Theremin & Fuzz

"Theremin & Fuzz" is a project made by the Soundexperience group that consists in a theremin attached to a fuzz. The theremin is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact while the Fuzz is a pedal which heavily distorts the sound. They can work together: the Fuzz distorts the theremin's sound.

Our Theremin works with ultrasonic sensors, one for the frequency and the other one for the volume.

Ultrasonic sensor works by emitting sound waves at a frequency too high for humans to hear. They then wait for the sound to be reflected back, calculating distance based on the time required. 

With an Arduino program we assigned a range of notes/volumes to a precise distance value.

The Fuzz operates with a complex circuit called Fuzzface by inputting signal throught a DC blocking resistor driving a transistor one, transistor two is a directly coupled with transistor one.

Fuzz:

• two transistors
• four resistors (330 ohm, 8.2 Kohm, 33 Kohm, 100 Kohm)
• three capacitors (2.2 uF, 22 uF, 0.01 uF)
• two controls (500 Kohm, 1 Kohm)
• two ...
• one footswitch
• one 9V battery

Theremin:

• 2 ultrasonic sensors
• one music shield
• Arduino
• one 9V battery
• one adapter (from 6 mm to 3 mm)
• wood

At first we assembled the theremin circuit by connecting an ultrasonic sensor to the music shield, which we then integrated with the Arduino. However, at this stage, we had not yet developed the program necessary to produce sound output from the device.

Then, using the Arduino IDE and the Arduino programming language, we wrote the code necessary to enable the circuit to function as a theremin. Once the code was written, we compiled it to ensure there were no errors. Finally, we uploaded the compiled code to the Arduino board via USB. We've added a MIDI feature that allows you to alter the sound of the theremin, essentially giving you the ability to switch between different instrument sounds.

By following these steps, we aimed to create a fully operational theremin circuit using the Arduino platform.

The circuit seamlessly interacts with the program, responding to hand movements to produce a range of musical notes.

We started to do the Fuzz circuit by welding the components following the instruction on the paper. We also did the Fuzz structure on "On Shape" to figure out how it could come up. Before printing it, we made the same one with foam.

We crafted the structure of the theremin using OnShape to ensure it is optimized for maximum functionality and practicality. Before deciding the ultimate version, we made another structure with wood to test it.

At last we connected the Theremin with the fuzz. So now we can play the instrument without touching it and also distorce the sound we want to make.