I ordered the Moog Theremini Theremin with Assistive Pitch Correction online. The customer service was amazing. I even received a phone call minutes after placing the order to congratulate me on my purchase and check if I had any questions. I received another call a couple weeks after the theremin was delivered following up on the theremin to ensure everything was working properly and that I was happy with the purchase.

But now I'm using it in ambient tracks. I love the customization options. Selecting your scale mode and key signature makes it so easy to use. The bass patches sound great underneath my patches in Omnisphere and U-he Zebra.

This product feels like it should be valued at about $70. It has that "cheap toy" feel to it. I was apprehensive to buy it because I was actually looking for an Etherwave Theremin but Moog no longer supplies that product. After talking to a rep at Sweetwater I figured I would try this one out to see if it could fit my needs. Spoiler: it doesn't.

For what is supposed to be the most beginner friendly Theremin, the menu and setup is ridiculously unintuitive. The most basic and important feature a theremin should have is a pitch knob for calibrating it to your specific range of motion. The version that exists in the Thereminini is so basic it actually makes the instrument much harder to play. Basically you're substituting a slightly easier (arguably) calibration process for a more difficult playing position. Definitely not a beginning feature.

To me the presets sound cheap, but I wasn't buying this for the presets. I also wasn't expecting much from the built in speaker but I'd say it just fell short of my lack of expectations. It's really not a great speaker.

The volume antenna/loop feels like it could break very easily and somehow was configured to work the opposite direction as a normal Theremin. I was very disappointed in the sharp cutoff at quiet volumes, though this might be configurable in the settings it wasn't worth it to me to figure that out.

Even the knobs feel cheap and loose when rotating

I will be returning this. I've never owned a Moog synthesizer before but if this is the quality of their products I'm hard pressed to consider anything from them in the future.

From The classic Theremin to the New presents to the controller capabilities this device has everything I needed in Off grid music experimentation and sound design. I have not yet figured out how to do MIDI based control of keyboard and Plugin Parameters, but I have been able to Use CV control on Synth engines. Very impressed how it even reacts with a Plasma ball. Brings out the Mas Musical Scientist in me.

Theremins are what they are. Quirky, niche. If they put out MIDI note data I would have kept it, but it doesnt. Thru MIDI or cv you can control some parameters like, filter,volume,pan etc.
Maybe the mkii version will address this.

Proximity controller for Synth @!
Shows pitch played as note letter, and tuner allows pitch to be exact or not.
The note change nodes contribute rythmically, unlike sweeps of classis theremin (adjustable corrective knob).
Beginners will find the pitch display as useful as I do, I've recorded and played theremax for years.
Advanced ability to riff across a wide band swiftly, in different keys and mode scales (Dorian, Ionian...etc, etc...), very wow and.
Setup allows stretching notes wider or closer, fine tuning and multi octaves riffing can be set up so very easily played.
Does have classic theremin "setting" sounds and plays good to me, not exactly a theremin, small difference? Easily outweighed by the amazingly enabling factors.

Admittedly, I was skeptical about a theremin for under 500 dollars, but I've had my therein for a few weeks now and I'm still discovering its power.

The ability to set up different keys and scales is super helpful, but then you can add in as much slop as suits your playing style or remove it remove the scales completely for an OG experience.

The setup is very style-dependent, so you'll find yourself redoing it as your skills develop. Some might be put off by this, but I welcome the easy setup as a sign that I'm getting better at playing.

Very versatile and portable. Fun for beginner and pro.

First, it's Moog... so bad to the bone is a given (so is the high price). Well made and easy to setup. There are bunches of videos on YouTube that deep dive into setup and operation. It's not an easy instrument to master but it sure makes some cool sounds! I bought it for a halloween party and it was an instant hit, even if all the drunks just made a racket! You have to calibrate it every time... do not expect to plug and play, your results will be less than desired. Glad I chose this entry level model before going all out on one of the bad boys Moog offers.

This is a hard instrument to set -up and play, (love the challenge) as you never touch while playing it, Setting it up can be a bit confusing, I found this guy on YouTube that shows you step by step how to set it up for you to get the most out it, and has many sessions playing with it (to get tip's)
I been playing with it almost every day, getting to find the keys' in the air, very cool.

Bought this as a birthday present lady at home she was talking about wanting one but didn't want to spend that much so I surprised her with this affordable theremin super fun to play

This thing is so much fun. You gotta have some patience to find the invisible notes, but if that's your jam, then you're in for a treat. The pitch correction, presets, scales, and keys all add up to a surprisingly powerful instrument in a sleek, gorgeous package. this thing is TOPS.

Everything you need to get freaky . Deducted a star because output levels just seem a tad low .

Super cool instrument! Far more advanced than I imagined.

This is the only instrument you play without actually touching!

My Theremin has bought so much happiness to my life. My sales representative is so awesome and professional. Thanks a million with lots of love. Your company is the greatest. Thank you for my candy I always have a sweet tooth.

Bought it as a Christmas gift for a friend, and liked playing it so much I wanted to keep it for myself!
Doug

I have owned a kit Theremin for over 10 years. If you don't know, the original Theremin idea is almost 100 years old. The first Theremin was tube based and as big as a refrigerator. My kit Theremin was cool. I could make a spaceship land or take off like anyone else. The trick was getting other sounds out of it. I would put the kit Theremin through various delay and chorus effects. I have been reading about the Theremini and decided to take the plunge. Although I hate that program "auto tune", in reference to the "Theremin" adding a pitch correction and delay effects was simply Brilliant. Pitch correction can be shut off. The unit also has a calibration setup, so it is person specific. The unit has "patches" with various tweaked sounds. One patch I can sound like an Oboe. With pitch correction , not a bad note. One patch sounds like a flute. Again, not a bad note heard. The notes you play are displayed. Again , well thought out. One patch I sound like whale song. Many other patches to choose from, all with different sound textures. Some may argue, well you get all those same sounds on a synth or keyboard. Well yeah. But this instrument you don't even touch. The "sound making" comes from the vibrato of the left hand for volume swells and the right hand for your pitch. In closing, I am enamored with sound. Always have been. This thing is a blast. Once you jump in, it is really hard to quit. I look forward to 2021 hoping to write some songs that feature the Theremini.

Everything is good with this unit, no problems at all. Great fir learning the theremin thanks to being digital with pitch control and using the LCD display to see your pitch (right hand position) in real time. My engineer, Dan Vranic, gave me a great deal and shipping was super quick.
Later ordered the 5/8" female to 3/8" male adapter so I can mount the Theremini to my mic stand.

I've only had this for a week and have been staying primarily with the classic theremin sound. Although I'm still getting to know the theremini, the most curious thing i've Found with it is the low note octaves seem squashed smaller than the octaves close to the pitch antenna. Quite the opposite of my PAiA and burns theremins. Perhaps this is part of the reason so many experienced thereminists dislike the theremini. Perhaps when I finally explore the sound editor on my computer I can change that. I play theremin in rock bands and I think this may be a good fit. Won't get to try it out with my projects until covid mellows out. Not positive I'm gonna keep it yet as to play classic theremin stylings I find it a bit more difficult with this unit. The built in speaker is great, I truly love being able to just switch the theremin on and start making music. I use the long delay and it is nice not to have to plug in to stuff to get that sound. Cv out is a new area of fun i'm Enjoying. As with so many things in the digital world, to get this thing to really work for you you will need to do some research and exploring. Response is a little slow for trying to play fast music. Would work great for slow tempos though. INever liked the tone of ether wave standard, but this things not bad. I still have to find a good case for it as the knobs probably couldn't handle to much trauma.

The volume knob DOES NOT control the output volume...it only controls the on-board speaker volume. If you're playing with a band, the on-board speaker is completely useless (quiet and tinny), and that makes the volume knob completely useless.

It would be nice to have a volume knob that actually controlled the output volume. As it is now, I have to keep walking back to the mixing board to change volume or to mute the instrument.

Also, the preset scales on the instrument are awesome, but it's missing a very obvious scale, which is the harmonic minor scale. It has a chromatic scale, all 7 modes (ionian to locrian), the whole-half diminished scale, and major and minor blues and pentatonic scales. Then it has some weird "cultural" scales or something that I've never heard of...Arabian, Gypsy, Egyptian, Rykuku, or something, etc... Buuuuuut no harmonic or melodic minor, and no altered scale.

Other than the complaints listed above, this product is awesome. An affordable and easily playable introduction to a very challenging instrument.

I'm a songwriter who plays guitar, bass, violin, lap steel, mandolin and keyboards. My main instrument in the guitar and bass.

I purchased this after watching Orkestra Obsoletes "Blue Monday" by New Order. It is my #1 favorite music video.

To my surprise, this Moog instrument is way more than I had expected - I have learned to play violin as an accompanying instrument - mainly for "ear candy" - and because while synths can emulate some analog instruments, synth violin is no where near the same as a real violin.

The Theremini reminds me a lot more of playing violin than anything - but is much easier and faster to get up to speed - I was able to add a great sounding . This is because this beautiful instrument really is an expressive instrument - surprisingly like the violin. The modern day features are what make this a lot more than your Father's Theremin . . .

This thing is so wacky and cool and intuitive, but at the same time it is a fun challenge and has a nice learning curve to learn how to play.

I got the Theremini instead of the Moog Etherwave mainly because of the price difference (maybe I'll get an Etherwave one day), but the 32 sound presets on the Theremini and the adjustable pitch correction are really sweet features that aren't present on the regular theremins. The delay is fun to noodle around with as well, but it is very basic and I'm planning on getting an actual delay pedal in the near future.

It takes about 45 seconds to set it up once you take it out of the box. Super easy and straightforward calibration. The onboard speaker gets plenty loud enough for private practice and just messing around, but I did plug into a Peavey 1x12 bass combo amp and almost blew my apartment windows out with the amp volume barely at a 2. All the pitches in the lower octaves especially sound really REALLY good through an amp. Can't wait to take it to a practice space and really let loose!

It's kind of a "point and shoot" instrument in my humble opinion. Sure there's classical playing techniques and hand gestures you can look up on YouTube to show you how to "properly" play the Theremini, but honestly after a couple hours of trial and error practice I found I could follow along with some slow songs and play the vocal melodies just fine. I cannot stress how much fun it is to play. I'll probably learn the finer techniques eventually, but for now I'm just having fun making sonic weirdness.

Summed up, it's just a nicely built, super light (3lbs), portable, crazy fun instrument that not too many people own. Unique and weird and absolutely worth the price. It was on backorder when I tried to purchase it originally, but my sales engineer Ashton helped me get a pre-order ready and called me the day they were restocked. It was in my apartment 3 days later! Great service as always from the crew at Sweetwater. Fast and reliable.

BUY YOURSELF A THEREMINI! You will not be disappointed!

This is something different all together. It is something quite different from the ordinary, but a lot of fun (if your into synthesis)!

Great.Cool.Learnung the Theremini..Jimi Page had one I thought it was homemade..Recently I saw something Like it..Checked it out did my Home work...OH IM GETTING ONE...It's so cool alot to Learn..
It's not easy....Great purchase..Do alot of Buss..with Sweetwater...Good Guys..

This is the latest addition to my Moog synth family! I encourage everyone to try one of these and see how great it feels making music without even touching the instrument. Big thank you to Paul Sombric at Sweetwater for help with ordering the Theremini and explaining how the CV output works with other synths.

The product does not live up to Moog's reputation! It is poor quality. Cheap plastic, knobs feel bad, sound quality is not good. Does not feel like Moog's other synths. After using it, I wouldn't pay more than $30 for something like this again.

A great 21st century technological wonder from a device that was made back in the early 1900's by an actual inventor named "Theremin".
I had always wanted a theremin when I was a young lad...50 years later I finally have one. After the initial setup which is a must, there is nothing you won't like. This is not a toy...it is a true musical instrument. So many different variables of sound are only limited by your imagination,arm and hand movements! So very cosmic and the sounds created are so calming and stress relieving. I placed my theremini on a microphone stand with an adapter and spend hours creating "cosmic sounds" with the pelicans and seagulls during the late afternoon in my easychair.
Tried to figure out "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys...that will take time. Has a lot of settings and output options like for an amplifier if you choose. The Theremini will not disappoint. Enjoy and get creative !!!

Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Give your 7 year old daughter a theremin, and it opens up a whole world of sonic wonder that is only augmented when the cat figures out what it does. This is lightweight, versatile, and is a great way to physically shape sound. No keys, no strings; my daughter calls it "loud dancing". So much fun, and great quality.

I'm totally new to theremins, but I love this thing. The onboard speaker has great sound. The adjustable pitch correction coupled with root and scale selection gives me the grace I need to improve my ability to play while also allowing me to produce pleasant sounds. Also the 32 presets have some wonderful Moog sounds I really enjoy exploring.

An instrument that is very challenging and entertaining at the same time. The Theremini has easy to follow directions, and a large number of preselects that get you started on the Theremin adventure at a very reasonable price. A very good instrument to clear your mind with...

Truly an incredible piece of musical technology!

Brought this to a conference - kids loved it!

...Lightning fast shipping even when it was recently out of stock. Product looks awesome.

Perfect gift and thanks to Bart Good. He's always my contact for ideas.

Thanks for being efficient sweetwater's!

the Moog Theremini is a great instrument. hours of fun and musical exploration. I ordered it over the phone through Tyler Berggren, and he was awesome. calling in an order has never been easier! extremely fast shipping. and tasty treats inside the package. Sweetwater is TOO SWEET!

As a amateur guitar player, we've always been curious about this instrument's history. And after watching several youtube demos of the product, we were sold on trying this out to add some sonic(and exotic) variety to our home recording and video projects. Pitch correction, Scales and Root note features are exactly what a beginner needs to get started playing melodies. Along with that, you can download(from the Moog site) the Editor where you can modify your loaded library of sounds/tones and modify those patches too. You can defeat the internal effects and run it direct to your pedalboard or other effects(distortion, flanger, etc.) We got the Sweetwater Demo Price(!) and only deducted 1/2 star because it didn't include the mic stand adapter. If it's a Moog, how can you go wrong? Double Thumbs Up~!

I was thinking about spending the $200 to upgrade my Etherwave to the plus model to have CV outs and I realized for $100 more I could have one of these. I have not regretted my decision.

CV - There is ONE CV out, you can choose whether this is driven by the volume or pitch antennas, and you can quantize the pitch CV to any scale you choose or leave it linear.

MIDI - This is where the unit kind of lacks. The Theremini will only output MIDI over it's USB-MIDI interface, and it will only give you CC data for each of the antennas. IT WILL NOT TRANSMIT NORMAL NOTE DATA, so you will not be able to "play" another device over MIDI, only modify CC data.

The ANIMOOG engine included in the Thermini is very nice, and I wish it could also be manipulated over MIDI, but this device accepts no MIDI in either, so the animoog engine is limited to being controlled only with the Thermini.

The PC and iPad apps are very nice for manipulating the device without a ton of menu driving, and they also make a great patch librarian.

In short, it's well worth the money, but you have to wonder why they didn't spend just a little more time developing the MIDI on the device.

Nice try, but it really is week. Of all the things a Theremin should be good at is chromatic portamentos.
That's the last thing this junker is good at.

Highly disappointed - cheep FX - save up and get a real one. I would if I had to do it again.

Joe Renzetti

Now that I have played more with the Theremini, I have to upgrade my previous review for a number of reasons. First, after using the instrument for a while now, I've come to see that if you dial back the range from the default, you can get a pitch field that is much more comparable to the Etherwave and thus much more playable for those interested in playing melodies (I suggest a three octave range to start). Secondly, Moog just came out with an iPad app that lets you edit your theremini patches and gives you a librarian where you can share patches with friends and the theremini community. You can now pick from a list of waveforms (sine, triangle, sawtooth, three animoog wavetable waveforms and the Etherwave theremin waveform) and alter filter settings and wavetable scan parameters in addition to delay settings and changing, pitch parameters, scales, etc. It's a whole new instrument with this great app (and I think they will be hosting it to run on other platforms soon - please check with Moog on that). So I'm adding another star to my original review. Kudos to Moog for coming out with a great enhancement to the product only a couple months after its release.

THEREMINI REVIEW


Playing a Theremin is hard. Really hard, and this has helped keep this instrument mostly off the radar, and relegated it to obscure cameos in science fiction movies for decades.
This is the instrument that could change all of that. Moog is flexing their software muscles here, and the Theremini has sound generation capabilities fueled by their Animoog sound engine, a powerful software wavetable synthesizer for the IOS platform. There are 32 presets available ranging from the classic Theremin scary Halloween tones to deep Moog bass drones, to interplanetary space ship flybys.
It is tempting to try and compare this new instrument to the traditional Theremin, but to do so would be missing the point.
Having had a chance to borrow a Moog Etherwave from a friend and practice with it for several months, as a synthesist I found that its rather narrow tonal range, limited ability to interface to other synths and difficulty to play in tune (thanks to my shoddy technique) didn't offer enough incentive for me to seriously pursue it any farther. I'm guessing that the traditional Theremin has always had a limited number of people who are really interested in learning to master this difficult instrument. However, the lure of a gestural-based instrument that could neatly interface with both vintage and modern synths has always been great, and this is just what the new Theremini brings to the table, courtesy of the brilliant engineers at Moog.
When I saw the info for the Theremini, I imagined that this would offer much more of interest to my tastes. This has certainly turned out to be true for me, and I suspect it will for many others as well.

The big news here is the completely variable pitch correction software, and this is what makes it so attractive to the wistful novice Thereminist/Synthesist. With this control turned all the way down, the instrument responds just like a standard Theremin, with pitch infinitely variable as you move you hand close to the pitch antenna. As the control is turned up, the pitch is more closely locked into place with hand movement, until when completely up only the notes of the selected scale are produced, with no wrong or off pitch tones. With the control about halfway up, you can easily hit the right note and still be able to add subtle vibrato and other cool inflections. Having completely adjustable control between the two extremes is an excellent feature, and very liberating. An on board tuner shows you what note is being produced by note name (also functioning as a silent preview before you raise the volume of a note) and a deviation indicator for pitch shows how close to the proper pitch you are for each note. You can choose from 22 different normal and esoteric scales to spice up your creations, and the volume antenna lets you fade sounds in and out, pick out and shape any individual notes or continously glissando through the selected scale.

Be aware that, depending on the scale selected, the tuner will only show the notes available in that scale, and the deviation bar of the tuner shows the distance necessary to reach the next note of the scale (which may be far). This can be confusing to some users, leading them to think that the tuner is inaccurate, because selecting different factory presets on the Theremini also selects different scales, which changes how the tuner responds. Tested against a Peterson strobe tuner, it is actually accurate to about .1 cents, which is very, very good.

Built in digital delay adds depth to the sonic landscape, and I found that after a bit of practice, I was up and creating my own ethereal melodies. Super Fun! As my technique improves with practice, I'll be able to dial down the pitch correction until hopefully at some point I'll be able to hit the proper pitches on my own! The instrument allows you to calibrate both the actual usable playing space, as well as the note range that can be fit inside it, enabling you to fine tune the playing experience to your particular tastes. This is a more complicated calibration procedure than the simple controls provided by a standard Theremin (typically just a single knob) but with some practice and patience it can yield a much more customized playing experience.

For many decades now, the true beauty of most Moog instruments is that they have offered a wealth of features and capabilities available to those that choose to dig deeper, and the Theremini is certainly no exception in this regard. As a stand-alone instrument, the Theremini frankly seems kind of limited at first glance. There isn't much available to the user past selecting the presets and some rudimentary editing (and this has seemed to frustrate some less experienced users), but there are a large number of "under the hood" goodies that can be easily and powerfully accessed via Midi, and these will allow you to customize how you choose to interact with the instrument. Pitch Quantization, note scales, note range and root key (and much more!) are all under instant Midi control, as are the filter, delay and wavetable controls. Using a typical set of Midi pedals and switches allows you completely re-shape the instrument and playing experience on the fly while performing. If you're using a Midi-capable sequencer for backing accompaniment, this even allows you to tie exact control of the instrument directly to the musical score, freeing the performer up to concentrate on precise antenna control.

The small built-in mono speaker is nice for easy practice, but be sure to connect the stereo line outs on the back to a decent amplification system to get a taste of what the Animoog-powered synth engine can really deliver! The built in headphone jack disconnects the speaker and allows for late-night playing without disturbing anyone (very thoughtful inclusion, and true stereo performance here as well).

Some quibbles with the unit are that it feels a little cheaply made, to be expected I guess with so much packed into it at such a low price point (this unit costs just a bit more than the cheapest Moogerfooger pedal!!!). The knobs feel a little wobbly, but seem to work well enough. There's a volume knob, but it only affects the volume of the built in speaker and headphone amp, and has no effect on the main stereo outputs (which can be controlled via Midi, of course). It's handy to have immediate control of the overall volume, and hopefully this can be added in a future software update.

Speaking of updates, a USB port on the back allows for connection to a computer for this and other activities. An editor is in the works and should be available shortly to let you create or modify your own presets as well as access other under the hood features. A MIDI interface can be connected here as well to allow control of modern synths via Theremin, and a CV out jack on the back helps you interface it's Theremini Goodness to more old school instruments. Each antenna can be assigned to your choice of a Midi CC number. The CV out jack can be assigned to follow either antenna, and can be externally scaled to allow a standard 1V/oct synth to track it for more than 6 octaves, effectively turning the Theremini into an absolute analog monster.

Although there's a stand connector on the bottom of the unit, it fits the smaller European stand connector, which is admittedly kind of weird. An adapter is easily available for around $3, however. Having it on a stand is a definite advantage, although the grippy rubber feet on the bottom allow it to perch quite nicely on a tabletop as well, which is where my unit spent its first few weeks until I got an adapter from Ebay.

As a final thought about the relationship between the new Theremini and a standard Theremin, although they do share some similarities (mainly gestural control) they really are very different instruments. If you really like what the Theremin does ( look, sound and play like a Theremin) then that's likely the instrument for you, and Moog and others make some fine ones. However, as a sonic explorer, if you're interested in an instrument that goes way beyond those boundaries in just about every direction, then you may find that the new Theremini is just what you've been looking for. In my experience, thinking of the Theremini as a replacement Theremin is like thinking of a MiniMoog as a replacement Harpsichord.
This is a serious reimagining of a classic instrument, and Moog has brought a lot to the table in a cool looking instrument that brings the power of the Theremin to everyone, even a novice like me!
Kudos Moog!
Edit: Moog has already released a firmware update that fixes a problem where sometimes the volume antenna would not work. This would cause the unit to turn on, but not make any sound. Also worth mentioning is that the USB connector on the back is a mini-style connector so you will probably need an appropriate adapter cable to interface the Theremini with your computer or IPad.