Less linear field with ESPE01

Hi everyone! I wanted to ask if this is something that someone else has experienced or if there's something wrong with my mod...
I installed the ESPE01 module some time ago on my Etherwave Plus (I have good soldering skills) and hate how the field behaves now. Difference in octaves is pretty big, and though I love the extra register and new sound, it made me stop enjoying the instrument. Did someone experience something similar???

It's even worse than before the mod, I even have problems to tune two similar octaves, and the following octaves get HUGE or so small that's unplayable. It gets better if I move my body away from the instrument, but I doubt it has to do with my body technique.

BTW, if someone has an installment guide for the Plus to share, I'd appreciate it. I think I lost the copy that came with the module and I would like to re-check everything. I didn't find much information online and I recall the instructions being a bit confusing.

Hi,

I had the same experience. I had the mod installed and the theremin was calibrated and tuned by a pro player. I spent some time playing it but couldn't really get the hang of it. I ended up selling my Etherwave with ESPE01 and went back to the stock Etherwave for now.

Hi,I had the same experience. I had the mod installed and the theremin was calibrated and tuned by a pro player. I spent some time playing it but couldn't really get the hang of it. I ended up selling my Etherwave with ESPE01 and went back to the stock Etherwave for now.

After some time making sure my mod was OK, I started to experiment and I adjusted L5 (is that the fixed osc coil? sorry I forgot) for a higher frequency. That made the situation A LOT better, and I get three octaves almost exactly equal.

Hi,I had the same experience. I had the mod installed and the theremin was calibrated and tuned by a pro player. I spent some time playing it but couldn't really get the hang of it. I ended up selling my Etherwave with ESPE01 and went back to the stock Etherwave for now.After some time making sure my mod was OK, I started to experiment and I adjusted L5 (is that the fixed osc coil? sorry I forgot) for a higher frequency. That made the situation A LOT better, and I get three octaves almost exactly equal.

That's good to hear. I also came back to the ESPE01... I got another module and installed it myself this time! I did not touch any of the coils though for now. I enjoy playing it as is. 

I suggest you to calibrate your instrument after the module installation. When I installed the ESPE01 module I changed the way I tuned the theremin (because I had more octaves and I needed to have the same space I used to use when I had not the module). 

Before the installation:
I used to adjust the pitch knob to have the whole range of frequencies in front of me.
After:
I adjust the pitch knob to have the range I need in front of me (almost always middle and high frequencies in front of me and the low ones beyond my body). If I need the whole range in front of me I tune the bass and medium range with my finger positions and then, when I need to play high notes I move my body towards the theremin to expand the field and improve the linearity. Carolina Eyck explains the latter very well in this video⬇️

The ESPE01 is amazing. I encourage you not to remove the module! ☺️

perfectsoundforever was talking about tuning the oscillator coils with the case open. I did this also, to see if it would help things, but unfortunately I cannot get my ESPE01 to be that playable for me. This is now the second ESPE01 modified Moog I have tried without good results (for me.)

Having said that, I do like the ESPE01 modded theremin for more free-form, experimental playing. I like the added range and more mellow sound.

I may tweak my ESPE01 theremin a bit more to see what happens. I think by adjusting the oscillator coils and maybe the pitch wire I can change how it plays. I would like to extend the upper range as much as possible to see what that does. I know this is risky but I will try to tune no higher than around 5kHz.

also I'm wondering if I need measurement tools (oscilloscope, etc.)

perfectsoundforever was talking about tuning the oscillator coils with the case open. I did this also, to see if it would help things, but unfortunately I cannot get my ESPE01 to be that playable for me. This is now the second ESPE01 modified Moog I have tried without good results (for me.)Having said that, I do like the ESPE01 modded theremin for more free-form, experimental playing. I like the added range and more mellow sound.I may tweak my ESPE01 theremin a bit more to see what happens. I think by adjusting the oscillator coils and maybe the pitch wire I can change how it plays. I would like to extend the upper range as much as possible to see what that does. I know this is risky but I will try to tune no higher than around 5kHz.

I went around 5kHz (I don't want to say this as it may be risky and don't want to be responsible for it lol, but I went a bit over 5kHz in fact) and it got a lot better.

You might want a multimeter with a frequency counter, but you can do as well with a tuner. I used an online "tone generator" for reference and just adjusted by ear.