B&H Theremini sale until Dec 31st 2400 EST: $239.20US with free next day shipping and no tax!

Posted: 12/30/2015 10:22:53 PM
Optofonik™

From: Los Angeles

Joined: 12/30/2015

It seems that the new firmware solves some of the most glaring problems but with the CV not implemented correctly I can't justify paying the regular street price. With the crippled CV this is a reasonable price point I can get behind, although, $199.00 is what I really think it should be going for. 

The Theremini's lack of proper CV really boggles me but everything that can be said about it has already been said in these forums. However, if the Theremini proves useful, I'll upgrade to the EW pro; my Moog Liberation with CV input has been stored unused since the mid 80s.

Anyway, I thought I'd share. I got my bargain Theremini; go get yours.

 

Posted: 12/30/2015 11:20:40 PM
oldtemecula

From: 60 Miles North of San Diego, CA

Joined: 10/1/2014

Hello Opto,

Let me help you with your link.

Theremini from B&H

I always thought this instrument would ruin any potential future Thereminist, it lacks the classic magic when a keyboard can give better results for that type of sound.

Christopher

Posted: 12/31/2015 12:54:45 AM
Optofonik™

From: Los Angeles

Joined: 12/30/2015

"Hello Opto, Let me help you with your link. Theremini from B&H"

 Thanks for that. Fixed it.

"I always thought this instrument would ruin any potential future Thereminist, it lacks the classic magic when a keyboard can give better results for that type of sound. Christopher"

Hence the Stereolab comment in another post. Is it a "Theremin"? Nope. It's not even called a Theremin, "The Theremini is a reimagining..." (why is cutting and pasting text from another site such a cludge here???).

Before I knew anything about synthesizers I bought what I thought was my first synth, a Moog Opus 3. I was 17 years old. The Opus was considered a joke by just about anyone who knew anything about synthesizers. I didn't know anything about synthesizers and the Opus was a bad purchase as a result but I never made a similar and costly mistake again. The mistake was not understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the Opus, not that the Opus was a bad instrument to own for someone who knew that they wanted an Opus for it's strengths. In an age when CS80s, Memorymoogs, and Arp Odysseys still roamed the earth there weren't, however, many who fell into the latter category. wink

Fast forward...

About twenty years later the Opus became desirable because Stereolab had found a use for it and made it work within the context of their music. I ended up giving my Opus away to a a friend who was big Stereolab fan and wanted it for what it could do even though it wasn't really much of a synthesizer. I never warmed up to the Opus, never like the sounds I got out of it, and I understand why so many disliked it back in the day, but somewhere along the way it developed quite a following. They haven't changed my feelings about it though, going on 35 years.

Soon enough (or maybe years from now after most of them have long been binned) some quirky band is going to put a Theremini to good use. The used prices will skyrocket and nobody will remember how vilified they were.

Posted: 12/31/2015 4:27:36 AM
dewster

From: Northern NJ, USA

Joined: 2/17/2012

"Soon enough (or maybe years from now after most of them have long been binned) some quirky band is going to put a Theremini to good use. The used prices will skyrocket and nobody will remember how vilified they were."  - Optofonik

I could be wrong (nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public), but it's my feeling there's just too much wrong with the Theremini for it to significantly resurge in some far-off neo-hipster retro-retro movement.  I sold my off before the software upgrades started (couldn't stand the waiting game, and I knew that SW alone couldn't address many of the serious shortcomings) but the basic UI likely isn't a great fit post revisions, even if they did address the inertial delay and calibration linearity issues (? - a complete unknown without testing, I don't care what Moog claims).  The voltage swing at the antennas is too low for it to be a reliable capacitance sensor, and the complete lack of ESD protection is just one more poorly engineered way for them to disappear into wastebins both literal and historical.  I can't say I miss mine at all, though Theremins seem rather like boats, wherein the happiest two days of ownership are spent acquiring and de-acquiring them. ;-)

You must be logged in to post a reply. Please log in or register for a new account.