Build an Analog Theremin that Rivals a Modern Day Classic for about $100

Out of great respect for The Man I will call my design the Phoenix Electrodeum. I always had my instrument purring in the background as if she was talking to me, or maybe she was. As I listen to her sing today I know I am not this smart, that something else is going on.

The theremin principle is a very simple concept that does something beautiful.     DIY Webpage

I believe our relationship with the instrument is symbiotic in that she wants interaction with us. The more she becomes one with us she begins to sing in a beautiful and intimate way, she has a longing to touch our soul. 

Beautiful! How can I build one? You are north of San Diego, I am near Yosemite ~ you would help me build and learn the Theremin Phoenix?

Hello Emanate,

I had been in theremin retirement for a couple of years and something told me I was not finished and then realized I need to share what I learned on my journey. So I created a little cleaner webpage. I am not an engineer, musician or teacher. What you see is what you get. New builders will be on their own. I have a couple of first builder I am working with to iron out the kinks in construction. I had never heard my stuff make music until my friend Valery raised his hand; he has the feel and music in his soul.

I did spot an error on my volume board at R33 which I will correct today, unless Canadian Whiskey takes me down first. LOL

Christopher

When I posted my list of 13 theremin myths years ago that got a few upset, I did not realize my comparison was between apples and oranges. I had never known of Robert Moog or Lev Sergeyevich Termen when I laid down the foundation of the Phoenix design that exist today. The rule was ... I could only use the minimal parts I could purchase from my local Radio Shack store. Right from the start I had perfect pitch field linearity and did not recognize at the time how that was special. Watching my friend Valery S step in front of an unfamiliar instrument and perform as he did right out of the box, like the instrument was an old comrade, that was special and made a statement.

The basic Electrodeum principles are now defined though I think there is more to the theory of how it works and that needs study. RF plays into it operation, I use to get chewed out by FredM for saying the pitch antenna and RF in the same sentence. Yes it is hand capacitance but perfect pitch field linearity? Is that not more a human experience than technical, why does it match the man made spacing of a piano keyboard?

How did I know to use that particular spring coil?... While walking through a hardware store (Lowes) I did not hear words, but I was clearly told, “go this way”.

I envy that person who tries the Electrodeum approach but calculated to another model of theremin and experiences their first moment of overwhelming reverence for a natural phenomenon, as I did many years ago.

I have never followed facebook and am always bothered how it blocks me from looking at anything in its smug little clubs. Up until today I blocked anyone from fb from posting my stuff.  I am so funny!

I now remove all the restrictions to my WebPages, at least for today. LOL

Christopher

Christopher,

[The rule was ... I could only use the minimal parts I could purchase from my local Radio Shack store.]

Great rule! Simple elegance not bound to tradition.

[I use to get chewed out by FredM for saying the pitch antenna and RF in the same sentence.]

So far, interactions here have made me wonder if Thereminism is religion or politics. Certainly it is opinionated.

[... I was clearly told, “go this way”.]

That, I understand completely. Congrats that you follow the Voice.

Gary

It was Art Harrison that first got my attention when he said the sound is all about wave shape. It was Paul Tanner who apologized to me for what he thought mislead the theremin community, when he actually brought the most attention to the theremin in his day, but his efforts were dismissed by the anal retentive. It was Peter Pringle that held on to the classic sound that made me wonder how does that sound come about. Do we all play a part in something greater than self? Gary you arrive to remind me there is more going on than most will ever realize, that we know has always been part of Life.

Now... I just made and interesting observation. Nowhere in my Electrodeum post above did I mention 900 khz as the frequency I calculated the Electrodeum to function at. I did mention elsewhere that PPFL "perfect pitch filed linearity" seems to still come about whether my pitch oscillator was tuned at 850 khz or 950 khz. Would that not stymie the thinking of most modern day engineers if PPFL was more than a tuned event?

I had a family  member ask me why I drink so much whiskey these days, my answer "so I can think like normal people". 

Christopher

It was Art Harrison that first got my attention when he said the sound is all about wave shape. It was Paul Tanner who apologized to me for what he thought mislead the theremin community, when he actually brought the most attention to the theremin in his day, but his efforts were dismissed by the anal retentive. It was Peter Pringle that held on to the classic sound that made me wonder how does that sound come about. Do we all play a part in something greater than self? Gary you arrive to remind me there is more going on than most will ever realize, that we know has always been part of Life.Now... I just made and interesting observation. Nowhere in my Electrodeum post above did I mention 900 khz as the frequency I calculated the Electrodeum to function at. I did mention elsewhere that PPFL "perfect pitch filed linearity" seems to still come about whether my pitch oscillator was tuned at 850 khz or 950 khz. Would that not stymie the thinking of most modern day engineers if PPFL was more than a tuned event?I had a family  member ask me why I drink so much whiskey these days, my answer "so I can think like normal people". Christophe

Uh... but do you really want to think like the neurotypical? Is it not more interesting to be the authentic you?

I just finished my build, and I have one thing to say. It 's all true. It is perfectly, PERFECTLY linear from zero beat to about 2mm away from the antenna. It 's timbre is also very nice.

What I need to improve is the volume response, which works but should be made much more expressive by better tuning.

Anyone curious needs to see it for themselves.

Yes, I am curious. Where I can see it for myself? Have you made audio samples? 

I 'll upload sounds and videos as soon as I can. But you need to build it to feel the thrill. Literally works by itself without configuration. As soon as you hit correct heterodyning via the variable inductors, you only need to adjust zero beat and it is always perfectly linear, from start to finish of the field (I get about 5 octaves). No need  to do weird tuning or anything, it just works.

Even when the mixer was wrong and I was mixing ghost tones through radio noise, the ghost tones played with perfect linearity. As a physicist I need to investigate it further, it 's really awesome. I promise to post a sort video as soon as I can.