I am just starting.

Hello y'all.

Of course I have several questions.  I will start with conflicting comments I have seen.

1  Does the Moog Etherwave Pro have better linearity than the cheaper standard model.  Mr Grillo says yes, others say no.

2.  What is wrong with the Therimini?  I have only seen objections to its 'cold' tone.  That seems like something that I don't really mind, and is also easily minimized with amplifier settings, etc.

3.  I have an 18" B3, but can someone suggest settings that enhance linearity, so I can do scales and melody.  I may need a stand, as I have been trying to do it on a little table, with the volume antenna hanging over the end in space.

4.  How important are the various upgrades I have seen referred to in the comments?  I am not clear on what they do, and how hard it is to install them, and price.

BTW  I am an experienced musician on harmonicas, guitar, vocals, and some keyboard

"1  Does the Moog Etherwave Pro have better linearity than the cheaper standard model.  Mr Grillo says yes, others say no."  - Hank Black

Yes, if properly tuned it is more linear in the region near the pitch antenna than Theremins that don't utilize an EQ coil.  But this make it much harder to retune because you're effectively dealing with three resonances rather than two.

"2.  What is wrong with the Therimini?  I have only seen objections to its 'cold' tone.  That seems like something that I don't really mind, and is also easily minimized with amplifier settings, etc."

Mine, which used the original software, was very non-linear and the response time was noticeably sluggish.  Not sure if the new software fixes this or even addresses it.  And the oscillators are low voltage, so it's potentially more prone to interference.  My (100% speculation) theory is that the sensing and sound generation software are linked via MIDI, which bottlenecks the bandwidth.

"4.  How important are the various upgrades I have seen referred to in the comments?  I am not clear on what they do, and how hard it is to install them, and price."

If you're referring to Thierry's ESPE01 or my own YAEWSBM, they are very helpful for minimizing coupling, which makes far-field playing more linear.

Thanks for the reply

The therimini arrived today.

It certainly is easier to start out on.