Assorted questions

After 366 days of playing theremin, I have a few questions - I thought I'd post them together in the newcomers' section rather than clog up the forums(!). I hope that's ok. If anyone wants to just post a link to a topic which has all the answers to a particular question I won't be offended!


* Am I right in thinking that Clara's theremin is non-linear, the Etherwave Standard is non-linear, but the Etherwave Pro is linear? Is there a simple list of linear/non-linear theremins? (I'm sorry, but I can't imagine wanting to play a linear theremin; as a violinst it seems so counter-intuitive!)

* What happened to Clara's theremin? I'm sure I read the answer a while ago (as part of an FAQ?), but I can't find the info.

* I bought my Etherwave Standard 2nd hand - is there a way of determining its history? Or at least finding out if it was pre-assembled or built? The underneath says serial number 10880.

* I adore my Etherwave Standard! However, my current pipedream is to get one built in an 'RCA-style' wooden case; more of a piece of furniture which exudes substance than a box on a stick. Also, I currently play a right-handed Standard turned around as I'm left-handed (with the dials facing away from me), so it'd be amazing to have it left-handed, so I could see what I'm doing.
Unfortunately, my DIY skills are such that I can't even put up a set of shelves, so if the time came for me to invest in this are there people who have previously built a Standard into such a case? What sort of budget would I be looking at? (I realise this is an amazingly vague question, so apologies!)

* The fact the dials are facing away from me means I don't bother messing with the waveform/brightness controls - what combinations do people recommend as their various 'presets'? (I love the more 'cutting' sound of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHpwuEQ0Zpw)

* I think I read somewhere that it's advisable to leave the Etherwave Standard turned on for 15 minutes before playing, to allow the components to warm up. Is this correct, and how long is advisable? Conversely, after being on for a long period of time will the range change?

* My instrument seems to hum a G at certain times - is this electrical interference (I play less than a metre from a PC), a dodgy PSU, a theremin fault, or 'one of those things'?


Thank you!

Hi Chris,

Happy First Theremin-Day!

Linearity. From what I have read: RCA Victor (and doubtless Clara's custom theremin): very linear, then Moog Ethervox, then Moog Etherwave Pro, then recent Moog Etherwave Standard/Plus, then older Etherwaves. Then my Kees Enkelaar. I don't know where others fit into the list.

Note that some of the RCA Victor's linearity comes from its limited range. Try doubling the size of your pitch field and only playing the middle three octaves. :-)

There are people who can report the disposition of Clara's theremin better than I.

Likewise rehousing your etherwave. (I rather like the look of my etherwave as it is. I put it on a round-base stand and pulled the silly legs off it. I think it's elegant - as if Picasso painted a flamingo.)

I have my waveform and brightness both set to about 11 o'clock, mostly. Note that as the circuitry of the etherwave has changed, so has the sound. The older one I tried had a lovely growl to it. Also choice of amp and the way you play have a significant bearing.

Leaving the theremin on. I know of one chap who leaves his on all the time to keep the circuit as stable as possible. Other people seem happy to switch it on and start playing immediately. Mine seems to settle down after a few minutes.

Is it a low G? Could be mains hum - a 50 Hz tone is between G and G♯ two octaves below Middle C.

Chris - I've been trying to contact you for ages about Hands Off 2009 - 28/9 August, near Watford Herts - email me if you're interested - gordonc at theremin org uk.

- As far as knob settings I like the waveform at twelve o'clock and the brightness all the way to the right. However, right now I'm playing through a full range 12" speaker which probably mellows out the high frequencies.

- My Etherwave takes about 10 or 15 minutes to settle down. If I want to play right away I adjust the pitch knob a hair and then trim it as it warms up.

- I too have thought about an "RCA Etherwave" cabinet but I figure that unless you are already a pro woodworker, whatever cab one DIYs might be boxy or cheap looking (unless you get creative or want it like that) and to have someone build it for you would be really expensive. I would imagine one could get a Wavefront Classic for about the price of having someone build a high quality RCA style cabinet. I would also guess the Etherwave would perform best in it's own case but I can't say that for sure.

GordonC-
"I put it on a round-base stand and pulled the silly legs off it."

Tell me about pulling your legs off. Did you just yank at them like a caveman or did you employ a more subtle technic? I think they're nailed or stapled in, correct? Do they come out easy?

I sometimes think about taking those off. Love the Picasso imagery.

The legs are held on with a couple of panel pins. I grabbed the leg with a Mole wrench and pulled.

(Then I leapt around the room on all fours, swung from the chandelier, bared my canines and shrieked my victory cry like a mandrill.)

ChrisFlynn asked:


* Am I right in thinking that Clara's theremin is non-linear, the Etherwave Standard is non-linear, but the Etherwave Pro is linear?

Chris, exactly what do you mean by "linear" and "non-linear"?


* What happened to Clara's theremin? I

Clara left her custom theremin to New York composer and musician, Dalit Warshaw.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit_Warshaw

* I bought my Etherwave Standard 2nd hand - is there a way of determining its history? Or at least finding out if it was pre-assembled or built? The underneath says serial number 10880.

You could try contacting Moog Music on that one.

* I adore my Etherwave Standard! However, my current pipedream is to get one built in an 'RCA-style' wooden case;

This has been done before but it is a bit like putting the Rolls Royce "Spirit Of Ecstasy" hood ornament onto your Volkswagen. If you can do it yourself, it will cost you no more than the price of the wood and hardware (about 75 bucks). If you have to commission a cabinet maker it will cost several times that. The Belgian hurdy gurdy virtuoso, Daniel Thonon, built his Etherwave (which I gave him) into an exact replica of Samuel Hoffman's RCA.

If you are left handed, you should be playing a left handed theremin.


* The fact the dials are facing away from me means I don't bother messing with the waveform/brightness controls - what combinations do people recommend as their various 'presets'? (I love the more 'cutting' sound........

If that's what you love, then that's the setting for you! End of story.


* I think I read somewhere that it's advisable to leave the Etherwave Standard turned on for 15 minutes before playing, to allow the components to warm up......

A warm-up period is necessary for RCA's and other vacuum tube theremins but transistors don't "warm up". Just switch on, tune, and play. You may need to check your tuning from time to time because it can shift slightly but that is the nature of the theremin, regardless of the type, and no amount of warm-up time will prevent that.


* My instrument seems to hum a G at certain times..

It shouldn't. Sounds like you may have a grounding problem. This can happen if you have your theremin or any of its components (amp, speaker etc.) plugged into peripherals (computers, FX boxes, splitters, etc.) that are plugged into different AC outlets. You might try plugging everything that has any contact with the theremin into the same power bar.

"A warm-up period is necessary for RCA's and other vacuum tube theremins but transistors don't "warm up". Just switch on, tune, and play. You may need to check your tuning from time to time because it can shift slightly but that is the nature of the theremin, regardless of the type, and no amount of warm-up time will prevent that."

I think you are wrong about that. The Etherwave manual says to let it warm up for about 10 minutes for the oscillators to stabilize. Mine needs about 10 minutes or else the sensing distance changes rapidly during that time.

Lucita wrote:

I think you are wrong about that. The Etherwave manual says to let it warm up for about 10 minutes for the oscillators to stabilize. Mine needs about 10 minutes or else the sensing distance changes rapidly during that time.

*************************

I have never bothered to warm up a transistorized theremin in all the years I have been playing. What the hell, Lucita, I don't bother to warm up my RCA's either. I give them a couple of minutes while I fiddle around and then I just dive right in!

You are both right in my eyes (no, Solomon is not my second name...).

It is correct on one side that also transistorized oscillators are temperature depending. But this effect does not have such an impact on the theremin's behavior since there are two identical oscillators which tend to drift together. It is also correct that you have adjust the pitch knob of an Etherwave Standard which remains in the same place by 1 hour (if it were a clock) for each 3°C of room temperature variation in order to have a nearly identical and reproducible pitch field.

It is correct on the other side that an experienced thereminist like coalport doesn't need this hyper-precise adjustment because he feels intuitively where he is located in the pitch field, so that a deviation of some centimeters wouldn't refrain him from playing perfectly in pitch since he compensates that automatically.

A violin looses also a bit of its tuning during playing, but one continues to play, correcting that "by ear".

What Ho, Chris,

Speaking personally, I also found the "box-on-stick" look of the E-Standard not to my taste.
From reading your comments, I wonder if a Wavefront Classic theremin would suit you ... because:
1) It has a fantastic traditional-look wood cabinet.
2) Although linearity is a little better than the E-Standard, it doesn't seem quite as linear as the E-pro (in the upper two octaves that is, where the notes do get closer together as with a violin).
3) It's designed/built in such a way that it can be set up for either a right or left-handed player. (The volume and pitch antennas have the same fitting and are interchangeable - as long as you swap over the leads to them on the inside, which is easily accessed through the opening lid). Check out these flicker photos (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigthirstytowels/sets/72157612081275197/) (not mine) to see how the antennas fit etc.
4) It has a great sound/timbre - varying between brass-like and string-like which, to my ear, is especially suited to playing classical music. Again, I'm probably not explaining well ... and the views are purely personal!

See this thread (http://www.thereminworld.com/forum.asp?cmd=p&T=4080&F=5) if the retail cost of a new Wavefront Classic is out of your range.

Sounded like a good deal. I couldn't do it since my equipment didn't sell on ebay.