A theremin is a really difficult instrument to play in general, especially to play it in tune. Have you ever tried one? You can fake a theremin sound with most synths. All it needs is a sine or triangle wave oscillator, portamento (glide), and a mod wheel/joystick/paddle to dial in vibrato and treme...

If the theremin has CV outputs, any synthesizer that has the matching CV inputs (at minimum, pitch and gate) can be controlled. Read spec sheets on the units.

The Minibrute 2 (with or without the keyboard) has the needed inputs.

You own both a MiniBrute and theremin already?

It's not even in stores yet, so only Internet influencers have gotten thier hands on one. Anything anyone can post at this time would be pure speculation. Hand-on controls do simplify the programming process, but the concept of FM is completely different than subtractive synthesis, whether it's anal...

If you want to create melodies and play chords, you have two main options. The first is using a keyboard of some kind, the other is to use a pad controller, where the pads can be mapped to play particular notes. The primary use of pad controllers is (surprise) playing drums, they evolved out of drum...

You can do that, not problem.

The Moog Sub Phatty has CV inputs but not CV outputs. So the miniBrute can control the SubPhatty using CV but not the other way around.

Depends on what you are trying to do...both units have MIDI and either can control the other that way.

What style(s) of music?

I'm leaning towards the Roland because it's the most versatile, esp. for live performance.

Get it here! Available FREE for a limited time, it will be $25 (still cheap) after that. It replicates the Moog/Realistic Concertmate MG-1 monosynth built for Radio Shack in 1982, complete with the organ-like polyphonic oscillator. A few tweaks make it even more usable, like support for a mod wheel...

p. 18 of the manual: The ARP ODYSSEY Module can receive MIDI pitch bend messages (±2 semitones). So the range is fixed, forget about wild octave drops and such. What is confusing is that it's mentioned in the section on MIDI over USB, while the section on MIDI over DIN cables doesn't mention pitchbe...

Samples and patches were really expensive back in the 80s, especially when sold as chips, cards or cartridges rather than tapes or floppies.

In those days most of the interest was in letting computers control the synths (both sequencing and voice editors), so sending MIDI data when changing parameters wasn't something people were thinking about much. Certainly not CCs, sysex was used in some cases like the Juno 106. Even if you don't wan...

BTW there is a flash card emulator now available for the MD280 drive. Details here at Gearslutz.

The guy who developed it is a member here, you could PM him about your QD problems.

I'd use some sort of MIDI monitor program and see what range of CC values the BCR actually sends. The lack of feedback is definitely a PITA, but that's standard with hardware.

I'd start with obtaining the service manual and looking at the power supply voltages. Next I'd look at the circuitry that scans the controls. Becuase it's all surface mount, it will be difficult to repair unless you happen to have experience and the proper tools.

The annual NI holiday sale starts today 11/18/2020 and runs until 12/31/2020.

50% off a wide range of their software, but not Komplete.

EDIT: the NI site has been slow all day but I finally got to see all of what is on sale and it would appear that it is everything except Komplete 13.