AETHERPHON, global theremin family

On 16 May 2006, at 11:58, John Hoge wrote:

> The other day I got into trying to sound like an old generator  
> sound that
> lurks in my memory.  I found that the most important part of the  
> sound was
> actually in the volume hand motion.  Have you tried any of those  
> devices
> with the volume antennae, a rapid tremolo of the amplitude might be  
> cool
> too?
>

I didn't get an perceptible effect with the volume antenna. I imagine  
that's down to the shorter field and the thin wires I'm using as  
antenna. My thinking is that something with a piston action that can  
move a conductor with greater mass in and out of the field might work.

Couple of ideas I've had whilst typing...

Maybe something could be constructed out of Mecanno with gears and a  
hand crank. I used to have a set as a kid.

Did you ever clamp one end of a school ruler against a desk with the  
heel of your hand and twang the free end to hear it go thrubba-dubba- 
dubb-dubb-dubb? Perhaps you could arrange something with a vice and a  
steel rule so that the free end moves in and out of the volume field.  
The speed of the oscillations could be controlled by attaching a  
weight to the ruler at the right height. (higher up = slower) This  
would also increase the momentum of the ruler and hence the amplitude  
and duration of the oscillations. (Or so my dim memory of school  
physics suggests.)

Gordon