question from a rookie

I have had my Etherwave for about a week, and have noticed that each new time that I turn it on, I have to rotate the pitch knob a little further to the left than I had it before. I fear that this may be a serious problem. One reason may be because I live in a dorm room, where there are beds, etc. within a few feet of it, but I do not know. Any help?

Chances are that it is not a serious problem. Why don't you try moving your Etherwave around in the room? in fact, take it out of your dorm room into a space that has more clearance around all sides of your Theremin. In any case you will need to readjust the pitch. Also, let your Theremin warm up before tuning it.

Remember that the elecro-magnetic field encircles the antenna all the way around... objects in your field from any direction can affect the pitch and/or volume fields.

In a small confined space like a dorm room (tiny, if it's anything like mine was), you definitely want to keep it away from microwaves, TVs, computer monitors, etc. if they're turned on. Any of those could cause interference with your theremin.

Temperature, humidity, the proximity of nearby objects and most importantly the length of time which you've left the theremin to warm up for (leave it for 5 mins or so to stabilise after you turn it on- always) will all affect the playing circle.

It shouldn't be anything to worry about- perhaps you're going through a period of heat change or something?

Yes you definitely need a clear area. I was practicing and suddenly I couldn't get any output. Turns out my 6 year old was laying on the floor, on his back and was sticking his left foot in the air right below the volume antenna....

My child's grandmother walked in the front door. The theremin went woooooooooooooooooo real low. Scared the dickens out of her too.

Nudder pointer----turn the thing off when not using it!!!! Which is good advice for any electronics anyway.

PHILILP

I agree. Don't leave it on overnight or anything. But DO leave it on if you're gonna come back and play again within an hour or so. That way it doesn't cool down and 'destabilise,' so you'll have longer to practice and you should find it easier to play. When you return having left the instrument on it will be 'warm' when you come to play it.

P.S To mute the Etherwave, just drape the cable over the volume loop!

thanks for your help. actually i have sent it to the Moog factory to have some modifications done so when i get it back i will be sure to take yall's suggestions

Cool. Out of curiosity, what mods are you having done?

ok-this may be controversial but ill look forward to seeing what yall think. i want to be able to play fast, intricate rhythms, so the Moog guys are gonna change it so that it produces no sound unless i touch the volume antenna, so that i can tap out rhythms with my left hand. I am aware that it will take a while to become proficient at playing the correct pitches, etc before fast rhythm comes into play, but this is what i want. sacrificing the cool mystique of not touching the instrument so that i can play as fast as i want is a good trade off to me. has anyone heard of this or have any other ideas for playing fast articulations?

Hello coltrane,

I am more circuit technical than a musical, I cover a lot of experimenting ground over the course of time.

The beginning of this sound byte demonstrates something like you mention.

http://www.oldtemecula.com/theremin/ultermen/sound/ult6_3.mp3 (266kb)


Exactly how I do it is on this webpage, which demonstrates the future of the theremin.

http://www.oldtemecula.com/theremin/ultermen/ultermen5.htm


Keep on with your brilliant creative thinking. Breaking out of the box is what Lev hoped for; it’ll one day set the theremin free!

Good Luck,