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

[mike ruberto]

This is kinda subjective. Best performing would most likely be the
AD633 considering the carrier bleed is so low compared to the others.

For downright aggressive grungy sounding stuff the 1496 is pretty
cool. I've found that many of the usual trim pots this circuit
requires could be made panel controls if you want to get more colors
from it.

The old Arp ringmod has it's place too for classic sounds but is by
far the worst performer of them all.

I've not tried it yet, but another interesting option is the
transformers and diode ring passive ringmod. Ken Stone has one
available.

My favorite is the AD633/632 designs. With these I can get such glassy
sharp tones it tricks most people into thinking I'm using a digital FM
or Phase Distortion synth. Icy bells and metallic percussion are clear
and bright sounding. Discordant distortion effects have clean
harmonics and don't degrade into a soup of ugly noise.
I think this is the best design for synths.

The 1496 is more suited to Guitar.

Mike

On Feb 18, 2008 11:58 AM, anthony <aankrom at bluemarble.net> wrote:
> 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
>
>
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