Reply To: How to use a Flanger article

[brock]

Quote:

… the ringmod mode. I think it would be very interesting and useful to add a 'learn' button so the ringmod frequencies track the notes being played – similar to the 'learn' function' found in the Pitchfactor. I believe EHX's Ring Thing contains such a function. Hold down the button and the frequencies track the playing so the output is always harmonically related to your guitar and sounds really quite musical as a result.

I have a Ring Thing on my pedalboard.  The 'Tune' function is indeed a very cool feature (and rare in a ring modulator).  I don't know that the ModFactor would have the pitch detection capabilities, like the PitchFactor does.  In fact, the Ring Thing combines ring mod, SSB, and pitch shifting.  Having 'Learn' in the MF ring mod (or Learn over true ring modulation in the PF) is a good idea for a feature request.

You can't presently generate the sum & difference frequencies from a carrier oscillator in the PitchFactor.  Rather than AM (amplitude modulation), though, you can get some rudimentary Frequency Modulation sounds from the PF.  And you'll want to use the non-Diatonic modes, like HarModulator, H910/949, PitchFlex, & Crystals.  The LFO frequency goes fast enough in the Harmodulator to give it some sideband characteristics.

But you can move or position one pitch shifter against the other in a non-harmonic way to generate some of those classic 'clangorous' or 'gong' tones, even if it isn't achieved by true ring modulation.  I have a preset page up in my files that illustrates the basic idea:  50:1 OctaPanGlider_TB.  At either end of the pedal travel, it's octaves.  But in between …

Since I posted that preset, I've adapted the same idea to the H910/949 algo.  With the choice of harmonizer 'models' and the much finer pitch resolution [NORMAL mode], it comes a lot closer to the inharmonic frequencies of ring modulation.  And you can 'tune' the generator frequencies.