THEREMIN: The Left Hand of Darkness

 Because I do not talk music I post photos and links to express myself. If we are all just brainstorming then I present an improvement on Dr. Tanner’s improvement on the Hoffman.

 In the photo the theremin antenna is in the bamboo and the circuit electronics with the pitch control knob can be seen sticking out down below.

 Volume control is out of the picture to the left.

 When you have a perfectly linear pitch field (not to be discussed here so I don’t get scolded) the piano key layout is dead on perfect. You slide your hand up and down the graphic with perfect accuracy note for note. I have a large display freeware Pitch Note Indicator on my website that updates in 1/10 of a second that I encourage people to download and use. I just helped the author solve a div/0 bug he had for many years that occurred often when no audio was present.

 Even though this is 100% theremin pitch sensing, the problem is the sideways hand movement, it does not come close the rapid finger and arm movements of a good Thereminist. In other words I abandoned this method because it is not fluid.

 The same thing happens when someone tries to play note for note watching a pitch tuner, the performance is just not fluid. That is what a non-tactile theremin gives that no other instrument can... the rapid control of a continuous flowing "natural" audio signal that is voice like. But then who am I, surely not a musician.

@GordonC:

"It should be easy for a person with an electronics background to build an adaptor to convert a two antenna theremin to a Kovalsky theremin, simply by rotating the theremin so that the volume loop is out of reach and hence the theremin is always playing at full volume, and then feeding the audio signal into a conveniently located box of circuitry that can control the volume and waveform as you describe."

Good point, but I'd like to possibly have control over multiple tone generation, pitch stepping, etc.  Having the whole thing in once box (and a firm left hand grasp on said box) would be optimal for keeping one's orientation with the pitch antenna, and would allow for better integration of all elements.

 dewster said: I'd like to possibly have control over multiple tone generation, pitch stepping, etc.

 A breathe of fresh air has filled the room, I thought I was going to faint. Some people must eat a strange diet.

 dewster you have good knowledge and experience, I hope you’re around for a while.  I need to stop posting and focus on getting my home lab back together.

My electronic knowledge tapers off after 1980. I leave you with two other experiments of mine. I used a little digital, Radio Shack use to have a wall full. Those were the days, I could even still get a date! lol

  Theremin Note Popping    Real time Theremin Octave Sliding      Solid State Heterodyning

Say hello to Snooky...

@RS Theremin:

"Even though this is 100% theremin pitch sensing, the problem is the sideways hand movement, it does not come close the rapid finger and arm movements of a good Thereminist. In other words I abandoned this method because it is not fluid."

Resting the right hand on something near the pitch antenna would definitely interfere with natural expressiveness of the Theremin, which is why I'm not necessarily proposing that in this theoretical instrument.  But the addition of a capacitive pitch ribbon might make it easier for noobs to warm up to the whole thing, and it would enable modes of playing that a pitch antenna alone doesn't.

I must say, I encounted your web site a month or so ago (& have the screen door spring to prove it :) and it helped enthuse me enough to get into Theremin design, so thank you for posting all of that info.  Your "Real time Theremin Octave Sliding" audio is very interesting!

@Dewster

"Good point, but I'd like to possibly have control over multiple tone generation, pitch stepping, etc.  Having the whole thing in once box (and a firm left hand grasp on said box) would be optimal for keeping one's orientation with the pitch antenna, and would allow for better integration of all elements."

As a potential customer I would be more inclined to buy an adaptor for my existing theremins than a whole new theremin for several reasons. It would be less expensive, give me new capabilities for both of my theremins and take up less space in my gig bag. (A mic stand adaptor on the base would be good.)

From a development point of view any circuitry that you developed for an adaptor would be reusable in your dream theremin, and sales would theoretically go some way towards funding further development.

@GordonC:

"From a development point of view any circuitry that you developed for an adaptor would be reusable in your dream theremin, and sales would theoretically go some way towards funding further development."

The problem is the the music business is rather small, the musical instrument market smaller, the Theremin market a very tiny subset, so the number of people who might possibly purchase such an adapter is almost nonexistent.  Zero interest + no profit = labor of love.  And this is during the peak of the retro movement!  I do love synthesis (it's mainly why I got into EE in the first place) and capacitive sensing, but I'm anxious to make useful instruments for a slightly broader clientel.

There might be a larger market for a Theremin-like instrument that is somewhat easier to play and more fully featured - and I don't mean a toy.  For stability and cost reasons that instrument needs to be almost 100% digital.  While there is certainly still much fun to be had with the circuitry, the analog Theremin (and the digital variants that employ heterodyning) has largely reached the end of its design cycle IMHO.  That doesn't mean it will likely go away anytime soon though.

No matter. One day I'll manage to talk someone into designing a Kovalsky adaptor, but not today. Hey-ho. :-)

My reason for popping this thread back up, was Coalports mention of the EoWave on another (recent) thread.. Rather than starting a new thread or hijacking the other, I revived this thread which is possibly related.

<Nerd Warning! reasonably technical - basic understanding of MIDI required>

I visited this French companies site, and was impressed by what I found - Not so much by the ribbon controller (although it looks like a fun product) but by their interface boards / boxes.

It looks to me like everything one needs to implement basic MIDI from a theremin with CV outputs is there, and simply configurable with their PC/MAC editor.. The Eobody 2 actually has 8 analogue inputs, so as I see it, it should be possible to configure both 12 bit CC and Note-on/off simultaneously (assigned to different MIDI Channels) and this would only use half of the available inputs.

To use the MIDI one does, alas, need a PC/MAC - these controllers actually have USB interfaces not MIDI interfaces, so if you want to drive external MIDI gear then you need a PC with MIDI interface.

But if you want to use software synths running on your PC, then these products look ideal..

I have though only read what the manufacturer says about them, and have never played with them.

Fred.

Dewster,

I have just read your opening posting on this thread - I either missed it or wasnt here when it was posted..

The idea of having a 'physical' controller for volume and possibly other functions is, IMO, a good one - Your observations about tactile feedback are also, IMO, valid... However, this does pose a serious problem (LOL) when one thinks about it - because, rationally, one cannot overcome these obvious glaring "faults" in the theremin concept without "evolving" the instrument into something which isnt a theremin.

One could possibly get away with a tactile volume controller (in fact, a keyboard with independently pressure sensitive keys, where the keys had a lot of 'travel' so precice control of volume was possible, would open the possibility of polyphonic chording based on the pitch from the theremins pitch antenna, could be real interesting) - But I do not think this would make the theremin any easier to play - even having a 'reference' point.

I know a fair time has passed since that posting - so the above may now be irrelevant -

But I think the market for theremin "improvements" is quite narrow - Go too far, and itsv not a theremin anymore - or at least, not a theremin to the majority of those here at TW.

It is probably true that, as I have read another theremin developer say, "the theremin is the stupidest musical instrument ever devised" - And yet they continued developing...

Why? Because somehow she has a metaphysical force which enslaves the mind and bypasses all our rational thinking and resolve!

But, like me - its too late for you now! - She's got ya!! ;-)

LOL  ;-)

Fred.