SONG #2 FOR THEREMIN

Published on Aug 20, 2013 copperleaves·61 videos

"This is an original composition for theremin, piano and strings. I am playing it on the 1929 RCA theremin that was once the property of the late Hollywood thereminist, Dr. Samuel Hoffman."

4 THEREMIN COMPARISON

Published on Aug 11, 2013 copperleaves·60 videos

"This is an original composition I wrote to demonstrate and compare the sound of four different theremins.

The first one I play is the Moog Ethervox. Many people believe this is the finest and most versatile theremin ever made. It was designed and manufactured in the late 1990's and is fully MIDI capable (although I am playing it here strictly in the traditional way).

The second instrument is the 1929 RCA theremin that once belonged to the late Hollywood thereminist, Dr. Samuel Hoffman. This instrument can be heard on the soundtracks of over forty major motion picture soundtracks of the 1940's and 50's.

The third theremin is the last theremin designed and made by the late, wonderful, Robert Moog. It is called the Etherwave Pro. This instrument is in a burled maple cabinet I made for it myself, and is the only one of the four instruments in this video that I play while seated.

The last theremin, the one with the Art Deco lightning bolt antennas, belonged to Leon Theremin's business partner and personal assistant, Julius Goldberg. This is the only one of the four theremins that I am using an effect with. The sound you hear is the voice of the theremin going through an Electro-Harmonix TALKING MACHINE which gives it the haunting sound of a human baritone. I thought this might be an interesting contrast with the other three instruments.

All four of these theremins are amplified identically, and their sound is coming through the "Claratone" speaker you see behind me. This speaker was specially designed by Reid Welch for use with the theremin, and was named after the great 20th century thereminist, Clara Rockmore.

I would love to have played these instruments by walking from one to the other in a single shot but that is not possible. First of all, theremins are notorious for causing all sorts of interference problems with one another when there are several of them in close proximity and all of them are turned on. So for each of the theremins I play in this video, the other three had to be turned off.

The other big problem is that the spacing of the notes within the electromagnetic field is radically different for each of these four instruments, so it takes a few minutes to adapt your technique to the configuration of the theremin you're playing. All theremins are not the same. Most traditional instruments have a standard design and spacing - the standard piano keyboard is the same everywhere - but theremins are highly individual and each one is different."

The Story of the RCA Synthesizer - Video

Published on Dec 16, 2012 alanoneuser·4 videos

"History of the RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer and the Victor Synthesizer.
Produced by Kevin Meredith.
Featuring Dr. Alex Magoun of the IEEE History Center at http://www.ieee.org/history_center
and Rebecca Mercuri, Ph.D. of Notable Software at http://www.notablesoftware.com/"

RCA Signal Generator Coming to Panoramic Wave Generator mkII

via Atomic Shadow on Facebook

"This tube driven RCA signal generator and Akai reel to reel are going to be pressed in to service as I begin making the sounds for the Panoramic Wave Generator mkII."

Institute of RAI Phonology

Techstuff - Istituto di Fonologia della RAI

Uploaded by bizzarrieelettriche on Oct 6, 2011

"Manuale video di musica elettronica"

via Roberto Ladislau Santos on modular.br Facebook

Reminds me of the early RCA and Bell Labs electronic music studios.

Italian documentary.

Update via Amstrad in the comments:

"There´s a recent movie called Berberian sound studio, the director said to be inspired by this place when making the story. http://warp.net/films/berberian-sound-studio"

1939 RCA STORYTONE PIANO - Worlds First Electric Piano

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"An extremely rare and historically important instrument, the RCA Storytone piano was built in 1939 in a joint venture between Story & Clark and RCA. It is the world's first electric piano, and it debuted at the 1939 World's Fair, which was truly a great event for musical instruments -- the similarly famous Hammond Novachord, the world's first polyphonic tube synthesizer debuted there in 1939 as well.

The piano has normal strings and action but no soundboard -- the sound is amplified through electromagnetic pickups, circuitry and a speaker system, making it the world's first commercial electric piano. It works especially well for sustained styles of playing, as notes can last up to a minute or more with its unique form of resonance. It sounds more authentic and much more like a real piano than a Rhodes, Wurlitzer or Helpinstill, and sounds richer, fuller, and thicker than a Yamaha CP-70 or Kawai EP-308. It really is the king of all electric pianos, save for transportability.

Even better, it has an art deco/streamline design that rivals that of the finest furniture of the era. This piano has been refinished and restored and is in excellent functional and cosmetic condition. It also comes with its original bench, which has also been refinished, reupholstered, and restored. Please note that we did not replace the keytops, which are original, because they look better than new keytops would.

Please note that the shipping cost is an estimate and that the actual shipping cost to the buyer will vary based on the buyer's location. For instance, moving this to the east coast would cost $590, while moving this within the Los Angeles metro area would cost $125."

via @AtomicShadow

CLICK FOR MORE »

Vintage Oscillators

via Rod Mitchell aka Atomic Shadow on Facebook

"The upper right unit is a really old RCA sine wave machine, full of tubes. Sounds beautiful."

http://www.atomicshadow.com/

Synth Rorschach #11

What do you see?

This remind me of a specific synth or rather system. See what you think that might be and share what it reminds you of. I'll post what it actually is in the comments below.

via Earthnik

See the Synth Rorschach label below for more.

Update: see the bottom comment below for what this actually is.

1950 early electronic synthesizer: 'This is music with a strictly electronic beat'

YouTube Uploaded by clipsandfootage on Mar 11, 2011

"To order this clip in high res. follow this link:
http://www.clipsandfootage.com/contac...

00:10:33 Electronic Music Synthesizer , 'No instruments necessary'! "This is music with a strictly electronic beat". Man demonstrates synthesizer, bit of an anticlimax as it plays 'Camptown Races'.

Clip ref CF30d"

RCA Theremin & Talking Machine VOCALISE

YouTube Published on Jun 3, 2012 by copperleaves

"The VOCALISE of Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff has become one of the standards of theremin performance because it was written for voice without words, to be sung on an open "AH". Usually we hear it performed in the soprano register but here it is in the tenor range using the 1929 RCA theremin of Leon Theremin's assistant, Julius Goldberg, in conjunction with an ELECTRO-HARMONIX "Talking Machine" set to....yes, you got it....an open "AH".

In the second half of this video I put the instrument on a rotating table so you can see all sides of it including its unusual volume antenna which is kind of hard to see under normal performing circumstances.

You'll notice that this theremin has fancy locks on its cabinet doors. Sometime in the 1940's the late Mr. Goldberg installed these to keep his kids from opening the doors and electrocuting themselves! There are potentially lethal voltages inside."

Follow-up to this post.

RCA Theremin & Talking Machine

YouTube Published on May 22, 2012 by copperleaves

"The theremin in this video is the instrument that once belonged to Julius Goldberg, the partner and personal assistant of Russian inventor Leon Theremin. This is a 1929 RCA theremin that was customized by Goldberg in the early 1930's and provided with 'lightning bolt' volume and pitch antennas. In this video, I am using an ELECTRO-HARMONIX 'Talking Machine' on a fixed, open 'AH' sound, which lends to the tone a remarkable likeness to a human tenor.

The theremin has often been compared to an 'electric soprano' but used with the Talking Machine, it can also be an ELECTRIC TENOR or an ELECTRIC BARITONE!

The composition is the famous tenor aria, NESSUN DORMA, from the opera TURANDOT by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini."

Info on the RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer

See the update marked 4/24/12 in this post.

Electronic Music Production by Tab Books

via this auction

Tab Books is the publisher. The author is Alan Douglas. You can find a pic of the cover in this post.

"Here is a very interesting early synthesizer/electronic music book - hardback - from 1974 called Electronic Music Production by Tab Books. It is 145 pages of interesting history and facts about synths and other electronic music devices.

Best of all, there are a number of circuits here.

Names like Moog, RCA's early work and the Synthi-100, plus the Oramic Graphic System."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Stylophonics

Stylophonics from Atomic Shadow on Vimeo.

"A short improvisation featuring the Stylophone, HP and BK sine wave generators, ring modulators, tape echo, various effects, and a dash of reverb." Effects include Akai filter module, Boss SL-20 pedal, Strymon El Capistan, two Kaoss pads and a Line 6 Pod 500HD. RCA sine wave generator in the background. http://atomicshadow.bandcamp.com/

1929 RCA Theremin AR-1264

via this auction
via the seller's description:
"It was missing its doors and antennae when it came to me, the and exterior was in poor shape, there was a large gash across its front, and the beading was damaged.

The doors have now been replaced(one of the doors is an original from another RCA theremin), replacement antennae have been faithfully copied by a remarkable craftsman and theremin enthusiast, (they need to be nickel plated), and the cabinet has been refinished on its exterior. The interior has been left as found, in good shape. The legs are original and intact as found.The beading has been replaced.

In the photos can be seen the replacement antennae compared to original ones, the theremin for sale compared to one with an original finish( the original is darker than others I've seen),the number "502" stamped on the bottom of the door. The left cabinet door is slightly warped out at the bottom.The speaker power receptacle needs a replacement cover, its base is intact.There is clear plastic wrapped around the pitch and volume coils to protect the wire.

Something remarkable about this theremin is when I first assembled it and slowly warmed it up , it was functioning absolutely fine , I didn"t even have to fiddle with the tuning capacitors. As it is now, I haven't warmed it up in years,and it will be sold as is,with all the original electronics intact. The next owner will have to use their care skill and patience to maintain this rare ,80+ year old electronic music artifact. If you are unaware of the instrument or its history there are tons of sources availabe on the internet,the movie "Theremin, An Electronic Odyssey" and A. Glinskys book "Theremin, Ether Music and Espionage"are excellent resources.Other leads for info are looking under the subjects; Clara Rockmore, Lucie Bigelow Rosen, Lev Termen, Robert Moog, Samuel Hoffman.

If the buyer is able to pick up the theremin, I will throw in (gently) an RCA 106 speaker, If it is to be shipped I'll include an RCA 100 speaker."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Hollow Sun TriOSC Now Available

"TriOsc is styled on equipment retrieved from an ancient, disused rocket launch control centre and features three oscillators with samples of valve sine and triangle waveforms taken from a rack of vintage test equipment to create dense clusters of retro sci-fi electronica.

Unique to TriOsc is the 'SERENDIPITY' button (labeled '?'). You see, TriOsc has a mind and being of its own. Clicking this button generates new patches and sounds randomly created by TriOsc that instantly evoke the spirit and electronic tonalities of the early Radiophonic Workshop, 'Forbidden Planet' and other classic sci-fi movies, Morton Subotnick, Tristram Cary and other early electronic music pioneers working with primitive equipment - an astonishing source of inspiration which can lead you down different roads of musical ideas and exploration. The randomly generated sounds can then be tweaked and shaped to your own particular needs using the comprehensive panel. They can even be saved as normal NKIs for future use.

TriOsc is available now and costs $8
http://www.hollowsun.com/HS2/sli/triosc/index.htm

Requires Kontakt 4.2.2 or higher. It will work with the free Kontakt Player but only in 'demo' mode and the session will be time limited."

via Atomic Shadow who's vintage oscillators where used for TriOSC.

Hollow Sun TriOSC

"Adding to the Music Laboratory Machines series, TriOsc is styled on equipment retrieved from an ancient, disused rocket launch control centre and features three oscillators with samples of valve sine and triangle waveforms taken from a rack of vintage test equipment to create dense clusters of retro sci-fi electronica.

Unique to TriOsc is the 'SERENDIPITY' button (labeled '?'). You see, TriOsc has a mind and being of its own. Clicking this button generates new patches and sounds randomly created by TriOsc that instantly evoke the spirit and electronic tonalities of the early Radiophonic Workshop, 'Forbidden Planet' and other classic sci-fi movies, Morton Subotnick, Tristram Cary and other early electronic music pioneers working with primitive equipment - an astonishing source of inspiration which can lead you down different roads of musical ideas and exploration. The randomly generated sounds can then be tweaked and shaped to your own particular needs using the comprehensive panel. They can even be saved as normal NKIs for future use.

ROUGH AND READY DEMO

The quick audio demo above is not from the Krell's music library archive but was recorded in one take, no overdubs or trickery, just clicking on the SERENDIPITY button.

Available at the end of this week.

Price - $TBA" via KVR http://hollowsun.com/

This one in via Atomic Shadow who had the following to say: "I just spent the evening with an advanced copy and it is brilliant. This one is called TriOsc. As you might expect it uses three oscillators (sampled from my vintage test equipment). It has a good effects section and the oscillators can be modulated in various ways.

Here is a link to the demo I recorded earlier. It's called Misson To Kolchab. 100% TriOsc"

And a little on Steve Hollow: "He was the main sound designer at Akai since the S950. If you do a bit of Googling you can find his name on the credits to The Last Temptation of Christ soundtrack. Oh yes, he did sound design for Peter Gabriel."

Atomic Shadow Vintage Oscillators & Noise Generators

via Rod Mitchell on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

"The Atomic Shadow recording sessions are on schedule. Here is a photo of my oscillators."

HP122A oscilloscope RCA model 154 from the 40s
General Radio 1390A random noise generator
B&K 301B Sine/Square transistor oscillator
HP 201CR
HP 200ABR


You might recognize these featured in Hollow Sun's Oscillosine from this previous post.

RCA THEREMIN Instruction Manual Reprint

via this auction

You can find an online version here.

"This is a reprint of the Instruction Manual that RCA-Victor shipped with the Theremins they manufactured in the late 1920's.

Topics covered include:

INSTALLATION
OPERATION
MAINTENANCE


12 page photocopy printed on good quality paper."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Lev Theremin & Clara Rockmore Reunite

Лев Термен и Клара Рокмор from Sergey Teterin on Vimeo.

"В 1991 году, через пятьдесят с лишним лет, Лев Термен вернулся в Нью-Йорк, в места своей необыкновенной славы и успеха 30-х годов. Теперь ему уже 95 лет. В Нью-Йорке Термен после многих десятилетий разлуки встретился с Кларой Рокмор, своей давней возлюбленной, самой знаменитой терменвоксисткой мира. Документальные съемки, фрагмент из фильма "Лев Термен: электронная одиссея" (1995), режиссер Стивен М. Мартин."

Googlish:
"In 1991, fifty-odd years, Lev Theremin returned to New York, in place of his extraordinary fame and success of the 30-ies. Now he has 95 years. In New York, Theremin, after decades of separation, met with Clara Rockmore, his longtime lover, the most famous termenvoksistkoy world. Documentary footage, a fragment from the movie "Leon Theremin: an electronic odyssey" (1995), directed by Steven M. Martin."

CLICK FOR MORE »