🎶 2022-09-05 07:30:32 – Paris/France.
Everyone shut up and watch this for a second. Absolute lunatic and legend Linus Åkesson has turned a Commodore 64 computer into a working theremin, and I'm losing my fucking mind how cool that is.
To be fair on the excitement, I'm a bit of a theremin fan, and yes we do exist, and hello everyone else. Everyone else, I welcome you on your journey to enjoy one of the first electronic instruments ever invented. If you're looking for a C64 that plays instead of playing wonderful music, check out these proposed pre-builds (opens in a new tab).
As Linus Åkesson explains in his video, (opens in a new window), the theremin was invented in 1920 by Leon Theremin and became widely known as that thing that makes science fiction noises. It was because it was so unique and wildly alien compared to other sounds of the time. Think of that high-pitched alien flickering sound mimicked in things like the Dr Who intro or and you're on the right track. He quickly became associated with the extraterrestrial and the paranormal for movies.
Which is very fair because the theremins themselves are quite supernatural. You don't even touch them to play and instead they work by generating electromagnetic fields between two antenna points which are then manipulated through the air by the player to change pitch and volume. It's the ultimate in hands-free mom looks, weird sci-fi sounds.
Or that was until it took it a step further by being made from a creepy Commodore 64. Of course, this C64 theremin sounds a bit different from the usual open moans because it uses the main sound of the C64 to make noise. Åkesso explains that he used the C64 with two 555s, four resistors, a spoon and a clamp to create this amazing machine. It also includes a full explanation of how the project works, including a bunch of the interesting science behind it (opens in a new tab).
His YouTube video (opens in a new tab) above also gives a more in-depth explanation, as well as a performance of the device playing alongside a piano. Åkesso notes that it's quite difficult to play but also says "Nevertheless, it's a very special feeling to hold a tone in front of you in the air. »
Unfortunately, for many of us theremin lovers (DOZENS OF US), the instrument is not loved or used enough, especially in modern music. Now that synthesizers are commonplace, scary sounds are just easier to get by other methods, with more precise keyboards and software. GarageBand, for example, has a '50s sci-fi alchemy synth keyboard that's a lot like a theremin, which you can hear on my Ambient Sci-Fi Podcast (opens in a new tab) , but no real direct comparison with the theremin. Hoping someone adds theremin C64 sound ASAP.
SOURCE: Reviews News
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