Ring Modulation

[Queso]

I've got a moogerfooger ring modulator that I've had for almost 2 years now, and I am completely in love with it.

 

I run a guitar line thru it, and other textures, into my amp

 

and I have 3 foot pedals which control the Mix, Rate, and Frequency.

 

My question for you guys is...

How do ring modulators work???

 

Does anybody know the intriquit details?

 

I just know how to use one, the science must be menacing!

[Queso]

Well, wikipedia is taking over the metaphysical internet world of knowledge.

 

From their database:

 

"Ring modulation is an audio effect, related to amplitude modulation or frequency mixing, performed by multiplying two audio signals, where one is typically a sine-wave or another simple waveform. It is referred to as "ring" modulation because the analog circuit of diodes originally used to implement this effect took the shape of a ring. This circuit is similar to a bridge rectifier, except that instead of the diodes facing "left" or "right", they go "clockwise" or "anti-clockwise"."

 

I guess that makes sense.

[Queso]

Ring modulators are really cool!

 

Some have a little LED light that shows you the rate of the LFO

 

When the rate is low, the ring mod gives a tremelo effect,

and the light slowly breathes.

 

When the rate is high, the ring mod goes insane and sounds like a UFO.

The LED light is blinking so fast it just looks like a constant!

 

What does LFO stand for?

[Queso]

I didn't even need you guys!

 

Wikipedia had it all:

 

"Low frequency oscillation, often abbreviated to LFO, is a term that predominantly refers to an audio technique specifically used in the production of electronic music. The abbreviation is also very often used to refer to Low Frequency Oscillators, which are electronic circuits which produce periodic waveforms used to control other circuits."

 

Now I urge all of you to hook up a ring modulator to foot pedals and send a Theremin signal through your path...

 

That would sound/feel astronomical!

[alexander]

hey, use wiki tags, they are really cool, check this out: ring modulation

[noparse][wiki]ring modulation[/wiki][/noparse]

[Queso]

Rad, thanks.

[alexander]

heh, you wanna really go rad? go this:

 

ring modulation site:hypography.com/forums /forums/images/smilies/banana_sign.gif /forums/images/smilies/devilsign.gif /forums/images/smilies/mad_2.gif

actually there is quite a bit of styling and stuff involved in that... but use advanced smileys and search features.... they are available... if you never do this, use the advanced editing mode, i made links to smileys in the editor for you ppl to use :)

[Alluvia]

What an interesting thread. As one that meditates the perfect time to make contact with the cosmic forces is between 3:00am - 5:00am. the frequency waves are perfectly aligned to receive and send.

 

So the ring makes a loop? Is that how you understand it?

 

Alluvia

[Queso]

What an interesting thread. As one that meditates the perfect time to make contact with the cosmic forces is between 3:00am - 5:00am. the frequency waves are perfectly aligned to receive and send.

 

So the ring makes a loop? Is that how you understand it?

 

Alluvia

 

 

Haha whoa, wasn't expecting anything like this.

Um, The ring loops like a planet orbits.

It also has a moon frequency.

It splits the frequency, and then sends them thru this INSANE swirling of UFO sounds.

 

At low enough frequencies

it sounds like a tremelo.

Dynamics fading in and out.

 

Ring modulators ands sexy and haunting and I will explode peoples houses with them.

[Gabrielstigmatic]

Hey guys,

 

I have a Moog Ring Modulator and am trying to use Roland EV-5 expression pedals with it. The directions for the RM say that you can use comparable foot pedals, these foot pedals even look almost identical to the moog ones. But when I use the pedals with my RM it doesn't go through every value available, just a certain amount of the values. So I'm assuming that it must have something to do with control values and such. I can post pics if needed, there are little knobs on the side that go from 1-10. I just don't wanna waste the 30 friggin dollars I spent on each pedal. So if anyone could point me in the right direction with these pedals, I would be very gracious.

 

Thanks

[freeztar]

Hey guys,

 

I have a Moog Ring Modulator and am trying to use Roland EV-5 expression pedals with it. The directions for the RM say that you can use comparable foot pedals, these foot pedals even look almost identical to the moog ones. But when I use the pedals with my RM it doesn't go through every value available, just a certain amount of the values. So I'm assuming that it must have something to do with control values and such. I can post pics if needed, there are little knobs on the side that go from 1-10. I just don't wanna waste the 30 friggin dollars I spent on each pedal. So if anyone could point me in the right direction with these pedals, I would be very gracious.

 

Thanks

 

Can you elaborate on your setup. Are you fed into an amp, or a computer interface? Pics would indeed be helpful.

[Buffy]

Likely the pedals are Voltage Control. All Moog stuff is CV-based, so it should work, but its likely that the exact voltage is not calibrated between the pedals and the RM. Usually there are pots that adjust this stuff.

 

Unfortunately, I don't really do hardware, but that's how its *supposed* to work....

 

I was doing this thing to have a good time, then all of a sudden someone's saying to me, 'I'll take one of those and two of that.' That's how I got into business, :)

Buffy

[Gabrielstigmatic]

So it's not gonna let me post links or photos until I have 10 posts.

 

So I'll just post a few worthless posts....

 

Like this one.

 

And this one.

 

Bleh, I hate doing this but I really wanna get help with my ring mod.

 

Meh!

 

Ummm.

 

Ok this is the last one.

[Gabrielstigmatic]

Ok, friggin finally. Yea I've got my guitar going through the audio in and then audio out into my fender deluxe. The ring modulator itself works. Here is a top view of the Roland EV-5

 

 

And here is the side with the knob of which I was speaking.

 

[freeztar]

Have you set up your maximum and minimum volumes for the EV-5?

 

That knob on the side is your minimum volume knob.

 

Also, which jack on the moog are you plugging the EV-5 into?

[Gabrielstigmatic]

So in order to get the full spectrum I set the EV-5 to 1 and whatever setting I have it controlling, such as mix, to to it's highest setting? I have 3 of the rolands plugged into Amount, Mix, and FREQ. I believe they're the top inputs on the ring mod.

[Gabrielstigmatic]

If that's what you were getting at, it doesn't work. I also tried the roland on 0 and then whichever setting on the lowest amount. That didn't work either, although it gives me a little tiny bit of the spectrum. I can't figure out what's wrong, this should work.