Oscillators at the ready? Let’s ring mod!

The Ring SM adds a huge range of tones to even a simple pair of oscillators, so let’s dive in

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Given the gorgeous 1960s discrete circuit design, let’s explore the gorgeous warm tones available. Patch a sine wave into the X input and another sine wave into the Y input, then try experimenting with changing the pitches of your sines to find new tones.

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Ring modulation works great when you have a static input and a moving input. Use one oscillator with a 1v/ oct sequence controlling its pitch and another tuned to a suitable droning interval. Try a range of tunings to find tones that work for you.

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The Z input is an additional Y input, so try using an audio rate oscillator into the Y input and an LFO into the Z input. These will both now modulate your X input and it sounds fantastic against percussion as well as synth tones.

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The Ring SM can be a multi-octave generator. Patch an oscillator into the X input then switch into frequency doubling mode to get an octave up and use the -1 and -2 sub generators to create a four-octave layered tone from a single oscillator.

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Ring modulators shouldn’t be exclusively used for droning oscillators, as they’re great with percussion as well. Send your drum beats into the X input and use oscillators, random generators, noise and LFOs in the Y & Z inputs to bend and mangle your drum sounds.

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With the patches so far you can create anything from subtle overtones to all-out clangorous mangled tones. If the sound gets too ‘out there’ or heavily processed use the mixer section to blend in the input signals to bring back clarity to the overall output.