Theremini vs. Etherwave - Reasons for Each

It does do a fair number of things quite well. I hope I didn't come across too harsh on an instrument I'm enjoying very much.

I have one specific request if you're planning on including a delay in your instrument, dewster. Can you make it an interpolating delay. (I think that's the word. One that changes the pitch of the repeats if you vary the length of the delay while playing, like slowing or speeding up the tape an old school tape delay, rather than introducing crunchy glitches like the theremini and every damn delay pedal I own. I know. I need a space echo.

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"It does do a fair number of things quite well. I hope I didn't come across too harsh on an instrument I'm enjoying very much."  -- GordonC

It didn't strike me that you were being harsh, just realistic.  I hope I'm coming across similarly.  Moog could have killed with the Theremini, but it seems they lack the internal expertise.  Then again, no corporation these days seems willing to pay someone to obsess over a product and make it the best it can be.  (Can't afford it after fueling the corporate jet and rewarding the CEO after they screw up royally and are "let go".  The authoritarian grifter jet-set is crippling overhead.)

"I have one specific request if you're planning on including a delay in your instrument, dewster. Can you make it an interpolating delay. (I think that's the word. One that changes the pitch of the repeats if you vary the length of the delay while playing, like slowing or speeding up the tape an old school tape delay, rather than introducing crunchy glitches like the theremini and every damn delay pedal I own. I know. I need a space echo."

Unfortunately I will have very little in the way of memory at my disposal, so long delays are pretty much out.   I know what you mean though: the right way probably is to use an all-pass filter as a variable delay to interpolate between sample delay length integer points.  Changing delay length on-the-fly is quite problematic, and this is one issue I'm rather sanguine about being forced into sidestepping.  It may require oversampling to really resolve it.

Fair enough. As I said, I need a space delay. :-)

Or this...

When in delay space (where no one can hear you scream) keep your deflector shield up! ;-)

Dude's got those cables wrapped together, must be a semi-permanent patch!

$200 processors. Heavens, that would price the Theremini out of its intended market. 

But lets look at the price of Theremins in general (and there are not that many choices in the mass market - if you can even use that term for theremins). 

Etherwave Plus: $499

Etherwave Standard: $389

Theremini: $299

Burns B3 Pro: $499

Burns B3 Delux: $200

So at a certain level, its clear the Theremini was intended as an entry level instrument (forget any of the issues for now - I'm talking marketing plan here).

A $200 processor would bump it likely well above the Etherwave plus - that would make the Theremini the flagship product - which would also mean its feature set would need to be great and rock solid. I'd pay for it. But how many people are going to pay > $500 for theremins (only the professional theremin community - and that's not a huge market). The $300 price point for an entry level theremin seems to be a sweet spot, with $500 the max. That's what the market is saying now. These are the real issues a company needs to face.

But now lets look at the price of all these things. Compared to any reasonably good instrument even at $500, all these theremins are very inexpensive instruments. You can't buy any decent orchestral instrument for $500 - just beginners instruments. You also can't buy a really great synth for that, but you can get a reasonable synth. 

The $64000 question: What should the cost be for a $299 theremin to make money if you are in the theremin business? If I was making them it would be no more than $100 including labor to build, etc. So $18 for the processor to me seems about right. I can't even use a $50 processor or I'm in trouble if cost to sell is 1/3. And maybe 1/2 is more a realistic number here for what's in the Theremini, not sure.

But make no mistake, a company needs to be very mindful of these things. When we build our custom theremins here we don't have to worry about that kind of stuff.

But forget everything I just said, because it's all meaningless. The only thing that matters is what you are able to do with the instrument and as with any instrument it's the player and not the instrument that's the determining factor there. It is first and foremost a thing to make music with and I'm convinced the Theremini can make some very interesting music (albeit maybe not exactly the same kind of music as an Etherwave). So the bottom line is: 

Where's my music Gordon! I'm waiting for what Beat Frequency is going have coming out of that Theremini. 

Rich

Uh, yeah. Life at Charlton Mansions has been chaotic since we had to put down the butler. It was a kindness really, but we do miss him. 

At at the moment I'm very focussed on preparing for Hands Off at the Wirrel, but hopefully in a few weeks circumstances will be conducive to doing some recording. 

Sorry to hear that.

Good luck and The Wirrel - where ever the heck that is.

It's about 13 miles South West of Knotty Ash.

Rather a nice location, actually…

http://handsoff2015.theremin.tf/location/

I have to go to England one day soon. My father was a Cockney. I've never been over. Shame on me.