[sdiy] Alltime best ring modulator circuit... ever?

[anthony]

I was wondering what people think is the best ring modulator circuit, both 
for use in a modular synth and maybe as an effect for other instruments like 
guitar.

I suppose different circuits have their merits, but I was wondering things 
like: are the circuits with MC1495 or MC1496 or even the MC1595, MC1596 
better than something built from an OTA? And is there a big difference in 
results between the MC1495 & MC1496? I think the latter is more readilly 
available and they seem like nearly interchangeable parts, but the former 
seems to be more sought after. And I wonder if this is just because there 
were some classic early circuits that used the early chip and people haven't 
thought to use the latter chip?

And how about AD633 ring modulator circuits?

And since I'm using the old term for what is generally called a 
four-quadrant multiplier, I should ask about the grandaddy of them all: the 
simple Ge (or schottky?) diode ring/2-phase-splitter transformer combo. Ken 
Stone makes a case for this and even sells a popular ready-built circuit 
(that is always on my Christmas list but I never get...). He speaks of the 
raw, gritty power of these units that just don't seem to obtain with other 
ring modulator units. I personally like this circuit. I have built one using 
classic Hewlett Packard Ge diodes that I matched and 2 transformers 
(600Ohm:600Ohm CT roughly) that I got from 2 identical telephones (crude 
tests on my scope showed a relatively high impedence on both sides), but I 
have yet to test it. I had wanted it to work like a tremolo sometimes, but 
responses from an earlier post said that that wouldn't really be possible 
because I couldn't get a really low LFO frequency through that transformers.

OK! So I think the general answer to which circuit is best would be: it 
depends on your application. But I do want to know the relative merits of 
the MC1495, MC1496 & the AD633 and others I've forgotten or just didn't 
bother to think of.
And THEN I would like some opinions on the alltime best ring modulator 
circuit ever. (Hence the subject of this message...)


cheers,
Anthony