Ringshifter
The Ringshifter effect combines a ring modulator with a frequency shifter effect. Both
effects were popular during the 1970s, and are currently experiencing something of a
renaissance.
The ring modulator modulates the amplitude of the input signal using either the internal
oscillator or a side-chain signal. The frequency spectrum of the resulting effect signal
equals the sum and difference of the frequency content in the two original signals. Its
sound is often described as metallic or clangorous. The ring modulator was used extensively
on jazz rock and fusion records in the early 1970s.
The frequency shifter moves the frequency content of the input signal by a fixed amount
and, in doing so, alters the frequency relationship of the original harmonics. The resulting
sounds range from sweet and spacious phasing effects to strange robotic timbres.
Note: Frequency shifting should not be confused with pitch shifting. Pitch shifting
transposes the original signal, leaving its harmonic frequency relationship intact.
15
Chapter 1
Distortion Effects