Moog Music Forum

I’ve owned an original etherwave built from kit for years.

Now I’d like to use it as a CV controller.

Should I get a field upgrade? (There seems to be only one retailer in the UK with any of these left).

OR

should I buy a second instrument and keep the first etherwave original? I’ve heard some people say the plus upgrade takes away from the simplicity of the original instrument.

THANKS!

I don't have any tools to objectively measure how much simplicity the plus upgrade takes away but Etherwaves seems more difficult to calibrate with the CV module than without.

Before ordering an upgrade kit for my first theremin, I managed to calibrate it for a D0 - A3 playable range (sounds so awful bellow C2 that I resigned myself to buy a synth). I haven't seriously tried such extreme tuning since the upgrade but I believe it would be a lot more difficult to achieve (not even sure I would be able to).

However, once installed and the variable inductors re-calibrated, my very subjective non-expert opinion is that there's not much differences between an Etherwave+ and a standard Etherwave when playing.

Fells very different when calibrating but should fell the same when playing.