Maybe slightly off topic, but can use some input on this (tannerin)

[FUZZZZzzzz]

I've contacted this guy some time ago, but he would not share any of his schematics.. unfortunately.

But I figured.. this shouldnt be too hard to build.. a sound generator (with a pleasant sound) and voltage that controls the pitch? (or is that nonsense)
how does the controlbar work? the stylophone for instance makes connection with different resistors but this works differently. I saw this vhs tape synth (edit: synthstick)
on the net somewhere, but can anyone shine a light on the subject?

http://www.reocities.com/tpe123/folkurban/synthstick/synthstick.html

[deadastronaut]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcDkBtOBn84

i messed around with the 74hc14 ic a while back with ldrs......never got round to trying a ribbon control though...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn16DMoTEPw&feature=plcp

i guess to make an actual ''keyboard'' out of it each key/switch would have to have a trimmer/resistor to tune it properly.....

[slacker]

The tannerin uses string connected via pulleys to a pot. The string then had a ring on that you put your finger in, moving the ring moves the strings they turn the pot, which controls the pitch of the oscillator. There was a good thread on electo-music where a guy built one, with loads of pictures of the actual mechanism.

[Mark Hammer]

When I was a teenager, my cousin and I snuck into a soundcheck of the Beach Boys at a local arena, where I got a close-up view of what they were using to play "Good Vibrations" (and then played Frisbee with the band and road crew).  Some time in the late 1990's I was engaged in an on-line discussion, probably on Ampage, about the device (which was basically a ribbon controller that the road crew had marked off with little white-out lines to show Mike Love where to move his fingers to), and much to my surprise and pleasure was contacted off-line by Tom Polk, the guy who had come up with it and built it for the Beach Boys to tour with, confirming my assumptions about the device.

I don't know that it matters what sort of oscillator one uses, though purists will debate the matter.  If you wanted to go crazy, you could have two or more oscillators, and use the CV input of a mono analog synth, rather than making a standalone unit.  Doubtless there will be something at Ray Wilson's MFOS site that might be useful.  The main thing is that the control be from something that is not "stepped", and that you have some way to get from intended note to intended next note.  In some instances, the degree of glissando available on an analog synth might permit mimicking a tannerin, though not in all cases.

As for what "ribbon" to use, I suppose that would depend on what sort of scale you intend to build, since the resistive properties would depend on the materials used, and the amount of resistive change per unit of movement would also depend on the materials.  One of the traditional choices in ribbon controllers has been two pieces of magnetic recording tape, with the point of contact between them working like the wiper of a pot.

Here's a link to some other links about making ribbon controllers: http://createdigitalmusic.com/2005/06/diy-ribbon-controller/

[FUZZZZzzzz]

thank you guys! always a pleasure to read answers to my questions here. i also found these:

https://www.sparkfun.com/search/results?term=softpot&what=products

looks fun as well.. I need something to record some Xmas leads on

[wavley]

When I was a teenager, my cousin and I snuck into a soundcheck of the Beach Boys at a local arena, where I got a close-up view of what they were using to play "Good Vibrations" (and then played Frisbee with the band and road crew).  Some time in the late 1990's I was engaged in an on-line discussion, probably on Ampage, about the device (which was basically a ribbon controller that the road crew had marked off with little white-out lines to show Mike Love where to move his fingers to), and much to my surprise and pleasure was contacted off-line by Tom Polk, the guy who had come up with it and built it for the Beach Boys to tour with, confirming my assumptions about the device.

I don't know that it matters what sort of oscillator one uses, though purists will debate the matter.  If you wanted to go crazy, you could have two or more oscillators, and use the CV input of a mono analog synth, rather than making a standalone unit.  Doubtless there will be something at Ray Wilson's MFOS site that might be useful.  The main thing is that the control be from something that is not "stepped", and that you have some way to get from intended note to intended next note.  In some instances, the degree of glissando available on an analog synth might permit mimicking a tannerin, though not in all cases.

As for what "ribbon" to use, I suppose that would depend on what sort of scale you intend to build, since the resistive properties would depend on the materials used, and the amount of resistive change per unit of movement would also depend on the materials.  One of the traditional choices in ribbon controllers has been two pieces of magnetic recording tape, with the point of contact between them working like the wiper of a pot.

Here's a link to some other links about making ribbon controllers: http://createdigitalmusic.com/2005/06/diy-ribbon-controller/

Even though a Theremin was never used on Good Vibrations, Brian Wilson is in the Theremin documentary talking about how it was the F-ing theremin that made the song, "the F-ing Theremin, man".  Then he proceeds to attempt, but not actually play the "theremin" part.  When you read the stuff from the folks that played/recorded the record... it was a tannerin as you have confirmed.  I LOVE Brian Wilson, but I wouldn't really trust his memory of anything.

[Jdansti]

Sadly, his RAM got zapped many years ago.

[Mark Hammer]

When I was a teenager, my cousin and I snuck into a soundcheck of the Beach Boys at a local arena, where I got a close-up view of what they were using to play "Good Vibrations" (and then played Frisbee with the band and road crew).  Some time in the late 1990's I was engaged in an on-line discussion, probably on Ampage, about the device (which was basically a ribbon controller that the road crew had marked off with little white-out lines to show Mike Love where to move his fingers to), and much to my surprise and pleasure was contacted off-line by Tom Polk, the guy who had come up with it and built it for the Beach Boys to tour with, confirming my assumptions about the device.

I don't know that it matters what sort of oscillator one uses, though purists will debate the matter.  If you wanted to go crazy, you could have two or more oscillators, and use the CV input of a mono analog synth, rather than making a standalone unit.  Doubtless there will be something at Ray Wilson's MFOS site that might be useful.  The main thing is that the control be from something that is not "stepped", and that you have some way to get from intended note to intended next note.  In some instances, the degree of glissando available on an analog synth might permit mimicking a tannerin, though not in all cases.

As for what "ribbon" to use, I suppose that would depend on what sort of scale you intend to build, since the resistive properties would depend on the materials used, and the amount of resistive change per unit of movement would also depend on the materials.  One of the traditional choices in ribbon controllers has been two pieces of magnetic recording tape, with the point of contact between them working like the wiper of a pot.

Here's a link to some other links about making ribbon controllers: http://createdigitalmusic.com/2005/06/diy-ribbon-controller/

Even though a Theremin was never used on Good Vibrations, Brian Wilson is in the Theremin documentary talking about how it was the F-ing theremin that made the song, "the F-ing Theremin, man".  Then he proceeds to attempt, but not actually play the "theremin" part.  When you read the stuff from the folks that played/recorded the record... it was a tannerin as you have confirmed.  I LOVE Brian Wilson, but I wouldn't really trust his memory of anything.

It wouldn't surprise me at all, and I also tend to believe, that a theremin was used for the studio recording of Good Vibrations.  But believe me when I tell you that, unless you're Clara Rockmore or Lothar and the Hand People ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zZrLjcMFw4&feature=related ), the theremin is not a dependable instrument for gigging and touring, especially if you're doing 2 and 3-minute tunes like the Beach Boys would.  The Tannerin was for touring, and Mike Love only had to play the same 4 notes on it, again and again and again.

So whatever doubts you may have about the veracity of Brian Wilson's memory, the original was a theremin, and the Tannerin permitted them to take the tune out on the road and not look inept.  Same way that somebody might record a tune using an oddball constellation of finicky vintage fuzzes with heat-sensitive germanium trannies, and tours with a digital FX unit that comes close enough and doesn't experience the temperamental qualities of the original pedals.

[wavley]

I have to disagree about the studio recording, considering the part was played by Paul Tanner himself, back then it was called the Electro-Theremin, which is where all of the confusion comes from I think.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro-Theremin

http://www.angelfire.com/mn/smileshop/sessionlogs.html

http://www.electrotheremin.com/etfaq.htm

and some studio footage in which an instrument that looks suspiciously like a Tannerin sitting in the studio.

http://news.allaboutjazz.com/news.php?id=98840#.UG3Nu3LIh9k

[Mark Hammer]

Hmmmm....  


Well whatever they used in the studio, the touring unit WAS made by Tom Polk, had absolutely no keyboard markings, and used some form of ribbon control.  I was standing as far away from it as I am from my monitor right now.

[wavley]

Hmmmm....  


Well whatever they used in the studio, the touring unit WAS made by Tom Polk, had absolutely no keyboard markings, and used some form of ribbon control.  I was standing as far away from it as I am from my monitor right now.

That makes sense, Apparently Paul Tanner and Tom Polk worked together to create the modern Tannerin, the original had a ring on a string on a slide like the one in the video.  Whatever the variation or where it was played... it's still a danged cool instrument.