A440 Lamp

Thierry:

There's some documentation that one of the instruments that Leon himself built had a lamp facing the performer that lit when they were on A440.

How difficult would it be to make a kit for the Etherwave that did that?

You could do a survey here to see how many people would buy it and how much they would pay for it.

Why is this idea important for a Thereminist with all the tuners out there? This for sure is a bit-shifter project. We have an audience of about five people today so who would buy it.

I know a simple method I would try but let us see if any creativity is still out there. I have watched the bit-shifters for twenty years and still "waiting" for any one of them to demonstrate something that works properly. 

I am starting to think it was the experimenter white proto boards that destroyed the theremin. Both analog vs digital theremins produce a proximity controlled whistle, why do some need to make it so complicated.

Christopher

I was thinking of something totally analog, a half dozen analog components that go inside the EW.

What I like about your A440 single lamp indicator is that it gets back to basic electronics. 

How would you make it with analog? You seem to have an idea, me too.

As I watch TW today it is being overrun by a bit-shifter pot of stew, stirred by every months new non-sense. I have observed this for almost twenty years and no one has demonstrated anything that works properly. I am sure it will happen eventually but it will not have the spirit of the theremin, for that you must be invited. I thought that was common knowledge?

The hobbyist has long since pass away, the bit-shifters will most likely delete my post as usual.

Christopher

"There's some documentation that one of the instruments that Leon himself built had a lamp facing the performer that lit when they were on A440.
How difficult would it be to make a kit for the Etherwave that did that?"  - DanielMacKay

Probably not too difficult, particularly if it doesn't have to be super accurate (for an analog implementation - for digital it would be 100% spot on if done even half-way right).  You could pick the signal off pre VCA to get a good signal.  I imagine Lev himself wouldn't stop there were he here doing this today, but I can't say for sure as he doesn't communicate to me from beyond the grave.

Ya know, it takes more than one light to really show what's going on.  If it's a little dim, are you sharp or flat?  Or is it a little dim because the room lights are bright?  So you need 3 lights minimum to a indicate a tone IMO.  And if you're going to all that trouble...

Gono that is a good answer but from my minimum experience at looking at a tuner the musical note can pass by fast.

dewster has the right logic, just wish he presented a little more.

The method that comes to me that is analog and minimal parts is to try using a 555 missing pulse detector. It allows you to know if the musical note is high or low or reasonably On by flickering when the 440 pulse rate drops below 439 hz.

Christopher

In performance you can not have a digital tuner sitting on top of your theremin, and you won't be watching one to see if you're staying on pitch.

This does NOT have to be a quick response circuit, although obviously an analog circuit would be.

I imagine using this before you start playing, to get pitch in the same way that you now use a tuning fork to get pitch before you begin playing. If that takes a half second or five seconds, that's OK.

And yes, a lamp that got brighter or dimmer depending on how close to 440 you were would be just fine.

I believe Barbara Buchholz used a guitar tuner on top of her tVOX tour Theremin during performance. 

With the advent of inexpensive electronic tuners, I think the pressure for manufacturers to provide something arguably less useful like a single A440 light has been greatly diminished.  Effectively instant response note displays integrated into digital Theremins on the other hand...