ChrisC wrote: I have just fitted the new ESPE01 Mk II module. Wow, what a difference! So why didn't RM do this to the EW originally it made me wonder?
There are many things that the late Bob Moog didn't do with his theremins that he should have done, and an equal number of things that he did, that should NOT have been done. Why is this? It is because Bob was an engineer and not a working musician. Here's an example.
One of the most glaring design flaws, IMNSHO, can be readily seen in the Etherwave Pro. It is a great looking instrument, and it has been manufactured with a beautiful birdseye maple front, but there is a problem which would be very clear to a working thereminist. The front panel is curved in such a way that many of the controls are invisible to the player when standing in the classic playing position in front of the instrument.
It is necessary to bend over in order to make adjustments to the lower rows of controls because they point slightly downward toward the floor, but there is yet another unpleasant surprise for those who are obliged to work under several ranks of 1000 watt Kliegls. The positions of those stylish gleaming chrome buttons and knobs are impossible to read under stage lighting because the chrome surfaces reflect so much light it masks the position of the black, hair-thin indicator lines. Beautiful design - totally impractical.
That's just the beginning! There is a whole litany of other problems I won't bore you with (and they are not confined to the E'Pro). I mention all this only to emphasize the gulf between theremin builders and theremin players. The problem boils down to the mistaken belief on the part of designers and engineers that they already know what is needed and how to provide it.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that theremin makers tend to go ballistic when anyone suggests that they consult a professional, **accomplished**, working thereminist BEFORE going ahead and building their instruments. When they do ask for suggestions (which some, to their credit, have done) they are flooded with enthusiastic recommendations from people who play at the beginner level themselves, and have little or no experience with what is really involved.
What you end up with is a situation in which the blind seem to be leading the blind.
Most technical people are absolutely convinced they already know what is needed, but they don't. Most of them play a bit themselves, and they believe this gives them an insight into what the virtuoso requires. They couldn't be more wrong. What they end up doing is building an instrument to their own specifications, which are essentially those of a hobbyist.
In her GIFT TAPE interviews, Clara Rockmore goes into considerable detail about the importance of her personal collaboration with Lev Termen when he was building her custom theremin in the 1930's, and she emphasizes Lev's own belief that he could not have done it without her.
