Frostwave Blue Ringer Ring Modulator

The Frostwave Blue Ringer v2 is relatively easy to use. There are 5 knobs: 2 for input levels, 1 for the modulation mixing, 1 for the balance, and 1 for the frequency of the oscillator (LFO). Due to the variety of input options, care must be taken to turn up the corresponding volume levels. Setting up the balance to "wet" will have the effect's sound constant. I personally like the variety of capabilities, even while it may take some minutes to familiarize with the unit.

The manual is a single sheet, summarizing what the effect is, how to use it, description of the controls and sockets, and a brief history of ring modulators. The Blue Ringer is capable of accepting external inputs that can be summed up or mixed, as well as controlled via an external CV pedal.

This is without doubt the BEST ring modulator available. The clarity of the sound is fantastic, all nuances and details are perfectly audible. The audio signal is very clean. The Blue Ringer has in fact three effects in one: at very low frequencies it acts as a quasi-envelope, with a long attack and long decay/release stages. To use this properly it requires hitting the notes at the proper timing, but once mastered and used with delays, it sounds just great for atmospheres.

Turning the Frequency knob further converts it into a tremolo; it can work as soft "vintage" type like a Tremolux amp. After passing 12 o'clock position, the tremolo speeds up tremendously, and heavy-wavering sounds can be created (think "Elephant Talk", from King Crimson, as an example). Used with distortion is amazing and aggressive, a great sonic weapon.

After the above stage, turning the frequency even more the ring modulation effect steps in. And it is absolutely rich and clear. The oscillator is much more powerful than the Electro Harmonix Frequency Analyzer - it can go full above sonic frequency like a synthesizer. It easily destroys the Frequency Analyzer down to the ground.

I must clarify that I use the Blue Ringer in an effects rack for guitar synthesizer soundscapes. I use a Roland G-303 controlling 2 GR-300s and 1 GR-30; this signal goes through a Rocktron Patch Mate with mono fx (Blue Ringer is installed in loop #6, after compression and pre-amp fx, before mono modulation fx). This signal hits a 1971 Vibrolux amp, which is then miked and returns to the rack via a Midiman Fineline mixer and on to a second Roctron Patch Mate which adds the stereo fx, final output to a PA in stereo. So there is quite a travel of the signal, and the Blue Ringer does not add any degradation when active.

The Blue Ringer is of excellent quality. Very strong, one of the strongest built pedals I've ever used. The housing is of solid steel, and the pedal is heavy and surefooted. The knobs are solid and of excellent quality, which allows to precisely set up parameters on position. I do not use the pedal as a stompbox, but it can be used as such easily and safely. Definitely gigging without a backup - it's totally reliable.

Paul Perry is a fantastic and clever person. His customer service is second to none. I've had disappointments with american customer service of several units, as I have certain specs on the units for my rig that must be met. Paul installed a mod in my Blue Ringer which outperformed the application of the ring modulator - a finetune knob. His immediate responses to my crazy requests and questions were invaluable. Paul takes time to review units properly, and ships them immediately after they are done providing all info. Given the excellent performance and support, I can say that I've turned into a strong supporter of Frostwave products.

I play progressive/ambient fusion material. Been playing for the past 30 years; guitar is my main instrument. The Blue Ringer v2 is an excellent addition to my rig, and currently one of the main sonic tools.

Frostwave units are singular in which they have a "hybrid" character - the division between "audio effect" and "synthesizer module" is blurred in them. This property makes them extremely interesting. The Blue Ringer is no exception. It can be used as an external module for synths, and for moments I even feel it like a "mini-synthesizer" on its own. Another Frostwave unit, the Resonator, falls into this same category.

Which, for guitar players, I find they open access to a section belonging to the realm of synthesizers, without tracking headaches or special hex pickups. And the sound and product qualities are fantastic. Highly recommended!

Pretty straightforward. The one-page manual is all that you really need. It's the sort of thing that you really want to find out for yourself anyway.

It is difficult to manipulate while standing and playing guitar, although you can use a PCV controller (from Frostwave) that can give you better control over it (mine is still on order).

I dislike the placement of the on button though - too close to the frequency knob. That means it's practically impossible to have a pre-set position for the frequency and then stomp it while playing live as you're almost certain to mess with your frequency setting.

Great range of wonderful sounding possibilities. Everything that I was looking to add to my sound and more. When off their is no noise (can't remember if there is supposed to be a true-bypass or not - it sound slike it though).

Very solid, sturdy construction. Can't imagine what I'd have o do to damage the thing.

Same day responses from Paul Perry. Friendly, helpful service and advice.

Don't really know how to describe what I play as we're still trying to "discover" that sound - some kind of less-pretentious experimental rock I guess. This pedal gives a whole range of possibilities that should make me sound different in my scene. It's the first pedal that I've bought to finally define my sound. I'd buy it again if stolen as ring-mods just aren't stocked in stores in Western Australia. For that reason it's impossible for me to compare to other ring mods.

My only problem is the button being so close to the frequency knob (see above). It would be perfect were it not for that.

I'm also considering buying other Frostwave products in the future.

I plugged it in and within 5 minutes had figured out to get whatever sound I wanted out of it. The controls are fairly self explanatory. The frequency knob covers a very large range... I find it is only useful between about 45% and 75%. The one page "manual" doesn't offer any great insights, but it has all of the basic info needed. It takes a little experimenting, but it's fairly easy to get the sound you want.

My only complaint is that the "frequency" dial is extremely sensitive. I haven't tried the CV input with a control pedal yet -- which would allow adjusting the "frequency" control in real time. I think that using a pedal that limits the range would enable more precise and smooth adjusting of this function.

The pedal has excellent raw, phat, analog sound. It can make everything from a smooth tremolo or chorus to crunchy robotic noises and even something akin to a telephone. For a subtle effect that won't make your listeners forget what instrument you are playing, I recommend keeping the mix fairly low. I've managed to replicate Elliot Randall's guitar tone for the final crazy solo on Steely Dan's "Green Earrings".

I'm playing an Epiphone "Dot" through a Fender Blues Junior amp. This pedal is best complimented by a bit of distortion. The Blue Ringer has just a tiny bit of noise, but it is completely manageable. I find the distortion should be placed before the ring mod in the effects chain, otherwise the noise gets boosted by the distortion.

It is a very solidly built pedal. I trust it more than any other pedal I have. I wouldn't bother having a backup for this odd of an effect.

I purchased it from a second hand source, and thus haven't talked directly to the company. It does have a warranty, so I have no concerns.

I play jazz funk and rock, and with this versatile of an effect, there are many ways to incorporate it into different songs. Most of the sounds this thing makes are fairly avant-garde, so it is definitely best used in moderation. If lost or stolen, I would replace it, if I had the money to do so. I haven't tried any other ring modulators, but this one makes all the sounds I want and more. It's a blast to experiment with, but it takes some discretion in its application toward actual music. If you want to thicken your sound a bit and make it a bit synth-like, this is an excellent tool to do it. If you like far-out sounds, this pedal has plenty of them, too.


It is expensive, but well worth it. However, it is probably the least important component of my sound -- just the icing on the cake.

Super easy to use..... it's ring mod. The manual is one page but it's not really needed.

The sound quality is unreal. I am a ring mod nut and this thing was exactly what I personally wanted all other ring mods to be. The "trem" type effect of this ring mod is awesome! With the mic in and the IN-B input you can really get some insane stuff going on. You can go from nice classic ring mod to total sonic oblivion, which I like. I only wish the freq knob wasn't right next to the foot switch...

I haven't had this particular pedal that long but I have owned a frostwave funk-a-duck for over a year and it is like the day I got it still so I assume this one will be the same.......true tanks.

never had to contact them for anything.....

The best ring mod I have heard in a long time. I love this thing. Frostwave makes quality stuff no question.

Simple to use with a basic understanding of ring modulators, the instruction sheet supplied fills in all the rest, including a brief history of the effect. It's worth noting that the box is angled (think small stone/clone) rather than flat as it appears in a lot of images, making it far easier to stop with the edge of your foot.

The setup runs SG wth single coils -> boss od-2 -> Ring Mod -> small stone -> boss dd-3 into a very heavily modified electar tube 10.

The idea behind a ring mod is pretty simple, add and subtract two audio sources, the tricky part is implementing it, and here the blue ringer excells. The carrier bleed through is non-existant when bypassed and only the faintest whirings can be heard when activated with a cranked amp. The CV input is possibly the best thing about this box, even with a 9v battery strapped to a volume pedal as a quick and dirty CV generator, you can sweep effortlessly through etheral tremolo, rubber band twangs, metalic clangs and finally buzzing insect drones.
There is an imput for an external occilator source which sound neat with a drum machine adding a nice rythmic splatt to the guitar.

It seems to play nice with other effects, the lack of a noise gate goes lets your notes ring out and not be cut off as done with a certain popular modular ring mod...

As for negative issues with the device. It requires a 15-18v AC power supply and does not run on batteries, so grab your power boards. Unlike it's major competitor the CV option is only available for the frequency, if you want to change any other parameter in real time you'll have to bend down or use your feet, fortunatly the knobs are made of rubber and spin easliy on the sides of your shoes, but that's not as fun a playing with CV pedals now is it.

I've had it a week, and it looks solid. I feel confident that it will last. Gigging without a back up for anything isn't a great idea but I'm confident it'll take most any punishment a gig could offer, the way it's angled and the rubber knobs cause beer to simply run of the sides rather than seep through and take out the PCB.

Ten, Frostwave deserve nothing less. I picked it up from the designer himself, who was kind enough to provide me with a run down on the inticacies of the device, sending the sonic possibilities through the roof. Not forgetting the three year warranty and bundled adapter, You simply cannot get better customer service than that.

I play a broad mix of styles, but this certainly suits the more avant-garde. I've been playing five years or so and dabble in other instruments as well, piano, violin, clarinet. The external occilater input and the CV input is what really won me over, all your favourite ring mod tones are in here, from DEVO to Black Sabbath. The lack of carrier bleed through, and deathly silence is almost a marvel of engineering, the a particular synth guru couldn't replicate, his is packing a noise-gate. If it for some reason disappeard I wouldn't hesitate to get another one, this is certainly the king of current-day balenced modulators.

Ring Modulation is a strange effect. Unlike many effects, you don't just plug it in and tweak it to get an expected result. Rather, you really have to play with it and try out many different approaches and settings -- and you will still be occassionally surprised by the results.
Still, frostwave does a good job making it. The difficulty a beginner may have is just due to the nature of the effect. It is complicate, but that's why it is so interesting.

The manual you get with it tells you basically how to use it and a little bit about its history. It's short, about a page, but it's all you need.

The sound quality absolutely top notch. Some may hesitate to give it a ten just in a case god is a ring modulator himself, but it really is the best one out there. There is one that moog makes that is also really good, but I would personally suggest this one. Either way.

Surprisingly, this can be a very musical effect. When used correctly you can even run pure noise through it and create sweet melodies by modulating it with a melodic instrument via input B.

Of course, you can get some very destructive and harsh sounds for recreating that postmodern feeling of drowning in technology.

It's useful for drum machines too. In fact, you can set it so that anything running through it is muted except when a signal is run through the second input. If you run a keyboard through the second input, you can create interesting rythyms by tapping the keys and adjusting the attack and release.

But I won't give away all the tricks, You can do A LOT and you can do it your own way to really put a signature on your music.



Anyway, they ask you about your setup so here:
Protools
Korg MS 2000, N5 EX, Kaoss pad, Symphony(cheap, but great choir sound)
Schecter guitar, a couple of acoustic guitars
pro co rat vintage
Roland KC-500 amp and Femder amp (the solid state one with the red knobs- I don't care what you tube freaks think, this amp sounds great)
Selmer Super Action Tenor Saxophone, Winston Suprano Sax, Yamaha 61 alto (from the 70's)
midi stuff, Reason, Sonic Foundry Acid
etc, etc. I'm not going to bore you or go on some gear trip.
Basically, I run and combine all my instruments through all kinds of combinations of effects and plug ins (most of my effects are on the computer) and run it all through protools- for studio work. While playing gigs, it depends on what I feel like.

I like John Coltrane, Radiohead, Aphex Twin, Bjork, if you want to play big, then think big -- don't imitate others, figure out how to make others want to imitate you. I suggest buying a strange pedal like a ring modulator even before a standard distortion or delay pedal, don't fall in line.

Not to sound like an idiot that only gives tens because he doesn't know any better, but this is a great product from top to bottom.
You can trust its reliability. Frostwave gives you a 3 year warranty and you can even talk to the people who make them yourself. But you won't need to.

Very friendly, I was exchanging emails with them when I bought the ring modulator just because they were nice. That surprised me, but they seem to like what they are doing.

I make music that begins to enlighten people and then hits them in the head. It's important to play music that both makes people smarter and injures them. It's also fun. Whether you are working in a rock band or on the dance scene the effect is useful.
I've been performing since high school and have plenty experience in all settings. I even make a good buck at it, but that's what you get when you're not stupid (most musicians unfortunately are)
The great part of this pedal is that you can use some sounds to modify others. You can even give a drum part melody.
I only wish that it also had its own LFO, but you can use another LFO with the Control Voltage input anyway.

I'd certainly replace it if it were stolen, I might even buy a second one anyway.

Most everyone talked about it being difficult to use, but you would learn how to use it. If You want way out sounds for effects, no problem at all. If you want to thicken your sound a tad, you should get that in ten minutes. Of course there is other things to do with it.

I am playing with mostly cheap equipment, an old Peavy fender knockoff that bolts down the strings at the nut and whammy bar, and a half-size Epiphone tuned up at A (as opposed to E). I have two little DanE's, BLT & Hash Browns and a Tube Screamer going into a Crate CA30 ( I mostly just play small venues with an acoustic and I play electric for fun)It gains a bit of volume when on, which makes me scramble for adjustments. It is easiest to set the VCO to a pitch that matches the key you are in. The effect is the most subtle in the settings near the middle. Play the note or chord and set it high on effect% and tune it to your chord. Then set it back. (Mark it w/tape like one said before.) It will give a thickness that will add some punch to your sound. As you go up in octaves setting it this way, the metallic ring shows more and the secondary note shows less. Turn the knob to the left of middle and you can get a tremelo-like effect. It takes some trial, but I can set my little flanger up fast & deep and then near-match the ringer where it tremelos at similar rate and the sound comes out nice & rich. You can also use another source than the VCO knob, or even mix them. Since i'm playing this at home alone mostly, I haven't used another instrument. I am currently trying a return patch and through an EH triggered Y filter, but it is still too much my own signal coming in. I've thought of experimenting and putting a transducer under the nut of the guitar so that only open strings or the opposite of what I'm fretting goes to the modulation mix.
If it were pedal driven one could change the VCO for matching more than one note during the course of a song.

It is built tough. I have considered putting a little onto my acoustic sound and it is the most solid of my stomp boxes. I'd worry about the other equipment.

They send me offers for other equipment and keep in touch with me. I've emailed them twice and they responded pretty quickly. One was a question about the order and they informed me up immediately. the other was a thanks for telling them how well it works.

I go from CSN to blues to Crimson to Trower and sometimes foray into a little jazz. I've been playing about 25 years, but probably only about 4 years electric(and some of that was before '85) I haven't heard many ring modulators, but so far this is the best I've heard.
I may only put a little bit in, but I almost always use it; and then it can really carry the sound out into the weird. I wish a pedal controlled the pitch for modulating, but I should be able to run a vco from a pedal into the other input.

Very easy to use. I pulled it out of the box plugged it up and was ready to go.

Sound quality is excellent. Truly no unwanted noise when bypassed.
When active, well, it is a ring modulator.You can get any tone out of it that you can conceive.

Built like a tank. i bet I could run over it with a car. It's sturdy as hell.

I ordred this direcyly from Paul. He was such a nice guy. i called him and he answered the phone as well as all my questions. I was getting ideas on what I wanted in ring modulator as far as features are concerned and was completely helpful.

I guess you'd call what I play improvised noise. Tape manipulations,
bowed guitar, and any other odd sound device i can run sound from.
I use this to treat spliced tapes and an SK-1 usually, but it just depends on what I'm in the mood to use.

Easy to use, but hard to figure out what you're doing. The biggest gripe in this area is a lack of numbers or notches to let you know how to reset your knobs for certain songs. This is pretty easily solved with a pen and a piece of tape, however. This minor problem is totally outweighed by the control the pedal offers.

The best sounding ring modulator I have ever used, and I searched long and hard before I found the right one. Not only can you mix your input with a carrier signal produced by the pedal, you can also mix one input with another. This allows you to modulate a guitar with a keyboard, or a bass with a drum machine. This produces some really 'out there' sounds.

This pedal is good for any DEVO fans out there. You will not stop playing the begining of "Mechanical Man" for weeks. (with that said, I like this better than any of the ring mods DEVO has used)

It seems pretty solid. Tough, and made out of metal. I've had it a few months and not experienced any problems.

When they respond, they're very nice and helpful. However, I have written them and gotten no response a few times.

If you make weird music, this pedal is for you, hands down. I would buy this again over any other ring mod out there. Great versatility and great ease of use.

An expresion pedal for the frequency would be fantastic, as would markings for all the knobs. Other than that, it's hard to complain.

If you need a ring modulator, this is the one to get.

One switch, 4 Knobs - input level, output level, ringmod frequency and mix between clean and effect. oh and a light. and a cool looking octopus on the case.
Very easy to use, but you'll want to play with it a lot to get the hang of it, as there's an infinite range of tones / sounds to be created depending on settings, source instrument, other fx etc..

I cannot recall exactly what a ringmod does, technically, but it seems to add metallic sounding harmonics & drones to the original signal.
You can get anything from metallic clanging sounds, to theremin / shortwave radio squelches and drones, to deep sub bass heaves and tremelo. Its like a complete noise bastard for anything from guitar to synth to loops, or just more noise..
Much more fun to use if you tweak it while you're playing, which is a bit hard if you play guitar. hire someone to do it or something.
The blue ringer gets REALLY loud, particularly in the higher frequencies. You can destroy small animals with this beast. Not that I do. Animals are our friends.

Nice and chunky and made of metal. That said, I stomped on it a bit hard once and the pot kind of went all wonky.. just opened it up and tightened it and its cool now.

Handmade by Frostwave, which is based in melb. Australia. Spoke to the builder via email and he's really cool and friendly.

I make experimental / ambient / noisecore and run a bas thru heaps of pedals and the blueringer into a JCM800 Super Bass head and 4x12.
I far prefer it to the ringmods you find in digital gear, far more tweakable, excellent for electronic music too.. just totally destroys synths in a beautiful manner..
It'd REALLY help if you could connect an expression pedal to control the frequency tho.