Budget-friendly Theremin gets players waving their hands in the air

The physicist Lev Sergeyevich Termen may not be a household name, but the eerie sounds of the synthesizer he invented are instantly recognizable. Now Dubreq is inviting music makers to wave their arms about for its own take on the Theremin.

The product of Soviet research into proximity sensors more than a century ago, a young Termen noted changes in the tonal output of a modified device used to measure gas density seemed to depend on how close his body was to it. Following a patent of the design in the late 1920s, RCA was granted commercial rights and the Theremin went into production.

Initially featuring radio tubes that produced oscillations at different frequencies, players would alter pitch by moving a hand closer to one antenna mounted to the control box, and volume with the other hand at another antenna. The signals were amplified and output through a speaker.

The bizarre sounds have since been used in a broad range of musical styles (blues titan Joe Bonamassa often uses one in his live shows) as well as other-worldly backdrops to sci-fi B-movies and TV shows. Now manufacturer of the hugely popular 1960s/70s pocket synth, Dubreq, is hoping to get a new generation of sound explorers to wave their hands in the air.

The Stylophone Pitch Theremin only rocks one antenna, which is used to alter pitch. Volume is adjusted using a wheel to the side. This has the potential for an easier learning curve for players, but the dual-wave oscillator box also hosts a control panel up top for tweaking tones, modulation and effects. There’s also a trigger button (with envelope decay) and a slider with Stylophone-like keyboard area “for crazy, quirky sounds.”

A built-in speaker lets users share their analog sounds with anyone in the neighborhood, and there are output jacks for headphones or cabling to an amp. The whole shebang is powered by AA-sized batteries, so it can be taken anywhere.

Arguably the best thing is the price though. Where full-fat Theremins can cost a pretty packet, the Stylophone Pitch Theremin is, ahem, pitched at just US$110. We’ve no word on availability, but the device is up for pre-order now. The video below has more.

Product page: Dubreq Stylophone Pitch Theremin