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08.08.07
Delusions
Hidden in the Box
Below are my thoughts that seem to conflict with accepted wisdom,
probably because I am not a musician.
I have little experience with theremins outside of my own Ultimate 2
designs,
but I have made many observations.
Achieving a good musical voice and controlled non-tactile volume can be very
difficult. This is why some theremin designs gave up on the true
analog approach and rely on a gesture controller driving digital effects
and then adding that large concrete water pipe echo sound. A bit of
reverb is nice, but don't make it the focus of your sound, it reveals a creative weakness.
Is a theremin a theremin because it senses the proximity of your hand or
is the theremin about something greater that is overlooked or ignorantly
ignored?
“The theremin is about capturing her natural analog voice”
What Lev heard late one
night in his laboratory was "angelic". He realized "she" would
commune with him by their closeness and would fill his lab with
her song.
One theremin mystery
is Clara's Voice a gift from Lev which remains hidden from most technicians that don't earnestly try to understand it.
Soon after they discover non-tactile control, pitch/volume
of a theremin hopefully they will realize these controls are only theremin by
products,
not the analog voice which is the true instrument signature.
Today's replicants or
gesture controllers, even most theremins on the market will not express
Clara's voice much less a realistic cello sound. I
hear this complaint often from Thereminist no matter how expensive their
instrument.
One of the reasons Paul Tanner's "box" was a big hit is
he understood capturing the natural raw theremin sound with good note control.
My visit with Dr.
Paul Tanner.
Paul Tanner and
his instrument created one of the most recognized theremin replicant "tunes".
Later his
instrument would be referred to as the Tannerin. "Good
Vibrations (200k) by the Beach Boys 1966" You
Tube Video
How long will Thereminist (analog purists) accept digital proximity
devices as a theremin just because it is not touched when played?
“True analog theremin design is in its infancy”
The door to discovery is wide open for the amateur hobbyist who
builds with those colorful little electronic pieces. These experimenters
are the individuals I hope use the Ultimate 2 design as their base, improve upon it
and share the new ideas.
I
do not have all the answers, however I have been given a few. Some of my
ideas
may seem a little bit out there, yet I am always thinking. What I do have is
direction, guided by a “star” that I am beginning to wonder. . . "is
it a
visit from his angel?"
Christopher
A
letter from Lev's friend
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