1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: Get in touch with technology with tech Stuff from how 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. 3 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,159 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer at 4 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:20,080 Speaker 1: how Stuff Works and I love all things tech. And 5 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: it is a Riday that means it's time for a rerun. 6 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,040 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I mean a classic episode. That's what you 7 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 1: call it, classy. This classic episode originally aired on August 8 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: two thousand eleven. This is how Thereman's work, and I 9 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:40,879 Speaker 1: thought it was appropriate because we're coming up on Halloween 10 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: and I always think of theremans as being sort of 11 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 1: a halloween ish kind of musical instrument because it makes 12 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:51,559 Speaker 1: that why noise. You'll hear a lot of me doing that, 13 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: and also Chris Palette, my co host when we recorded 14 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: this episode. So enjoy because this is one of those 15 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: crazy invent chins. I can't believe someone thought of it. 16 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: It involves electro magnetism and lots of careful movements. It 17 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: is very easy to make noise on a theramin. It 18 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: is much harder to make music on one. And I 19 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: got to see someone make wonderful music on it just 20 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: the other day. So I hope you guys enjoy this episode, 21 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:22,559 Speaker 1: and I'll talk to you again in a moment. First, 22 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: let's get into why we're going to do this episode. 23 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: This comes to us courtesy of a Google Plus suggestion. 24 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 1: This suggestion comes to us from Mary who and I'm 25 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: going to truncate her message a bit because she actually 26 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: had quite a long with lots of different suggestions, but 27 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:46,240 Speaker 1: starts off with you may be interested to know. I, 28 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: for one, am not tech savvy, at least compared to 29 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: the crowd of early adopter types here on Google Plus. 30 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: I'm a rhetoric major, should have graduated when I was twenty, 31 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: but in one class short of might be a for 32 00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 1: financial slash academic red tape reasons with miners in French 33 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: and German guten tag Mary. Aside from being a pro vocalist, 34 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,959 Speaker 1: my real job is teaching English to disadvantaged and academically 35 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: struggling eighth graders, which is amazing. I also tad college 36 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: level rhett comp to and have private students tutoring clients, 37 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: mostly college students, some high school, a few middle school 38 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 1: primarily seeing me for writing instruction or literary interpretation analysis 39 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,920 Speaker 1: and historical analysis with embosses on reading comprehension. Apparently I 40 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: need to take that at any rate. Mary then goes 41 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: on to give several suggestions, the last of which is finally, 42 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:37,920 Speaker 1: more music stuff for those of us who missed the 43 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: B side, r I P programs like able to end 44 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: pro tools, HD electronics like d being Thereman, and the 45 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: very awesome react table you can see on YouTube worthy 46 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 1: of its own podcast. While all of that is true, 47 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: we are going to do a Thereman podcast. And I 48 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: know that stuff from the Beast. I did one as well, 49 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,080 Speaker 1: but we're really going to dive down and talk about 50 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 1: with Thereman. It's his story how it works, uh, and 51 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: you know the what's the basis behind? It's pretty interesting stuff. 52 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 1: And as I said, the song I quoted at the 53 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: beginning actually does feature a Thereman. Oh so and and uh. 54 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:17,800 Speaker 1: Just to help people who want to learn more about 55 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: some of the stuff we're talking about today on how 56 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: stuff works. We don't have how Thereman's work yet, although 57 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: I do believe it's actually gone out as an assignment. 58 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 1: We do have how amplifiers work, and that's going to 59 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: be a very important part of our conversation. At some point. 60 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: We do have an article on the Thereman However, yes, 61 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: we do have articles on the Thereman, just not one 62 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: that specifically breaks down how it works. Yet, like I said, 63 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 1: I think by the time this podcast goes live, we 64 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: may that may have changed. But I know that there 65 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: is an assignment out there somewhere, floating out in the ether. 66 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: It's not me. I'm not the one writing it so 67 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: or at least it hasn't been assigned to me. So 68 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: let's let's start talking about the history here. You wanted 69 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: to UH talk about our buddy Leo Leon Thereman, actually 70 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: Lev Sergeyevitch Terman, who was a scientist and inventor. UM. 71 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: I got a little information about Mr Thereman from Britannica, 72 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: always a good source for the biographical on these inventors. Um. 73 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: He lived in UH in St. Petersburg and uh Florida, Russia. 74 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:20,559 Speaker 1: He was well, he was born there in and died 75 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: in Moscow, Florida, No, North Dakota in nine three. I 76 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 1: wonder if there is a Moscow not anyway. UM. So yeah, 77 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: it's funny that you would say out of the ether 78 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,440 Speaker 1: because the original name for this device was the ether 79 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: a phone, but it was later renamed to be the Thereman, 80 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: and UH basically it's it's known for the way you 81 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: play it, unlike pretty much every other kind of instrument 82 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: I can think of where you actually need to touch 83 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: it to do this. The thereman, you specifically do not 84 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 1: touch UM. I knew a lot of people who have 85 00:04:55,880 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: that same policy. But yes, no, you're you're absolutely correct. 86 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: Derriman has played without touching it. Yep. And he actually 87 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 1: played it for for Lenin in nineteen twenty two and 88 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:13,040 Speaker 1: and for Albert Einstein in UM patented the instrument in 89 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:17,840 Speaker 1: in New York in UM, and then he went into 90 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 1: a lot of other stuff. He UH tried to work 91 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: on other musical instruments and UH worked on an electronic 92 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 1: security system for prisons. UM ended up in a Siberian 93 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:34,479 Speaker 1: labor camp in the Soviet Union. Yeah, it's uh. He was. 94 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: He did work did some work for a in a 95 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:39,920 Speaker 1: military lab during World War Two where he was working 96 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 1: on UH naval tracking systems and remote controls UM and 97 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:50,320 Speaker 1: even on spy technology and eavesdropping device for the KGB. UH. 98 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 1: He got the Stalin Prize for that. UM. Smart guy 99 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,600 Speaker 1: is what we're talking about here. Yeah. Yeah. He became 100 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:01,919 Speaker 1: a professor of acoustics at the Moscow conservat tory Um 101 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:04,479 Speaker 1: and uh, you know, had done a lot of a 102 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: lot of different kinds of electronics work. So certainly Um 103 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:11,280 Speaker 1: a very interesting person. But you know, I think he's 104 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:13,560 Speaker 1: probably best known. I don't think anyone would argue that 105 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: he's best known for the ether a phone, I mean 106 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 1: the Thereman. Yes, since it does, since it does actually 107 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,159 Speaker 1: bear his name, or at least the Western version of 108 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:22,920 Speaker 1: his name. And before we go any further, I think 109 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: it might might behoove us to to have a little 110 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 1: a little listen to to what a thereman sounds like. 111 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:39,680 Speaker 1: So this is the sound of the Theoreman. Now, listeners 112 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 1: may have recognized that from various songs, and really I think, 113 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:47,840 Speaker 1: I think what that always reminds me of as all 114 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: all those like nineteen fifties science fiction films and TV 115 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: series that either used a theoreman or use some sort 116 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: of other effect to create a theoreman like sound as 117 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: part of the sound track. Because not everything that that 118 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:06,039 Speaker 1: sounds like a theremin is in fact a thereman. In fact, 119 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:09,479 Speaker 1: one of the most famous songs that people tend to 120 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 1: say had a thereman and it did not is Good 121 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 1: Vibrations by the Beach Boys, almost said beast boys, this 122 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:22,120 Speaker 1: is that's for you yet, I haven't had enough coffee. 123 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 1: Is good vibrations by the Beastie Boys and that would 124 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:30,320 Speaker 1: have been hilarious and wrong. But anyway, yeah, that's not 125 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: that's not a thereman used in that song. It's a 126 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 1: it's a totally different instrument. Actually, it's called tannerin although 127 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 1: I mean it does it does have a similar sound 128 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 1: to it, but you actually do play that by touching. Yes, 129 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: you slide your finger on it, and depending on where 130 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:46,559 Speaker 1: you're touching it, it it you know, produces a different sound. 131 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 1: And if you were to look at a theorem and 132 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 1: you would immediately see that the I guess the most 133 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:55,680 Speaker 1: notable feature is that it's you know, depending upon the 134 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:57,360 Speaker 1: design of it, it's gonna look like some sort of 135 00:07:57,400 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: a box. But from that box, you're gonna see a 136 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:05,400 Speaker 1: pair of antenna and one traditionally, one antenna is vertical 137 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: aligned to the box, so it's it's up and down, 138 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 1: and then a second antenna seems tends to come out 139 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 1: the side of the box. It's horizontal and it's in 140 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: a loop. And using your hands moving them close to 141 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 1: and further away those antenna that's what controls the sound 142 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 1: that comes out of the theoreman. Yeah. You you know, 143 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 1: it's always good to adjusted a little bit to the left, 144 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: you know, get the get the picture just right right. 145 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 1: Oh wait, I'm sorry, I was thinking of a different 146 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:33,880 Speaker 1: kind of antenna. Yeah, no, it's yeah, it's not a 147 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:36,880 Speaker 1: rabbit ears. Um. Yeah. In fact, that's a good point. 148 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: We should mention that this is these antenna are not 149 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: designed to pick up any sort of radio frequency. That's 150 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:44,400 Speaker 1: not the purpose of the antenna. We'll get into that 151 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:47,720 Speaker 1: when we start getting into the actual uh ways that 152 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: the the theoreman works. So do you said you wanted 153 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:52,920 Speaker 1: to talk a little bit at one point about songs 154 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:55,480 Speaker 1: that you may have heard or perhaps even other ways 155 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 1: that you may have heard a thereman. Well, yeah, I 156 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:02,160 Speaker 1: mean I wasn't really a subscriber to XM Radio, the 157 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:06,000 Speaker 1: satellite radio service here in the United States, and they 158 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,200 Speaker 1: used to have a channel called Special X where they 159 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: would play all kinds of strange and unusual things. And 160 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 1: they actually had, believe it or not, a whole show 161 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,439 Speaker 1: devoted to music from the Theoreman. And so they were 162 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:21,680 Speaker 1: all these and again, you're right, period records from like 163 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: the fifties and stuff where there were uh, you know 164 00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:29,679 Speaker 1: thereman songs that they were playing entire pieces on the 165 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: theorem and and actually you could find a lot of 166 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 1: the stuff on on YouTube. I've seen people I've seen 167 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:41,400 Speaker 1: theremin orchestras, wow, where there are different people playing songs 168 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,000 Speaker 1: and they have different parts. So everybody's got a different 169 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 1: purpose of doing it. And it's it sounds kind of 170 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:50,319 Speaker 1: random when you just hear the sections and segments and 171 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 1: other songs and pop songs and things like that. But 172 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:55,480 Speaker 1: you you know, people you can actually play this as 173 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:57,920 Speaker 1: a musical instrument. And so I've I've heard a lot 174 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: of that kind of stuff. Uh, I'm trying to think 175 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,559 Speaker 1: of something specific. Do you have a favorite thereman song 176 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:05,679 Speaker 1: other than the one that you quoted before, other than 177 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:08,719 Speaker 1: the one I quoted before and not really, um, but 178 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:12,520 Speaker 1: there are other songs that have used it. They're actually uh, 179 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: like I said, it's for me. The thing that I 180 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:16,960 Speaker 1: think about are all those those like The Day the 181 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:19,439 Speaker 1: Earth Stood Still? That would be a famous film that 182 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:22,640 Speaker 1: used a theoreman as a sound effect. Uh. There there 183 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:25,839 Speaker 1: was a theremin used at least in some versions of 184 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 1: the theme to Star Trek, although most of the time 185 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: that was actually a vocalist who did that effect. But 186 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:33,720 Speaker 1: I believe in in one or two versions of that 187 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:38,560 Speaker 1: you can hear a thereman being used. Um So, I 188 00:10:38,559 --> 00:10:42,800 Speaker 1: mean that there are bands that experiment and they'll throw 189 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 1: that in the mix, and it may even be that 190 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:48,040 Speaker 1: it's it's a minor part of the song where you know, 191 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 1: it's not meant to take the forefront of the melody 192 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 1: or anything like that. It's just another another layer of 193 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:57,520 Speaker 1: complexity within a song itself. Chris and I have more 194 00:10:57,559 --> 00:10:59,720 Speaker 1: to say about how thereman's work in just a second, 195 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:02,760 Speaker 1: but let's take a quick break to thank our sponsor. 196 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:13,920 Speaker 1: So I guess we can now talk about what a 197 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:16,560 Speaker 1: theoreman does, like how does it make that sound? Like? 198 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: Why is it that when you put your hand closer 199 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: to or further away from, one antenna changes the pitch 200 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:26,240 Speaker 1: and the other one controls the volume. That's by the way, 201 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: the vertical one is the pitch antenna and the horizontal 202 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:35,120 Speaker 1: one is the volume antenna. Awesome, Actually it's uh it's 203 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:39,200 Speaker 1: funny because uh, typically you think of making music with 204 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:42,200 Speaker 1: an instrument as you wanted to sound as clear as possible. 205 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:46,000 Speaker 1: Um And in the opportunity to play a thereman, you'll 206 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:50,719 Speaker 1: realize that uh uh, it's actually all about creating interference 207 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 1: because these uh, these antennae um actually have an electromagnetic 208 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:00,400 Speaker 1: field that and you're interfering with that by coming closer 209 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: and moving farther away to different degrees. So really what's 210 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,400 Speaker 1: what you're hearing is the sound of the interference with 211 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:11,000 Speaker 1: the machine. Yeah, it's actually to to dive down into this. 212 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:14,480 Speaker 1: The way this works is that you've got coils of 213 00:12:14,559 --> 00:12:18,320 Speaker 1: wire inside the theorem and that are generating electromagnetic field 214 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:21,760 Speaker 1: and that is propagated along the antenna. And so with 215 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:24,880 Speaker 1: the case of the pitch antenna, you have two different 216 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 1: um uh like two different oscillators creating this electromagnetic field. 217 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:33,280 Speaker 1: One of them is a steady frequency, the other one's 218 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:37,040 Speaker 1: variable frequency, and the variable frequency all depends upon your 219 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:40,199 Speaker 1: hand coming into contact with or not contact but coming 220 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:44,480 Speaker 1: closer or are moving further away from the pitch antenna. Uh. 221 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 1: What will happen then is that the frequencies from these 222 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:54,079 Speaker 1: two different oscillators will mix. And this is a process 223 00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:58,840 Speaker 1: that we call heterodyning. And heterodyning is you you process 224 00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:03,240 Speaker 1: these these signal and you take uh. Typically you can 225 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:08,000 Speaker 1: get lots of different um um results from combining signals, 226 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,280 Speaker 1: but typically you look at the sum and the difference, 227 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:14,840 Speaker 1: and uh, you choose, you filter one out and you 228 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:17,439 Speaker 1: focus on the other. And in this case we're talking 229 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:20,319 Speaker 1: about the difference because the the frequencies that are generated 230 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:24,480 Speaker 1: by these oscillators are too high for human hearing. But 231 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:28,040 Speaker 1: the difference is not um So if you are creating 232 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:30,960 Speaker 1: a variation in one frequency and the other frequency is 233 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:35,480 Speaker 1: remaining constant. Uh, when you take the difference of that 234 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,560 Speaker 1: and you take that signal, that signal is then within 235 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:40,960 Speaker 1: the range of human hearing. And because you've got that 236 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:44,600 Speaker 1: one variable frequency, you can change the pitch. So and 237 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 1: it all has to do with, of course the capacitance 238 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:49,719 Speaker 1: that we have. You know, human beings, we have a 239 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:54,680 Speaker 1: capacitance and uh, it's really most mostly based on body mass. 240 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:57,640 Speaker 1: So um. There's another interesting point is that if you 241 00:13:57,679 --> 00:14:00,400 Speaker 1: have two different people playing the same theraman, they're going 242 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 1: to quickly find out like to let let's say take 243 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:07,120 Speaker 1: one tiny little person and one huge person. So you've 244 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:09,960 Speaker 1: got ham hands and you've got little dainty fingers. Little 245 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 1: dainty fingers comes up there and starts playing the theraman 246 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:15,880 Speaker 1: and realizes that when they when their dainty fingers get 247 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:20,120 Speaker 1: within a certain distance of the antenna a particular pitches played. 248 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:23,720 Speaker 1: Then ham Hands comes up and starts to play, and 249 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: then realizes very quickly that it's a different distance for 250 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:30,000 Speaker 1: ham hands to get to that antenna to to make 251 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: that same pitch. And it has to do with the 252 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 1: mass of the of of ham hands. So uh, you know, 253 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,720 Speaker 1: it's two people playing the same theraman are going to 254 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 1: find out that they can't mimic one another's motions and 255 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:46,040 Speaker 1: get the exact same sound. It's going to be different 256 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:50,680 Speaker 1: based upon the actual size of the musician and all. 257 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:52,160 Speaker 1: Like I said, that all has to do with the 258 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 1: capacitance that we as humans actually have ourselves. So we 259 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: interfere with that electromagnetic field the frequency combine in the 260 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:04,640 Speaker 1: heterodyning process, as I've said, As I mentioned, we filter 261 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:08,320 Speaker 1: out the sum we take the difference of those two frequencies. Uh, 262 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:11,600 Speaker 1: and that signal is what creates the pitch. Now, even 263 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:15,320 Speaker 1: though it's within the range of human hearing, Uh, you 264 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:18,040 Speaker 1: can't really hear it very well unless you put it 265 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,760 Speaker 1: through an amplification process, which we'll have to talk about 266 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:24,920 Speaker 1: in a second. And the second antenna. The volume antenna 267 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:27,960 Speaker 1: really just has the one oscillator and then there's a 268 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 1: steady uh voltage being applied further in. And what happens 269 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 1: is when you move your hand closer to that antenna, 270 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:38,000 Speaker 1: you are interrupting the first the signal from the first oscillator, 271 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:42,000 Speaker 1: that electromagnetic field. And as you interrupt the electromagetic magnetic field, 272 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:47,440 Speaker 1: the signal becomes weaker, which ends up being a control 273 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:49,720 Speaker 1: on the volume. So, in other words, the closer your 274 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:53,720 Speaker 1: hand gets to that second antenna, the quieter the sound 275 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:56,160 Speaker 1: will be. You might think that, you know, you would 276 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:57,960 Speaker 1: want to get your hand closer to make the sound 277 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 1: go up, but it's exactly the opposite. So if you 278 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 1: put your hand close to the antenna, that sounds going 279 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:05,840 Speaker 1: to be very low. And as you take your hand 280 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 1: away from that antenna, the horizontal antenna, the volume increases, 281 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:14,120 Speaker 1: so the pitch will remain the same, assuming that your 282 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:17,360 Speaker 1: other hand is is steady. And and also I should 283 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 1: mention when you watch people play the theremin, especially people 284 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 1: who have just started to play, you might notice them 285 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:26,280 Speaker 1: moving their hands up and down the the length of 286 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: the vertical antenna that really doesn't have much of an effect. 287 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:31,840 Speaker 1: It can change the pitch a little bit, but the 288 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:34,600 Speaker 1: real change in pitch has to do with the distance 289 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:37,600 Speaker 1: from the antenna. So you can keep your hands steady 290 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:42,880 Speaker 1: at the same level respective to the vertical antenna and 291 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:46,280 Speaker 1: just change the the distance your hand is from that 292 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:48,280 Speaker 1: antenna and that would change the pitch. You don't have 293 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: to move your hand up and down the length of 294 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:52,600 Speaker 1: the antenna in order to change it. Because you really 295 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 1: need both hands to operate the well, yeah, I mean 296 00:16:56,640 --> 00:16:59,080 Speaker 1: because you have to. I mean because otherwise you would 297 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:02,760 Speaker 1: just have a steady volume time, right, So you need 298 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:05,520 Speaker 1: you need to be able to, uh, you know, have 299 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 1: both hands free to operate the theoremans. You know, both 300 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:13,000 Speaker 1: the pitch and the volume. Um. And you know, I 301 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:15,560 Speaker 1: think it can also depend not only on the person, 302 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,040 Speaker 1: but on the instrument itself. No, sure, yeah you can. 303 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:20,719 Speaker 1: You can actually tune a theoreman as well. And that 304 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:22,760 Speaker 1: that all has to do with the electronics that are 305 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:27,120 Speaker 1: inside the theoremin because depending upon the electronic components you've 306 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:30,919 Speaker 1: put in there and the the frequency difference between the 307 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:35,120 Speaker 1: variable frequency and the steady frequency. Uh, you you will 308 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 1: have a certain octave range that that thereman is capable 309 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:41,760 Speaker 1: of playing and uh, and sometimes that octave range can 310 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:46,440 Speaker 1: be quite uh large, very large range. But that means 311 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 1: that you have to have even more control when you're 312 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: playing it. Uh, that that tiny changes in the distance 313 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:55,399 Speaker 1: between your hand and the antenna will result in fairly 314 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:58,439 Speaker 1: significant changes in pitch, which is why the theremin is 315 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: one of those instruments that's know, you can step right 316 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:04,000 Speaker 1: up and start playing it uh and have fun making 317 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:05,760 Speaker 1: weird noises, but if you want to be able to 318 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:09,159 Speaker 1: actually play a tune with with regularity, it takes a 319 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:12,960 Speaker 1: lot of practice. It's one of those really difficult to masterpieces. 320 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 1: And uh. I actually have a list of some of 321 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:18,080 Speaker 1: the components that are in a typical theraman if you 322 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 1: would like to hear. Sure. Okay, so we've got the 323 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:24,240 Speaker 1: two antenna. As I mentioned before, the the volume antenna 324 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:27,600 Speaker 1: is actually a loop. It looks like a semicircle that's 325 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 1: attached to the horizontal side one of the horizontal sides 326 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:35,040 Speaker 1: of the theremin itself. There The reason for that design 327 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:40,280 Speaker 1: is that the old thermans were all based on vacuum 328 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:44,639 Speaker 1: tube technology, is before solid state technology was really a 329 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 1: thing at all. The first Theraman and so um in 330 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:52,159 Speaker 1: order to be able to make this antenna and have 331 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:54,240 Speaker 1: it fit with the old system, you actually had to 332 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:56,920 Speaker 1: create this loop so as you had the right antenna 333 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:02,200 Speaker 1: length without interfering with the other electronic components of the device. 334 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:06,480 Speaker 1: So even though we've reached a point now where most 335 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:09,960 Speaker 1: modern theramans still use vacuum tubes at least in some capacity, 336 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:13,000 Speaker 1: and we'll talk about that a little bit. Ha Hey, 337 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:15,680 Speaker 1: But Chris, I'm sure we'll have something to say about 338 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:18,919 Speaker 1: using vacuum tubes as opposed to solid state. Being the 339 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:21,720 Speaker 1: musician you would, you would know more about this than 340 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:23,840 Speaker 1: I do. But in general, it has to do with 341 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:26,359 Speaker 1: sound quality. So there are still vacuum tubes used in 342 00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 1: most modern theramans, but they also involve some solid state 343 00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:32,760 Speaker 1: electronic components now, which means that you no longer would 344 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:36,000 Speaker 1: have to do that loop um to achieve the same effect. 345 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 1: But I think a lot of a lot of theramin 346 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:39,600 Speaker 1: designers like to use it anyway, just kind of as 347 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:43,000 Speaker 1: a throwback to the original theraman. So it's almost like 348 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:46,359 Speaker 1: it's almost like a traditional thing at this point. I 349 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: hope you guys are enjoying the spooky classic episode the 350 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:52,919 Speaker 1: Bupha Thereman's work. But though we're going to listen to 351 00:19:52,960 --> 00:20:04,600 Speaker 1: a word from an advertiser. Boh. So inside the theremin, 352 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:08,840 Speaker 1: you're going to find typically a pair of chassis. One 353 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:12,360 Speaker 1: chassis is gonna be for your electromagnetic components, and this 354 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: is where this is what generates that electromagnetic field for 355 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:19,440 Speaker 1: both of the antenna UM. You would normally find three 356 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:22,480 Speaker 1: oscillators in there. You would find two oscillators for the pitch, 357 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: one oscillator for the volume. UH. The this chassis often 358 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:29,440 Speaker 1: called an upper chassis, and a lot of the theramans 359 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:32,120 Speaker 1: I've looked at UH is has to be separated from 360 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:36,000 Speaker 1: the other chassis, which has the amplification and power UH 361 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:39,520 Speaker 1: elements to it, because otherwise the electromagnetic field would interfere 362 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 1: with the operation of those elements. All right. So the 363 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:46,040 Speaker 1: lower chassis where you get the power coming into the 364 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:51,639 Speaker 1: device UH, and you have the amplification oscillators and usually 365 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:56,360 Speaker 1: we use triodes and that you probably have heard of diodes. Diodes, 366 00:20:56,359 --> 00:20:59,080 Speaker 1: of course, are those electronic components that allow electrons to 367 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:01,720 Speaker 1: pass through one way but not back yet. It's a 368 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:06,400 Speaker 1: one way lane. It allows electron UH flow in one direction. 369 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:10,200 Speaker 1: Only Triads are a little different. Triads are well, it's 370 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:14,960 Speaker 1: a kind of vacuum tube and and from a superficial level, 371 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 1: they resemble a light bulb. And the way a triode 372 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:22,200 Speaker 1: works is that there are typically three elements within a triode, 373 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,360 Speaker 1: which makes sense when you hear the name. You've got 374 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:28,040 Speaker 1: the cathode, which is the part of the triad that 375 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:32,480 Speaker 1: that will shed electrons. You've got a grid of some 376 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: sort that will control the flow of electrons. It kind 377 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:38,840 Speaker 1: of acts as like a gate in a way. And 378 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:41,080 Speaker 1: then you have the anode, which is where the electrons 379 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:43,719 Speaker 1: want to get too, because it has a positive charge. Now, 380 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:47,720 Speaker 1: remember electrons have a negative charge, so negative wants to 381 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:50,280 Speaker 1: be attracted. It is attracted to positive. So you have 382 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:52,879 Speaker 1: a positive element on one side, a negative element on 383 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:54,639 Speaker 1: the another side, and a gate in the middle to 384 00:21:54,720 --> 00:22:00,480 Speaker 1: control the flow. And that's the basis behind um the triode. Now, 385 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:03,159 Speaker 1: in order to control the flow of electrons, what you 386 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:05,359 Speaker 1: have to do is you hook up that gate to 387 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:08,960 Speaker 1: a source of electricity. All right, Now, if you're generating 388 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:12,200 Speaker 1: electricity and you're you're putting a current through that gate, 389 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:15,439 Speaker 1: that means you're putting negative electrons through the gate. Now 390 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:18,040 Speaker 1: that's going to repel the electrons coming out of the cathode. 391 00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:20,359 Speaker 1: All right, so you've got the cathode. Let's imagine that 392 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 1: the cathodes on the left hand side, and in the 393 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:25,000 Speaker 1: middle is this gate that has electrons running through it, 394 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:28,640 Speaker 1: and on the right you have the anode. Now, the 395 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:30,720 Speaker 1: the current that you're putting through that gate is going 396 00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:34,080 Speaker 1: to vary because that's your input. That's that's the signal 397 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:38,160 Speaker 1: that's going into like when you're making a sound electronically 398 00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:41,520 Speaker 1: speaking into a microphone or playing a musical instrument that's 399 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 1: plugged into this amplifier. So it's a variable frequency again, 400 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:49,200 Speaker 1: a variable current and uh and so sometimes the current 401 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:51,240 Speaker 1: is going to be is going to allow a certain 402 00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:53,560 Speaker 1: number of electrons through because there's you know, you as 403 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:57,359 Speaker 1: you build up the h the charge on the cathode side, 404 00:22:57,480 --> 00:22:59,600 Speaker 1: some electrons are gonna pass through that gate. Is gonna 405 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 1: be s long enough energy for it to go through 406 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,680 Speaker 1: the gate. Other times, the the signal is going to 407 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:07,359 Speaker 1: be lower, it's gonna allow more electrons through. That's the 408 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:11,679 Speaker 1: whole basis of the amplifier. So the cathode looks like 409 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:14,480 Speaker 1: a filament you have to in order to make electrons 410 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:18,200 Speaker 1: shed you have to add energy into this system. So 411 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:21,840 Speaker 1: and this is a rather than the variable source which 412 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:25,120 Speaker 1: is what we see in the gate, this is a 413 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:28,680 Speaker 1: steady power source that's going into the cathode. So it 414 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:32,320 Speaker 1: heats up this filament which gives off light. Depending upon 415 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:34,680 Speaker 1: what kind of vacuum tube it is, it may be 416 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:36,440 Speaker 1: a different color, like a lot of them are kind 417 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:39,200 Speaker 1: of an orange ish color. If you're talking about a 418 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:41,480 Speaker 1: vacuum tube for like a big power system, it tends 419 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,000 Speaker 1: to burn white hot, but that's when it starts to 420 00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:48,080 Speaker 1: shed thousands and thousands of electrons. The energy from the 421 00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:51,600 Speaker 1: electricity is enough to break the electrons free from their 422 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:56,280 Speaker 1: shells and then they will go toward the positively charged anode. 423 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:02,240 Speaker 1: So that is the basis. You just got a it's 424 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:04,320 Speaker 1: like a podcast within a podcast that was a basic 425 00:24:04,359 --> 00:24:06,760 Speaker 1: electronics of what a triot is and what it does. 426 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 1: We're really vacuum tubes in general, although there are other 427 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:13,439 Speaker 1: kinds of vacuum tubes besides tryouts, they're not it's not 428 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:15,960 Speaker 1: a one to one, you know. Tryout is just one 429 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:18,240 Speaker 1: type of vacuum tube, all right. So you've got several 430 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:22,000 Speaker 1: of those in there acting as amplifiers. UM. And then 431 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 1: you've also got your your power source, you've got your capacitors, 432 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:31,440 Speaker 1: you've got resistors UM, and then you've got the antenna. 433 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:34,920 Speaker 1: I've already spoken about those as well, and the copper 434 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:38,439 Speaker 1: coils which generate the electromagnetic field. Those are your basic 435 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:41,600 Speaker 1: components that all together make up the guts of the 436 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: thereman and there Actually, I've seen videos online that kind 437 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:48,640 Speaker 1: of give an overall view of how to build a theraman, 438 00:24:49,359 --> 00:24:52,119 Speaker 1: and they're also a theramin kits out there if you 439 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:55,080 Speaker 1: want to try and make your own. UM, it's an 440 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: interesting project, I understand. Like even the guy who was 441 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:00,240 Speaker 1: I was watching these videos, the guy who built olds 442 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 1: the theorem and actually said, um, I could build them, 443 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:06,800 Speaker 1: but I can't play them. So he said he loves 444 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:08,920 Speaker 1: he enjoys building them, and he tends to build them 445 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:11,280 Speaker 1: for other people like like bands and stuff that are 446 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:15,920 Speaker 1: interested in using the thereman. Well, um, anyone interested in 447 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:19,120 Speaker 1: in playing the thereman should check out an article that 448 00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:21,680 Speaker 1: Jane mcgrathrope for the website called how to play a 449 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 1: theoreman um and she actually quoted some of the people 450 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:32,840 Speaker 1: who are well known theoreminists thereminist dereman players. They come 451 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:41,760 Speaker 1: from the future. It's terrible. Uh. Lydia Kavina is one. Uh. 452 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:46,920 Speaker 1: She actually studied under Leon thereman um and basically had 453 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:49,639 Speaker 1: suggested that it's good to keep your feet about a 454 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:54,080 Speaker 1: foot apart zero point three meters UM. But it really 455 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:58,200 Speaker 1: depends on the theoreman and uh, you know, and how 456 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:00,840 Speaker 1: far you want to stand away from and of course, 457 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:06,200 Speaker 1: as you mentioned, the capacitance of the person playing it. Um. 458 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:11,159 Speaker 1: But generally depending on the number of octaves available um 459 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:13,159 Speaker 1: in that theorem, and I mean the the range of 460 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:16,639 Speaker 1: the theorem, and uh, you might have to stand farther 461 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:20,520 Speaker 1: away if it has a greater range um, according to 462 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:27,040 Speaker 1: uh um Miss Cavina Um. Also, apparently you can actually 463 00:26:27,119 --> 00:26:30,719 Speaker 1: tune the device yourself by putting your right hand at 464 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 1: your shoulder or I guess your left hand, depending on 465 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:34,239 Speaker 1: how you're playing it. So you start with your hand 466 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:38,480 Speaker 1: at your shoulder regardless UM. And then just uh she said, 467 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:41,560 Speaker 1: the idea is you need to play the song slowly 468 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:44,680 Speaker 1: when you're getting started, because um, it takes a while 469 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:50,440 Speaker 1: to get used to uh controlling the pitch that you're 470 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:52,600 Speaker 1: trying to to make if you're actually trying to play 471 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:57,720 Speaker 1: a song and melody with it um and Uh. Clara 472 00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:02,359 Speaker 1: Rockmore another person that UM Jane quoted in her article 473 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:05,240 Speaker 1: and basically said that you have to be very conscious 474 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:08,400 Speaker 1: of what you're doing with your body. Um. You know, 475 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:11,880 Speaker 1: as a percussionist, I tend to groove a little bit, 476 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:15,680 Speaker 1: you know, start getting into it and bobbing and getting 477 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:18,040 Speaker 1: into the motion. That can affect the way you're playing, 478 00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:21,520 Speaker 1: because the theremin is uh going by your body movement 479 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:24,040 Speaker 1: and how close you are to it. So anything any 480 00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:27,960 Speaker 1: other stray movement is going to affect the sound coming 481 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:29,600 Speaker 1: out of the theraman. So you have to be very 482 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:32,800 Speaker 1: careful um, and you have to be very conscious of 483 00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:35,400 Speaker 1: what you're doing when you're when you're trying to play that. 484 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:39,680 Speaker 1: You know, posture and and uh, stray movements can affect it. 485 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: It's a lot different from saying a guitar where you 486 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:47,119 Speaker 1: have a string that, assuming it's properly tuned, when you 487 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:50,440 Speaker 1: play that string while pressing down at a certain threat, 488 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:53,840 Speaker 1: it's always going to produce the same note, right. Uh, 489 00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 1: there's there's no variation there. But with the thereman, it's 490 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:01,440 Speaker 1: all about the distance between and the antenna and uh 491 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:06,080 Speaker 1: and and not and and again your your body mess. 492 00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:08,840 Speaker 1: So while two different people can pick up the same 493 00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:11,960 Speaker 1: guitar and play the same series of notes just following 494 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:15,399 Speaker 1: the same threads, that wouldn't necessarily be the same story 495 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:18,199 Speaker 1: if they were trying to play a theramin and standing 496 00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:21,720 Speaker 1: at the same distance from the device. Just pretty interesting 497 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 1: to me. Um. You know, I had mentioned also about 498 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:28,040 Speaker 1: the amplifiers using vacuum tubes and that that tends to 499 00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:31,439 Speaker 1: be a preference. Would you like to to weigh in 500 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 1: a little bit as a musician about that, Well, you 501 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:37,399 Speaker 1: know it, it kind of depends on the sound you're getting, 502 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:40,800 Speaker 1: you know, Um, most of the musicians and whom I 503 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:43,480 Speaker 1: rarely talk to people about using a theraman in a band, 504 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:48,719 Speaker 1: but I mean vacuum tubes and amplifiers in general, vacuum tubes. 505 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:51,960 Speaker 1: Most of what I've heard people say is that they 506 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,959 Speaker 1: feel that vacuum tubes produce a warmer sound, which is 507 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:59,720 Speaker 1: the yeah, and again it's it's really in the ear 508 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:01,720 Speaker 1: of the listener. To be honest, you might say that 509 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: solid state produces a flatter sound, And I mean, these 510 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:06,640 Speaker 1: are all terms that don't really have a way of 511 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:09,719 Speaker 1: It's hard to it's hard to put it in a 512 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:11,959 Speaker 1: measurable sense. But it is. It is one of those 513 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:14,320 Speaker 1: things that when you start listening to it, you say, 514 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:17,680 Speaker 1: you know what that does? It just sounds better? Yeah, 515 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,360 Speaker 1: you know. And uh. And even today, a lot of 516 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:24,480 Speaker 1: amps out there for various musical instruments, not just the one, 517 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 1: not just the amplifiers that you'll find in theirman still 518 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:33,160 Speaker 1: use vacuum tubes, even though the technology otherwise has almost disappeared. 519 00:29:33,760 --> 00:29:36,720 Speaker 1: Solid state era. Yeah, well solid state too. I mean 520 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:40,800 Speaker 1: you turn on a solid state device amplifier whatever, um, 521 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:43,560 Speaker 1: it's going to be on a lot quicker. Yeah, it 522 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:46,000 Speaker 1: doesn't have to warm up. Yeah, and a vacuum tube 523 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:49,040 Speaker 1: device will um and you can and you can see 524 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:51,360 Speaker 1: it too, if you have, if you could see through 525 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:54,200 Speaker 1: like I have, for example, I have a vacuum tube 526 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 1: amplifier and a solid state amplifier. Um. You turn it 527 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:01,600 Speaker 1: on and at first the vacuu tubes, you know, look 528 00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:04,320 Speaker 1: as though they are you know, they would win the 529 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:06,320 Speaker 1: devices off, and then they start to glow and you 530 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:09,080 Speaker 1: could see that things are coming on. And you could 531 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 1: turn on a source of sound, say you know, uh, 532 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:17,080 Speaker 1: turntable or a tune or radio tuner, and at first 533 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:19,520 Speaker 1: you won't hear anything, and as the vacuum tubes warm up, 534 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:22,280 Speaker 1: you know, the amplifier will begin to play the music 535 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:25,200 Speaker 1: because you're actually coming online, but it takes them a while. 536 00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:28,240 Speaker 1: Um makes me think of the the beginning of the 537 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:32,760 Speaker 1: documentary Back to the Future. Yeahs turning on all the apps, right, 538 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:37,280 Speaker 1: yea documentary. It's a good one. Yeah, but uh yeah, 539 00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:39,560 Speaker 1: I mean it's it's funny though, because it's sort of 540 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:43,160 Speaker 1: like vinyl for a lot of musicians too, because for 541 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:47,720 Speaker 1: you know, the the vacuum tube manufacturers almost became extinct, 542 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:50,440 Speaker 1: and as time has worn on and people have said, 543 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:52,560 Speaker 1: you know what, I really like the way that that works. 544 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:54,960 Speaker 1: I like the sound that I get from vacuum tube amps. 545 00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:56,640 Speaker 1: Or you know, I had this other thing that uses 546 00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:59,200 Speaker 1: vacuum tubes and I really like it. I actually have 547 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:03,920 Speaker 1: a ham and organ that uses um vacuum tubes too, 548 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:07,840 Speaker 1: and you know, without some manufacturer, you know, so these 549 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:12,800 Speaker 1: things have have stayed in production, even though solid state 550 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:14,440 Speaker 1: for a while it looked like it was going to 551 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:17,680 Speaker 1: knock it out. But yeah, and just like U, just 552 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:21,560 Speaker 1: like an incandescent light bulb, vacuum tubes will eventually burn out. 553 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:24,880 Speaker 1: They uh, I mean it's it's not going to be 554 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:27,720 Speaker 1: super fast or anything. But that's why it's important that 555 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:30,280 Speaker 1: these industries still exist, because otherwise we would have a 556 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:32,320 Speaker 1: finite number that and once we got to the end 557 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:35,040 Speaker 1: of it, that would be it. So I guess we 558 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 1: should be thankful for devices like the Thereman and guitar 559 00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:43,640 Speaker 1: amplifiers for keeping a a what what otherwise people might say, 560 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:47,760 Speaker 1: an absolute technology alive and kicking. I want to thank 561 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:51,600 Speaker 1: Dracula for joining my show there and introducing the second 562 00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:55,040 Speaker 1: sponsor ad and probably making all of you cringe out there. 563 00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:59,360 Speaker 1: Thanks a lot, Dracula. Guys. If you want to learn 564 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:02,240 Speaker 1: more about tech Stuff, I recommend you go check out 565 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:05,960 Speaker 1: our brand new web page. It's at tech stuff podcast 566 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:08,840 Speaker 1: dot com. There you're going to find the ways to 567 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:12,600 Speaker 1: contact the show. You're gonna find a bio about yours truly, 568 00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:16,800 Speaker 1: you're gonna find links to our store. Remember, every purchase 569 00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:20,080 Speaker 1: you make helps our show and so much more. So 570 00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:21,640 Speaker 1: go over there, check it out, let me know what 571 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:24,400 Speaker 1: you think, and I'll talk to you again really soon 572 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:32,160 Speaker 1: for more on this and thousands of other topics. Is 573 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:43,320 Speaker 1: that how stuff works dot Com