Page 1
itself. Plug the round three-pin 'DIN' connector
on the adapter cable into the mating power
socket on the back side of the ETHERWAVE.
(That's the side opposite the control panel and
the player.) Then plug the adapter itself into a
grounded power receptacle, or into a three-
wire extension cord which provides a good
ground connection. The ground connection
stabilizes the ETHER-WAVE's operation.
d) Connecting the amplifier-speaker: The
ETHERWAVE may be used with a wide variety of
musical instrument, stereo, or public address
amplifier systems. The nominal level of the
ETHERWAVE's audio output is one-half volt RMS
and the nominal output impedance is 2.4
Kilohms.
We suggest a small but high-quality portable
'keyboard amplifier' of the sort that synthesizer
players frequently use for practicing. Use a
shielded audio cable with a conventional 1/4"
phone plug on one end, to be plugged into
the ETHERWAVE's audio out jack. The other end
of the cable should be equipped with
whatever kind of plug your sound system
requires, and should be plugged into a jack
labeled line in, instrument
, or aux on your
sound system. Do not plug it into a microphone
or guitar input, as these inputs are designed for
much weaker audio signals.
e) Setting the tuning adjustments: Turn on both
the ETHERWAVE
and your sound system. Set the
loudness or volume control on your amplifier
about one third of the way up. Touch the pitch
antenna of the ETHERWAVE and slowly rotate
the ETHERWAVE's VOLUME tuning knob
clockwise. A high note will be heard. At one
setting of the VOLUME tuning knob, the volume
will be at a maximum. Starting from this setting,
turn the VOLUME tuning knob counterclockwise
until the loudness of the tone begins to
decrease. Now bring your left hand near the
volume antenna. Note that the tone's loudness
decreases smoothly, and finally becomes silent
when your left hand is two to three inches from
the volume antenna. Then remove your left
hand from the volume antenna but, still
touching the pitch antenna, adjust the volumecontrol on your sound system so that the tone is
as loud as you will want it to be.
Now remove your right hand from the pitch
antenna. Turn the ETHERWAVE's PITCH tuning
knob fully counterclockwise. You will hear a
high pitch. Now slowly turn the PITCH tuning
knob clockwise. You will hear the tone's pitch
go down. When it is about an octave below
middle C, step back from the instrument. You
should hear the pitch decrease further until the
tone stops completely ('zero beat'). Adjust the
PITCH tuning knob carefully so that, when your
right shoulder is about 24" from the pitch
antenna and your right hand is down at your
side, the tone's pitch is audible but lower than
two octaves below middle C. (Two octaves
below middle C is the lowest note on a cello,
and slightly below the lowest note on a guitar.)
PLAYING THE
ETHERWAVE THEREMIN
Pitch and volume of the ETHERWAVE sound is
controlled by the free movement of the
player's hands in the space in the electric fields
which surround the two antennas.
Changes in pitch are produced by moving the
right hand nearer to or farther away from the
pitch antenna. Moving the right hand nearer to
the antenna raises the pitch; moving it away
lowers it. Changes in volume are produced by
moving the left hand nearer to or farther away
from the volume antenna. Bringing the hand
nearer the antenna weakens the sound;
moving the hand away from the antenna
strengthens the sound.
Since any moving body will influence the
theremin's pitch and volume, it is important that
only the player be near the theremin when he
is performing. Other people should be at least
four to six feet from the pitch antenna.
Timbre, or quality of the tone may be varied by
changing the settings of the WAVEFORM and
Page 2
BRIGHTNESS knobs. The WAVEFORM knob
adjusts which harmonics are strong and which
are weak, while the BRIGHTNESS knob adjusts
the overall amount of harmonic content.
Correct Playing Position: Position yourself slightly
left of center of the instrument. When your right
arm is fully extended, your knuckles should just
touch the pitch antenna. The right hand is
moved horizontally toward and away from the
pitch antenna. The left hand is moved vertically
over the volume antenna.
The PITCH and VOLUME tuning adjustments
should now be checked. Without moving your
feet, place both hands at your side and stand
erect. The instrument should produce a very
low-pitched tone, or be completely silent ('zero
beat'). Now bring your right hand up to your
shoulder. The pitch should be about one to two
octaves below middle C. If this low note is not
heard, then adjust the PITCH knob until the
desired condition is obtained. Note that the
PITCH knob is a tuning adjustment. It sets the
distance that you have to stand away from the
pitch antenna in order to obtain zero beat.
When you turn the PITCH knob clockwise, the
distance is reduced, thus compressing the
distance between musical intervals.
Check the volume adjustment as follows:
Place your left hand eight inches above the
volume antenna. This should produce a
noticeable reduction in the loudness of the
tone. If it does not, then turn the VOLUME knob
counterclockwise until the desired effect is
obtained. On the other hand, turning the
VOLUME adjustment knob too far
counterclockwise will prevent you from
producing loud tones. Note that the
ETHERWAVE's VOLUME knob is a tuning
adjustment. Its purpose is to adjust how the
instrument's volume changes as your left hand
approaches the volume antenna. This knob is
not a 'volume control'. That is, it does not simply
make the tone louder or softer. It should not be
used to set the instrument's maximum volume.
The volume control on your sound system is
used for that purpose.You will rapidly develop a feel for these
adjustments. After a few practice sessions, you
will be able to tune the theremin rapidly and
accurately.
Techniques of practicing: Like any expressive musical instrument, the theremin takes some
practice. Start with the following simple
exercises:
1. Stand slightly left of the center of the
instrument, with your right shoulder about 24"
from the pitch antenna. Relax your wrists. Think
of a note and hum it to yourself. Then move
your right hand toward the pitch antenna until
the theremin pitch coincides with what you're
humming. Now hold the note. This is not as
easy as it sounds, but is an important
technique to learn. You will find at first that it is
actually hard to stand still, but a few hours'
practice will work wonders.
2. Hum two different notes, one after the other.
Find the first note on the theremin, hold it, and
then slowly glide to the second.
3. Repeat the above exercise, but bring your
left hand near the volume antenna while your
right hand glides from one note to the next.
Move the left hand slowly at first, and then
more rapidly as you learn to move your left
hand independently of your right. This exercise
teaches you to 'feel' where the notes are, and
to impart expressive dynamics.
4. While playing a note, introduce a vibrato by
moving your right hand back and forth from
your wrist, several times a second. Concentrate
on making the vibrato even and steady.
The above exercises will give you basic skills of
theremin playing: finding notes, playing
intervals, articulating notes, and introducing a
vibrato. With these basic skills, you can play
slow melodies. Practicing regular scales and
arpeggios will increase your proficiency. Focus
on accuracy of pitch and precise control over
dynamics.
