My first Theremin; which to buy?

Posted: 1/28/2019 1:27:52 PM
bjornciggaar

Joined: 1/28/2019

Hi,

I've been looking to buy a Theremin for a while now, and now that I formed a band I'm looking around for one.
I read the excellent buyers guide and for a while now I thought the Theremini was the one to get... However... I'm doubting if it will fit my needs (compared to my budget!).

The thing is. I'm the singer in an 80's heavy metal, hard rock, doom, nwobhm, psychedelic rock band (I know, a lot of genres, we're still forming). Where the Theremin comes in, is the psychedelic parts. Influenced heavily by Hawkwind. I also play a Yamaha Reface YC organ (for the Hammond sound) and the Novation Bass Station II (analogue synth). And the Korg Monotron Delay (tiny ribbon delay synth; wonderful noise) I'm mainly the singer and I just play some melodies/riffs on the keys here and there. So here comes the Theremini. Intended for the crazy noisy space solo's to go wild. So I'm thinking. Isn't it all a bit to much to add a Theremini to this setup? Just for the noisy solo? Or would the Theremini become a bigger part in our music because of it's capabilities (ahum, my capabilities of course)? Would a Theremini be an important addition or would it be too much? And also; what are the possibilities in my setup, like, could I connect it to my other instruments?
For a lot less I could pick up the Widara Distant Voices. Would that one suit me better? Can I connect that to my setup? Because I do think that one needs some pedals to get a nice sound out of it...

Thanks!

Bjørn

Posted: 1/29/2019 6:43:08 PM
dewster

From: Northern NJ, USA

Joined: 2/17/2012

The Theremini has MIDI out, so you can play other MIDI equipment with it.  And the voices in it are "spacier" than most Theremins, so that might work well for your band and such.  But it is largely a toy / conversation piece, the capacitance fields are weak and non-linear, and there is some noticeable response lag when playing it.  So it's not the best instrument to get your feet wet with "real" Theremins and the way they behave.  Try it out in a store if you can.  

Good luck in your search!

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