|
|
| Showing News Items 1 - 10 of 32 Next 10 |
|
|
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Case mods have been all the rage with hardcore gamer PCs for several years. Hot rods inspired the craze with neon running lights and license plate frames. Well now the crazed has crossed the chasm into the Ether... Etherwave case mods, that is!
Using an Arduino based circuit, hardware hacker Joe Saavedra pimped out his Moog Etherwave Theremin with a new clear/frosted acrylic top and 2 RGB LED lights. The circuit reads control voltages from the Etherwave and adjusts the lights based on your playing.
Calling out to Joe - care to make this an official aftermarket product? The theremin market needs more of this type of accessory!
To create your own hot-rodded Frankentheremin case, follow Joe's instructions here.
Via: Make Online |
|
|
Saturday, July 25, 2009
From the LEGO Community comes this optical theremin built from... you guessed it - LEGOs! The instrument features 2 optical sensors for controlling pitch and volume. Included on the website are the LEGO "schematics", a software patch to create the theremin, and a video demonstrating how it is played.
This looks like a fun and easy project to introduce junior scientists to the theremin. Hopefully you can work some magic on the software to improve the pitch range a bit!
Read: Light Theremin - NXT
Still got the LEGO theremin bug? Why not try this LEGO Tannerin while you're at it?
Have fun!
|
|
|
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Here's a fun twist on the theremin that looks to be fairly easy to build too. Circuit-Projects.com has posted an article on how to make a "Squaremin" - a theremin-like instrument that uses IR sensors instead of metal antennas to control sound. An additional departure from the theremin, one of the Squaremin's two IR sensors controls pitch, while the other controls which octave is being played. On top of the Squaremin, different colored lights indicate which note and octave are currently being played.
The Squaremin is powered by batteries, making it a portable instrument. As IR instruments can sometimes be sensitive to ambient lighting, I'm curious to hear about how it performs in various settings.
If you build one, please share some pictures and sound files with us! Enjoy!
Read: Building Squaremin as a form of theremin (Circuit-Projects.com)
[Via: Twitter]
|
|
|
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Make Online has posted a short video demonstrating the Gakken Premium Theremin. Enjoy! |
|
|
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
For those of you craving a Theremin-to-MIDI controller, here's a free program you can run in Pd to do just that! Percussionist and music/technology blogger Charles Martin created this app in order to use his theremin as a controller for effects. It makes use of the "fiddler" object in Pd for pitch to MIDI conversion.
One thing that stands out immediately to me is the 0-127 (7 bit) control accuracy. Other Theremin to MIDI devices (e.g. the Moog Ethervox) output a 14-bit high resolution signal. Of course, it can be challenging to find a MIDI device that will actually support 14-bit signals for controls like pitch bend. In my experience, however, it's practically necessary when using a theremin as a pitch controller. With 7 bit resolution, you'd hear "chops" between the jumps in the pitch signal depending on how far you're bending it.
I've never used Pd myself, and I'm curious to hear how likely you would be to use a tool like this in a performance? Obviously you'd have to have a laptop connected to your theremin rig somehow - is that too much to deal with in a typical performance?
Read: Theremin to MIDI Control program in Pd (Charles Martin Percussionist Blog) via CreateDigitalMusic |
|
|
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
First it was theremins wearing cat costumes, then cats playing theremins, and now this...
Meet Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. Jr. - the Owl Theremin! Hats off to new Theremin World member youngpedals (Marcus Young) for creating this beast and sharing photos of his construction process.
In true Dr. Frankenstein fashion, Marcus gave this stuffed owl a brain transplant consisting of a theremin based on Art Harrison's Model 145 Theremin.
When not mixing taxidermy and theremin construction, Marcus is busy building analog effects pedals and working towards an Electrical Engineering degree. Read more about him and his project on the owl theremin thread in our forums. Thanks Marcus! |
|
|
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
photo L.E.Parker
Well maybe not exactly a steam theremin (at least not yet) but performance artist, and Art Institute of
California faculty member, Lorin Edwin Parker did build a steam powered synthesizer,
The Parker Steam Synthesizer.
As part of his UFO installation with artist Jay
Stuckey, he built ten different custom theremins.
And for his latest Electric Western project, he built an
all retro-tech tube theremin recreating as closely as possible Lev Termen's 1919 original.
Keeping a Do-It-Yourself approach to all his work, his projects have included a wide variety of unique
apparatuses. Parker also teaches DIY
Workshops and tutorials.
He's been featured in the Wired
Blog By Alexis Madrigal.
It's incredible how Parker pushes the envelope, even into the past, he's helping keep Lev's
creative
influence alive today.
|
|
|
Monday, April 07, 2008
Popular Science shares an article with instructions and schematics for building a small optical theremin for under $20. This would probably be a great project for someone fairly new to electronics. Being an optical theremin, it doesn't operate on the same principles as true theremins, but the end effect is similar. The author notes that this particular design is very light sensitive and recommends playing it under "subdued lighting" for best performance.
If you're not into parts gathering, you can also try building one of these optical theremins on eBay for a similar project.
Now, I'm not too fond of cheapy optical theremins myself, but I suppose they do have their place. Years ago, when I was probably 8 or so, I wired up a small optical theremin by following instructions in one of those old spring-connection type 150-in-1 electronics kits from Radio Shack (here's the actual kit). Thinking back to my childhood, playing with that kit was probably one of the main reasons I got interested in electronics, electronic music, making LEDs light up, and eventually computers. So maybe this little project will inspire some new young person to follow the pursuit of gadgetry.
Happy soldering!
Read: Build a Pocket Theremin on the Cheap (PopSci.com) |
|
|
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
|
Bre Pettis of MAKE Magazine recently ran a video article showing how to build one of Art Harrison's theremin kits. If you're looking for a little soldering practice and want to get your feet wet in Theremin waters, this project might just be for you. Have fun!
 |
|
| Showing News Items 1 - 10 of 32 Next 10 |
|
Back to news index...
|
|
|
