1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you hey there, Text Stuff listeners, This 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:09,200 Speaker 1: is Jonathan Strickland and I have got a request for 4 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: all of you. Now, Chris and I have decided that 5 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: we're going to try and experiment. We're doing our first 6 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: crowd sourced episode of tech Stuff and we want to 7 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:21,480 Speaker 1: know what your pick is for the worst video game 8 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:25,600 Speaker 1: of all time. Now, nominations you can. You can make 9 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,479 Speaker 1: one nomination. You nominate one game, and you need to 10 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:30,639 Speaker 1: tell us the name of the game and the platform 11 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:32,839 Speaker 1: it was on. And it could be any platform. It 12 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 1: could be an arcade game, it could be a PC, Mac, Xbox, 13 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: PS three, Nintendo handheld console. It can be web based 14 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 1: if you like. But just you let us know what 15 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: the platform is so we can make sure we count 16 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: that as the votes. So you can nominate your game 17 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: either through email, which is tech Stuff at how stuff 18 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: works dot com, or you can nominate through Twitter or Facebook. 19 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: And we're gonna put a cut off date on this. 20 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: I want to have the episode go up by the 21 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: end of September of eleven. So let's say you need 22 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 1: to get your nominations in by September eleven, So if 23 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 1: you get those nominations into us, we will make sure 24 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: we include those in the process, and we will have 25 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: an episode where we give you the worst video games 26 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: of all time based upon the votes of our listeners. 27 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 1: Thanks a lot. Can't wait to hear from you. Get 28 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 1: in touch with technology with tech Stuff from how stuff 29 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 1: works dot com. Hello, everyone, Welcome to tech Stuff. My 30 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 1: name is Chris Poet, and I am an editor at 31 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. Sitting across from me, as always, 32 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 1: is senior writer Jonathan Strickland. How about the power to 33 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: kill a yak from two hundred yards away with mind bullets? 34 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: That's telekinesis Kyle. That is a first. We have never 35 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: quoted them before. I probably shouldn't have just then, but 36 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:10,920 Speaker 1: I'm gonna do it anyway. And there's a reason why 37 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: I quoted that, but we'll get into that first. Let's 38 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 1: get into why we're going to do this episode. This 39 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: comes to us courtesy of a Google Plus suggestion. This 40 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: suggestion comes to us from Mary who, and I'm gonna 41 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 1: truncate her message a bit because she actually had quite 42 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: a long with lots of different suggestions, but starts off 43 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: with you may be interested to know. I, for one, 44 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:39,520 Speaker 1: I'm not tech savvy, at least compared to the crowd 45 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: of early adopter types here on Google Plus. I'm a 46 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: rhetoric major. Should have graduated when I was twenty, but 47 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: in one class short of might be a for financial 48 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: slash academic red tape reasons with miners in French and 49 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: German guten tag. Mary. Aside from being a pro vocalist, 50 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: my real job is teaching English to disadvantaged and academically 51 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: struggling eighth graders, which is amazing. I also t aid 52 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:07,280 Speaker 1: college level rhet comp to and have private students tutoring clients, 53 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: mostly college students, some high school, a few middle school 54 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: primarily seeing me for writing instruction or literary interpretation analysis 55 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: and historical analysis with embusses on reading comprehension. Apparently I 56 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 1: need to take that at any rate. Mary then goes 57 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: on to give several suggestions, the last of which is finally, 58 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: more music stuff for those of us who missed the 59 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 1: B side. R I P programs like able to end 60 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 1: pro tools, HD electronics like dB Thereman, and the very 61 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: awesome react table you can see on YouTube worthy of 62 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: its own podcast. While all of that is true. We 63 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: are going to do a Theoreman podcast, and I know 64 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: that stuff from the Beast. I did one as well, 65 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: but we're really gonna dive down and talk about with Thereman. 66 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 1: It's history, how it works, uh, and you know the 67 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: what's the basis behind It's pretty interesting stuff. And as 68 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: I said, the song I quoted at the beginning actually 69 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: does feature a thereman. Oh so and and uh, just 70 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: to help people who want to learn more about some 71 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: of the stuff we're talking about today on how stuff works. 72 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: We don't have how Thereman's work yet, although I do 73 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: believe it's actually gone out as an assignment. We do 74 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,279 Speaker 1: have how amplifiers work, and that's going to be a 75 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: very important part of our conversation at some point. We 76 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,000 Speaker 1: do have an article on the Thereman however, Yes, we 77 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 1: do have articles on the Thereman, just not one that 78 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 1: specifically breaks down how it works. Yet. Like I said, 79 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:31,360 Speaker 1: I think by the time this podcast goes live, we 80 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,479 Speaker 1: me that may have changed. But I know that there 81 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: is an assignment out there somewhere, floating out in the ether. 82 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: It's not me. I'm not the one writing it so 83 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: or at least it hasn't been assigned to me. Let's 84 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: let's start talking about the history here. You wanted to, 85 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: uh talk about our buddy Leo Leon Thereman actually Lev Sergeyevitch, 86 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 1: who was a scientist and inventor. UM. I got a 87 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:59,480 Speaker 1: little information about Mr Thereman from Britannica, always a good 88 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:03,239 Speaker 1: source for the biographical on these inventors. Um. He lived 89 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 1: in uh in St. Petersburg and uh Florida, Russia. He 90 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,040 Speaker 1: was well, he was born there in and died in 91 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: in Moscow, Florida, No, North Dakota, uh in nineteen I 92 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:21,280 Speaker 1: wonder if there is a Moscow anyway. UM. So, yeah, 93 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: it's funny that you would say out of the ether 94 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 1: because the original name for this device was the ether 95 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: a phone, but it was later renamed to be the Thereman, 96 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:35,159 Speaker 1: and uh, basically it's it's known for the way you 97 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: play it. Unlike pretty much every other kind of instrument 98 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 1: I can think of where you actually need to touch 99 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: it to do this, the Thereman you specifically do not touch. UM. 100 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 1: I knew a lot of people who have that same policy. 101 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,720 Speaker 1: But yes, no, you're you're that's absolutely correct. Therriman has 102 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: played without touching it, yep, and he actually played it 103 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: for for Lenin in nineteen twenty two and and for 104 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 1: Albert Einstein in and UM patented the instrument in in 105 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: New York. UM and then he went into a lot 106 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,680 Speaker 1: of other stuff. He uh tried to work on other 107 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 1: musical instruments and UH worked on an electronic security system 108 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: for prisons. UM ended up in a Siberian labor camp 109 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:24,680 Speaker 1: in the Soviet Union. Certainly not yeah, Uh he was. 110 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: He did work did some work for a in a 111 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:30,159 Speaker 1: military lab during World War Two where he was working 112 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: on UH naval tracking systems and remote controls UM and 113 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: even on spy technology and eavesdropping device for the KGB. Uh. 114 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: He he got the Stalin Prize for that. UM. Smart 115 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:47,479 Speaker 1: guy is what we're talking about here. Yeah. Yeah, he 116 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: became a professor of acoustics at the Moscow Conservatory. UM 117 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 1: and UH, you know, had done a lot of a 118 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:58,160 Speaker 1: lot of different kinds of electronics work. So certainly, UH 119 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 1: a very interesting person. But you know, I think he's 120 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 1: probably best known. I don't think anyone argue that he's 121 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: best known for the ether phone, I mean the Thereman. Yeah, 122 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:09,400 Speaker 1: since it does, since it does actually bear his name, 123 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 1: or at least the Western version of his name, and 124 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:13,840 Speaker 1: before we go any further, I think it might might 125 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: behoove us to to have a little a little listen 126 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: to to what a thereman sounds like. So this is 127 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:31,120 Speaker 1: the sound of the theoreman. Now, listeners may have recognized 128 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: that from various songs, and really, I think, I think 129 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: what that always reminds me of is all all those 130 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 1: like nineteen fifties science fiction films and TV series that 131 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:45,679 Speaker 1: either used a thereman or use some sort of other 132 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 1: effect to create a thereman like sound as part of 133 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: the soundtrack. Because not everything that that sounds like a 134 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: thereman is in fact a thereman. In fact, one of 135 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: the most famous songs that people tend to say had 136 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 1: a thereman and it did not is Good Vibrations by 137 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: the Beach Boys. Almost said Beastie Boys. This is that's 138 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: I haven't had enough coffee. Good Vibrations by the Beastie Boys, 139 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 1: And that would have been hilarious and wrong. But anyway, yeah, 140 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 1: that's not that's not a theoreman used in that song. 141 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: It's a it's a totally different instrument. Actually, it's called 142 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: tannerin although I mean it does it does have a 143 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 1: similar sound to it, but you actually do play that 144 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: by touching you slide your finger on it, and depending 145 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:36,080 Speaker 1: on where you're touching it, it it you know, produces a 146 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 1: different sound. And if you were to look at a 147 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:42,440 Speaker 1: theorem and you would immediately see that the I guess 148 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:45,560 Speaker 1: the most notable feature is that it's you know, depending 149 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:47,200 Speaker 1: upon the design of it, it's gonna look like some 150 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: sort of a box. But from that box, you're going 151 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 1: to see a pair of antenna and one Traditionally, one 152 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,280 Speaker 1: antenna is vertical aligned to the box, so it's it's 153 00:08:57,360 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 1: up and down, and then a second antenna seems to 154 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:01,440 Speaker 1: is to come out the side of the box. It's 155 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 1: horizontal and it's in a loop. And using your hands 156 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:08,439 Speaker 1: moving them close to and further away those antenna that's 157 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 1: what controls the sound that comes out of the theoreman. Yeah, 158 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 1: you uh, you know, it's always good to adjust it 159 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 1: a little bit to the left, you know, get the 160 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: get the picture just right right. Oh wait, I'm sorry, 161 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 1: I was thinking of a different kind of antenna. Yeah, no, 162 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:26,199 Speaker 1: it's yeah, it's not a rabbit ears um. Yeah. In fact, 163 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:28,400 Speaker 1: that's a good point. We should mention that this is 164 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:31,080 Speaker 1: these antenna are not designed to pick up any sort 165 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 1: of radio frequency. That's not the purpose of the antenna. 166 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 1: We'll get into that when we start getting into the actual, 167 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 1: uh ways that the the theoreman works. So do you 168 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:41,640 Speaker 1: said you wanted to talk a little bit at one 169 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:44,720 Speaker 1: point about songs that you may have heard or perhaps 170 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: even other ways that you may have heard a thereman. Well, yeah, 171 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 1: I mean I was an early subscriber to XM Radio, 172 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:55,439 Speaker 1: the satellite radio service here in the United States, and 173 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: they used to have a channel called Special X where 174 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,320 Speaker 1: they would play all kinds of strange and unusual things. 175 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: And they actually had, believe it or not, a whole 176 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 1: show devoted to music from the Theoreman. And so they 177 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:11,760 Speaker 1: were all these and again you're right, period records from 178 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:15,440 Speaker 1: like the fifties and stuff where there were uh, you know, 179 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: thereman songs that they were playing entire pieces on the theorem. 180 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: And and actually you could find a lot of the 181 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:28,440 Speaker 1: stuff on on YouTube. I've seen people, I've seen theremin orchestras, wow, 182 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:32,080 Speaker 1: where there are different people playing songs and they have 183 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,120 Speaker 1: different parts. So everybody's got a different purpose of doing it, 184 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 1: and it's it sounds kind of random when you just 185 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:41,680 Speaker 1: hear these sections and segments and other songs and pop 186 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 1: songs and things like that. But you you know, people 187 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 1: you can actually play this as a musical instrument. And 188 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 1: so I've I've heard a lot of that kind of stuff. Um, 189 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 1: I'm trying to think of something specific. You have a 190 00:10:52,679 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 1: favorite thereman song other than the one that you quoted before, 191 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:58,720 Speaker 1: other than the one I quoted before, and not really um, 192 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 1: but there are other songs that have used it. They 193 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:04,599 Speaker 1: are actually uh, like I said, it's for me. The 194 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:06,720 Speaker 1: thing that I think about are all those those like 195 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: The Day the Earth Stood Still, That would be a 196 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:12,079 Speaker 1: famous film that used a thereman as a sound effect. Uh. 197 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:15,080 Speaker 1: There there was a theremin used at least in some 198 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 1: versions of the theme to Star Trek, although most of 199 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:20,840 Speaker 1: the time that was actually a vocalist who did that effect. 200 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 1: But I believe in in one or two versions of 201 00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: that you can hear a theremin being used. Um. So, 202 00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:33,000 Speaker 1: I mean there are bands that experiment and they'll throw 203 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 1: that in the mix, and it may even be that 204 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 1: it's it's a minor part of the song where you know, 205 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 1: it's not meant to take the forefront of the melody 206 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,200 Speaker 1: or anything like that. It's just another another layer of 207 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: complexity within a song itself. Uh So I guess we 208 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:51,800 Speaker 1: can now talk about what a theoreman does, like how 209 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:54,240 Speaker 1: does it make that sound? Like why is it that 210 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:57,640 Speaker 1: when you put your hand closer to or further away 211 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,240 Speaker 1: from one intend it changes the pitch and the other 212 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:03,600 Speaker 1: one controls the volume. That's by the way, the vertical 213 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:06,839 Speaker 1: one is the pitch antenna and the horizontal one is 214 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:13,200 Speaker 1: the volume antenna. Awesome, Actually it's uh it's funny because uh, 215 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 1: typically you think of making music with an instrument as 216 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:19,640 Speaker 1: you wanted to sound as clear as possible. Um, But 217 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 1: in the opportunity to play a thereman, you'll realize that, uh, 218 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 1: it's actually all about creating interference because these uh, these 219 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 1: antennae um actually have an electromagnetic field that and you're 220 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:38,200 Speaker 1: interfering with that by coming closer and moving farther away 221 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:42,760 Speaker 1: to different degrees. So really what's what you're hearing is 222 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:45,120 Speaker 1: the sound of the interference with the machine. Yeah, it's 223 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:48,240 Speaker 1: actually to to dive down into this. The way this 224 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: works is that you've got coils of wire inside the 225 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:55,680 Speaker 1: theorem and that are generating electromagnetic field and that is 226 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 1: propagated along the antenna and so with the case of 227 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:03,640 Speaker 1: the pitch antenna, you have two different um UH like 228 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:08,439 Speaker 1: two different oscillators creating this electromagnetic field. One of them 229 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:11,199 Speaker 1: is a steady frequency, the other one's variable frequency, and 230 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:14,520 Speaker 1: the variable frequency all depends upon your hand coming into 231 00:13:14,559 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 1: contact with or not contact but coming closer or or 232 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 1: moving further away from the pitch antenna. UH. What will 233 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 1: happen then is that the frequencies from these two different 234 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:30,800 Speaker 1: UH oscillators will mix. And this is a process that 235 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 1: we call heterodyning. And heterodyning is you you process these 236 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:40,200 Speaker 1: these signals and you take UH. Typically you can get 237 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:44,719 Speaker 1: lots of different um um results from combining signals, but 238 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:47,679 Speaker 1: typically you look at the sum and the difference and 239 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 1: UH you choose, you filter one out and you focus 240 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 1: on the other. And in this case, we're talking about 241 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:57,520 Speaker 1: the difference because the the frequencies that are generated by 242 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:01,360 Speaker 1: these oscillators are too high for human here. But the 243 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 1: difference is not um. So if you are creating a 244 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:08,080 Speaker 1: variation in one frequency and the other frequency is remaining 245 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:12,360 Speaker 1: constant UH, when you take the difference of that and 246 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:15,360 Speaker 1: you take that signal, that signal is then within the 247 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:17,839 Speaker 1: range of human hearing, and because you've got that one 248 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:21,360 Speaker 1: variable frequency, you can change the pitch. So and it 249 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: all has to do with, of course, the capacitance that 250 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,640 Speaker 1: we have. You know, human beings, we have a capacitance, 251 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:31,600 Speaker 1: and uh it's really most mostly based on body mass. 252 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 1: So um, there's another interesting point is that if you 253 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 1: have two different people playing the same theraman, they're going 254 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 1: to quickly find out like to let's say, take one 255 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 1: tiny little person and one huge person. So you've got 256 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,960 Speaker 1: ham hands and you've got little dainty fingers. Little dainty 257 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 1: fingers comes up there and starts playing with theraman and 258 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:52,760 Speaker 1: realizes that when they when their dainty fingers get within 259 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 1: a certain distance of the antenna, a particular pitch is played. 260 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:00,400 Speaker 1: Then ham hands comes up and starts to play, and 261 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 1: then realizes very quickly that it's a different distance for 262 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: ham hands to get to that intended to make that 263 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:09,560 Speaker 1: same pitch. And it has to do with the mass 264 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: of the of of ham hands. So uh, you know, 265 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:16,360 Speaker 1: it's two people playing the same thereman are going to 266 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:20,280 Speaker 1: find out that they can't mimic one another's motions and 267 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:22,680 Speaker 1: get the exact same sound. It's going to be different 268 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:27,360 Speaker 1: based upon the actual size of the musician and all. 269 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 1: Like I said, that all has to do with the 270 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 1: capacitance that we as humans actually have ourselves. So we 271 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,480 Speaker 1: interfere with that electromagnetic field. The frequencies combine in the 272 00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 1: heterodyning process as I've said, as I mentioned, we filter 273 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:44,960 Speaker 1: out the sum. We take the difference of those two frequencies, UH, 274 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 1: and that signal is what creates the pitch. Now, even 275 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 1: though it's within the range of human hearing, UH, you 276 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 1: can't really hear it very well unless you put it 277 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: through an amplification process, which we'll have to talk about 278 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:01,560 Speaker 1: in a second. And the second antenna, the volume antenna, 279 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:04,600 Speaker 1: really just has the one oscillator and then there's a 280 00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:08,800 Speaker 1: steady UH voltage being applied further in. And what happens 281 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:11,400 Speaker 1: is when you move your hand closer to that antenna, 282 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:14,680 Speaker 1: you are interrupting the first the signal from the first oscillator, 283 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:18,640 Speaker 1: that electromagnetic field. And as you interrupt that electromanetic magnetic field, 284 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: the signal becomes weaker, which ends up being a control 285 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:26,360 Speaker 1: on the volume. So, in other words, the closer your 286 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:30,360 Speaker 1: hand gets to that second antenna, the quieter the sound 287 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:32,840 Speaker 1: will be. You might think that you know, you would 288 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:34,600 Speaker 1: want to get your hand closer to make the sound 289 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:37,800 Speaker 1: go up, but it's exactly the opposite. So if you 290 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:39,680 Speaker 1: put your hand close to the antenna, the sound is 291 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 1: going to be very low. And as you take your 292 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: hand away from that antenna, the horizontal antenna, the volume increases, 293 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,800 Speaker 1: so the pitch will remain the same, assuming that your 294 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 1: other hand is is steady. And and also I should 295 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: mention when you watch people play the theremin, especially people 296 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:59,480 Speaker 1: who have just started to play, you might notice them 297 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 1: moving their hands up and down the the length of 298 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,080 Speaker 1: the vertical antenna. That really doesn't have much of an effect. 299 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:08,479 Speaker 1: It can change the pitch a little bit, but the 300 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:11,240 Speaker 1: real change and pitch has to do with the distance 301 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:14,280 Speaker 1: from the antenna. So you can keep your hands steady 302 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 1: at the same level respective to the vertical antenna and 303 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:23,440 Speaker 1: just change the the distance your hand is from that antenna, 304 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:25,080 Speaker 1: and that would change the pitch. You don't have to 305 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:26,800 Speaker 1: move your hand up and down the length of the 306 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:29,400 Speaker 1: antenna in order to change it, because you really need 307 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:33,920 Speaker 1: both hands to operate them. Well, yeah, because you have to, 308 00:17:34,119 --> 00:17:36,600 Speaker 1: I mean, because otherwise you would just have a steady 309 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:39,919 Speaker 1: volume time, right, So you need you need to be 310 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:43,359 Speaker 1: able to uh, you know, have both hands free to 311 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:48,680 Speaker 1: operate the Theoreman's you know, both the pitch and the volume. Um. 312 00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 1: And you know, I think it can also depend not 313 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:54,040 Speaker 1: only on the person, but on the instrument itself. So sure, 314 00:17:54,119 --> 00:17:56,600 Speaker 1: yeah you can. You can actually tune a thereman as well. 315 00:17:56,880 --> 00:17:59,160 Speaker 1: And that that all has to do with the electronics 316 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:03,119 Speaker 1: that are inside the thereman, because depending upon the electronic 317 00:18:03,119 --> 00:18:06,640 Speaker 1: components you've put in there and the the frequency difference 318 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:11,439 Speaker 1: between the variable frequency and the steady frequency, uh, you 319 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:14,640 Speaker 1: you will have a certain octave range that that thereman 320 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:17,960 Speaker 1: is capable of playing and uh and sometimes that octave 321 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:22,639 Speaker 1: range can be quite uh large, very large range. But 322 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:25,000 Speaker 1: that means that you have to have even more control 323 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:28,359 Speaker 1: when you're playing it. Uh, that that tiny changes in 324 00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:31,200 Speaker 1: the distance between your hand and the antenna will result 325 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:34,439 Speaker 1: in fairly significant changes in pitch. Which is why the 326 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:36,840 Speaker 1: thereman is one of those instruments that's you know, you 327 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:39,760 Speaker 1: can step right up and start playing it uh and 328 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:42,000 Speaker 1: have fun making weird noises, but if you want to 329 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:45,280 Speaker 1: be able to actually play a tune with with regularity, 330 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:48,120 Speaker 1: it takes a lot of practice. It's one of those 331 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:52,320 Speaker 1: really difficult to masterpieces. And uh actually have a list 332 00:18:52,359 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: of some of the components that are in a typical thereman, 333 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:56,720 Speaker 1: if you would like to hear. Sure. Okay, so we've 334 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:00,160 Speaker 1: got the two antenna. As I mentioned before, the the 335 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:03,399 Speaker 1: volume antenna is actually a loop. It looks like a 336 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:06,480 Speaker 1: semicircle that's attached to the horizontal side, one of the 337 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 1: horizontal sides of the theraman itself. There. The reason for 338 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:15,359 Speaker 1: that design is that the old thermans were all based 339 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: on vacuum tube technology, is before solid state technology was 340 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:24,959 Speaker 1: really a thing at all. The first Theraman and so um. 341 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:28,600 Speaker 1: In order to be able to make this antenna and 342 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:30,800 Speaker 1: have it fit with the old system, you actually had 343 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:32,920 Speaker 1: to create this loop so that you had the right 344 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:38,199 Speaker 1: antenna length without interfering with the other electronic components of 345 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:42,000 Speaker 1: the device. So even though we've reached a point now 346 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:45,720 Speaker 1: where most modern theramans still use vacuum tubes at least 347 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:50,040 Speaker 1: in some capacity, and we'll talk about that a little bit, hey, 348 00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:52,320 Speaker 1: But Chris, I'm sure we'll have something to say about 349 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:56,160 Speaker 1: using vacuum tubes as opposed to solid state. Being the musician, 350 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:58,679 Speaker 1: you would you would know more about this than I do. 351 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 1: But in general has to do with sound quality. So 352 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:04,200 Speaker 1: there are still vacuum tubes used in most modern theramins, 353 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:07,880 Speaker 1: but they also involve some solid state electronic components now, 354 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,000 Speaker 1: which means that you no longer would have to do 355 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:12,760 Speaker 1: that loop UH to achieve the same effect. But I 356 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:14,840 Speaker 1: think a lot of a lot of theramin designers like 357 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:17,600 Speaker 1: to use it anyway, just kind of as a throwback 358 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:20,200 Speaker 1: to the original theoreman So it's almost like it's almost 359 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:25,080 Speaker 1: like a traditional thing at this point. UM. So inside 360 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:29,040 Speaker 1: the theremin, you're going to find typically a pair of chassis. 361 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:33,199 Speaker 1: One chassis is gonna be for your electromagnetic components, and 362 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,639 Speaker 1: this is where this is what generates that electromagnetic field 363 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: for both of the antenna UM. You would normally find 364 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 1: three oscillators in there. You would find two oscillators for 365 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,640 Speaker 1: the pitch, one oscillator for the volume UH. The this 366 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:50,040 Speaker 1: chassis often called an upper chassis, and a lot of 367 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:52,399 Speaker 1: the theramans I've looked at UH is has to be 368 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:55,080 Speaker 1: separated from the other chassis which has the amplification and 369 00:20:55,160 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: power UH elements to it, because otherwise the electromagnetic field 370 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 1: would interfere with the operation of those elements. All right, 371 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:06,720 Speaker 1: So the lower chassis where you get the power coming 372 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: into the device. Uh, and you have the amplification oscillators 373 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:16,159 Speaker 1: and usually we use triodes and that you probably have 374 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:19,160 Speaker 1: heard of diodes. Diodes, of course, are those electronic components 375 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:21,880 Speaker 1: that allow electrons to pass through one way but not 376 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,160 Speaker 1: back yet. It's a one way lane. It allows electron 377 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:30,040 Speaker 1: uh flow in one direction only. Triads are a little different. 378 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:33,960 Speaker 1: Triads are well, it's a kind of vacuum tube and 379 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:37,480 Speaker 1: and from a superficial level, they resemble a light bulb. 380 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,120 Speaker 1: And the way a triode works is that there are 381 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 1: typically three elements within a triode, which makes sense when 382 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:47,720 Speaker 1: you hear the name. You've got the cathode, which is 383 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:51,359 Speaker 1: the part of the triad that that will shed electrons. 384 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:55,000 Speaker 1: You've got a grid of some sort that will control 385 00:21:55,119 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 1: the flow of electrons. It kind of acts as like 386 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:00,880 Speaker 1: a gate in a way. Then you have the anode, 387 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:03,520 Speaker 1: which is where the electrons want to get too, because 388 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:05,760 Speaker 1: it has a positive charge. Now remember electrons have a 389 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:10,000 Speaker 1: negative charge, so negative wants to be attracted. It is 390 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:12,719 Speaker 1: attracted to positive. So you have a positive element on 391 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:14,840 Speaker 1: one side, a negative element on another side, and a 392 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 1: gate in the middle to control the flow. And that's 393 00:22:17,359 --> 00:22:22,119 Speaker 1: the basis behind um the triode. Now, in order to 394 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:24,639 Speaker 1: control the flow of electrons, what you have to do 395 00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:28,520 Speaker 1: is you hook up that gate to a source of electricity. 396 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:31,440 Speaker 1: All right. Now, if you're generating electricity and you're you're 397 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 1: putting a current through that gate, that means you're putting 398 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:37,520 Speaker 1: negative electrons through the gate. Now that's gonna repel the 399 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: electrons coming out of the cathode. All right, So you've 400 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:42,159 Speaker 1: got the cathode. Let's imagine that the cathodes on the 401 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:44,680 Speaker 1: left hand side, and in the middle is this gate 402 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 1: that has electrons running through it, and on the right 403 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:50,439 Speaker 1: you have the anode. Now, the the current that you're 404 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:52,880 Speaker 1: putting through that gate is going to vary because that's 405 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:56,520 Speaker 1: your input. That's that's the signal that's going into like 406 00:22:56,560 --> 00:23:00,760 Speaker 1: when you're making a sound electronically speaking into a microphone 407 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:04,360 Speaker 1: or playing a musical instrument that's plugged into this amplifier. 408 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:08,680 Speaker 1: So it's a variable frequency again, a variable current and 409 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 1: uh and so sometimes the current is going to be 410 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:13,400 Speaker 1: is going to allow a certain number of electrons through 411 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:16,360 Speaker 1: because there's you know, as you build up the uh, 412 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,359 Speaker 1: the charge on the cathode side. Some electrons are going 413 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:21,120 Speaker 1: to pass through that gate is going to be strong 414 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:23,800 Speaker 1: enough energy for it to go through the gate. Other 415 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:26,359 Speaker 1: times the the signal is going to be lower. It's 416 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:29,080 Speaker 1: gonna allow more electrons through. That's the whole basis of 417 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:33,719 Speaker 1: the amplifier. So the cathode looks like a filament. You 418 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:36,359 Speaker 1: have to in order to make electrons shed, you have 419 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:39,840 Speaker 1: to add energy into this system. So and this is 420 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:43,280 Speaker 1: a rather than the variable source which is what we 421 00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:47,879 Speaker 1: see in the gate, this is a steady power source 422 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:51,200 Speaker 1: that's going into the cathode. So it heats up this filament, 423 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:54,800 Speaker 1: which gives off light. Depending upon what kind of vacuum 424 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:56,680 Speaker 1: tube it is, it may be a different color, like 425 00:23:56,760 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 1: a lot of them are kind of an orange ish color. 426 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:01,320 Speaker 1: If you're talking about a vacuum tube for like a 427 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:04,240 Speaker 1: big power system, it tends to burn white hot. But 428 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:07,240 Speaker 1: that's when it starts to shed thousands and thousands of electrons. 429 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:11,159 Speaker 1: The energy from the electricity is is enough to break 430 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:14,280 Speaker 1: the electrons free from their shells and then they will 431 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:20,639 Speaker 1: go toward the positively charged anode. So that is the 432 00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 1: basis of you just got a it's like a podcast 433 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,359 Speaker 1: within a podcast that was a basic electronics of what 434 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,320 Speaker 1: a triode is and what it does, or really vacuum 435 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:32,159 Speaker 1: tubes in general, Although there are other kinds of vacuum 436 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,920 Speaker 1: tubes besides triots, they're not it's not a one to 437 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 1: one you know. Tryout is just one type of vacuum tube, 438 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:39,920 Speaker 1: all right. So you've got several of those in their 439 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:44,120 Speaker 1: acting as amplifiers, UM. And then you've also got your 440 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 1: your power source, you've got your capacitors, you've got resistors UM. 441 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:54,200 Speaker 1: And then you've got the antenna. I've already spoken about 442 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,200 Speaker 1: those as well. And the copper coils which generate the 443 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:01,000 Speaker 1: electromagnetic field. Those are your basic component that all together 444 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:03,639 Speaker 1: make up the guts of the thereman and there Actually, 445 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:08,000 Speaker 1: I've seen videos online that kind of give an overall 446 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:10,960 Speaker 1: view of how to build a thereman, and they're also 447 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,920 Speaker 1: a theremin kits out there if you want to try 448 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:17,800 Speaker 1: and make your own. Um, it's an interesting project, I understand. 449 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:20,399 Speaker 1: Like even the guy who was I was watching these videos, 450 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:23,760 Speaker 1: the guy who builds the theorem and actually said, um, 451 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:27,080 Speaker 1: I can build them, but I can't play them. So 452 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:29,119 Speaker 1: he said he loves he enjoys building them, and he 453 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:31,760 Speaker 1: tends to build them for other people like like bands 454 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:35,600 Speaker 1: and stuff that are interested in using the thereman. Well, Um, 455 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:38,880 Speaker 1: anyone interested in in playing the thereman should check out 456 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:42,320 Speaker 1: an article that Jane mcgrathrope for the website called how 457 00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:46,520 Speaker 1: to play a theoreman Um and she actually quoted some 458 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:53,240 Speaker 1: of the people who are well known theoreminists dereminist derman players, deremanators. 459 00:25:53,640 --> 00:26:00,920 Speaker 1: They come from the future. It's terrible, Sarah uh. Lydia 460 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:06,280 Speaker 1: cavina is one. Uh. She actually studied under Leon theoreman 461 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,879 Speaker 1: um and basically had suggested that it's good to keep 462 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:14,360 Speaker 1: your feet about a foot apart zero point three meters UM. 463 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:18,359 Speaker 1: But it really depends on the theoremin and uh, you know, 464 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,119 Speaker 1: and how far you want to stand away from it, 465 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:24,320 Speaker 1: and of course, as you mentioned, the capacitance of the 466 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:29,399 Speaker 1: person playing it um. But generally depending on the number 467 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:33,480 Speaker 1: of octaves available um in that theoreman, I mean the 468 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:36,359 Speaker 1: the range of the theoremin. Uh. You might have to 469 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:40,919 Speaker 1: stand farther away if it has a greater range um, 470 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:46,600 Speaker 1: according to uh um Miss cavina Um. Also uh, apparently 471 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:51,239 Speaker 1: you can actually tune the device yourself by putting your 472 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:53,400 Speaker 1: right hand at your shoulder or I guess your left 473 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:55,000 Speaker 1: hand depending on how you're playing it, So you start 474 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,720 Speaker 1: with your hand at your shoulder regardless, um and then 475 00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:01,120 Speaker 1: just uh she said the ideas you need to play 476 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:05,040 Speaker 1: the song slowly when you're getting started, because, UM, it 477 00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:10,200 Speaker 1: takes a while to get used to uh controlling the 478 00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:13,119 Speaker 1: pitch that you're trying to to make if you're actually 479 00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:17,399 Speaker 1: trying to play a song and melody with it. Um 480 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:22,800 Speaker 1: and uh Clara Rockmore another person that um Jane quoted 481 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:25,359 Speaker 1: in her article and basically said that you have to 482 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:29,160 Speaker 1: be very conscious of what you're doing with your body. Um. 483 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:32,320 Speaker 1: You know, as a percussionist, I tend to uh groove 484 00:27:32,359 --> 00:27:34,760 Speaker 1: a little bit, you know, start getting into it and 485 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:38,480 Speaker 1: bobbing and getting into the motion. Uh. That can affect 486 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:41,440 Speaker 1: the way you're playing because the theramin is uh going 487 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:43,720 Speaker 1: by your body movement and how close you are to it. 488 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:47,880 Speaker 1: So anything any other stray movement is going to affect 489 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:50,199 Speaker 1: the sound coming out of the theramin. So you have 490 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:53,159 Speaker 1: to be very careful, um, and you have to be 491 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:55,400 Speaker 1: very conscious of what you're doing when you're when you're 492 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:58,840 Speaker 1: trying to play that you know, posture and and uh 493 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:01,800 Speaker 1: stray movements and affect it. It's a lot different from 494 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 1: saying a guitar where you have a string that, assuming 495 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:10,480 Speaker 1: it's properly tuned, when you play that string while pressing 496 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:12,639 Speaker 1: down at a certain fret, it's always going to produce 497 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:16,920 Speaker 1: the same note, right. Uh, there's there's no variation there. 498 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:20,959 Speaker 1: But with a thereman, it's all about the distance between 499 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:24,160 Speaker 1: you and the antenna and uh, and and not and 500 00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:29,000 Speaker 1: and again your your body mass. So while two different 501 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:30,760 Speaker 1: people can pick up the same guitar and play the 502 00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:34,040 Speaker 1: same series of notes just following the same threats, that 503 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:37,480 Speaker 1: wouldn't necessarily be the same story if they were trying 504 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:40,200 Speaker 1: to play a thereman and standing at the same distance 505 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:44,920 Speaker 1: from the device. Just pretty interesting to me. Um. You know, 506 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:47,720 Speaker 1: I had mentioned also about the amplifiers using vacuum tubes 507 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:51,000 Speaker 1: and that that tends to be a preference. Would you 508 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:53,120 Speaker 1: like to to weigh in a little bit as a 509 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:57,120 Speaker 1: musician about that, Well, you know it, it kind of 510 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:00,680 Speaker 1: depends on the sound you're getting, you know. Um, most 511 00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:03,080 Speaker 1: of the musicians and I rarely talk to people about 512 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: using a theraman in a band, but I mean vacuum 513 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:11,400 Speaker 1: tubes and amplifiers in general, vacuum tubes. Most of what 514 00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:13,880 Speaker 1: I've heard people say is that they feel that vacuum 515 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:18,240 Speaker 1: tubes produce a warmer sound, which is the yeah, and 516 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:21,440 Speaker 1: again it's it's really in the ear of the listener. 517 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:24,000 Speaker 1: To be honest, you might say that solid state produces 518 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:26,640 Speaker 1: a flatter sound. And these are all terms that don't 519 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:30,000 Speaker 1: really have a way of it's hard to it's hard 520 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:32,360 Speaker 1: to put it in a measurable sense, but it is. 521 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:34,160 Speaker 1: It is one of those things that when you start 522 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:36,479 Speaker 1: listening to it, you say, you know what that does? 523 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:40,080 Speaker 1: It just sounds better? Yeah, you know. And uh. And 524 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 1: even today, a lot of apps out there for various 525 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:46,560 Speaker 1: musical instruments, not just the one, not just the amplifiers 526 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:50,720 Speaker 1: that you'll find in Theraman, still use vacuum tubes, even 527 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:56,240 Speaker 1: though the technology otherwise has almost disappeared. Solid state era. Yeah, 528 00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:58,440 Speaker 1: well solid state too. I mean, you turn on a 529 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:02,480 Speaker 1: solid state device, amplifier whatever, um, it's going to be 530 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 1: on a lot quicker up. Yeah, and a vacuum tube 531 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:10,120 Speaker 1: device will um and you can and you could see 532 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:12,480 Speaker 1: it too, if you have, if you could see through 533 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:15,280 Speaker 1: like I have. For example, I have a vacuum tube 534 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: amplifier and a solid state amplifier. Um, you turn it 535 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:22,760 Speaker 1: on and at first the vacuum tubes, you know, look 536 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:25,440 Speaker 1: as though they are you know, they would win the 537 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:27,400 Speaker 1: devices off, and then they start to glow and you 538 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:30,160 Speaker 1: could see that things are coming on and you could 539 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:33,719 Speaker 1: turn on a source of sound, say, you know, uh, 540 00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:38,200 Speaker 1: turntable or a tune or radio tuner, and at first 541 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:40,600 Speaker 1: you won't hear anything, and as the vacuum tubes warm up, 542 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:43,360 Speaker 1: you know, the amplifier will begin to play the music 543 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 1: because they're actually coming online, but it takes them a while. 544 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,320 Speaker 1: Um makes me think of the the beginning of the 545 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:56,240 Speaker 1: documentary Back to the Future. Yeah, turning on all the apps, Yeah, documentary, 546 00:30:55,600 --> 00:31:00,240 Speaker 1: it's yeah, but uh yeah, I mean it's it's funny though, because, um, 547 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:03,280 Speaker 1: it's sort of like vinyl for a lot of musicians too, 548 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:08,240 Speaker 1: because for you know, the vacuum tube manufacturers almost became 549 00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:11,520 Speaker 1: extinct and as time is worn on and people have said, 550 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:13,640 Speaker 1: you know what, I really like the way that that works. 551 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:16,040 Speaker 1: I like the sound that I get from vacuum tube amps, 552 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:17,760 Speaker 1: or you know, I had this other thing that uses 553 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:20,280 Speaker 1: vacuum tubes and I really like it. I actually have 554 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:25,560 Speaker 1: a Hammond organ that uses um vacuum tubes too, and 555 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:29,160 Speaker 1: you know, without some manufacturer, you know, so these things 556 00:31:29,560 --> 00:31:33,960 Speaker 1: have have stayed in production, even though solid state for 557 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:36,080 Speaker 1: a while, it looked like it was going to you know, 558 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:38,760 Speaker 1: knock it out. But yeah, and just like uh, just 559 00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:42,960 Speaker 1: like an incandescent light bulb, vacuum tubes will eventually burn out. Yes, 560 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:45,480 Speaker 1: they will it. Uh. I mean it's it's not going 561 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:48,040 Speaker 1: to be super fast or anything. But that's why it's 562 00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:51,160 Speaker 1: important that these industries still exist because otherwise we would 563 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:53,160 Speaker 1: have a finite number that and once we got to 564 00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:55,760 Speaker 1: the end of it, that would be it. Yeah, so 565 00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:59,120 Speaker 1: I guess we should be thankful for devices like the 566 00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:03,240 Speaker 1: theremin and guitar amplifiers for keeping a a what what 567 00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:09,760 Speaker 1: otherwise people might say, an absolute technology alive and kicking. Anyway, 568 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:13,120 Speaker 1: that that pretty much wraps up this discussion on the 569 00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:15,720 Speaker 1: thereman and what it is and how it does what 570 00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:17,640 Speaker 1: it does. If you guys are interested in more, there 571 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:20,200 Speaker 1: are tons of videos online. We also have that article 572 00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:23,480 Speaker 1: that Chris was mentioning about how to play with thereman 573 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:26,960 Speaker 1: in at how stuff works dot com and the guys 574 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:29,640 Speaker 1: if you have any suggestions, you can let us know 575 00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:33,600 Speaker 1: on Twitter and Facebook are handled. There is text stuff 576 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:37,200 Speaker 1: h s W or you can email us that addresses 577 00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:40,240 Speaker 1: tech stuff at how stuff works dot com. Chris and 578 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:45,400 Speaker 1: I will talk to you again really soon. Be sure 579 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:48,360 Speaker 1: to check out our new video podcast, Stuff from the Future. 580 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:51,040 Speaker 1: Join how Stuff Work staff as we explore the most 581 00:32:51,040 --> 00:32:55,880 Speaker 1: promising and perplexing possibilities of tomorrow. The How Stuff Works 582 00:32:55,880 --> 00:33:03,920 Speaker 1: iPhone app has arrived. Download it today on iTunes. Brought 583 00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:07,160 Speaker 1: to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, 584 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:07,720 Speaker 1: are you