Theremin Bleg
Jason Kuznicki on Jul 30th 2007
I now present the strangest bleg I’ve probably ever made.
Scott and I recently bought a theremin as part of our growing home music project. I’ve wanted a theremin ever since high school, when I was very into Led Zeppelin. We run the theremin through the same amplifier as my electric bass, and it can produce some very interesting interference patterns. Nothing I’d call music yet, but we’re getting there.
Our theremin is having some weird technical difficulties, though: After sunset it works pretty much as advertised, but during the day the range is radically lessened and there is a huge amount of static hiss, popping sounds, and other undesireable noise. We’ve ruled out temperature and light as possible causes of interference. Could it be like cosmic rays or something? Truly the theremin is a weird instrument, and not just because of the spooky sounds it makes.
(Yes, I know, I should probably just hop over to Theremin World and get an answer there. I searched but didn’t find what I was after. I may have to make an account and ask. And after that I’ll stop by Spatula City, too.)
Filed in The Bistro
Is there a daylight AM station nearby? Perhaps the operating frequency is interfering with the oscillators of your instrument. Just a guess, but it something like that, you will probably have to have your instrument modified.
Somebody made a Spatula City site? I thought that was just an old joke from Ren and Stimpy.
I also think it’s very cool you got a Theremin. I love the sounds they make.
Interesting timing. VH1 Classic aired “The Song Remains the Same” a few weeks ago, and I’ve retained it in my DVR to watch a few times - although it’s unforgivable that VH1 Classic inserted commercial breaks in the middle of a couple of the songs.
If I had to choose between the theremin and the violin-bowed guitar, though, I’d choose the latter.
For me, I think the best tool of the 70s were the monophonic analog synths, the Moog and the ARP. A buddy of mine in college (in the early 90s) bought a used, beat up, ARP synth from the 70s for less than $200. And it sounded better than most of today’s synths that cost thousands of dollars (though it could only play one note at a time — that’s what monophonic means). I wish more players would be like Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson, and keep their classic analog synth’s in their rack.
The commenter above mentioned a local AM station. There also might be an RF problem in the form of an amateur radio operator (a friend of mine a has serious problem with his tube stereo equipment and an over-eager neighbor with a ham radio), a business operating a communication station for deliveries or repairmen, or some other form of interference. You might also check your AC line voltage with a cheap multi-meter from Radio Shack. During peak hours in the summer it might be dropping to a level that is affecting the performance of the theremin.