Using a Talking Machine with Etherwave Standard/Plus

"It seems like lowering the volume of the signal should be a simple matter!" Aikhwarizmi

It is.

Attenuators are about as simple electrically as you can get.

They are just a few resistors, or a single variable resistor. I can't see how anyone could charge hundreds of dollars for one. There are precision attenuators used in radio work, but they are an altogether different animal.

I have built some into cables. If anyone here in the states wants one, let me know, and it's yours.

Rob.

"Attenuators are about as simple electrically as you can get."  - w0ttm

Yes - kind of strange that the EW doesn't include this <$1 control on the front panel.  Were they betting that people weren't going to plug it into guitar effects?

"Attenuators are about as simple electrically as you can get."  - w0ttm

True - If one is not too worried about signal / noise issues, they are as simple as a resistor or two. For ultra low noise however, they can be a pain in the rear end..

Taking a line level output and dropping this with a couple of Rs to guitar amp level, and then amplifying this guitar level signal up again will add noise - there is no escaping this its a fact of physics.

Good low noise design is primarily based on a principle of keeping signal levels consistant - as in, never amplify then attenuate - and never attenuate then amplify, unless you REALLY MUST..

This is why taking a line-level output from a theremin into a well designed amplifier which accepts line level input will always be better than taking a line level theremin output, dropping it to guitar level with an attenuator, and feeding this into even the best available guitar amplifier.

Fred.

In balance, it should be said that a slight increase in noise should still be musically far more acceptable than the distortion one gets from overloading an input.

Amethyste said: 

You can look on Amazon and get your hands on an "Art" one. That's what I have and so far, it's working great.

Is it like this one? http://www.amazon.com/ART-SPLITMix4-Passive-SplitterMixer-Attenuation/dp/B002VX0DCE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1347262833&sr=8-2&keywords=art+attenuator

Or are there more basic models that I haven't seen? It looks a bit overpowered for just connecting a theremin, having 4 channels. I'm also looking into this which is a bit cheaper:

http://www.thomann.de/es/electro_harmonix_signal_pad.htm 

That looks simpler, but there is not so much difference in price anyway. It looks like all of them are too expensive for being only resistors! Taking advantage of those of us without the knowledge to make them ourselves, no doubt.

w0ttm said: 

I have built some into cables. If anyone here in the states wants one, let me know, and it's yours. 

Unfortunately, I'm on the other side of the ocean, but thanks anyway!

Here is a simple diagram for an attenuator fitted into a jack plug (plugs into amplifier / effect - other end of lead is normal jack connection and plugs into source - ie theremin)

R1 is probably best at 10k, R2 is set for whatever attenuation required - for example, 1k will give output signal of 1/10th input signal. Small resistors can be fitted into plug with ease, or a tiny 10k trimmer could be fitted giving adjustable attenuation.

Fred.

Gordon --

As there are a about a million distortion/fuzz pedals out there, can you suggest which ones theoretically would possibly work or which are less likely? Or talk about the ones you tried for your purposes? Walking into a music shop with a theremin, is already going to make them cringe, asking to try 20 different pedals is not going to likely make friends.

They are all likely to work, and they are all likely to shape the sound in slightly different ways. I don't recall all the pedals I tried, but I phoned ahead and asked the music shop when would be a quiet time to try out some pedals on my theremin, and I took my headphones along with me. As it turned out they were very interested to see the theremin and all had a go on it.

I chose a ModTone BuzzBoy. 

nieradka: Walking into a music shop with a theremin, is already going to make them cringe, asking to try 20 different pedals is not going to likely make friends.

On the contrary!

Gordon is right (as usual).

Before you barge in with your instrument, speak to the manager of the store. Tell him what you want to do and ask him when it would be convenient for you to bring in your theremin. I have done this many times in the past, and found that store employees are generally very interested in theremins. Your presence gives them a chance to try out the instrument themselves while you are experimenting with every bit of equipment they have in the place. 

The problem with headphones is that unless you have some sort of stereo console to use them with, the sound you get will be "dead". You need something that can give you the acoustic feel of a room or hall. 

If you find the store manager uncooperative, buy the place and fire the fucker!

P.S.  Gordon, where is Freddy? Should I be worried?

They definitely enjoy it when I bring mine in. I personally have an ew+ so i chose to go with some moogerfoogers since I can simultaneously control the pedal along with the theremin. Makes for some interesting stuff. The freq box is quite fun and of course the delay is buttermilk biscuits. Usually I just use an EQ pedal and then straight to the bass amp. My bass amp goes to a sub woofer and a couple book shelf speakers (it has a a high and low output). Not the best rig but it gets real low and real high. Sounds surprisingly good actually. I am waiting for my tops to come back from the shop and then it will be SERIOUS. My neighbors are going to hate me. The mids on the ew are little choppy for me. The eq pedal is great I just set it and forget it. I'm stuck with the ew since it was a gift but its not all that bad. I do love it to death.

You could also serve them a cocktail of the molotov persuasion. There are several less expensive ways to fire a fucker. 

"P.S.  Gordon, where is Freddy? Should I be worried?" - Peter

It is really touching that anyone would be worried! -

I am about and ok.

Fred.