Ring Mod question

Diynot

Well-known member
Ring mod fans, I have a noob question. Sparked by seeing the Reverb contest to win a Frantone Glacier, I noticed that it has a “Y” input. Thinking ab my Hapalochlaena build, it also has both an input b and a mic input. As I (maybe) understand it, these can be used as a substitute for the carrier wave, but what exactly does that mean? Can I plug something like the Wavelord into the input b and get really extra crazy sounds, or would it have to be something with an audio signal like an Abacus or quantum defrakulator? @Bricksnbeatles, @Feral Feline, @DGWVI i’m looking at you
 
has to be an audio signal to get a ring mod effect. anything with a frequency below the range of human hearing will end up being a tremolo, and even that depends on the type of signal.
This.

My only real experience using an external carrier was with an Atari Punk Console type thing- it worked well, but I like the internal carrier of the Ring Thing. But, I imagine the Defrakulator could be a ton of fun with it's multiple oscillators, and sequencer


You can also get some interesting timbres splitting your guitar signal into the inputs. With just the straight guitar, it should give you some cool, dirty octave up tones. I use that trick on my Ring Thing. But, you can also put something in between the guitar and the carrier input to get even more fuckery- like using an octave up fuzz will give you something close to a fifth up at the output
 
@Bricksnbeatles and @DGWVI knew I could count on you guys. Let the fuckery begin! Gonna try the abacus and Quant D first, then try the splitter with maybe the Octarock or Ocelot, maybe I’ll try a PLL😈
I'd love to see some demos with the Quantum D, that's one of the Parasit's I've yet to build 😬

I'll try to remember to abuse the carrier input on my Ring Thing when I get home and post some demos

A PLL should be absolutely insane. Especially with a slow portamento on it

I remember trying a stripped down Theremin Fuzz into the carrier in and being kinda disappointed with the results. It's been a couple years though, so I'll have to try it again
 
I'd love to see some demos with the Quantum D, that's one of the Parasit's I've yet to build 😬

I don’t usually do demos for reasons of……..meh(?), but I might be able to accommodate. It is a fun little noise maker once you get it tuned. I kind of wish, I have no doubt you could probably figure it out, there were a way to split the drone and sequencer paths, or insert an effects loop between so you could add modulation to either the drone or sequenced output.
Edit: like between r13 and r10 maybe?
 
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I don’t usually do demos for reasons of……..meh(?), but I might be able to accommodate. It is a fun little noise maker once you get it tuned. I kind of wish, I have no doubt you could probably figure it out, there were a way to split the drone and sequencer paths, or insert an effects loop between so you could add modulation to either the drone or sequenced output.
Edit: like between r13 and r10 maybe?
If you lifted pins 1 of Rs 9, 13, and 16, you could give each voice it's own FX loop / output. But, using the Sends as outs means you'd miss out on routing them through the twin t filter at the end of the circuit.
If you just want to separate the two fixed oscillators from the sequenced voice, lifting pins 2 of R9 and R13 would be the way

Looking at the schem, there's a few other controls you could add in place of the fixed resistors, and a couple of bends that could be fun. It's also got spots for plugging in the New Wave or other CV generator to control the PLLs modulation and master filter.

Think I might grab one of these (and a couple New Waves) next time I place a Parasit order

Also- I still hate doing demos, but I like that they help others decide if a circuit would be good for them, or if mods would be worth the effort to achieve the sounds they're looking for instead of just relying on someone on a forum simply stating how chirpy or bloopy (or woody, or buttery, or transparent) something is. I know I've been disappointed after reading people's run downs and descriptions, so I feel having audio / video demos and records available is invaluable, even if I have to make em myself 😬
 
Just saw this thread, but Bricks and DGWVI are far more knowledgeable than I about how these things work — I'm just an (ab)user.
As per usual, late to the party and I didn't bring any hors-d'oeuvres nor dessert.


Nonetheless, I have been mentally monkeying with a sine-wave generator tunable via 12-pole rotary to specific notes for another project (Top Secret FFFX Buffer Bawmb), and I was hoping to be able to use it double-duty as the carrier wave in a Ringmod, too.

To get the freqs right, it involves a lot of Cap/Resistor maths, which I'm ... horrible at, even with the aid of AMZ's online calculators.


Way back when my cousin leant me his DX-7, and combined with my friend's ringer (don't recall what it was, teenage years) we got some wack sounds. We also put the DX-7's outs into various orifices of his Korg MS-20. We should've fried something, I guess we were lucky.
I wish I could still have both those, a Yammy DX-7 and original MS-20.
 
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