Theremaniacs Theremin

Hi. I use a Moog Etherwave standard at home, but would like to get a portable Theremin (ie battery-powered) for taking on holiday etc. I am considering a Theremaniacs model
http://pages.prodigy.net/chuckcollins/homepage.html

and would like to know if any of you guys and gals have any experiences/comments on this model, whether good, bad or indifferent.
Also, if anyone has any other portable models that they have used, (that are commercially available) and would like to share comments, that would be welcome.

Thansk very much
Regards
Peter Cole

Never played with one of these, but I would not buy one! - Reason? .. Well, they talk utter rubbish about 'digital' 'analogue' 'chips'.. and the waveforms they show in their add are completely meaningless.

There is NO useful data - Linearity? Playing range (distance)? Number of octaves? USABLE number of octaves?

See thread "Theremin Pseudo Science"..

As I said, I have never played one of these - But, if they are any good, they sure know how to advertise in a way which puts off anyone with any technical knowledge.

The PCB looks minimalist - perhaps 4 or 6 transistors, 2 inductors, R's and C's.. Heterodyne mixing will probably be a simple diode mixer, there will be 2 nearly identical LC oscillators.. This is analogue, it does use inductors - BUT - so what.. ? .. I do not see even rudimentary equalisation, or anything which is likely to make this much more than a toy.. BUT I COULD BE WRONG!

It is worth noting that the Etherwave, EW Pro, Midi VOX, and almost every recent respected Theremin use 'Chips' - 'Chips' are NOT a bad thing.. Also, The EW Pro uses LOTS OF CHIPS! - And it even uses (UGH!!) DIGITAL Chips and CMOS Chips.. and even uses CMOS chips in the Audio path!

Also, worth noting - Some expensive and extremely respectable Theremins (one brand in particular) do not have inductors - the oscillators being designed with wein bridge circuits.

If you are used to playing the Etherwave, you are likely to find this maniac's Theremin unplayable.

---- BATTERY SUPPLY FOR EW ---
Perhaps your best bet is to put a battery supply together for your EW..

You need 2 supplies of between 15V and 24V each (4 9V batteries wired in series, to give +/- 18V will do fine) *+18V*---[+9V-]--[+9V-]--*0V*--[+9V-]--[+9V-]--*-18V*

0V goes to the mid pin of the power connector, there are 2 unused pins on this connector to which +18V and -18V can be connected.. Wire the +18V to the Cathode of D2 (the side with a line on it) and -18V to the Anode of D3 (side which is not marked with a line)

Doing this, you could plug either the batteries or the power supply in, to power your EW.

Email me if you want full instructions.

“There is NO useful data - Linearity? Playing range (distance)? Number of octaves? USABLE number of octaves?”

The disadvantage of the Theremanic Theremin is the lack of volume control for those that want to create music. The website only mentions a comparison between the square wave vs. an analog wave sound not any chips on the market. The sound byte furnished by Chuck is exactly what this heterodyne theremin circuitry produces. Perfect pitch linearity is possible from the Lev Antenna design mentioned on another website. This is a great cost effective building block of theremin study for those that search for more.

This is a saying that influenced me early on.

“Theremin designers will arise from every generation to bastardize the electronics, attempting to capture her song with control, barely emulating her original design. If I could attain her voice however impure, so might you my friend or else my efforts would be mask in a beautiful enclosure while only displaying pictures, my substitute from having to deliver any raw & unfiltered sound . . . this would leave me dispirited.”

My hats off to those that put up websites that share what they design.

Christopher

Non Linear Pitch (http://www.oldtemecula.com/theremin/library/danielmccauley/html/drsstc03_01.htm)
.

Thanks for the replies, guys. It would be great to rig the Etherwave up with batteries, but I am talking about taking it abroad (via air), and the volume +/or weight of the Theremin plus battery packs would be prohibitive. I think I'll probably stick to my usual routine of taking a guitar instead, and just do without any Theremin practice for two weeks (sigh..)
Regards and thanks once again.
Pete

"Theremin designers will arise from every generation to bastardize the electronics"

LOL! - Sorry.. But I believe that if Lev were alive today, we would, by now, have seen many brilliant "bastardize'd" Theremin designs from him! Electronics is a field which has advanced more since the 30's than perhaps any other - The technology today simply was not available to Lev - and neither was the understanding.

What Lev did was absolutely brilliant, and the simplicity of the design cannot be beaten.. I started out by almost scorning the fact that the basic design was still the mainstay of present Theremins - but learned from playing with alternative methods that it is extremely difficult to get the subtlties of the Theremin sound from other methods.

.. Difficult - but NOT impossible! And what constitutes "bastardize the electronics"? Not using inductors? Using 'chips'? Using some method of audio generation other than hetrodyning?

I do not care what is on the circuit board - All I care about is the sound produced, and the playability of the instrument.. This applies to Theremins or synthesisers or any musical instrument design.. And if a 'Bastardized' circuit produced a low cost Theremin which was easier to play, and sounded better than an EW Pro, then I would be happy to be the bastard designer!