Question about Bit Crushers & Ring Modulators

[Confuzzled]

I see a lot of love going around for ring modulators and bit crushers on this board and have to ask what you all use them for? I cannot see me using them for more than a song or two. Do you use them as part of your overall sound? Or are they a one shot use? Are they all mono? Is there a poly version of the two for chords?

[Jwar]

Honestly I fucking hate ring modulation in general. The only one I've heard that's usable IMO is Randy's Revenge. As far as Bit Crushing, I think it sounds better with drum machines personally. I made a song with one that way and loved the way it turned out.

I don't play out though, so what do I know.

[weed_killer]

I had a craig anderton ring mod housed in a colorsound wah for a while. It was great cause it was basically a whammy, but outside of Ronald Jones-impressions it could be a little out of place. I also used to have a wrong side of uranus bit crusher, which I found really versatile/open-ended. I wasn't playing songs with it though, just solo ideas/drones/loops.

[skullservant]

I've had a few ring mods/bit crushers over the years and I do usually have a hard time fitting them in to things. The nice thing about bitcrushers is they just sound like digital fuzz on certain settings

[Deltaphoenix]

A MoogerFooger Ring Mod is a power device. It can do Trem and sort of Vibrato. The LFO is cool, it does bells and robots.

[Plastic_Telos]

I actually use a fair amount of ring modulation. I have an mf-102 that I will never part with and is always on my board. I run a delay and reverb before it for synthy swells, and with the mix around 4 or 5 and a little equing or filtering of the carrier you can get all sort of interesting enharmonic (and harmonic) textures that don't screw your harmonies and melodies into oblivion.

Also nasty enharmonic sounds can be good for using your guitar as a faux-percussion instrument.

Also, also.... having a carrier in input makes it sonic laboratory of sorts.

Bit of an mf-102 fanboy.

[kosta]

+1 for MF-102.

Lotta love for any and all of the Bugbrand Bugcrushers too. I have one on my band board right now. Pops my guitar right out of the mix in an instant. I definitely use it sparingly though.

[goroth]

Both can be used quite subtly to spice up certain passages, Used in that way you can use them fairly often. Or you can use them less subtly which is more of an explosive effect, and that's probably something that you wouldn't use as often. The mix control is the key.

[neonblack]

I recently got a Frantabit in a trade and I've used it most like a fuzz. Sounds robotic and digital. Certain settings I could see using like a lo fi "clean" tone.

Honestly, I'm having a hard time finding a good use for it.

[Ugly Nora]

A nice subtle use of a ring mod is on the solo for Sabbath's Paranoid. The solo is doubled, the right channel is a ring mod, the left channel is not.

[Jwar]

I recently got a Frantabit in a trade and I've used it most like a fuzz. Sounds robotic and digital. Certain settings I could see using like a lo fi "clean" tone.

Honestly, I'm having a hard time finding a good use for it.

Dibs on the flip!

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

ring mods can be weird or amazing. i really like using it as a pseudo tremolo that ebbs and flows w/ the dynamics of your signal. not just a triangle or sine wave type trem.

i also have been using the ring mod on my SP202 to turn like crappy bass sounds into beautiful choirs or rhodes piano type sounds. its really neat.

in my experience, no two bit crushers or ring mods sound alike. some are fantastic, others kinda leave u wondering what all the fuss is about

[Chankgeez]

Honestly I fucking hate ring modulation in general.

Jeff Beck says "Fuck you, jwar":

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI5v3WHy--g[/youtube]

[Uncle Grandfather]

Do you use them as part of your overall sound?

I use them like any other pedal, to get a sound out of my head into my hands and out of my speakers. I almost always have my Ringstinger turned on.

the OTO Biscuit is all over my stuff too. Its a stereo bitcrusher.

[Jwar]

Honestly I fucking hate ring modulation in general.

Jeff Beck says "Fuck you, jwar":

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI5v3WHy--g[/youtube]

That's cool. I've always though Beck sounded like shit, so whatever.