I've been coming here a long time and I may have registered a membership at some point but long ago forgot it, so I'll re introduce myself. I'm Sean, I'm from SC, and I've played theremin for about 10 yrs in several bands in addition to the odd solo projects. I also do a bit of circuit bending, lathe cut my own records and other experiments.
Sticky: Roll Call! - 2009!
Posted: 4/8/2009 11:02:59 PM
hi my name is gene, i have played with toy theremins for a few years but just dove straight into the deep end and bought and moog etherwave standard, i have some small experiance with synth's and play the bass and guitar, currently playing in a improv doom/drone band out of western Australia called "fill the skies with steel" which is the reason i got the etherwave.
also i was wondering about some set up info for stage performances?
i am going to run the theremin through a wa, distortion and chours pedal's,
should i run them into a compressor or mixer before running them in to my krk monitor's(they are ro-kit 5's so have built in amplification[that is not a word i am sure]) or is it fine just to go straight into the monitors??
plus can the etherwave plus be jacked into any type of amplified instrument? as in the video with the electric guitar on the moog website??
thanks!
gene
also i was wondering about some set up info for stage performances?
i am going to run the theremin through a wa, distortion and chours pedal's,
should i run them into a compressor or mixer before running them in to my krk monitor's(they are ro-kit 5's so have built in amplification[that is not a word i am sure]) or is it fine just to go straight into the monitors??
plus can the etherwave plus be jacked into any type of amplified instrument? as in the video with the electric guitar on the moog website??
thanks!
gene
Posted: 4/9/2009 2:35:45 AM
Philip here....
been playing for over 3 years now and loving it! Ruined over 300 4th graders at my son's school last week, and loved every moment of it. I think the kids liked it too.
My skill continues to improve. A good portion of my playing is purely improvisational. I basically "hum" now with my hands such that it is second nature. People seem to like the humming. This is scary......
P
been playing for over 3 years now and loving it! Ruined over 300 4th graders at my son's school last week, and loved every moment of it. I think the kids liked it too.
My skill continues to improve. A good portion of my playing is purely improvisational. I basically "hum" now with my hands such that it is second nature. People seem to like the humming. This is scary......
P
Posted: 4/9/2009 3:56:24 AM
Welcome to Theremin World, Gene.
[i]i am going to run the theremin through a wa, distortion and chours pedal's[/i]
YMMV, but I've tried a few chorus effects and not been too impressed. But... a chorus is basically a delay with a LFO attached to introduce minor variations in pitch. Minor variations in pitch are par for the course on a theremin - all you need is the delay! A a delay set to an appropriate speed (say 20 to 30 ms) and trying to hold your pitch hand steady will give you a very fluid chorus effect that is not as predictable or mechanical as a chorus pedal. I haven't tried distortion much, but Alexander Thomas used a Boss Fuzz which is very cool and nasty!
(-: To increase the effect, drink a couple of double espressos before you play. :-)
[i]should i run them into a compressor or mixer before running them in to my krk monitor's(they are ro-kit 5's so have built in amplification[that is not a word i am sure]) or is it fine just to go straight into the monitors??[/i]
It should be fine to run it straight into any amp that takes line level inputs - i.e. like the output from from a synth. Some of my pedals do affect the volume sent to the amp - I think it's something to do with impedance but I'm not technical like that - I overcome this with a low impedance inline volume pedal - so I can up the signal for my custom ring-mod which sucks out some of the volume, or down the signal for my Snarling Dogs Mold Spore wah pedal which boosts it a lot.
[i]plus can the etherwave plus be jacked into any type of amplified instrument? as in the video with the electric guitar on the moog website??[/i]
No. The Moog guitar has CV in, which is connected to the CV out of the Etherwave Plus. You can jack it into pretty much anything Moog produce, or anything that has CV in.
[i]i am going to run the theremin through a wa, distortion and chours pedal's[/i]
YMMV, but I've tried a few chorus effects and not been too impressed. But... a chorus is basically a delay with a LFO attached to introduce minor variations in pitch. Minor variations in pitch are par for the course on a theremin - all you need is the delay! A a delay set to an appropriate speed (say 20 to 30 ms) and trying to hold your pitch hand steady will give you a very fluid chorus effect that is not as predictable or mechanical as a chorus pedal. I haven't tried distortion much, but Alexander Thomas used a Boss Fuzz which is very cool and nasty!
(-: To increase the effect, drink a couple of double espressos before you play. :-)
[i]should i run them into a compressor or mixer before running them in to my krk monitor's(they are ro-kit 5's so have built in amplification[that is not a word i am sure]) or is it fine just to go straight into the monitors??[/i]
It should be fine to run it straight into any amp that takes line level inputs - i.e. like the output from from a synth. Some of my pedals do affect the volume sent to the amp - I think it's something to do with impedance but I'm not technical like that - I overcome this with a low impedance inline volume pedal - so I can up the signal for my custom ring-mod which sucks out some of the volume, or down the signal for my Snarling Dogs Mold Spore wah pedal which boosts it a lot.
[i]plus can the etherwave plus be jacked into any type of amplified instrument? as in the video with the electric guitar on the moog website??[/i]
No. The Moog guitar has CV in, which is connected to the CV out of the Etherwave Plus. You can jack it into pretty much anything Moog produce, or anything that has CV in.
Posted: 4/9/2009 4:51:13 AM
[i]also i was wondering about some set up info for stage performances?
i am going to run the theremin through a wa, distortion and chours pedal's,
should i run them into a compressor or mixer before running them in to my krk monitor's(they are ro-kit 5's so have built in amplification[that is not a word i am sure]) or is it fine just to go straight into the monitors??[/i]
My stage rig is:
Burns B3 Deluxe -> ART Tube Pre-Amp/Compressor-> Behringer Space C Chorus -> Behringer Analog Delay -> Alesis MM8 mini-mixer (w/reverb). It's a completely analog signal path until it reaches the mixer.
I treat the theremin like any other synthesizer:
If you're going to compress the signal, do it first - compression applied after other effects can cause 'pumping' and other distortions of the dynamics.
It sounds more 'animated' if you apply tone color effects before delay effects - i.e it's sweeter and more interesting to echo your flanger instead of flanging your echo. So put any EQs, wahs, distortions, flangers, choruses and/or phasers next. Then a delay (yes, I agree, all theremins need a delay - it's like electric guitars need an amp.) Finally any reverb effect (which is often built into mixing rigs or combo amps.)
I set my compressor to 'limit' mode, so it only kicks in when the signal goes [i]way[/i] too loud. It's a tube pre-amp, so it gives the solid-state Burns a bit of the old "tube sound", which is good, because a Burns is sweeter sounding than a Moog and can use a little added warmth.
The chorus I use is a "re-issue" by Behringer of the old Boss Dimension-D pedal, and it's perfect for theremin. It thickens/doubles the sound without making the rhythmic "sweep" effect of a traditional chorus. I used to use a Danelectro Fab Chorus but the Behringer is much better - and it's only $30 on eBay!
I usually set the analog delay for somewhere between 200-300 milliseconds with about three repeats and just enough wet mix to fatten the signal without being too out front (unless you're going for extreme!) Add a simple 1-1/2 to 2 sec. reverb to taste - you don't need much.
Of course, always remember there's no "right" way to patch analog gear together, it all depends on what you want to hear. Best thing to do is experiment!
i am going to run the theremin through a wa, distortion and chours pedal's,
should i run them into a compressor or mixer before running them in to my krk monitor's(they are ro-kit 5's so have built in amplification[that is not a word i am sure]) or is it fine just to go straight into the monitors??[/i]
My stage rig is:
Burns B3 Deluxe -> ART Tube Pre-Amp/Compressor-> Behringer Space C Chorus -> Behringer Analog Delay -> Alesis MM8 mini-mixer (w/reverb). It's a completely analog signal path until it reaches the mixer.
I treat the theremin like any other synthesizer:
If you're going to compress the signal, do it first - compression applied after other effects can cause 'pumping' and other distortions of the dynamics.
It sounds more 'animated' if you apply tone color effects before delay effects - i.e it's sweeter and more interesting to echo your flanger instead of flanging your echo. So put any EQs, wahs, distortions, flangers, choruses and/or phasers next. Then a delay (yes, I agree, all theremins need a delay - it's like electric guitars need an amp.) Finally any reverb effect (which is often built into mixing rigs or combo amps.)
I set my compressor to 'limit' mode, so it only kicks in when the signal goes [i]way[/i] too loud. It's a tube pre-amp, so it gives the solid-state Burns a bit of the old "tube sound", which is good, because a Burns is sweeter sounding than a Moog and can use a little added warmth.
The chorus I use is a "re-issue" by Behringer of the old Boss Dimension-D pedal, and it's perfect for theremin. It thickens/doubles the sound without making the rhythmic "sweep" effect of a traditional chorus. I used to use a Danelectro Fab Chorus but the Behringer is much better - and it's only $30 on eBay!
I usually set the analog delay for somewhere between 200-300 milliseconds with about three repeats and just enough wet mix to fatten the signal without being too out front (unless you're going for extreme!) Add a simple 1-1/2 to 2 sec. reverb to taste - you don't need much.
Of course, always remember there's no "right" way to patch analog gear together, it all depends on what you want to hear. Best thing to do is experiment!
Posted: 4/22/2009 12:21:38 AM
Hi all! I'm an interaction designer at Google in Seattle, and stumbled upon the Theremin as a fun demo project in hacking the Wiimote (see my site kenmooredesign.com)... I actually knew very little about the instrument at the time, but eventually I learned more and bought an Etherwave Standard to make my Wii Theremin even more realistic. My passion continued to grow and I'm now a happy Etherwave Pro owner (thanks to this website where I noticed Kevin Connor was selling his). I've been practicing the Rockmore Method and I just love it. A couple weeks ago I played Sea of Love with a karaoke accompaniment for a party of about 40 people to wild applause and fascination -- what a crowd pleaser the Theremin is! I'm looking forward to some camaraderie here.
Posted: 4/25/2009 7:53:44 PM
Hello Ken. Welcome the Theremin World. I've been intrigued by your Wiimote theremin videos - and you've kindly answered my questions at YouTube. Nice to hear that you've tracked down an E-Pro; I hope you're enjoying it. I wonder how different/similar you've found it compared to your invention!
Posted: 6/18/2009 2:14:47 AM
Hey everyone! I'm Ethan and I'm new to theremin stuff (all together now, "hello, ethan!")
As you can tell by my username, I play bass. I've been playing for about 5 or 6 years now! Its my numero uno instrument and I love it! I have also been playing standup bass for a year or so. Then, I got a ukulele a couple of months ago! That's as fun as anything! (wanted something fun, small, and 4 or less strings...tried guitar...didn't work).
Anyway, i saw the theremin being played for the first time a couple of years ago by a band (Future of Forestry) and I thought it was the coolest. but it took me until a month ago to actually want to get and learn one, and until early this week to order one!
I am getting a Theremax kit (PAiA) and am obviously going to be building it! I figured it would be good to join along here in case i run into any problems! Thanks, everyone!
Godspeed.
Ethan.
As you can tell by my username, I play bass. I've been playing for about 5 or 6 years now! Its my numero uno instrument and I love it! I have also been playing standup bass for a year or so. Then, I got a ukulele a couple of months ago! That's as fun as anything! (wanted something fun, small, and 4 or less strings...tried guitar...didn't work).
Anyway, i saw the theremin being played for the first time a couple of years ago by a band (Future of Forestry) and I thought it was the coolest. but it took me until a month ago to actually want to get and learn one, and until early this week to order one!
I am getting a Theremax kit (PAiA) and am obviously going to be building it! I figured it would be good to join along here in case i run into any problems! Thanks, everyone!
Godspeed.
Ethan.
Posted: 6/18/2009 6:43:15 PM
Welcome to ThereminWorld EthantheBassist.
Hope some of the info in the construction forum will help you in your theremin construction project, if searching does not find you what you need, hopefully some of the experienced solder-masters in our community can help with questions.
But watch out, you may get inescapably hooked on this crazy instrument.
Happy Thereminizing!!!
Hope some of the info in the construction forum will help you in your theremin construction project, if searching does not find you what you need, hopefully some of the experienced solder-masters in our community can help with questions.
But watch out, you may get inescapably hooked on this crazy instrument.
Happy Thereminizing!!!
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