Original Classic Theremin Building

I will start a thread again to not interfere with the digital gang. Let's see how long this one lasts.

In theremin design I always say if any design or someone selling does not demonstrate sound, good or bad, they must be considered suspect.

Has anyone ever noticed in the original theremin faux “Good Vibrations” was a much sweeter sound than many modern day theremin sounds that need lots of reverb to get kick started.

How about having this Altermen electro-theremin sound?

Christopher

This Clara Rockmore video for me sums up the organic passion that a Classic Theremin needs to manifest. I have concerns about the direction the theremin has taken in the last 25 years. The theremin is "not" a whistle buried in reverb...

Christopher

I call my theremin research today the Altermen project, short for alternative theremin. Though I had not heard of Moog or Termen when I began it allowed me to develop my own original approach. Very few know how to generate that authentic theremin sound and have been conditioned to believe it should be a whistle buried in reverb. A simple vacuum tube on the front end will last a lifetime and is essential while using basic IF transformers for coils works fine. If you live in the 50 States and want to know how this is done, figure out how to contact me, nothing about the theremin comes easy.

I wish I could play a tune but here is a sample to demonstrate theremin "texture" in the sound unique to tube/valves.

This is theremin direct to sound card, no mic/speaker or reverb Band-Aid.  Lev Sergeyevich inspired this

sound.mp3

Christopher

The “Box” was one of several early instruments guilty of sacrilege with robotic movement to mimic a theremin. People began to identify these sounds as a theremin and so onward went the downward spiral, losing the essence of the classic theremin. This topic of Clara’s “sound” is interesting as I have brought it up in the past. People immediately begin defending Clara’s “voice” which is something I seem to view entirely different, she transforms the classic sound, which must come first, to be her signature voice. My own research “demonstrates” to me the best classic theremin sound is developed through the vacuum tube and nowhere else, as of today. This type of research is a lost art although “very” available.

Many have heard this…  Meet the authentic “vacuum tube” sound in my Altermen. 

 Listen.mp3  460k

Though I can't play a tune this is like nature singing from an instrument that is somewhere between a more fluid fingerboard and a classic theremin. It's cable direct to a sound card, no post processing or nasty reverb!  No acoustics, transformers, and no mixer tricks, just your computer speakers generating it, but where does the mysterious sound come from? It is an event that develops through the vacuum tube.

So much is involved in reaching this level of design I am beginning to understand why the digital folks want to replicate the theremin, in all its aspects of physics around a Chip, will it be another toy or will they capture the essence? I wish they could. It would be nice to throw it over your shoulder and gig?

The theremin sound should not be lacking in richness, needing reverb to give it life!   If we allow the classic “voice” to fade from consciences we will have lost touch with a force in nature and one major fundamental of the original theremin, evolving backward into the early attitude of “hunched over man” hovering over a primitive keyboard.

Edit: I remember reading somewhere that after an engineer repaired Clara Rockmore's theremin she mentioned it no longer had the classic sound she was familiar. )-:

Reply is here.

Christopher, how come I get a "403 PERMISSION DENIED" flag when I try to access the mp3's above?

"that other thread is getting stale."

" For me heterodyning gives me the sound "it" wants to share, I am not going to tell it what it should sound like."

- Christopher

Chris, I dont want to make this thread "stale" - You are fixated by reverb and processing etc, and I agree that SOMETIMES these can be overdone and used to obscure detail..

But heterodyning of itself doesnt have "a sound" or "a timbre" - pure heterodyning of two sine waves will give a sine wave - it doesnt "want to share" anything - there isnt any "consciousness" or "personality" or "choice" - its not as if you could inhibit 'its' ability to express what 'it wants to express' by crafting it to what you want.. The sounds you are producing are NOT the result of pure heterodyning, they are the result of distortions in the heterodyning process - YOU determine the sound by the choices YOU make in the design and construction of the mixer and following audio circuits primarily, and to a lesser extent by what HF waveforms you feed the mixer.

I have written long treatices and simplified these down to as basic as I can manage - I have commented on sounds you have produced that I like, and on sounds I dont like -  These are ONLY MY opinions and MY tastes.. But I am damn sure that they are more "informed" than anything the "heterodyne spirit" sould come up with! ;-)

I think that the sad thing is your refusal to "bite the bullet" and apply some engineering to what you have - I REALLY think you could be close.

But if you are waiting for heterodyning to "guide" your way and produce, on its own, "that" sound - well, I suspect that the one chance you have of producing something "classic" could slip away.

Im done. I dont intend to make any more comments on either of "your" threads.

Fred.

Coalport . . .oops

Fred said: "The sounds you are producing are NOT the result of pure heterodyning, they are the result of distortions in the heterodyning process"

You are absolutely correct, I once tried to explain what I was doing when I said good theremin sound begins with a sine wave and that did not go over well. )-: I got confused by the application of XOR gates.

The fun in theremin design is discovery and I would not want to deprive anyone of that. I also once said Clara's voice was a gift to me and that did not go over well either.

I designed my Altermen which has theremin like characteristics much like the gestural controller which is where the future of the theremin is heading, unfortunately.

There is magic hidden in the research of Lev Sergeyevich, if someone is intuitive enough to find it.

Christopher

Pitch Plucking   This is a graphic of the sound byte below.

Theremin meets the dan bau .mp3   500kb

After my crude test setup I found the effect was not like hitting a piano key as expected rather somewhat like "plucking" the single string of the “dan bau” musical instrument. In my Altermen theremin like design the quiet area occurs ~ 12” before touching the volume sensor as I “do not” use a loop or plate. This quiet area is perfect for having a touch plate for a seamless volume effect.

Đàn bầu, a musical instrument that touches the young heart, a sound you should keep away from your daughters!

This can either Pop-On or Pop-Off the sound. Works perfect with any theremin adding a Pitch Preview for pitch only theremins, when fed through a small speaker allows you to quietly hear the musical note before you Pop it. OMG

Another thing about my stand-alone volume approach, it is physically separate from the pitch-setup so pounding on it does not wobble the pitch. The pitch preview provides steady musical notes for reference.

Eventually I will make another webpage on how to put together this note plucking pc board using a PDF for my students. The electronics could be built only using Radio Shack as this is an analog device but they don't carry pcb mounted 1/4" jacks, so I will go with Mouser. Estimated cost ~$25.

PS: I need to get my Altermen build finished for the Thereminist to test drive, maybe not as long as there are things to discover!

Christopher

Christopher, where does the modulation come from?