ring...ring...part 2

by Dharma

I’ve had the Moogerfooger Ring Modulator for 5 years now. At that time when I bought it, Bob Moog had not regained the rights to release it under Moog yet. So it was released under Big Briar (with Bob Moog’s signature at the front). I must say that there are still many possibilities in this pedal that I haven’t explored yet, especially when combined with other pedals.

Firstly, there is a slight loss in the highs when this pedal is connected as compared with a direct connection from guitar to amp. But it’s not so bad, nearly negligent… well, at least to my ears.

Here’s a guide on the available controls. There are 4 main knobs, 1 small knob for the Drive and two switches. The 4 main knobs are as below:

Amount = this controls the depth of the LFO (Low Frequency Oscillation)

Rate = this controls the rate or speed of the LFO

Frequency = Yes, this controls the frequency

Mix = controls the mix of the effected signal with the clean signal.

For each of these 4 main knobs there are voltage outputs that can be connected to an expression pedal. The two switches are, one to select the range of frequency of operation between low and high, and the other to select the type of LFO (either square or sine waveform).

As for the Drive is like a volume boost, which is also in operation when the pedal is bypassed.

There are many weird and different sounds that you can get out of this pedal.

When the Frequency switch is set at low and the Frequency knob set also at the lower range, you get a tremolo sort of effect. With the Frequency switch set at high, you get into an extraterrestrial space mode. The sounds are way out, from a detuned guitar to bell-like sounds. If the Amount knob is set at zero, the notes can be repeatable. As the Amount knob is increased, the sounds get more random. Once the Rate knob is used to control the speed of the Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO), things get even more chaotic. There is a choice of square wave and sine wave for the LFO; basically a sine wave would give a more continuous oscillation (like a wailing siren) whereas the square wave would be more staccato.

With an expression pedal connected to the Frequency voltage output, this pedal becomes even wilder. Take note that this pedal is not just for guitars. I’ve tried it on keyboards and vocals too. It’s amazing the kind of sounds that you get out of it.

Compared with all the other ring modulators I have tried (DOD Gunkulator and ring modulator as a feature in some multi effects units), this definitely would be the best. I haven’t tried the Lovetone Ring Stinger yet though. Anyway, that costs US$500. So it’s out of reach for now. I would highly recommend this pedal for those who are looking into getting non-conventional sounds from their instruments. It’s relatively easy to find your way around this pedal; you don’t really need to read the instruction manual. I can’t find anything that I dislike about this pedal. And like all products from Bob Moog, it looks pretty damn cool as well.