Horst MWT-01 Midi Wave Theremin

Horst MWT-01 Midi Wave Theremin Image
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A professional Stereo Theremin, a Midi Controller and a analog style Mini Synth. The original MWT-01 Midi Wave theremin, made in Melbourne, Australia.

...What exactly is it, I hear you ask?

Well, it is a Theremin, yes, but a Theremin of a special kind. If you just think traditional theremin, you might be mistaken. This beautiful Theremin is in a league of its own. To start with, it is a Theremin Midi Controller, an "invisible fader" to control your synthesizer, your sampler or just your keyboard, via Midi. By using CC messages (Continuous Controller), pitch-bend messages or just note ON/OFF messages, it enables you to control your soft synth or your sampler by just waving your hand in the air. This is very cool stuff and not only does it look great on stage, it also allows you to be more expressive in your performance. The Midi Wave Theremin opens up infinite possibilities of computer sound manipulation and expression.

Connecting a trigger pad to the Theremin turns the MWT-01 into a percussion instrument not seen before. Load a simple snare sample into a sampler and use the theremin pitch-bend mode to control the snare-pitch via the antenna, for example. Setting the pitch-bend to several octaves makes it possible to slow down the snare to a subsonic rumble, only to be sped up again to sweep across the pitch spectrum to a high pitch click... just by moving the left hand towards the antenna and the right hand triggering the sample.

For the drummer/percussionist: welcome to the world of virtual faders. You can hold on to your drumstick and manipulate your drum samples just by moving your hand near the theremin antenna. This will add another dimension to your repertoire.

But this is only a small part of what this "thing" is capable of. One very unique feature is the implementation of a vintage ladder style 24 dB resonant filter, which turns this Theremin into something like a mini-synth. The filter frequency is accurately controlled via the theremin antenna (very nice and superfast). The filter input can come from an external signal source (sampler, synth or PC, etc.) or you can use the internal oscillators (square, saw, triangle) to feed the filter input. The three filter outputs (HP, BP, LP) can be mixed freely. Each output has volume and pan control to create an interesting and dynamic stereo output mix. From a Theremin controlled 24dB resonant filter, to the weird and exotic world of ring modulation, crackle and noise generation, this Theremin is full of inspiring possibilities to bring fresh perspective to your music.

And of course last, but not least, it is a stereo Theremin with three oscillators (volume and pan for each), a wide selection of different waveforms, from sine wave to various theremin waves, to triangle, saw and square wave. Tremolo and a VCA (external volume control) are included and a host of other features.

Lookup Prices for MWT-01 Midi Wave Theremin

Demos & Media

Midi Wave Theremin 1.1 The basics
by
ThereminRevolution
Midi Wave Theremin 5.0 The Finger Drum mode
by
ThereminRevolution

Specifications

Polyphony - 3 voices
Oscillators - 1 main oscillator plus 2 sub-oscillators (frequency-range from 1 Hz to over 15 KHz)
Waveforms - 8 waveforms (sine, triangle, sawtooth, square and more)
Modulation - Ring modulator with 3 theremin controlled carrier waves (sine, triangle, square), Tremolo
Filter - Theremin Controlled Self oscillating, ladder style, 24 dB filter with individual Low-pass, Band-pass and High-pas
VCA - Yes
Effects - Tremolo/Auto-trigger and gate/envelope follower
Arpeg/Seq - None
Keyboard - None
Memory - Internal flash memory
Control - MIDI Out
Controls - Removable Antenna Rod, Drum Trigger Pad, Manual Trigger Button
Date Produced - 2010

Resources

Original images from wave-theremin.com.

Reviewed August, 2013.