AETHERPHON, global theremin family

My Thereministas!

I don't often contribute to the discussion
here....usually because I just don't have much to add
to the conversation. But I thought I'd share my recent
theremin experiences with you guys.

I've been in the studio for nearly a year, working on
my newest album with my longtime collaborator Adam
Pike: it's called "Pareidolia."  The project was
conceived as an all electronic dance album that
features analog instruments such as my two Moogs, a
Prophet Pro-One, and my Roland Juno syths....and
whatever other old boxes we could get our hands on.
So, of course, I had to play my (Big Briar) theremin
on several of the pieces.

While I've occaisionally recorded with my Etherwave,
most of my experience has been the live-with-DJ club
thing. The difference is startling. When you are used
to clubbing it, you improv and let your ears lead you.
No thinking allowed. In the studio, you rehearse a
part over and over and then record take after take
until you get it like you want it.

Some of the songs came naturally. The parts are
logical and supported by the arrangement and I could
just "feel" it. Others were just noises and
therepercussion. 

But last week, we were recording the theremin solo on 
a track with the line "Only what you do matters."
Appropriate, no? The part is straightforward and
follows the changes, moving up a minor chord and back
down a diminshed. I played a long legato phrase with a
repeat. Yet it took over 30 takes. During the course
of recording, the tuning on my box drifted, first
contracting by about four inches, then opening up by
over a foot. Sometimes this would happen during the
recording, so that the tuning on the repeat was
different.

After the first few tries, I began anticipating the
change in tuning across the repeat. But that only made
things worse. For over an hour, the first part was
perfect but the repeat always sounded wrong.

The more frustrated I got, the less cooperative the
instrument became. We took a break for about 20
minutes, then came back to it. Then we immediately got
two good takes which we will use doubled. 

Part of my problem may have been that I recorded it
with minimal delay. Usually, I let the delay blur the
edges of my playing, so this was like working without
a net. But that doesn't explain the crazy atmospheric
changes in my induction. 

Still....on playback the part sounded agressive and
pretty rockin! All the hard work and frustration payed
off with some mean, hard oscillations!

Just off the top of my head, I can tell you that I
play theremin on five of the tracks on the album.
Maybe more. We are nearing the final mix on this
project, so it's all starting to become a blur to
me.....

I hope we can release this thing soon. I want you all
to year it!

Peace

Carvin


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