Where to setup my theremin?!?

Hello, I just got a Burns B3 Deluxe, and I have only had the chance to play it for a couple of minutes. I wanted to ask, were should i set it up? I don't have much space, so there would be a sofa a few feet behind me, is that ok? There would be fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling, but I can turn them off. There would be a computer 6- 8 feet away (also off) and a T.V. 5 feet in front of it (possibly on if I'm watching Thomas Grillos theremin lessons DVD) Is all of this ok? I would'nt be on the first floor, it would be down one staircase, if that helps. Will any of this interfere? I only got a couple of minutes to play it, so I don't know yet.

Unless your sofa can walk or wave its arms near the instrument, you should be o.k. : - )

How bout the lights? Those ok?

I think you need to experiment with things turned on and off.  I have my theremin set up in my home office, which has a fluorescent overhead light and is about 6 feet from my computer, 4 from the monitor.  Sometimes I play along w/accompaniment tracks from YouTube, or watch tutorials.  It doesn't make a difference in my case if these things are on or off.  I have the pitch antenna field set somewhere between 18-24 inches.  It is important to let it warm up for about 10 minutes before you start playing.

Probably your power source is more of a potential issue w/sound clarity.  My biggest issue is the cat attacking the PA speaker.  I have to lock her out during practice sessions.

What if you start playing before it's fully warmed up? Would it damage/throw off the instrument.

I just got another chance to play it, this time for around half an hour. It doesn't seem like anythings interfering, so hopefully all is good! The theremin is probably the coolest instrument ever. It's different, sounds awesome, IT'S PLAYED WITHOUT FREAKING TOUCHING IT!!!! And it can actually be played very musically at a professional level. Oh, and it was invented in 1919 or something like that. Nearly a hundred years ago! A hundred years!

There said: “Would it damage/throw off the instrument”

I enjoy your excitement, I still get the thrill after all these years when I discover something new theremin-wise.

The two main issues that could damage your theremin are dragging your feet across the carpet and you get that pop from fingertip static discharge to the antenna.

Changing the wall-wart from 9v to 12v will seem to work fine except the extra volts will become extra heat within the theremin box. This will affect pitch drift, most noticeable when you walk away for a while and have to retune the pitch knob when you come back. Usually this should be minimal. Worse case you need to continually retune the pitch while playing after warm-up.

A recorded muddy sound byte at 9v and one nicer at 12v would be very telling if someone posted these.

Speaking of warm-up, go outside, right now you are at 24° f, today Temecula gets up to 82°. 0-:

Good Luck,

Christopher   

How can I tell if it's 9v or 12v? I'm not very good with electronics :D

EDIT: never mind, I looked it up, I'm stupid.

Take if from someone who has damaged more than one theremin from not grounding myself before playing in the winter on a carpet. Static discharge can damage your instrument (or send it totally out of whack). It might be 82 in sunny old Temecula but here in NJ, its snowing like crazy, freezing and there's not much humidity in the air. So if you walk around the room and touch something conductive and you get zapped, so will your theremin if you don't get rid of the charge. It's hard not to touch the volume antenna. If you sense you have a static issue make sure to ground yourself before playing. I got myself an antistatic mat and also have a set of inexpensive heel grounds that I now wear to be safe. My Etherwave is still in the shop.

Now I also have some ground loop noise that is annoying. I got myself a little power filter that plugs in the wall that helps.

Ground Loop Eliminator

You might also consider a DI box once you start really getting good and want to record.

Rich

Do you think static damage would still be a problem with hardwood flooring?