"true" ring modulator?

[foosnark]

Does anyone know of a plugin that actually sounds like a "true" diode+transformer ring modulator (like Frostwave Blue Ringer or this thing?

None of the ringmods I've tried really come close.

I'd greatly prefer a software solution to buying/building a hardware unit...

[Hermetech Mastering]

i built a hardware unit and it was very easy and cheap. kevin lightner has the schematic here:

http://www.synthfool.com/ringmod.html

or you can buy a circuit board and all the components (except for jacks and a housing) for 30 dollars plus shipping from ken stone at cat girl synth here:

http://www.cgs.synth.net/modules/cgsrr.html

NOTHING sounds like a real ring modulator, even the 4 quadrant multipliers which masquerade as ring modulators (they are really balanced modulators).

here is a pic of mine residing in a baccy tin:



and here are some samples:

1) two sine waves (1 swept):

http://darkflame.hermetech.net/Musick/Sines.mp3

2) swept sine wave and drums:

http://darkflame.hermetech.net/Musick/Drums.mp3

3) swept sine and vocals

http://darkflame.hermetech.net/Musick/DalekVoices.mp3

the sound is AWESOME in a dirty/nasty way. the only trouble with it (being a passive design) is that you will need a lot of gain on the output, so a spare mixer channel pre or other pre-amp will be needed to boost it up to line level again.

i heartily recommend you get the real thing, it's cheap and easy and i have not heard anything in software that comes close!

all the best,

gregg.

[dharmawan]

thanks for the schematics dude!

what did you use for the transformers, cant find any values for them?

[lalo]

NOTHING sounds like a real ring modulator, even the 4 quadrant multipliers which masquerade as ring modulators (they are really balanced modulators).

hi
you mean even modelling the diodes in dsp?

i'm always after this kind of sound..but can't reach it with pure multiplying in the digital domain ..

lalo

[CypherOne]

I wouldn't let anyone modulate my ring....

[C00kie]

NOTHING sounds like a real ring modulator

you mean even modelling the diodes in dsp?

Should be feasible... If valves can be modelled, then why not a set of transformers and a fist full of germanium diodes. Getting the inaccuracies accurate must be the secret

[dharmawan]

NOTHING sounds like a real ring modulator

you mean even modelling the diodes in dsp?

Should be feasible... If valves can be modelled, then why not a set of transformers and a fist full of germanium diodes. Getting the inaccuracies accurate must be the secret

transformers can be tricky.. in one of the UA webzines they were saying modeling just the output transformer of a LA2A properly would have floored the whole dsp of the UAD-1

[Hermetech Mastering]

thanks for the schematics dude!

what did you use for the transformers, cant find any values for them?

i used something like "2 small audio transformers" from the uk maplin's catalogue, one for the input and one for the output. i built it in 1998, so don't know if the maplin's catalogue still carries them.

if i was gonna build it again now, i would go for the ken stone kit, as it's really cheap and he hand matches the transformers for you.

btw there has been some contention as to the accuracy of those schematics. a guy on one forum (sorry, can't remember where now) is sure that one of the inputs is really the output! i never seem to have had a problem with mine (built to the original schematic) though, as you can here in the .mp3's!

[McLilith]

NOTHING sounds like a real ring modulator, even the 4 quadrant multipliers which masquerade as ring modulators (they are really balanced modulators).

There would be a lot of times where I wouldn't want the extra distortion or carrier bleedthrough of a diode and transformer solution. I think the best thing is to have both types on hand, but if I had to pick only one type, it would probably be one based on a 4 quadrant multiplier.


take care,
McLilith

[UltraJv]

Something Ive been wondering for a while. I used to be into electronics and there is a language which specifically describes a component in almost every detail. Its called SPICE. Electronics workbench and other real time electronics software used these models to simulate entire circuit. Has anyone thought of using these models for audio? Forget TAE, that kind of attention to detail would be amazing, if a little cpu intensive...

[Funkybot]

UltraJV therer was a thread a while back talking about using SPICE for plug-ins, but I believe the general consensus from people in the know (me not being one of them) was that it would be way too CPU intensive at the moment to be feasible. From what I hear about SPICE, it would be cool as hell as though...

[007]

I also buid the RM and used 2 transformers from an old transistor radio. Works perfect.

[JackDark]

That one's not bad. I don't know how you could buy it nowadays though... the only place I know to get it is here:

http://jackdark.proboards39.com/index.c ... erDownload

[foosnark]

i built a hardware unit and it was very easy and cheap.

Yeah, but external effects are just much more of a pain to deal with than plugins.

[Meffy]

I hereby donate to whomever wishes to make such a device the name The One True Ring -- in exchange for one freebie. :-)

just one... "a little ring, the least of rings"