Microphone stand help?

Good!

There are mini-amps you can get in most music shops, some are battery operated. The sound isn't great but it's better than nothing. And most have a headphone jack.

As for the mic stand, these were made for a microphone that weights many, many times less than a theremin, no wonder the stability may be an issue.

What about this heavy microphone stand for an Etherwave Standard?
http://www.thomann.de/gb/km_260_mikrostativ.htm
The weight is 5kg and it's adjustable from 870mm upwards.

Lighter stands (2.5kg) are much cheaper but I guess that's too flimsy.

What do you think?

I actually bought a couple of these for one of my theremin projects.

They are better than many other stands I have tried (on this project I used both stands for one theremin)

But IMO, Coalport is right - Mic stands wobble, they all wobble - these are better than most and dont wobble enough to bother me, but I ended up buying a loudspeaker support stand with tripod legs (and these arent without their problems) which was much more stable..

Alas, I got the last of these stands from Rapid Electronics, and they have been discontinued - they were robust and cheap - have looked for them from other sellers but they really have gone - the manufacturer is no more..

Having said all the above, I have seen many thereminists playing with mic-stand supported theremins, and I couldnt hear any wobble effects other than what one would expect even if the theremin was stood on a solid oak table ;-) - And some quite brilliant precision thereminists seem to manage with a wobble stand to perform without me being able to notice any wobble... So I really dont know who's right! ;-)

But as Coalport said, anything on a pole will bobble as a result of movement or instability at the base - So if one must stick your theremin on a pole, then the base and pole need to be as stable as possible.

Fred.

Just found this - never tried it, but its the same sort of price as the speaker stand I bought and doesnt have an awkward tripod..

http://www.studiospares.com/stands-speaker/studiospares-triangle-base-speaker-stand-single/invt/448870

I really suspect that speaker stands are better suited to theremins than mic stands.(or uplighters ;-) - my uplighters were re-assembled when I moved so that they became lights again, and my mic stands now support a laundry drying fixture - but my speaker stand has a theremin on it... and only wobbles if I bang it hard! ;-))

Tripod stands are probably the most stable IF the floor is absolutely level and even.

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Ignore the following - I leave it here just because I have some compulsion for long pointless postings! ;-)

One type of stand that is cheap and quite usable - probably about the same wobble factor as a reasonable mic stand but perhaps not quite as good as the ones above - is Ikea floor standing uplighter lamps - these have a heavy circular metal base and threaded steel sectional tubes.. Height is not adjustable except by fitting enough sections and cutting the tube for your required height - and one needs some DIY as they dont fit mic connectors - but I think they cost about £9.

I cannot find the exact model, but it was something like this:

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/50139877/

That's a very comprehensive post, Fred. Thank you very much!

I have zero experience yet, so your opinions are very helpful.

Since I won't be performing in clubs for a looong time to go, wobble might not be such a big problem.
I'll try the aforementioned microphone stand when I get my Etherwave buy I'll definitely check out speaker stands.

It only makes sense that speaker stands are well suited. Speakers are much heavier than microphones.

A solid wooden stand, i.e. a small table, could be a nice alternative and would be pleasant to look at. Hardly portable of course. I enjoy woodworking. A wood table could be customized, for instance with good cable routing or a holder for sheet music.

Again, thanks.

"That's a very comprehensive post, Fred. Thank you very much!" - Gibarian

Glad to be of help!

But I fear you may be making the wrong choice.. Looking at the price of This :

http://www.studiospares.com/stands-speaker/studiospares-triangle-base-speaker-stand-single/invt/448870

and its specifications, I would probably risk it. My expierience is that speaker stands are much more stable - the one speaker stand was far less wobbly than two of those mic stands on my large theremin anyway..

But I have not tried the above speaker stand - it might be rubbish! - however it does have a  good sized base at 44cm per side, and a thicker pole than you get from mic stands... and at about 1/2 the price well .. you can probably return it if its no good..

Fred.

Out of mic stands, I think the choice is good - but not sure a mic stand is the best choice if there is a better alternative stand which can easily be adapted.

As I pointed out above, putting your theremin speaker on a single pole mike stand is fine, but putting your THEREMIN on the end of a pole is not a good idea unless you are playing on an extremely stable, preferably cement, floor.

People who play regularly in clubs are familiar with the kinds of wobbly, makeshift platforms that musicians are often obliged to use for their performances. Every time the bass player, or the guitar player, takes a step everything jiggles & sways & sags. This doesn't bother most performers but for precision thereminists it's potentially disastrous. 

You can minimize the effect by NOT putting your theremin on the end of a pole, and using a more substantial support with a square bottom, not a disc or a tripod. I built a square column, square base, stand for my E'Pro which I find very useful because I shift my weight (Tai Chi style) when I play and if I am on a floor that is even slightly unstable the pitch goes wonky.