looking to buy a theremin

If you order an Etherwave from zZounds, just tell them about the lower price and they'll BEAT it - not just match it.

Hi -

I'm new here, but saw the earlier comments about the sound of the Theremax compared to a "slide whistle", and I would also agree that it does not. The sound samples on the Paia site don't give a very good idea of the range of sound available on the Theremax. I made a quick recording of my Theremax, and it can be heard here:

http://www.thereminvox.com/filemanager/download/103/Theremax_Satie.mp3

(sorry about the crackle in the file, I am having computer problems)

I agree with the earlier comments about the Etherwave kit being the best deal out there. Of the three (Ewave, theremax, Kees), the Etherwave is the best. But if it came down to just the Kees and Theremax, I prefer the Theremax personally.

Hope that is helpful!

How long have you been playing, Etherspiel?

HI -

I have not been playing very long, only about six months, so I apologize about my lousy playing - I am still not very good yet! I just thought it might be helpful to have an example of the Theremax actually playing a song, since the only other available sound samples are those silly "sound effect" ones on the Paia website - they don't give a very good idea of what the Theremax is like.

Even though I haven't been playing long, I have been bitten by the Theremin bug! I am already searching for a better instrument, and am trying to decide between the E-Pro, the Wavefront, and the Etherwave standard. I really like the E-Pro I tried, and I am going to Gene Segal's studio today to try out the Wavefront classic. Both are a bit of a monetary stretch for me, so I am trying to decide if I can be content with an Etherwave standard or not. It is a tough decision!

I think that you play very well- to be quite frank I am incredibly impressed by most of the samples that I have heard from people who've been playing less that a year so far. All these articles trying to deter would-be thereminists have driven me to think that the instrument is impossible, but it reassures me to hear some nice recordings by people who have been playing for such a short space of time.

The timbre of that sample was particularly good.

Thanks Charlie!

However, I think you are being kind.

Peter Pringle, now THAT is good playing!

"I have not been playing very long, only about six months, so I apologize about my lousy playing - I am still not very good yet!"

Are you kidding? You are much better than you give yourself credit for! Just think what you'll accomplish after a couple of years.

Are you a musician? If not you definitely have a good ear.

Thanks for the sample of what the Theremax can do. That is MUCH better than what I've ever heard before.

Are you using any special equipment in conjunction with your instrument (like pitch-preview or a tuner)?

Hi Charlie -

No, I am not using a pitch preview - although I would like to add one to my instrument. I am currently doing a slew of modifications to the Theremax, and I will eventually post an article detailing them if anyone is interested. So far, I have made the pitch-linearity very even across the entire register of the instrument - it no longer "compresses" in the upper register, and is more even than the Etherwave standard. I am currently finalizing tweaks to the oscillator circuit in order to decrease the working range, allowing for larger spacing between the notes - I am modeling the spacing to be comparable to the spacing on Clara Rockmore's instrument. The theremax is a very nice design, which is easy to work with and modify.

I will eventually add a "pitch preview", which will be seperate from the volume control, like on the Etherwave Pro.

where can i get infor on adding a pitch preview to a theremin?