RING MODS - suggestions?

[Dowi]

I need a new Ring Mod but i can't seem to find something that suits my needs.
Right now i'm using the Ring Mod mode on the Blackout Effectors Whetstone and it feels great, but i feel like i'm using this pedal only for a minimum part of what it can do and moreover, i need something smaller.
Things that it must have (or not):
- Precise tracking of the played track (the less delay - even if the smallest - the better)
- No loss of volume and/or low end: i play in a heavy/mathy two-piece, it would be the death of grooves
- Knob to mix clean and effected signal
- Top mounted jacks? a dream came true
- Not excessively expensive - i mean 200-230€ max

Right now i think the only things that could do are the Moog Minifooger Ring or the Fairfield Randy's Revenge but i have never tried any of them.

Release the suggestions and a virtual beer will appear on your screen.

[fcknoise]

Paging Lordgalvar

[ognoy]

I love the Moogerfooger(the big one)Ring Mod. Didn't like the minifooger.
The MF-102 is enormous though, but if you got room for it, that's my recommendation. It also gives you sweet spacy tremolo, overdriver, an oscillator and LOTS of weird sounds. Works great with guitars, keys, drum machines etc.

[Casavettes]

I really like the ring mod on my bitquest

[HighDeaf1080p]

WOOT!!! We got the Bitquest down to 3 replies flat in this thread! Awesome!

[Casavettes]

No loss of volume and/or low end: i play in a heavy/mathy two-piece, it would be the death of grooves
- Knob to mix clean and effected signal
- Top mounted jacks? a dream came true

It fits this exactly

[lordgalvar]

viewtopic.php?f=149&t=50264

Whetstone isn't a real ring Modulator. It just gets into "ring mod like speeds".

Tracking isn't a ring mod thing. There are exceptions (ehx ring thing, that subdecay one). There should never be a delay in a normal ring mod because it is signal multiplication. I guess if someone screwed up really bad with carrier suppression. The best way to get tracking without using the ring thing or subdecay is to run parallel paths with Pitch shift or looping:



Volume loss depends on you for the most part. It is signal multiplication and it will be the volume of both signals going in (there are exceptions but that is usually an added preamp or, on a few, to balance signals).

Ranges, Preamps, type (digital, diode ring, IC switching*, transistor gate, vactrol), and carrier waveforms/ranges are all good factors to look at in ring mods.

The minifooger has a small range of carrier oscillaror against Randy or the mf102. Again, none of these track (well manually you can with an exp pedal).

A solid cheap one would be the copilot Robotum (if you want square CO). Or the MF102 (can be had for $175 USD).

My preference would personally be to use a signal splitter with boost into passive diode ring modulation with a pitchshifter and mcrolooper in one path and then remix it with a small active mixer to get wet/dry mix (though I don't mix in clean).

Hope that helps.


*IC can be transistor gate (tab101 based) too...but ICs are usually close to digital sounding with less round/imperfect waveforms due to quicker multiplication.

[Dowi]

I love the Moogerfooger(the big one)Ring Mod. Didn't like the minifooger.
The MF-102 is enormous though, but if you got room for it, that's my recommendation. It also gives you sweet spacy tremolo, overdriver, an oscillator and LOTS of weird sounds. Works great with guitars, keys, drum machines etc.

Yes, i bet the big one is amazing, once i was tempted to buy it but i had to exclude it because it's too damn huge .

No loss of volume and/or low end: i play in a heavy/mathy two-piece, it would be the death of grooves
- Knob to mix clean and effected signal
- Top mounted jacks? a dream came true

It fits this exactly

Just had a look on a couple of demos and the Bitquest really seems to fit all of this , too bad right now it's out of my budget and nobody seems to have it used for sale here in Europe. I'll keep an eye open for this one, thanks

http://ilovefuzz.com/viewtopic.php?f=149&t=50264

Whetstone isn't a real ring Modulator. It just gets into "ring mod like speeds".

Tracking isn't a ring mod thing. There are exceptions (ehx ring thing, that subdecay one). There should never be a delay in a normal ring mod because it is signal multiplication. I guess if someone screwed up really bad with carrier suppression. The best way to get tracking without using the ring thing or subdecay is to run parallel paths with Pitch shift or looping:

Volume loss depends on you for the most part. It is signal multiplication and it will be the volume of both signals going in (there are exceptions but that is usually an added preamp or, on a few, to balance signals).

Ranges, Preamps, type, and waveforms are all good factors to look at in ring mods.

The minifooger has a small range of carrier oscillaror against Randy or the mf102. Again, none of these track (well manually you can with an exp pedal).

Just get the ring thing. A solid cheap one would be the copilot Robotum (if you want square CO).

My preference would personally be to use a signal splitter with boost into passive diode ring modulation with a pitchshifter and mcrolooper in one path and then remix it with a small passive mixer to get wet/dry mix (though I don't mix in clean).

Hope that helps.

Woah, thanks for the explanation man. I'll go and check in the discussion you linked up there right now, anyway i think that having a signal splitter and a passive mixer to get the exact mix i want from the two channels would be too much for the use i'm doing of the ring mod.
I already have excluded the Robotum because it was too noisy and squared for my taste but i'll have a deeper look to the EHX Ring Thing and the Vitruvian from Subdecay, maybe the second one also fits my saving-space needs.

[lordgalvar]

Meant active mixer in my parallel thing, sorry....edited above message

[Chankgeez]

(... that subdecay one)

That's the one I was gonna suggest as far as tracking goes. No top jacks and I've never played one. So, I couldn't tell you about volume/low end loss. It does have a blend control though. Don't think it's too expensive either.

[lordgalvar]

The subdecay one has a carrier range right around the heavy Saturn or the minifooger. It sounds OK to me. It is hard to really get the high stabbing sounds and no lfo range.it is just all setup weird to me and I didn't care about the tracking (don't get it).

It sounded kinda boring and too clean to me...but I ain't into all the tracking. It does what it does I guess. It is pretty special for that.

Robotum isn't noisy either...that is just the people playing it (and the square is at audio level on the carrier....nothing square at the end sound though). Unless you are talking compression? Planetoid is good too though.

Frostwave Blue Ringer V 2 is a good one too. Fits everything but the tracking (but it does have a co in and you can blend ext and int cos ). It is in your price range if you find a fair deal...

[fcknoise]

I really like the ring mod on my bitquest

This seems to tick most boxes. They pop up in B/S/T every once in a while. Plus it does a buncha more stuff so you could justify spending a little more anyways

[Chankgeez]

The subdecay one has a carrier range right around the heavy Saturn or the minifooger. It sounds OK to me. It is hard to really get the high stabbing sounds and no lfo range.it is just all setup weird to me and I didn't care about the tracking (don't get it).

It sounded kinda boring and too clean to me...but I ain't into all the tracking. It does what it does I guess. It is pretty special for that.

Yeah, I think when people fuck with the very nature of ring modulation, they're gonna have to accept some compromises.

I really like the ring mod on my bitquest

This seems to tick most boxes. They pop up in B/S/T every once in a while. Plus it does a buncha more stuff so you could justify spending a little more anyways

I thought the ring mod on the BitQuest was fair enough. It'll do in a pinch, but not as good as a stand alone ring mod. I guess it all depends on how often you use ring mod.

[Dowi]

I really like the ring mod on my bitquest

This seems to tick most boxes. They pop up in B/S/T every once in a while. Plus it does a buncha more stuff so you could justify spending a little more anyways

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE
you can't push me further into GAS, that's unfair.

The subdecay one has a carrier range right around the heavy Saturn or the minifooger. It sounds OK to me. It is hard to really get the high stabbing sounds and no lfo range.it is just all setup weird to me and I didn't care about the tracking (don't get it).

It sounded kinda boring and too clean to me...but I ain't into all the tracking. It does what it does I guess. It is pretty special for that.

Yeah, I think when people fuck with the very nature of ring modulation, they're gonna have to accept some compromises.

Yes that' just because i need to use it only for a particular purpose, so i don't need it to be the most tweakable ring mod on earth as long as it remains "stable" and respects the signal i run into it (as long as a ring mod can respect a signal).

[resincum]

I'm not too knowledgeable on ring mods, but the one in bitquest fucking rules.. no loss of volume or tone either. it can actually boost with the fuzz. top jacks, etc.