Sound familiar??

Posted: 7/7/2009 5:55:46 PM 1

From: Florida

Joined: 7/7/2009

Hello, I am wondering if anyone has heard of a device like this. I am trying to find one, but having some difficulty.
I once saw this device about 5 years ago being used by a guitar player in a band called Hog the Swine. It was a theremin that would generate sound when his hand moved over a red (infared or laser??) light. Unless his hand was over the sensor light, there wouldn't be any sound. He could swipe the area over the light and it would sound almost like a laser beam blast.
Anyway, that is all I can remember about the unit. Does this sound familiar to anyone or do you know of any devices that work similar to these?
Thanks for your help.

Posted: 7/7/2009 11:13:29 PM 2

dae23

From: Asheville, NC

Joined: 1/25/2008

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It might have been an Alesis Air FX, which I believe is no longer in production.

Check out the Electro-Faustus EF102 (http://www.electrofaustus.com/assets/products.html)

If you google "optical theremin", "light controlled theremin", "photo cell theremin" or something like that you will find all kinds of things. Roland puts something called a D-Beam controller on some of their devices that works like that.

Posted: 7/15/2009 6:41:14 AM 3

FredM

From: Eastleigh, Hampshire, U.K. ................................... Fred Mundell. ................................... Electronics Engineer. (Primarily Analogue) .. CV Synths 1974-1980 .. Theremin developer 2007 to present .. soon to be Developing / Trading as WaveCrafter.com . ...................................

Joined: 12/7/2007

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there is the ADEPT which is optical.. Richard has an EBAY shop (U.K.) he sell them from.. Havent got a link (if I find it I will paste it here) - or perhaps Gordon knows how to get one..

U-tube demo of ADEPT (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P87TbvvBfxs)

Ebay name = 123Helyer

This unit can be switched to continuous tone (not note quantised) I believe, so should be usable for sound effects.

Posted: 7/15/2009 10:58:24 AM 4

GordonC

From: Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, UK

Joined: 10/5/2005

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I'm not particularly a fan of optical theremins, but Richard's are the best - if that's what you're looking for they are well recommended.

Here is his home page on ebay.

http://myworld.ebay.com/123helyer/

At present he doesn't have anything for sale, but don't let that stop you contacting him either via ebay or youtube. He will build to order. (I know - he's making one of his other devices - the optical MIDI controller - for a friend of mine at the moment.)

http://www.youtube.com/user/digitalent23

Alternatively I'll be seeing Richard on Monday at Lydia Kavina's workshop in Oxford and could pass on your email address.

(Hint: other people, including me, cannot see the email address on your theremin world profile.)

Posted: 8/6/2009 2:18:34 PM 5

magellan

From: Florida

Joined: 7/7/2009

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Ok...I found out the exact model I'm looking for...The Frostwave Spacebeam.

Kind of hard to find though and they're pricey. Does the d-beam on the rolands work the same way. If anyone has any suggestions to anything that operates similar to the Frostwave Spacebeam, I'd love to hear the, Thanks for the suggestions.

Posted: 8/6/2009 3:34:58 PM 6

GordonC

From: Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, UK

Joined: 10/5/2005

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The Frostwave and the ADEPT both work on the same principal as the D-Beam - they bounce an infrared light off your hand onto a sensor.

The Alesis AirFX has several sensors, so up/down, left/right and foreward/backward all vary different parameters.

The EF102 is the most primitive of the bunch, with a simple light sensitive cell.

Of all four, I would chose the ADEPT - it can vary between continuous sliding pitch and chromatic tuning, and has more knobs that you can vary whilst playing than you can shake a stick at, giving it the widest range of sounds.

Posted: 8/6/2009 6:19:18 PM 7

FredM

From: Eastleigh, Hampshire, U.K. ................................... Fred Mundell. ................................... Electronics Engineer. (Primarily Analogue) .. CV Synths 1974-1980 .. Theremin developer 2007 to present .. soon to be Developing / Trading as WaveCrafter.com . ...................................

Joined: 12/7/2007

threads - posts

I agree with Gordon on this - Adept can do everything the Frostwave can, and more.. And I would rate it as the best of all the available options.

Richard (Who designs and builds these) is a highly competent "old school" engineer in my opinion - And I think you are far more likely to get good advice and support from him than from any of the others .. Also, I THINK that, if you had some special modification or requirment, you would have a chance that Richard could do this for you.. You would have no chance with any of the others.

However..
If its the look of the instrument which decides you, then perhaps the Frostwave is your best choice.