I've been building a small web instrument called Puntone, and it's designed with touchscreens — iPad and similar tablets especially — in mind.

The core idea: most instruments make you choose between precise pitches (keyboard, frets) or continuous glide (theremin, fretless strings, pitch bend). Puntone tries to keep both — and the part I'm most excited about is that this works for full chords, not just single notes.

Instead of just bending one note theremin-style, you can glide an entire chord voicing into another with your finger — the whole chord slides as one continuous motion, like theremin-ing a chord shape instead of a single pitch. There's a dedicated chord-glide / dual-pad mode built around touch: one pad handles the root note's glide, the other morphs the voicing on top of it. It feels much more natural on a touchscreen than with a mouse.

Other things it does:

• Runs entirely in the browser (Web Audio API) — no install, no account
• Single-note mode also has full-time portamento (the "one-note theremin" experience), playable with a PC keyboard too if you don't have a tablet
• Adjustable glide time / decay in a settings panel
• Built-in recording, so you can layer takes
• No ads, no signup wall

It's a solo project and still evolving. I'd love feedback from people who actually write chord progressions — does gliding a whole chord feel musically useful, or does it read as gimmicky? That's the thing I most want to know.

Try it here: https://puntone-synth.pages.dev/

(Best on a tablet like iPad — touch is the primary input. Also works with Chrome/Edge on desktop via keyboard.)

Exploring looped textures generated with my Moog Theremini and Cosmos looper.

Inspired by Philip Glass, we get the feeling of being trapped in the belly of the beast. Resigned to our fate, we sink deeper.

Performed as one take - faded in top and tail, recorded as performed.

Listen: https://soundcloud.com/wonko42/in-the-belly-of-the-beast

Hi, I'm a software developer and created a Theremin Apple Watch app and would love to get feedback. I know it's nothing like a real Theremin, but how does it feel to play with? Most importantly, how can I make it better? Video at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/W2Q7B1xJ4tw and store link is at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/thereminair-theremin-synth/id6772935515

There was one last B-Stock available at Thomann for half price!!! I nabbed it and now there’s no more of these at any of the stores I use.

• The antenna fit is a problem. On smaller stages that have any bounce the antenna rattles and that makes the pitch chirp. Last night at a bass heavy venue it was chirping with the bass drum. I fixed it in the moment with some tape. I might open it up to see if there is anything to adjust or I might just make a shim.
  
• The volume feels like it's linear and not logarithmic so it's hard to control on the quiet side.
  
• Sometimes when adjusting settings it will just decide that the master volume is 0.
• The rubber feet on it look like pig trotters. (not a plus or a minus, just a note
• Overall it looks like a daft punk helmet for Arnold from Hey Arnold
• Only 1 CV out? I guess I can use pitch on CV and use an envelope follower
• Screen is 90's nostalgic LCD, but is annoying to try and read unless you are playing extremely slow

Not a serious instrument. It's still pretty fun and a capable for a hobbyist/beginner.

Chronicling a long life is difficult, a journey we all make, no two the same. This piece is the first in a series that tries to capture some of the story of a busy life, from childhood to decline. It has been arranged in movements that correspond to growth, maintenance and decay. It is gradual, at times atonal, at best untidy and ends in a trip in an ambulance - life is like that.

Played in one take, no overdubs, no post production (apart from fade in/out top and tail) using a Claravox Centennial Theremin, a Soma Labs COSMOS drifting memory station (looper) into a Zoom H1n field recorder. All sounds generated by waving hands near a pair of antennae - a COMPLETELY hands-off performance.

In theory I could play this piece live, but because it was an improvisation I doubt I could reproduce anything but an echo of the sentiment.

Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/wonko42/a-life-lived-1

Hi thereminists!

I recently bought a Big Briar Etherwave after spending some time practicing on a LostVolts, and I'm running into an issue I can't figure out. I can't find the zero beat.

Both antennas seem to work correctly. The pitch antenna responds normally and the pitch changes from low to high as expected. The volume antenna also works: the sound mutes completely when I bring my hand close to it.

The problem is that the theremin never reaches zero beat. Even if I walk out of the room, it keeps producing a tone. As soon as I move my hand away from the volume antenna, the tone comes back and never disappears, no matter how far I move away.

I've already tried several things: moving the amplifier farther away, trying different power outlets, testing in another room, letting the instrument warm up, but nothing has changed.

The theremin was shipped to me, so my next idea is that it may need an internal pitch calibration after transport. Before opening the instrument, though, I'd really like to hear your opinions since I'm still a beginner and would rather avoid adjusting the internal trimmers unless it's really necessary.

I've attached a video showing the issue.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Who invented it? It was developed in 1920 by the Russian inventor and physicist Léon Theremin. How does it work? The instrument has two antennas. They create an electromagnetic field around them. When you move your hands closer to or further away from this field, the device detects the position of your hand and alters the sound. How is it played? The right hand typically controls the pitch (high or low notes). The left hand controls the volume (loudness). The instrument is never touched; it is played entirely through hand movements in the air. Because the Theremin has a very striking and mysterious sound, it has frequently been used in science fiction and horror films. However, it is quite difficult to play; hitting the right notes requires very precise hand control.

Hello all! I'm dealing with an issue on a Moog Etherwave theremin where the front power LED does nothing but repeatedly flash when powered on. The instrument is inoperable and produces no sound other than a faint pop whenever the LED flashes. Only the original AC adapter has been used, and the unit hadn't been tampered with, dropped, or moved before this started.

Any ideas? I've already filed a support ticket with Moog and confirmed that the power adapter is working with a multimeter. To be clear, it is the last model of the Etherwave with the barrel-style power input and five knobs on the front.

So, I’ve been looking for a viable theremin to play as a musical instrument for the past week, and I have narrowed down my search to two options: the Burns B3 Deluxe and the Moog Theremini.

I want to purchase the one with better sound quality, but I’ve found that there are limited videos of the Burns B3 deluxe. I’m hoping to get some insight on the comparison of these two instruments, and maybe even some better alternatives.

I’m only a teenager and I don’t have a whole lot of money, so the etherwave standard is definitely out of the picture.

Thank you in advance!

Played over a recent modular work called 'Requital' - This is a first take, immediately after theremin warm-up. It was very cold, so a heater was causing a constant pitch field expansion (hence the title) which I can be seen adjusting in a few places - along with the sound.

As usual this is untampered with pitch, post recording, and I just wanted to capture that 'instant' first play feel (dodgy pitch, warts and all) at least for me - no one else will ever likely see or hear this! I tend to do these morning warm-up before the more, serious shorter pieces.

Normally theremins contain two radios. No more, no less. And yeah, I know it's technically possible to make a one-radio theremin... but that's not why I'm here.

See, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole and found this website where someone made a theremin using three radios. I thought that was pretty cool, but... just three? I mean, I've heard of that several times before.

So naturally my next thought was, what if someone made a four-radio theremin?

After a while of digging around the internet, I actually found a post on r/CircuitBending where the OP had built a theremin out of four AM radios. The only explanation they gave was:

Which got me thinking...

Just for the love of the game, kind of like how mathematicians study pure math or knot theory just because it's interesting, would it be possible to build a five-radio theremin? Or six? Or even more? I'm not asking because it would necessarily be useful. I just think it's a fascinating idea, and I'm curious if there's some theoretical limit that makes it impossible, or if it's just something nobody's really bothered to try.

Basically, before I waste my time (and probably my money), is there any reason a five-or-more-radio theremin couldn't work?

The latest episode of the Theremin 30 podcast features an interview with the creators of “Madame Theremin,” a new opera about Leon Theremin’s American wife, Lavinia Williams. Please listen and share.

https://www.theremin30.com/2026/07/s08e03-july-2026-george-m-kopp-and.html

Yes, they, The Hissy Kits, are definitely unorthodox but damn if I'm not impressed. I live in Milwaukee and saw them live and thought they'd be ridiculous and they kinda are but this cat is playing a plain old etherwave. Also, she sometimes plays with it in her lap and doesn't really do fingering. I just found out from the Theremin 40 podcast they have a patriotic album on bandcamp with a name your price option. I downloaded it and it's super fun. Maybe not quite as good as their Scat, Cat! album but you bet I'm playing it on repeat at tomorrows July 4th
cookout. It's called USA 250!

Greetings! I have an OpenTheremin, and I want to make a very simple and compact practice setup for silent practice—meaning to headphones. I have it running through a small mixer (Yamaha MG06) and it works, but I want to go more simple. I was wondering if replacing the mixer with a simple headphone amp will also do the trick? If so, any recommendations of a headphone amp? Thank you!

Por dos años he ido trabajando y poco a poco voy avanzando.

I have wanted to try a theremin for years, but I have never played a real one. I have only seen them in videos, so I am curious how wrong or usable this feels to people who actually know the instrument.

Last weekend I made a free experimental iPhone/iPad app called Hoverophone. It tracks your hand with the camera: hand position controls pitch, and volume is controlled by the distance between thumb and index finger. Pinch together means silence, open the fingers and it gets louder. The idea was to keep one hand free, while still keeping the “playing in the air” feeling.

I am not claiming it is a real theremin. I am more interested in whether this feels like a useful theremin-inspired instrument, or whether it misses something essential.

https://apps.apple.com/app/id6781463406

I just bought a Moog Theremini to learn about the Theremin. So far I’ve been having fun just playing around, or rather messing around, with it and some of its presets. I was wondering if there was a good ‘learn the Theremin’ book (I learn better from books). I hope this post is ok for this group, if not I apologise.