Etherwave Pro reviewBy: Jason, 8/20/2005 2:52:01 PM -
Etherwave Pro Review
By: Jason Barile
Pros:
- eye-catching design
- superb pitch response range, great linearity
- preset sounds plus timbre and pitch control
- headphone jack for audio preview
- CV outputs for controlling analog gear
- DVD tutorial featuring Pamelia Kurstin included
Cons:
- weight contributes to a slight tendancy for wobbling
Cost: $1399 from InstrumentPro.com (use coupon code AFF01 at checkout for a 5% discount!)
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Moog Music celebrated Bob Moog’s 50th anniversary as a theremin maker by introducing the visually stunning Etherwave Pro in 2004. If you thought it had all “been done” in the space of theremin design, think again. The Etherwave Pro’s Zen-like combination of sound, beauty, and features creates a unique and special place for itself in the family tree of touchless musical instruments.
I recently had the opportunity to spend a week with a demo unit courtesy of Moog Music, and the following is my review.
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Unpacking and Setting Up
The Etherwave Pro arrived at my door nicely packed with high density foam in a sturdy carton. Don’t throw away your box! Besides being handy for porting your theremin around, you’ll want to keep it in case you ever need to ship your ‘Pro back for repairs. The foam is also required if you purchase the optional travel case.
Included in the box were the theremin, pitch arm & antenna, volume antenna, a modified mic stand, a power cord, a paper owner’s manual, warranty card, and a DVD featuring virtuosa thereminist Pamelia Kurstin and Bob Moog.
Figure 1 - Etherwave Pro ready to be unpacked
The owner’s manual includes a step-by-step guide for setting up the Etherwave Pro. My demo unit included an addendum to the original manual that described an updated procedure for mounting the ‘Pro on its stand. The volume antenna snaps into place via a ¼” phono audio plug, so there’s no risk of it falling out accidentally. Similarly, the pitch arm is mounted with a locking mechanism. All of this is super sturdy, yet easy to break down again at the end of your gig.
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The stand included with the Etherwave Pro is basically a standard microphone stand similar to what you would mount an Etherwave theremin on. But rather than having to spin around your theremin to screw it onto the stand (I can’t count how many times I’ve almost dropped my Etherwave while trying to spin it onto the stand), Moog has re-designed the mounting mechanism so you can just set the theremin on top of the stand (see figure 2). It has a notched top that aligns with a tab inside the theremin that helps to keep the theremin from spinning on the stand. It also helps you make sure you align the stand such that the legs give you optimal stability.
My only gripe with the stand is that the weight of the Etherwave Pro seemed to contribute to a tendency for the theremin to rock back and forth a bit after you turn a knob or flip a switch. You can easily steady it with your other hand, but it’s something to get use to. Depending on how you play your theremin, the wobbling might even be considered a feature! (Fishbone, are you reading this?)
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Figure 2 - Etherwave Pro mount close-up
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Plugging In
The Etherwave Pro works on a range of voltages and frequencies, making it ideal for the world-traveling thereminist. Plug it in to anything from 100 to 240 volts at 50-60Hz, and you’re good to go!
The ‘Pro offers two options for sound output. To connect to an amplifier, plug a standard guitar cable into the ¼” phono jack on the bottom panel (see figure 3) for a line-level signal. I used a Roland keyboard amplifier with the ‘Pro and it sounded great. Alternatively, you can connect headphones to the jack on the front panel and play without an amplifier at all. The headphone jack might also come in handy during live performances as a monitor.
Figure 3 - Bottom panel close-up
Also on the bottom panel are CV output jacks – one for pitch and the other for volume. The Etherwave Pro does not include a MIDI output jack, but the CV-jacks can be used to control a Moog Voyager synthesizer or Moogerfooger effects pedals along with a wide range of other CV-compatible gear. Unfortunately, I don’t have any CV gear, so I wasn’t able to test this feature.
In addition to the headphone ouput, you’ll find a tuner output jack on the front panel. This is a new feature to Moog Theremins, yet one that several people have added to their orginal Etherwave Theremins as a custom modification. You can connect any standard electronic tune to the jack and use it to “see” what note you’re playing before you bring up the volume.
Finding that special sound…
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The front panel of the Etherwave Pro features several knobs and switches that let you customize the response of the antennas and the sound produced. Let’s walk through each briefly, starting from the top-left:
The volume knob controls the responsiveness of the volume antenna. Tune it one way to adjust for smoother volume fades, and the other to shrink the response range for sharper attacks. The ‘Pro manual kindly points out that this knob is frequently misunderstood on theremins as a gain control; you actually need to control that on your amplifier.
The pitch knob controls the responsiveness of the pitch antenna. You generally want to tune a theremin so that the zero beat point (the point where it stops reacting to your presence) is about an arm’s length from the antenna. Of course, everyone has their own preference, and you can use this knob to stretch the response range to anywhere from several feet away from the antenna to absurdly close – your call!
The register knob provides three settings for pitch range. Once you’ve set the response distance of the pitch antenna with the pitch knob, you can use this switch to set which octaves of notes are produced within that distance. For example, if you’re going to be playing in the lower registers, use the far left setting. Use the middle setting for mid-range playing, and the far right setting for playing in the upper registers. In my tests, I found the lower range could produce notes from G1-E7, the mid range from G1-F8, and the upper setting from G1-F9.
Next we find the timbre knob. This control provides 6 choices of the timbre produced by the ‘Pro. The first setting enables the front-panel controls for waveform, brightness, and filter controls (see below). The others select from 5 pre-programmed sounds. I was pleased to find a simple sine wave included as one of the options. While not recognized as the “classic” theremin sound, the flute-like sine tone has been used extensively by Lydia Kavina in recent years using other makes of theremins.
Nestled between the register and timbre knobs is an output switch. The main power switch is located on the bottom of the instrument, but this handy switch lets you mute the audio output without turning the power off. This is especially useful while letting the instrument warm up. As all analog electronics heat up, their characteristics drift slightly. On a theremin, this means that your pitch response could change slightly over time. If you’ve ever tuned a theremin to silence and then walked away from it, only to have it slowly start playing a bass note by itself a few minutes later, you’ll know what I’m talking about. With the ‘Pro, just use this switch to mute the audio as the instrument heats up or between songs, then unmute when you’re ready to play.
Next come the waveform, brightness, and filter controls. These are similar to the knobs found on the original Etherwave theremin. You can use them to tweak the shape of the wave produced to create anything from a sharp buzzy square tone to a smooth sine-like wave. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to “save” a particular sound once you’ve adjusted the knobs to your liking and recall it later.
Below these three knobs are the headphones jack, headphones volume knob, and the tuner jack, all described above. And finally, just below these are 2 holes for accessing fine-tuning knobs for the pitch and volume antennas inside the main body of the Etherwave Pro. In general, you’ll probably never need to adjust these.
From the back, the Etherwave Pro isn't quite as visually stunning, but everyone in the audience should recognize the name!
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Figure 4 - Front panel close-up
Figure 5 - Etherwave Pro rear view
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Making Beautiful Music
The manual includes a brief description of what a theremin is and how it’s played. But for a real treat, pop in the DVD and sit back for an hour while Pamelia Kurstin walks you through some of the finer points of playing. Fair warning - her demonstrations are so precise and effortless that may get the improper impression that playing a theremin is easy! The tutorial isn’t as structured as Mastering the Theremin with Lydia Kavina (which ships with the original Etherwave theremin), but it still provides the basic instructions required to get started as well as several advanced techniques that will leave you hungry to carve out more practice time in your busy schedule.
An interesting side note is that the DVD as filmed in New York at Sear Sound, owned by Walter Sear, a former college of Bob Moog’s from the early days of the original R.A. Moog company.
The following are some audio samples of the Etherwave Pro. You’ll need to pardon the poor recording quality. My usual gear was unavailable, so I recorded these samples on a laptop with the headphone output connected directly to the microphone input on the laptop – certainly not an ideal setup!
Audio Samples:
Final Thoughts
If the Etherwave theremin is the “Stratocaster” of theremins, then the Etherwave Pro is the tweaked out American ‘Strat with custom pickups, precision tuners, and fat frets. As a theremin enthusiast for nearly 10 years, I was completely re-energized by the beauty and flexibility of this instrument. As if a theremin needed to be anymore of a conversation piece, the fine craftsmanship just adds icing to the cake.
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