Re: RE: Ambient effects -- something wild and crazy, please!

[KILLINFO@aol.com]

To David Kirkdorffer, 

Looking for something extreme in terms of signal processing? One suggestion
and a favorite toy of mine is a Ring Modulator (in my case a old EH 
Frequency
Analyzer).

Numerous companies have made these in the past, Electro Harmonix, Oberheim,
Musitronics, Colorsound, etc. 

The effect is a little hard to describe, but it can render most instruments
unrecognizeable to the unprepared listener.

What it does is take an incoming audio signal and creates an entirely new
signal (or signals) based on the mathmatical sum (and/or difference) 
between
the original signal's frequency and the frequency of an adjustable internal
oscillator.

To get a primitive idea of this, try whistling some notes while at the same
time trying to hum some totally different ones.

Depending on the mix of wet and dry this effect can range between a subtle
irritating distortion to something that transforms most sounds into the 
sound
church bells, whale songs, radio static, theremin, Mongolian throat 
singers,
and God knows what else.

Beware however of multi-effects processors that claim to offer this effect.
It's usually a "faux" effect that is really just extreme flanging in many
cases. There is no mistaking the real thing when you hear it. Its one of
those effects that has the potential to be so down right UGLY that it's
beautiful.

Works great on instruments, vocals and loops. 

Ted Killian