Most days I wake up with the aching question in my head: what the heck is a theremin? Why aren't we talking about them more? For three months, I've thought about this video of Maggie Gyllenhaal and how she's educated on this whimsical instrument. Why not I? Well, the Moog gods have answered and announced that the Etherwave theremin is back.
In a press release for the updated instrument, Moog Music clarifies how the theremin's magic works: "[It's] controlled by moving one’s hands in the air in the proximity of two metal antennas: one exists to determine pitch and the other determines the volume. Higher notes are played by moving the hand closer to the pitch antenna, while louder notes are played by moving the hand away from the volume antenna."
For Maggie Gyllenhaal and all the other theremin masters out there, the new updates for the latest variation of the Etherwave include "improved bass response and stability in the lowest registers, updated antenna connections to enable quick assembly and easy removal for travel, quick-release mic stand adapter for attaching and detaching the instrument from mic stands, mute control for setting the instrument into a standby mode or used for 'pitch preview' via headphones, and CV output integration from Etherwave Plus for connecting with other modular, Eurorack, and CV-controlled instruments."
Check out a video of The Octopus Project performing "I Saw the Bright Shinies" with the Etherwave theremin below. Find more information about the product here.
