PAiA Theremax

THEREMIN

• I built the electronics for this PAiA Theremax some years ago, and have recently had time to make a proper case for it, make prettier antennaes and generally beef up the exterior to make it look even more like the classic it really is.
• Still being regarded a novelty here's a 10 second run-down on theremins:
• The Theremin is a musical instrument where the player controls pitch moving his hand at one antennae and controls the volume with the other. The upright anteannae is for pitch and the left is for volume. The instrument was invented by russian radiotech Leon Thermen in 1917. You can read more about his story using Google (recommended). Thermen took his instrument to Europe and USA. In USA the RCA started manufacturing the instrument - thinkin' every home should have one.
• The Theremin is not easy to play - it's probably the most difficult instrument in the world for playing a simple melody. However - some - or correctly ONE person has fully mastered this instrument. Russian Clara Rockmore got her fame by playing the Theremin. Nobody has been able to play the theremin like her. She died in 1998 - the world champion nowadays is a woman by the name Lydia Kavina - she's good - but will propably never reach the standards of Clara Rockmore.
• If you want to find out how good a Theremin can sound - and how good this instrument is in the right hands - I recommend you to track down some recordings with Clara.
• The PAiA Theremax
• PAiA is a little firm owned by John Simonton based in Oklahoma USA. Simonton is one of the legendary synthpioneers, who belongs up there with the likes of Bob Moog, Don Buchla and Tom Oberheim (why not Dave Smith?? ...because he's a feckin' scriptkiddie - that's why). But unlike the other guys John Simonton and his PAiA has dedicated their buisness to DIY-kits of high quality at a very low cost. Thus making synthesizers, effects and other electronics for music available to anybody who owns a soldering iron. The PAiA manuals are very instructive and easy to follow - perfect for education and self-study.
• The Theremax is in many ways one of the best Theremins ever designed. It has a larger range than any other theremin and it has the best volume circuit ever designed for a theremin. Extremely responsive and smooth. I'm planning to use a CV/MIDI interface and utilize the volume-antennae as a controller for pitch vibrato for some of my synthesizerwork. I can't think of any other way to get closer to a violinists vibrato. In addition the Thremax respond to velocity and comes with CV/GATE and velocity CV out - which gives the opportunity to use the theremin as a controller for other analogue instruments as well.
• Personally I think the PAiA Theremax sounds better than the Moog Etherwave theremin, but that's more a matter of taste.

• My project
• I built the electronics according to spec. Only mods made are a socket for 12V-in and a fuse at the front-panel. I have a couple of mods that I'm about to do later - increase the timbral possibilites and maybe get a more linear response to the pitchantennae.
• The housing of my Theremax is vintage too. The case is an old Tandberg loudspeaker (1950-something??) modified to become a Theremax case. The speaker hole at the top was covered with plywood, then grinding, primed, grinding, primed again etc. The finish is black spray paint ment for cars. Last touch was done with nothing less than good ol' Simonix car wax (out of production).
• I used 1/4" copper for the new antennaes, bent the volume antennae into shape, grinded the top of the pitchantennae and polished them both. The fittings are some stuff bought at an electronics store in Oslo, ment for cables, but they can be tightened very firmly and have plastic coating inside. Perfect!
• Ofcourse - a classic theremin cannot use them modern dull knobs. I found better knobs for the Theremax panel at Maplin UK. The black bakelite knobs with aluminum caps are perfect.
• Ultimately - wanting to show my new instruments history I mounted the little brass Tandberg Radio logo bottom right on the new front.

You can read more about the PAiA THEREMAX and ORDER YOUR OWN HERE (click the logo):