# ThereminAir: Theremin Synth — Instrument you play by gesture > Apple Watch theremin synthesizer controlled by arm gestures. (iPhone/iPad app by Tom Pardee.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thereminair-theremin-synth/id6772935515 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Tom Pardee](https://appshunter.io/developer/1882976406) - Category: Music, Lifestyle - Price: Free - Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 2 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-06-01 - Data updated: 2026-08-08 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thereminair-theremin-synth/id6772935515/reviews.md ## What is ThereminAir? ThereminAir turns your Apple Watch into a theremin — the legendary instrument you play without ever touching it. Anchor your elbow and sweep your forearm like the hand of a clock: raise it and the pitch rises, lower it and the pitch falls. Rotate your wrist to swell the volume. There are no buttons to press while you play, no strings, no keys — just the motion of your arm in the air, exactly like the real thing. Your arm becomes the antenna. HOW IT WORKS • Sweep your forearm for pitch — glide smoothly or lock to musical notes • Rotate your wrist for volume — from a whisper to full voice • Wobble your wrist on a held note and it sings with real vibrato • Turn the Digital Crown to set your maximum volume • Watch the live readout — frequency, note name, and a scrolling trace of your vibrato PLAY IN KEY Pure mode gives you the classic continuous theremin glide. Prefer to stay in tune? Choose a scale and every note snaps to it: • Major and Minor • Major and Minor Pentatonic • Pick any root note Vibrato sings around the note you land on, so playing in key never sounds locked to a grid. MAKE IT YOURS • Three pitch ranges — Precise for playing in tune, Standard for everyday play, Wide for drama • Three vibrato depths — Subtle, Natural, Wide • The tone brightens as you play louder, the way an acoustic instrument does • Plays the right way round on either wrist, in either crown orientation • Vibrato-only mode, so travelling to a new note stays clean RECOMMENDED SETTINGS Precise range · Pure scale · Dynamic timbre on · Wide vibrato depth · Vibrato only on · Travel-proof vibrato off · Exclusive audio off TAP AND PLAY Add the ThereminAir complication to your watch face and a single tap launches you straight into play mode — no menus, no waiting. Or just say "Hey Siri, play ThereminAir". BUILT FOR THE WATCH • Smooth, low-latency synthesis tuned for Apple Watch • Clean, glanceable interface • Works on the go — your instrument is always on your wrist Whether you're making eerie sci-fi sweeps, practicing pitch, or just playing with sound while you wait for coffee, ThereminAir puts a real instrument on your wrist. ## Key features - Gesture-based pitch and volume control - Pure mode for continuous glide - Scale modes for staying in tune - Adjustable pitch ranges and vibrato depths - Live readout of frequency and note name - Complication for instant play ## Frequently asked questions about ThereminAir ### How do I play ThereminAir? You play ThereminAir by moving your arm. Sweeping your forearm controls pitch, and rotating your wrist controls volume. Wobbling your wrist adds vibrato. The Digital Crown can be used to set the maximum volume. ### Can ThereminAir help me stay in tune? Yes, ThereminAir offers a 'Play in Key' mode. You can choose from Major, Minor, and Pentatonic scales, with any root note. This allows notes to snap to the selected scale while still allowing for vibrato. ### What customization options are available in ThereminAir? ThereminAir offers three pitch ranges (Precise, Standard, Wide) and three vibrato depths (Subtle, Natural, Wide). The tone also brightens as you play louder, mimicking acoustic instruments. ### How quickly can I start playing ThereminAir? You can launch ThereminAir instantly by adding its complication to your watch face and tapping it. Alternatively, you can use Siri by saying, "Hey Siri, play ThereminAir." ### Does ThereminAir have ads? No, ThereminAir does not contain advertisements. It is a completely ad-free experience. ### What devices is ThereminAir compatible with? ThereminAir is designed for the Apple Watch and is also supported on iPhone and iPad devices. ### What is the age rating for ThereminAir? ThereminAir has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. ### How often is ThereminAir updated? The latest version, 1.5.0, was released on July 28, 2026, indicating active development and regular updates. ## Version history (last 4 releases) ### 1.7.0 — 2026-08-05 Audio that doesn't quit, and pitch that glides. WHEN THE SCREEN DIMS, THE MUSIC KEEPS PLAYING The big one. ThereminAir now holds onto its audio while your wrist is down and the display is dark. No more notes cutting out mid-phrase, no more silence a few seconds after you stop looking at the watch. Play with your arm extended and your eyes closed — the instrument stays with you. SMOOTHER MOVING NOTES Fast raises and slow descents now glide continuously instead of stepping. The instrument measures how the watch is actually feeding it audio and matches its own smoothing to that rhythm, so pitch stays liquid even while the system is busy elsewhere. RESTS ARE PART OF PLAYING Long pauses between phrases no longer release the audio. Rest as long as you like between ideas; the instrument waits for you. TRAVEL-PROOF VIBRATO (OPTIONAL) New setting: vibrato sings on held notes and fades gently while your arm travels between them, instead of smearing across the slide. Leave it off for the classic feel, where pitch leads your gesture slightly — many players prefer it. RECOMMENDED SETTINGS A good place to start, and what the app is tuned around: • Range: Precise • Scale: Pure • Tone: Dynamic timbre ON • Vibrato depth: Wide • Vibrato only: ON • Travel-proof vibrato: OFF • Exclusive audio: OFF ### 1.5.0 — 2026-07-28 A big update. Vibrato finally works the way a theremin should, the audio dropouts are gone, and the instrument gives you far more control. WRIST VIBRATO Wobble your wrist and the note sings. Motion sampling is five times faster and reads the raw gyro directly, so a real vibrato survives instead of being smoothed into a flat tone. It bends around the note rather than being snapped to it. SEE YOUR VIBRATO A live oscilloscope traces the last second of your actual pitch movement, so an uneven vibrato looks different from a steady one. CHOOSE HOW DEEP THE VIBRATO SINGS Subtle, Natural or Wide. Vibrato depth is now its own setting instead of changing behind your back when you changed the pitch range, and a slow, relaxed wobble is heard as clearly as a fast one — you no longer have to shake to be heard. CHOOSE YOUR PITCH RANGE Wide, Standard or Precise. Precise is the new default — two octaves, so a small wrist movement lands on the note you meant. The old range reached below what the watch speaker can reproduce and packed four octaves into a small arc, where a slight tremor moved you a semitone. THE TONE BRIGHTENS AS YOU PLAY LOUDER Raising your volume hand now opens up the harmonics, not just the level, so loud notes are bright and quiet notes are dark. CORRECT WHICHEVER WAY YOU WEAR IT Raising your hand raises the pitch on either wrist, in either crown orientation. There's an Invert pitch setting if your setup still reads wrong. AUDIO RELIABILITY • Fixed audio that could go permanently silent until the watch was restarted • Fixed the recurring dropout when the display dimmed mid-note • A rest between phrases, or a long sustained note, no longer reads as you walking away • The engine now rebuilds when audio output moves to headphones or a speaker • Audio is built at the watch's real sample rate • Faster detection when the engine stops, cutting the worst-case gap fourfold ALSO • Note name shown beside the frequency • Much larger play area — the oscilloscope more than doubled • Corrected on-screen hint: sweep your forearm for pitch, rotate your wrist for volume • Settings for vibrato-only gating and exclusive audio ### 1.0.3 — 2026-07-18 What's New in 1.0.3 • New: just say "Hey Siri, play ThereminAir" to open the app and start playing — hands-free. • Smoother sound: fixed brief audio dropouts that could interrupt your playing. • More reliable: sound now recovers on its own if it's ever interrupted, with a quick tap-to-resume prompt if needed. ### 1.0.1 — 2026-06-02 No release notes. ## More apps by Tom Pardee - [Slappy Hands](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slappy-hands/id6760176639) All apps by Tom Pardee: https://appshunter.io/developer/1882976406 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-08.*