#40

Congratulations, have fun with it! I think the Ether is going to have a lot of variability between environments, recording methods and even headphones. It’s making me want to learn about radios and DIY electronics.
Yesterday I noticed that holding the antennae improves reception with headphones connected, but when I’ve got the Ether hooked up for recording (line in to Behringer UCA202, AppleCCK into iPhone), touching the antennae causes a loud chirp. So I might try getting a Zoom or even recording to portable cassette next.
As for workflow I’ve been using Koala sampler on the iPhone to catch the best sounds when I find them. I’ve had a lot of dead-time between sounds so continuous recording hasn’t worked for me yet.
The thing that bothers me the most though is that the HF knob doesn’t seem to do anything - does it have any affect on your V.2?

2 Likes
#41

Very interesting about the reception being improved with headphones. I’ve also experienced some popping from the HF, which seems to be associated with the volume dial. If I mess with the dials, it goes away. Good luck with your explorations. Let me know if you uncover any further secrets to the unit.

2 Likes
#42

Anyone know how if recording with two - for stereo is worthwhile?

1 Like
#43

Interesting idea. Not sure you’d get anything stereo field in sound. The proximity of one closer to an object than the other might produce an interesting sort of volume/pan - But really it’d be two completely separate receptions in each ear; which would be stereo or not. It’s not a microphone, so standard stereo recording approaches likely wouldn’t be predictable.

You’d probably get just as interesting an idea by multi-tracking a single ETHER into left/right channels. Candidly, with feedback and more noise, it might be less interesting.

2 Likes
#44

awesome idea! Somebody should try it out.

2 Likes
#45

The Elektrosluch Mini City is two channel, and it has two inductors. Even though the inductors are close, the Elektrosluch has enough proximity effect to create a stereo field. Still waiting for my Ether, but I’d bet it would give an interesting stereo field with two devices.

2 Likes
#46

Interesting counterpoint! If Elektrosluch has a stereo field option then I might be totally off in my presumption. Thanks, Hovercraft.

I’m now eager to hear two Ethers, myself.

3 Likes
#47

Thanks for the thoughts… might do it. I’m assuming there will be fluctuations (which is more what I care about), but perhaps not all frequencies will be able to localised.

#49

Just got my two ethers v2, to try just that. Pretty difficult to get exactly the same signal in the same situation, but I’m still experimenting. It needs a particular antenna rigging, I think. Besides that I found that certain proximity gave correlating output. I rigged it up with shielded cables on a Handy H4N Zoom recorder on two 6.3 mm Jacks first. I’ll keep experimenting to figure out some way to get some kind of soundscape setting.

BTW… There is a kind of stereo signal, Forgot to confirm that.

3 Likes
#50

Interesting–thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve also been testing out my Ether V2. At first, I was a little disappointed it wasn’t more different than the Elektrosluch Mini-City and the Priezor, but after a little more time, I can appreciate its unique properties. The second control pot is a little vexing as to function, but it’s a useful parameter for sound design/capture. I have a physical rig in mind, so I can use multiple devices at once. The MixPre 6 I’m using includes a mid-side decoder, so I’m going to experiment with using two different devices as sources for mid and side, and see what happens.

2 Likes
#51

Whoa I ordered this thing so long back from a UK retailer and it still hasn’t shown up. They keep sending emails confirming the delay is with the manufacturer. I wonder what happened to cause the delay. It appeared so imminent and then it’s gone silent.

#52

You’d be better off cancelling with your retailer and ordering direct from SOMA. The batches are still small, and their priority is direct orders.

1 Like
#53

There seem to be a problem with the production of this unit in their EU factory. I ordered directly from Russian factory and it arrived within a week. It was more expensive due shipping and customs but for me well worth.

#54

Thanks for explaining that. Surprised the manufacturing is such a problem.

#55

Hi folks. Bumping this thread to ask whether or not you all feel that the quality of noise the Ether produces is different enough from AM/FM static to warrant the purchase? Aside from the fun and novelty of the device, do you find it to be musically useful? Can you share examples from the V2? Thanks in advance.

1 Like
#56

I don’t have the Ether, but I do have an induction coil pickup (less sensitive and passive, so I generally have to get it pretty close to things to pick up the fields). The noise I get from it is considerably different than anything I can tune in with a radio receiver. That said, to me it’s mostly just a novelty.

2 Likes
#57

Hey Matt - I have a version one, but I absolutely love it. It really depends on what you’re placing next to the Ether itself. Most of the time it is noise when you turn it on, but it will react to other sources. Example: place it in front of a powered theremin and it becomes a theremin.

I found that an old organ’s power supply made the Ether trim its reception into a sound very similar to static on a vinyl record. I put it in this track. You’ll hear Ether static right away, and also hear it more familiarly as a static wash at 2:10.

2 Likes
#58

Here’s a recording of the Ether V2 in action with a Zoom H6. The only output from the Ether is a stereo headphone jack. So I need to say how quiet it normally is without the gain from the H6 (fine for headphones) if your wanting to use it in recordings, snippets in music etc

Soma Labs Ether V2 ‘sniffs’ out a large TV, two different mobile phones and the screen of the Zoom H6. I have followed suit with @mattlowery and enabled downloads for this file if you want to use it in your own compositions

Bear in mind I’m ‘playing the fields’ moving the Ether closer to and away from the sources to get variaton of the tones whilst monitoring the recording on headphones plugged into the H6.

Here’s a ‘slightly’ more musical track with both the Soma Labs Ether and Lyra 4.

5 Likes
#59

@Glitcher @EPTC these are lovely examples, thanks!

2 Likes
#60

I recently bought an induction coil pickup as it ‘reads’ speaker cones as well as EM fields. So it was fun to move it between mobiles, computers and the casio SA-2 ‘table hooter’ playing its demo tune. Recorded it with a 2 speed dictaphone and as a idea at least it may prove interesting. Only paid £4 for it.

I think that the induction coil pickup is like a close range laser approach versus the Ether ‘listen and grab all of it’ broader long range approach.

1 Like