Note event handling for theremini?

[Gordon Charlton]

It occurs to me that the theremini synthesiser lacks envelope shaping, which is a standard component in the majority of synths.

Although note events are not generated by the theremin user interface of the instrument, there is no reason that they could not come from other sources, either a sequencer providing a time related pattern of note events or a hand or foot operated trigger.

I have used abrupt interruptions to the audio of my etherwave in a variety of forms, including a handheld pushbutton killswitch and a GigFX Chopper effects pedal in several recordings and it significantly extends the utility of the instrument. I would very much like to see this in the theremini.

Couple of examples, first with a crude killswitch, and second with the Chopper and both with several other effects.

http://youtu.be/oEEE2hwJRDQ

https://soundcloud.com/beat-frequency/snippetymen

[rkram53]

Gordon - the sounds you get out of that thing never cease to amaze me!
Love that Snippitymen! Sounds like its going through a formant filter.
You give me the idea to run my Theremini through a modular filter and control it from a CV source (maybe the Theremini note CV) and run that to an envelope generator that I'll trigger in a few different ways. Maybe at the same time controlling the Theremini filter though MIDI. That filter chaining might be interesting.

[Gordon Charlton]

Thank you. Yes, it's an EHX Talking Machine.

I look forward to hearing what you do.

You can see why I would want something like that built in to the theremini synth firmware.

[rkram53]

While its not strictly envelope, there are a number of MIDI controls for volume on the Theremini. Perhaps using a sequencer running sudden MIDI volume changes might create something similar in combination with controlling the filter and delays. Haven't really fooled around with MIDI on the Theremini as some others have.

[Gordon Charlton]

I'm not a MIDI expert either, but I can see how that would work. Doing it that way would necessitate having external devices permanently attached to the USB MIDI port. I would prefer to keep the theremini as self-contained as possible - that's part of the area of it for me - that I could dispense with the long chains of effects that I use currently on my etherwave.

Having built in sequencers would also help to make sense of the pitch transpose function, which seems a bit silly to me by itself - in conjunction with a sequencer it would make a form of arpeggiator.

[d'ni]

Just messed around with that fader-app, a cool thing for editing and storing sounds, and i have to report, that i made some simmilar staccato sounds, close to your sounds. Not that voicing sound, that one comes from your ehx-box anyway. But with those extra waves, the wavescan features and some filtering you can get not the same but something quite close.

[Gordon Charlton]

Thank you, that's good to know.

Is is the faders app? (I hope not because it's not available in the UK. )

https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/faders- ... 78241?mt=8

[d'ni]

Unfortunately: yes. double It's that one.
But there's another app, and most hopefully available in UK. It's "TB MIDI Stuff". Does the same, costs not much and you can create your own layout with faders, knobs, whatever. so it offers much more then that "faders". I just stumbled over "TB MIDI stuff", and stupid as i am with these things, even me could figure out how it works. My first fader worked after 10 minutes!

[Gordon Charlton]

Gorgeous skeuomorphic interfaces.

I found a similar thing with flat graphics - my preference - for the same price. TouchOSC.

On the subject of midi Im going to suggest a nifty modular synth app - Audulus. With a midi interface app and a Theremini and a usb midi expression pedal (I have one from eowave but have never used it other than to prove that it works) it could be awesome. A package of a size and shape that I have been hoping for arrived at Charlton Mansions and I have a birthday approaching, so I guess I'll be finding out for myself at some point. I've got a lot to learn before that though.

At the moment Audulus has MIDi In, but not Out. But it is top of the feature requests on the forum there. Maybe a few more +1s might nudge him into implementing it. <wink>

http://forum.audulus.com/discussion/374 ... udulus-/p1

[Gordon Charlton]

Gorgeous skeuomorphic interfaces.

I found a similar thing with flat graphics - my preference - for the same price. TouchOSC.

On the subject of midi I'm going to suggest a nifty modular synth app - Audulus. With a midi interface app and a Theremini and a usb midi expression pedal (I have one from eowave but have never used it other than to prove that it works) it could be awesome. A package of a size and shape that I have been hoping for has arrived at Charlton Mansions and I have a birthday approaching, so I guess I'll be finding out for myself at some point. I've got a lot to learn before that though.

At the moment Audulus has MIDi In, but not Out. But it is top of the feature requests on the forum there. Maybe a few more +1s might nudge him into implementing it. <wink>

http://forum.audulus.com/discussion/374 ... udulus-/p1

[synthguy]

Hi Gordon:
Very sorry to hear that the Yamaha fader app is not available in the UK...it really does do good things for the Theremini.
Another app that will let you design your own interface and connect Midi CCs to it is Called Midi Designer.
The lite version is free, but you have to put up with a slideable ad banner over part of the screen. It's tolerable, and works well.

Happy Impending Birthday to you, and I hope a certain present makes its appearance!

I've noticed that people have started to find some of the "Easter Eggs" hidden in the current software. As a Birthday present, I'll let you in on a couple that I don't think have been discovered yet.

CC 81 will control the level of a built in White Noise generator that can be used on its own, or mixed with a selected wavetable. It makes for some very nice patches.

CC 89 is an additional level control for just the selected wavetable, letting you set a mix between it and the white noise at the desired drive level (higher levels can be used to overdrive the filter a bit)

Of course you can still use CC 103 as a master level set to filter (pre digital delay), or
CC 7 as a master volume (post digital delay)

There are NO additional hidden filter types....there is a cut and paste mistake in the manual that lists two additional entries that are just carryovers from the wavetable section. Any numbers entered outside the real defined range just result in the filter being bypassed.

Any presets created with these hidden features can be saved by sending value 0x31 to CC119.


Cheers, and hope your Birthday is a Happy one!

SG

[Gordon Charlton]

White noise! Yay! All the more reason to want envelopes for tuned percussive sounds.

There is another filter, sort of, in that a delay in the millisecond range acts as a resonant feedback comb filter. (This is one of the tricks in the EHX Analogizer pedal - with BBD analogue delay so it rolls of the high end for added mellowness, and a nice little distortion with a very low noise floor for an analogue device.)

I don't have a demo of the Analogizer - it is very subtle - definitely a try-before-you-buy pedal, it floats my boat but you might not agree.

I do have an example of a Marshall Echohead EH-1 delay in pure digital mode with a 5ms delay and everything else maxed out for total resonant feedback comb filter madness. Less in your face effects are possible by turning down the feedback a bit. The demo also features crackling and overload courtesy of a cheap microphone and budget guitar practice amp.

http://youtu.be/-B68bRDzQi8

[rkram53]

Gordon,
Some really interesting things you can do with playing the Theremini from a sequencer. My friend at Moog suggested I try using the transpose control. Although you can't send Note On/Note Off data to the Theremini right now, you can change the transposition in real time. This means you can if you like play melodies on it this way if you vary your transposition CC control (CC102) slowly. Maybe I'll experiment with that later.

I fired up Cubase and basically drew CC patterns for transposition, volume and filter resonance (though I was not using a waveform that produces a lot of resonance change). You can get some stunning runs and effects. I threw that all through a Eurorack stereo panning module controlled by the Theremini's CV out and then a Hall of Fame reverb pedal.

I'm sure altering more parameters at the same time will create an untold wealth of interesting results.

How did I play it? I didn't do a thing other than stand still in front of the Theremini with my hand in a fixed position throughout (better not post this on Theremin World). So it's kind of like anti-theremin playing. I'm sure if you actually play as well you can get some interesting second order effects.

https://soundcloud.com/rk53-1/playing-t ... idi-source

Cheers!
Rich

[Gordon Charlton]

That's bonkers! I love it.

And yeah, taunting the earnest folks on thereminworld is cruel and unusual. LOL.

[edit]

Thinking about it, it is not surprising that you hear distinct notes when transposing pitch. It's a very brief frequency modulation, in the same way that an envelope generator applied to the volume briefly modulates the amplitude. In both cases the shape of the waveform is briefly changed, adding extra harmonic content - changing the timbre of the note. Think AM and FM synthesis.

And ... ... I have a demo video of instantaneous pitch transposition on an etherwave theremin, using an unusual technique - it is an electro-mechanical effect made by holding a long conductor with an insulated handle at an appropriate angle in the pitch field. The idea is that when the conductive part is in contact with the player - by touching it with a fingertip, its effect on the capacitive field is greatly increased, as if the player had moved his hand impossibly fast in the pitch field, giving the frequency modulation effect. In this case the long conductor is a lobster knife, although generally I prefer a screwdriver with a very long shaft.

http://youtu.be/w1w4ir9imTk

[/edit]

[rkram53]

Now all we need is to invent the Turkey Theremin and you will be all set.