for several reasons than the other Bass modifications. This takes advantage of shaping the mixed analog RF waveform so it sounds more natural and not robotic. 

There must not be any stress on the diode connections or you will crack the glass. Replacement is simple enough with a 1N914 but let us avoid it. Any wire connections to the diode must remain short, under 75mm.

The image shows a switch so two values can be substituted for selectable mellowness. This sound sample is using a 100pf, a 47pf is a little more edgy.

That switch could also be a miniature SPDT switch wired similar for easier switching.

Christopher

Having had a little go on Yeapsystar's Etherwave theremin with the newly installed ESPE01 module and a tune-up by Wilco Botermans, for now the original Etherwave sound actually appeals to me more with its 'roughness'. I can extend an octave down by using the octaver effect in my Vox Valvetronix Tonelab, wich can also blend the octave down tone with the original for a richer and fuller tone, and I can further shape the timbre with various amplifier models with their own tone characteristics and tone control / equalizing options. Using the Filtron envelope following filter effect (set to minimum envelope following response), especially when it's combined with the octaver or with wahwah in a fixed position, it gets close to what the EHX Talking Machine pedal can do, introducing vocal-like formant filtering.
I'm quite happy with the timbral options I get with the signal chain I'm using, but I can also imagine that when one is using their theremin mainly straight into an instrument amp or PA, the buffering module could be preferable. And then there are the individual differences in taste for 'tone', and how only part of the tone when a theremin is being played is the instrument and the amplification chain, but also in the 'handwriting' of one's movenets, which will express itself in theremin playing just as in writing, painting, drawing, dancing. And then there is one's level of practice/developement toward the space control interface becoming more transparant and 'singing with your hands' becomes more natural, whithout having to pay much attention to what the hands are doing. 

Hi Dread 

So ... Are you going for the ESPE01 module or not yet?

It indeed depends on wether you are more a "classical" player or using the theremin as some kind of effect device! Once the module is installed, the "mopet" bass will be gone for good 

Many hugs!

Hi Yeapsy,

the distinction is not between 'classical' and 'effect device' use of the theremin as I see it, and whether it would be more suiting for one of those uses to have the ESPE01 module or other oscillator decoupling circuitry installed. It's more about the 'voice palette' that suits one's taste better. If there would be an option to make the coupling easily switchable with a toggle switch, I wouldn't hesitate, but I don't like the timbral options that are lost by installing the module, and I have workarounds to extend my pitch range an octave up or down with the pitch shifter and octaver effects on my Tonelab modeler/multi-FX unit.
The low range of the stock Etherwave can be made to sound more like a bowed (cello) string or a horn with the pulse-like waveform distortion the oscillator coupling produces, and the ESPE module seems to make the timbre more rounded/smoothed. I guess it's also a question of personal taste, like you have guitar players that prefer single coil pickups and others that prefer humbuckers. So some thereminists may prefer a stock EW Std/Plus, others prefer it with an ESPE01 module, some prefer the EW Pro, some a tube theremin, etc...
I don't really want to make a hard distinction between 'classical/accuratesse' and 'effecty/avantgarde/experimental' either, I like to incorporate both ends of that spectrum into my playing. For now the stock EW sounds combined with the signal chain I'm using seems to suit me best. For recording really smooth bass parts, the Theremini with a smooth sine-wave preset or the EW Plus driving my Korg MS-20 synthesizer can provide that. Or I may choose to use a bass guitar

Hugs

Hi Dread! 

Ah, I understand you now!

Well ... Actually, you even get more options in the timbre and brightness once the ESPE01 module is built in! EVEN the old settings, only they are harder to find as they have been "moved" to other places in the range, PLUS - because there are a lot of more options/possibilities - they contain a smaller space in the range, so you easily overlook them ... ESPECIALLY when you have your theremin on a cheap 25 Watt McKrypt guitar amplifier like mine, you easily will miss a lot of possibilities with the timbre and the brithdness  It DEFINATELY sounds a lot better on our Torques 100 Watt which are suitable for keyboards and synths and theremins!

But yeah ... I know what you mean about taste (and the sound becomes a bit rounder) ... That's one of the reasons I never should buy an ePro ... Okay, the disign of the instrument might fit better on a stage as the ePlus does, but I totally DON'T like that flutey sound of it! I think it's sometimes a shame that some thereminists who are playing on an ePro just take that sound for granted ... A theremin is a theremin, not a flute eh?  If you want to have a flute out of your instrument and you want to play like a theremin, you better can buy a theremini, which is also a lot cheaper as the ePro!

Besides that ... It also lasted 9 years with me before I finally have decided to go for it ... Also because I was afraid in earlier times I should miss the mopet bass 

Hugs back