Ring Mod artists/recording suggestions?

narrowcaster · Post by **narrowcaster** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 4:36 pm

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post to the forum, so I hope this kind of question is appropriate. I've got an MF-102 on order to go with my MF-101 and CP-251, and to get ready I want to dive into artists and recordings who have done interesting things with ring modulators. I'm going to be using it mostly with guitar, and I'm especially interested in learning to "play" it, so I can use it live and think about it compositionally. Any suggestions for recordings or artists to check out would be great, thanks...

P.S. I'm interested in a wide range of styles, so just about anyone would be of interest.

latigid on · Post by **latigid on** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:21 pm

My first interest in ring mods came about from listening to Incubus, mainly S.C.I.E.N.C.E.. I was thinking "what the hell is that sound?" I then found out the pedal Mike Einziger uses is a DOD Gonkulator Modulator, which is a crude ring mod and distortion (the carrier wave is set at a fixed frequency, for example). Looking further into this unit, it was recommended that the Moog MF102 was better, had more controls etc.. From there, I got a 102, 101, then all the other 'foogers and a Voyager...

hieronymous · Post by **hieronymous** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 2:07 am

Jan Hammer uses one at the end of one of the songs on the Mahavishnu Orchestra's Inner Mounting Flame album. He uses it on a Rhodes electric piano, and it sounds great! Unfortunately, they fade it out. And I can't remember which song. But it's an album worth having no matter what instrument you play...

earsmack · Post by **earsmack** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 11:33 pm

hieronymous wrote:Jan Hammer uses one at the end of one of the songs on the Mahavishnu Orchestra's Inner Mounting Flame album. He uses it on a Rhodes electric piano, and it sounds great! Unfortunately, they fade it out. And I can't remember which song. But it's an album worth having no matter what instrument you play...

Vital Transformation is the tune. I would also recommend the "Birds of Fire" album...great and classic stuff!

narrowcaster · Post by **narrowcaster** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:36 am

That's a good start. Thanks...

Henfield · Post by **Henfield** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:32 am

I have read somehwere that a ring modulator was applied to Tony Iommi's guitar solo on Black Sabbath's "Paranoid". I thought that Devo also used a ring modulator on some of there early songs like "Jocko Homo" and their cover of "Satisfaction". Wasn't MXR's infamous "Blue Box" also some type of ring modulator? It was used by Jimmy Page on the solo for Zep's "Fool in the Rain". I hope that this helps, as my references are not as current as the Incubus reference.........

PS is anyone out there using an MF-102 with bass guitar? I already have the MF 101 and 105B, and I was looking to make another addition to my MF family. I have been looking at the CP-251 and MF 107 as well.

Suburban Bather · Post by **Suburban Bather** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 3:37 pm

Henfield wrote:I have read somehwere that a ring modulator was applied to Tony Iommi's guitar solo on Black Sabbath's "Paranoid". I thought that Devo also used a ring modulator on some of there early songs like "Jocko Homo" and their cover of "Satisfaction". Wasn't MXR's infamous "Blue Box" also some type of ring modulator? It was used by Jimmy Page on the solo for Zep's "Fool in the Rain". I hope that this helps, as my references are not as current as the Incubus reference.........

PS is anyone out there using an MF-102 with bass guitar? I already have the MF 101 and 105B, and I was looking to make another addition to my MF family. I have been looking at the CP-251 and MF 107 as well.

Yes, that is ring modulation in the guitar solo for Paranoid. Devo also used a ring mod in the song Too Much Paranoia, Mechanical Man, and a whole bunch of other songs.

No, the MXR Blue Box is an octave down fuzz, however Jimmy Page did in fact use it on the song "Fool in the Rain".

The MF-102 is FANTASTIC with a bass guitar! Pick up the Square Pusher album "Go Plastic" He uses a ring mod with his bass guitar on almost the entire album.

If you have more than two MF's, the CP-251 is essential!.

narrowcaster · Post by **narrowcaster** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 8:04 pm

Thanks again. I've heard a bunch of people mention Squarepusher bass lines for ring mod, so I'll have to track that down for sure.

Right now I've got the MF-101 and the CP-251, and I'm already amazed at how much I can do with just the two of them. The MF-102 is on back-order, but I'm prepared to be dazzled when it gets in

hieronymous · Post by **hieronymous** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 9:23 pm

I never knew the "Paranoid" guitar solo was ring-modulated! I love that sound - it sounds like a gigantic bee buzzing away in a can. Listen on headphones and you can hear it more clearly - the clean (well, clean fuzz) signal in one speaker and the ring-modulator-effected one in the other...

dr_floyd · Post by **dr_floyd** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 10:55 pm

Devo love using the Electro-Harmonix Frequency Analyzer, which is their version of a ring mod.

I'm pretty sure Adrian Belew used to use the Frequency Analyzer as well back in the Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson days.

dr_floyd · Post by **dr_floyd** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 10:57 pm

The Dalek voices in the new Dr. Who series are also done through a genuine Bob Moog signature MoogerFooger Ring Mod.

It's clearly seen and mentioned in the 'behind the scenes' footage.

earsmack · Post by **earsmack** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 2:42 pm

So, for the first time today I hooked up my old Yamaha RBX5 bass to a few of my effects. I ran it through the MF-102 RingMod which was probably my favorite. I don't pick up the bass much but something lately has got me more interested in it. In reality I think I want a new bass...maybe a Fender Jazz...but anyway...the RingMod then through a small stone phaser and memory man analog delay was really cool sounding. I had the RingMod on HI frequency with no LFO and Mix on 3 or 4. Just enough to bring through the ring. I played mostly high notes on the G string. Anyone want to buy a Yamaha RBX5?

earsmack · Post by **earsmack** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 11:58 am

Another tune I heard today in the car...

Close to 3 minutes in to "Snoopy's Search / Red Baron" on Billy Cobham's Spectrum album is a rhodes ring mod solo. Mind you, I think this is the song. iTunes had the track names ALL whacked out - the tune is 6:36 if that helps identify it.

shakti · Post by **shakti** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 1:44 pm

I could be wrong, but i thought that solo was Billy on the moog drum. anyone know this?

earsmack · Post by **earsmack** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:38 pm

Since we last typed...

I traded in the 5 string bass for a Fender Standard Jazz - wow - what a great improvement and the sound is perfect for what I've been looking for. I've run it through the FreqBox (great for adding a bit of distortion to the bass tone) and through the Frostwave Resonator with some light CV applied to the LPF frequency. A nice slow phasing effect can be achieved.

Now, the problem is...I have two instruments I want to send through these effects (the Voyager and the bass) so I'm trying to figure out how best to hook them all up so I can stay inspired! A good problem to have I suppose

Any suggestions on more bass goodness with the FreqBox/RingMod/Filters?