Synthesizer/Theremin Guitar

A company named Electrokraft at http://www.electrokraft.com puts out a synthesizer/theremin guitar. It's features are:

• Touch-sensitive guitar-style fingerboard
• Internal ring modulator
• Two oscillators
• Theremin photocell
• 1/4" I/O jacks
• $549 retail

Maybe worthwhile, maybe not. But for $549 worth a chance.

Bong, the photoreceptor cell probably does not work as good as a real theramin...

They also make something called an "air synth" which is either Roland or Akai.

On 2005-02-08 14:32, lucas vigor wrote:
Bong, the photoreceptor cell probably does not work as good as a real theramin...

I'd assume that's why it's not a real theramin...

**** Oh God, Oh God, Please Note ****

Lucus Vigor is a friend and bass player of mine. He does not care if I talk to him in this manner. I have a signed affidavit stating such. Do not complain about this post or I'll ... ah,... have I ever told you I really like you? No, really.

hat's absolutely correct.

Bong pays me very well, so he can talk to me anyway he wants!

Letting my "theremin snob" side hang out: the theremin is an electronic synthesizer that uses the body's natural capacitance, as you move your hand in relation to an antenna, to detune one variable radio oscillator from another fixed oscillator, and the resulting beat frequency of the heterodyning oscillations creates the varying pitch (that means you add the two radio frequecies together and the result is an audio freqency output). A second pair of oscillators are used to electronically shift the volume control of the internal amplifier to control the output volume.

This device sounds like it's more closely related to the Electro-Theremin built by Paul Tanner & Bob Whitsell: electronic or mechanical controls are used to control pitch &/or volume. In the original Electro-Theremin the tone was created by a single sine wave generator, and in this case the tone is created by a sound chip. The "presure sensitive fretboard" sounds like a combination & extension of both the Electro-Theremin's pitch controller & Lev "Leon" Theremin's Theremin Cello. Photocell pitch control is used by several borderline-toy theremins & science project kits.

On the whole you'd probably do better to plug a real guitar or amp's effect send into a Korg Kaos Pad or several of Bob Moog's MoogerFoogers.

P.S.- Bong, where do we send our signed afidavits? :wink:

Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., D.F.S

[ Edited by: freddiefreelance on 2005-02-09 12:45 ]

One of these days I actually have to pick up a copy of the "Electronic Odyssey" documentary from a few years back... If only for Todd Rundgren doing his Theremin imitation.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0792846028/002-5029190-7776848?v=glance

-Z

Just don't let the neighbors catch glimpses of you playing 'air theramin'.