This is the first non-vendor demo I have come across that actually explains what the hell the thing does instead of boasting one's bome-brewed noise du jour. Extremely helpful and well done!
Multiple note tracking is called polyphony. The freqbox is monophonic. Nice demo! Thanks for taking the time to properly show and explain the features and sounds of this pedals.
Just a short thanks for a great and really informative video. I would love to get one of those someday soon! It looks like something that would completely change how I play, and that's exactly what I'm looking for.
This video is about 4 years old by this point and compliments are getting harder to come by. I am glad that it helped you make a [somewhat] informed decision on your purchase. Now make some music with it and share it with the world.
pretty good demo, thanks. gotta admire a guitar pedal made with wood. this sounds nice too. The RingThing is cool too, but a bit different, and the RingWorm is a select subset of sounds.
Just to help out-- the oscillator in a ring mod *does not* "track" the frequencies of the input signal. Actually, the oscillator chops up the input signal at a rate equal to the oscillator's frequency. When the oscillator is set to very low frequencies we perceive this chopping as a tremolo like effect (As you note). At higher frequencies it we perceive it as a distinctive transfiguration of the input signal. Specifically, at higher frequencies, we do not actually hear our original tone or that of the oscillator at all. Instead, we hear two other tones. One of these is the sum of the frequencies of the oscillator and the input signal. The other is the difference between them. The phenomenon of hard sync, which defines the interaction between the input signal and the synced oscillator in the freqbox is completely different from ring modulation and can be thought of as a form of "tracking."
Your technical explanation is correct. I used "track" here as that is a term most guitarists would be familiar with, especially if they've ever used a pitch shifter.
Wow. This is definitely one of the main gizmos Devo used when recording their first album. Always wondered about those @#$%ed up sounds on Satisfaction and Too Much Paranoias. No idea if this exact model existed back then, but some kind of ring modulator. Thanks for the very cool demo!
I've only become a recent fan of Devo. Really enjoyed New Traditionalists. Thanks for the heads up. I'll be on the lookout for those records you mentioned. R.I.P. Bob Casale.
I have been comparing ring modulators. This one is cheaper and more quickly implemented. The Zvex Super Ringtone has more oscillation regeneration program-ability/tweak-ability but this one sounds its own kind of incredible, as well.
what i really meant with this comment was that this dude is making us a favor by teaching us how the pedal works because many people dont have the money to buy pedals to c if they are good or not (at least that is my experience) and with this video you can educate yourself before you spend your money. didnt mean to offend :( i actually love the pedal
Appreciated... There's only so much I could fit into a ten-minute long video, and at the time I made it, I hadn't figured out a few basic video-editing tricks to shorten the length. If you can get your hands on one, use your imagination!
@proaudioguy When I find a place for it in a song, it sounds killer; adds depth, fills space, etc. I think it helps to realize that a particular sound doesn't have to be plucked from a string, or tooted from a horn, or tuned to a NOTE to be musical. Most of the negative reactions I get here are from synth players; ironic, since the whole point of synthesizers in the first place was to create a new infinite spectrum of musical sounds.
@aetmusic I think it's great because it's NOT true bypass; it warms up your tone. The only way to get around this would be to put it in a true-bypass switcher.
@GaudyPersoneNonGrate I have not had a chance to play with an EHX Frequency Analyzer. Those things are hard to find! I'm certain, though that the Moogerfooger is more versatile with its animation control and CV options.
@BansheebotDecoded Um... yes and no. If the pedal is off, it is the dry signal going through, it's just that the Drive knob is constantly active and affecting your tone (in a good way). This setup is not the same for all Moogerfoogers, however.
@not2stupidguitar I've received a lot of comments on this pedal with the argument, "It's not musical because it's not playing a note." The point of this piece of gear is create new timbres to work with. As far as Ring Modulation sound samples go, a couple of my favorites are "Backlit" by Isis, and "Dreaming" (a Blondie cover) by The Smashing Pumpkins. I'm sure The Locust use it as well, but it would be too difficult to pick out against the Voyager synth already strewn about over their songs.
@andreastrato Haha... This video was made in summer of '09. I didn't know how to edit out the "ummms" and "uhhhhs" at the time. But do I talk too much? Yes.
Turn the LFO Amount knob all the way down, turn the right-side rocker switch to "Lo", and you'll get tremolo. The Frequency knob controls the rate of the trem. The Moog's warmth KILLS the Boss TR-2 (I've owned at least a couple of them in the past). The Fulltone Supa-Trem is a great piece of gear, but the Mooger Ring Mod gives you more sound options in the way that the LFO and/or the Carrier In jack on the back can cause the pedal to do some wacky stuff. I hope this helps.
@mk1013106 Its very cool. Canadian Indie rocker Owen Pallett puts his violin through something similar to one of these halfway through his song "Lewis takes action". Look up a live version, as it sounds great with the violin
great demo...did i hear you play the lick from "shame" by sp? i have a freqbox, which i love, but i definitely need one of the ring mods too...sick nauseating tremolos .. i love it
@penguinrock Definitely check them out! They released their last album "Yank Crime" in 94, but broke up shortly after in 95. They're really interesting technically, but maintain this aura of intensity. In that post-hardcore world they seemed( to me at least) to have set themselves aside and forged their own path.
Ok. Reaaaaaly noobish question but how did you connect it to a guitar? I'm in a metal band and we seek variation in our sound using Moogerfoogers and maybe the MP-201 Multi-Pedal. We want to use these live and if we can we all are gonna start saving money. Because I always see these moogerfoogers connected to keyboards. Can anyone give me details? Will we need a loptop in order to connect this to a guitar? Also when playing live will we need another monitor than the amp cabinet? Thanks a lot!
I've been told this pedal is used in Mars Volta Eriatarka's intro, but I can't see how, at least for what you showed it does. Could you check that song and tell me if that effect is actually from this pedal? I'd appreciate it.
@GCiampolillo Look up "Billy Corgan Stompland" on the PumpkinsMediaMilitia page, he shows off a ton of effects he uses, mostly from old records. Billy visited the Moog factory at some point (I'm assuming in 2007 when the Pumpkins did a residency in Ashville, NC--I'm doubly assuming it was to pick up a Minimoog for then-keyboardist Lisa Harriton) and has had a Moog sticker on one of his Strats.
As a person who loves to make crazy sounds with my pedals I should really be into a band that incorporates so many weird noises and effects into its music... But I'm just not a fan of The Mars Volta. I will forever enjoy At The Drive-In more.
Thanks for this demo. I bought my moog ring mod second hand and it doesn't do hardly any of this stuff, even when i copy these settings. I've been playing guitar/using effects for 12 years and i seriously think that it's broken. Penguinrock, do you know of any common problems with this pedal? I'd greatly appreciate any advice
Ring modulators are analog. No detection is needed for the effect to take place. Ring modulation is pretty much tremolo where the modulator shifts the phase of the carrier.
Hi, i am going to buy a ring mod. frequency analizer or save up for this one. Have you heard a ehx ring mod? If you did, can you say which you like more?
@TenebrousSounds The "ray gun" quote ranks among some of the dumbest things I've ever said in my videos. I'm embarrassed to watch it now! I'd love to get my hands on a Low Pass Filter, or BETTER YET, the brand new Cluster Flux chorus/flanger!
@penguinrock I will also add, a unit like this isn't going to be for everybody. In much the same way, I absolutely CAN'T STAND playing through any version of the Ibanez Tubescreamer, but in the hands of the right player, it can sound beautiful and expressive. To each his own.
I've been told this pedal is used in Mars Volta Eriatarka's intro, but I can't see how, at least for what you showed it does it doesn't seem to accomplish that sound. Could you check that song and tell me if that effect is actually from this pedal? I'd appreciate it. By the way, here are the supposed settings for it. LFO = 1 WAVE = Sine Rate= 6.4 Mix = 10 Hi/Lo = HI FREQ = 4K
@mk1013106 Haha... I've used this in church worship band settings and have had wildly mixed responses. "What was that sound you were making? That was cool!" ...and, "Someone asked me to tell you tone it down some. It was distracting." I'll never get rid of mine.
I have an extremely noob question: I know that this pedal is really in its own league, but I've been saving up to buy some new pedals and this has really caught my eye. With that said, can anyone tell me what this pedal in some form is similar to? Like, can someone compare it to a 'classic type' of a pedal, in some way? Thanks for any form of consolidation. x
+Kris R. It's a ring modulator, if you want something for these sort of tones there's stuff like the DOD Gonkulator, or the Minimoog Ring Modulator which is a smaller, pared down version of this pedal. Ring Modulators are pretty weirdo pedals so they're not as common/cheap as stuff like overdrives unfortunately. See if you can find something secondhand!
@natathon1979 Gosh, that's a name I haven't heard in a LONG time... I never checked them out when it seemed like they were way more popular... in... 2001? Never too late to start.
It's an MKS Pedal Pad MPS-XL. MKS have switched up their thing a few times over the years. Check it out. Aluminum plates on a tiered platform setup; any cables you need to run go underneath the plates.
Oh man, I probably couldn't help you with a broken pedal... You should call up Moog Music with your issue(s), I hear they deliver excellent customer service over the phone. The rate knob on my MuRF pedal is a little shifty but I haven't been bothered by it enough to call. Sorry I couldn't be of help!
