I have heard that in order to get the full benefit of my MF-102 Ring Modulator I need to combine it with the Low Pass Filter unit. Before making the additional investment I would like to get the Forum’s take on this statememt.
BTW - I am using the 102 with my guitar only.
Thanks,
With Moogerfoogers, the concept of “full benefit” is a little slippery, since their modularity allows you to always build up a more powerful system. Any one of them is fine on its own, and any one of them will tempt you to buy others once you start to see the possibilities 
It’s true that the Lowpass is an especially nice partner for the Ring Mod, because the RM can produce some very high frequency content, and the LPF can be used to tame that a little (or, if you want, to make it even more pronounced with resonance). That said, there are many many settings that sound wonderful with the Ring Mod all by itself. Most stand-alone ring modulators from other manufacturers are nowhere near as tweakable as the Moog one, so it stands to reason that if they work fine as stand-alones, the Moog can as well.
But one thing you should also know – a great strength of the MF line is the way you can take control voltages from one MF and use them to modulate another. So if you have a Ring Mod and a Lowpass, for example, you can use the Ring Mod LFO to modulate parameters on the Lowpass. BUT, for this to work smoothly you really need something to mix and attenuate those signals. In the MF line, this is what the CP-251 is for (and it adds lots of other capabilities as well). You can still have a lot of fun with two or more Moogerfoogers just by chaining them together like regular effects pedals and using only the knobs to tweak the sounds. But if you want to explore their potential for CV modulation, which effectively turns your MFs into a little modular synthesizer, then a CP-251 should be part of the picture.
Anyway, short answer: The Moog RM is a wonderful Ring Modulator and does a lot of things all by itself. If you want a Ring Mod, I don’t think you can do better. Adding other MFs is also a great thing to do, but it isn’t like the Ring Mod needs them to be worthwhile.
Perfect. Well stated. Very clear and concise. This is what I basically suspected with the LPF but I was not aware of the CP-251’s role in all of this.
Thank you for the reply and like you said, once you get one…well at least it’s a healthy addiction.
SR
No, you don’t need Low Pass Filter. I use the Ring Mod all the time by itself. Great for tremolos and all of the different ring mod sounds (gongs, fuzzes, chimes, alien invasions, etc.). I would suggest at least having an expression pedal to use with the Ring Mod, as that opens up a lot of options with the pedal.
Having said that, the Moog stuff really does get better the more Foogers that you have. Normal pedals just add one new trick to your arsenal. Moog pedals add multiples of tricks. The options really do increase exponentially, due to the available control and audio routing options.
Bryan
Lowpass/ Ring combo
I will say that I think the LP expands the musicality of the sounds from the ring mod very much, and is probably the 2nd pedal one should normally look at if they started with a ring mod… though if you need control- the CP is another thing, and should be close behind. Using the CP only will give you ways to mess around with and randomize the freq’s mix, frequency, etc… it is hard to have it and only 1 fooger.. If you have 2 foogers and want control. I think the CP is generally the best bought as fooger #3!
Ring Mods are amazing but can get some very unmusical sounds.. THE LP helps tame it.
depending on your sound goals. I find the overload comes when you feed over complex wavefroms into it. (more frequences to have multiplied by it) the LPF can either be used before the RM to make your signal have less upper range harmonics, and therefore a purer tone when fed to the ring mod… or to tame the ring mod’s bright tone/ upper harmonics when you do have a brighter signal. I like the later use a lot, and find I always use a super dark tone when I want tasteful levels of RM added. These simply give you more musical options on the extreme tones that exist on the RM.
That said.. I don’t own the moogerfooger ring mod… but do have more options than it has on it… having several ring mod options on my .com modular synth as well as some sound alikes… (like to freak out a VCO with sound input to the control)… A VCO is 1/2 the function of a ring modulator (being a 2 quadrant multiplier, vs. the ring’s 4)
Scott,
You don’t necessarily need the Cp251 to benefit from CV modulation. For example, with just these 2 Foogers, you can externalize the functions of either one to use with the other.
Use the LFO from the 102 to modulate the filter cutoff, resonance, envelope or Mix amount.
Use the envelope follower to increase the speed of the lfo, the freq of the modulation, the mix, or even the amount on the ring mod.
These 2 Foogers are pretty flexible just by themselves. A cp251 will let you do more though. FOr example…
Add sample and hold to the cutoff for staircase effects (what S&H is classicly known for), The Noise output from the CP can finally be shaped with the 101 (as noise is classicly used in tandum with the filter), then you will also be able to have more precise control over all of the above routing options via the attenuators/Lag procesors. Introdice an expression pedal into the situation (which I woudl advise with the purchase of the 101) and you can multiply that to control many functions on all three pedals.
So as you can see you have a lot of options with just 2 pedals, but those in/outputs on the back just beg to be introduced to other Foogers. Its like an army. One is prety powerful on its own but becomes unmatched in a squad hehe.
I guarentee you though, youll be wanting more. I started out with the Ring Mod /EP1 (which I never used the expression pedal) for the longest time and when I lerned that I could use it as a second Oscillator for my Micro with the Cp251, I got both the CP and the Freq. Then I got the Delay and Im now going to get the Vx-351…and I don’t even have a voyager YET. I haven’t purchased the filter because Im going to get a real Moog 904 Filter.
Hope this helps! Good luck with your decision.
Respectfully,
Eric
Thank you for all of the great replies on this.
I am finding it difficult to get more than a couple of truly different sounds out of the Ring Mod. I keep hearing about a “gong” effect from the 102 but for the life of me I can’t seem to nail it with a guitar.
Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks agin for all the input,
SR
GregAE wrote an article entitled Lord of the Ring Modulator, but I can’t for the life of me find the link to it. It will help you because its a great article.
The Gong sounds come in the high frequency range… try past 12-1 o’clock on the Freq pot and try it with harmonics. Once there is a dramatic difference in pitch (high notes sound low and low notes sound high) you shoudl be close to the gong like sounds. It will produce some great sounds and there is a major difference in what you can get out of the smallest turn of the pot.
Hope this helps!
Respectfully,
Eric
Thanks Eric. I’ll give that a try.
one of my favorite setting using the ring mod lowpass and guitar is to have the lowpass before the ring mod with the LP amount and mix all the way up cut off just below 9 o’clock the resonance set just before it starts to squeal and the switches set to slow/4pole and rive should be turned up so when you pluck a string the light turns red. the the ring mod lfo off (amount = 0) mix set at about 11 o’clock and freq at about 4 o’clock drive set how ever you desire i usually leave it kinda low.
when you play lower notes on the guitar or put an octave pedal 1st in the chain it gives you a really cool “OWW” talking effect