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Theremin info please

Posted: Wed May 20, 2020 4:25 am
by Poianoyx
I'm toying with the idea of getting myself a theremin. Now how do I hook that beast up to my current gear (the usual guitar -> pedalboard with ODs in front and delay in loop -> amp)?

Do I need a separate amp for it? That wouldn't be a problem. How do I hook up the guitar to the theremin, though? Can a guitar and a theremin be run separately into two different amps and yet make them interact? Or will I need an A/B/Y switch?

Now this is where it's getting problematic. In short, what is the simplest way to include a theremin into my effects chain without compromising my current setup too much?

Apologies if the questions appear dumb but I'm very intrigued yet a complete novice with this thing.

Re: Theremin info please

Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 2:12 am
by JimF
Hi Polanoyx,

it sounds a bit as if you're thinking of the theremin as an effects processor or controller of some sort. With the exception of a control voltage-enabled theremin (eg Etherwave Plus) controlling CV-enabled gear (eg a synthesizer or filter etc with CV inputs), the theremin is not actually a controller. It's an instrument in its own right, and would be situated parallel to guitar or anything else. It could go through your current effects setup, or a parallel effects stream. You could use a small mixer to mix both instruments into the effects setup at some point. But you won't hook the guitar up to the theremin, and they won't interact, unless you fiddle with the sensitivity of the theremin to make it react to your whole body, and dance around it while playing guitar. (Not as ridiculous as it sounds - I sometimes do this, playing shakuhachi and theremin simultaneously.)

The best thing, certainly at the start, might be simply to think of the theremin as an instrument to be played by itself and with its own processing.

Cheers,

JimF