Help me choose between these two ring modulators!

[Gonzo476]

After asking for some advice here in TB I''ve narrowed my search to a Moog and a Copilot FX Antenna2. The Moog looks really nice, but the Antenna is much cheaper (I just bought a Subdecay Prometheus, so I don't have much money) and has 2 LFOs...
So, should I save some money and get the Moog or go for the Antenna2?

[nad]

I haven't used either of those pedals, but I have used pedals from both brands, and have some ring modulator experience, so here is my take:

With Copilot, you get a great deal on solid gear. His stuff is lo-fi with a charm, and very easy to live with on a daily basis (small, easy to power).

With Moog, you sacrifice a few things like perfect bypass, floor space, and even a little sanity. But it's all in the name of Amazing Tone, so if that is what you want, it's worth it.

There's no harm in having multiple ring modulators by the way. If one doens't work out, buy the other one when you have the cash.

[jumbo_steelie]

Originally Posted by nad

With Moog, you sacrifice a few things like perfect bypass, floor space, and even a little sanity. But it's all in the name of Amazing Tone, so if that is what you want, it's worth it.

+1

The moog is the only ring mod I've tried. It's flawed and fun as hell.

[bigchiefbc]

Keep in mind that the Antenna is not a straight-up ring mod. It is a sample rate reducer mixed with a ring mod, so it will also create a very lo-fi signal, kinda like a bit crusher. What it does is quite similar to the Catalinbread Heliotrope.

Copilot DOES make a dedicated ring mod, called the Android. You might want to check that one out.

[RCCollins]

the moogerfooger is large and has a noisy bypass, BUT it is a REALLY nice ring modulator. Probably the best currently on the market. It is very "hi-fi" if that can be said of a ring mod, and it is capable of some very interesting tremolo effects as well. Sky's the limit with all those CV inputs, too. Get the moog!

[Gonzo476]

The ring mod is going to be part of my electronica pedalboard so 90% of the time I will be using it to modulate a distorted signal coming from my Mastotron or my ODB-3. I already have enough lo-fi/dirty sounds...but I LOVE bit-crushers...AAAGH!!! I hate this!

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by RCCollins

Sky's the limit with all those CV inputs, too. Get the moog!

+1 vis a vis versatility via additional i/o. Not sure if the Moog does this, but I used to have an old maestro Ring Modulator (designed & built by Tom Oberheim) and it had an external carrier input. By replacing the fixed pitch oscillator with a dynamically/unpredictably changing audio signal -- like, say, a feed from the guitar player you're improvising with(!) -- ring modulation becomes this seething uncontrollable beast of epic coolness.

[Jagdmusik]

I was very happy with my Moog RingMod. I got it not knowing what I'd do with it or even expect from it and found a lot of fun applications... Tons of crap to do in an ambient situation (you can kneel down, play the pedal rather than your bass, and get pretty wild), and I think it's really cool for jamming with another bassist around: totally skews your sound and lets the two of you play together without stepping on each other's tonal spectrum.

Just be aware that the Moog power adapter has opposite of the normal polarity! I fried my pedal plugging it into a One-Spot multi-pedal power unit.

[fightthepower]

Originally Posted by Hoover

+1 vis a vis versatility via additional i/o. Not sure if the Moog does this, but I used to have an old maestro Ring Modulator (designed & built by Tom Oberheim) and it had an external carrier input. By replacing the fixed pitch oscillator with a dynamically/unpredictably changing audio signal -- like, say, a feed from the guitar player you're improvising with(!) -- ring modulation becomes this seething uncontrollable beast of epic coolness.

Pretty cool, never thought of trying something like that. The Moog has a Carrier I/O, so you can also send the Ringmodded signal via the Carrier Out into any other effects (ie effects loop) and return to the Carrier In. If using control voltages, you can use the Ringmods as a VCA by inputing CV to the Carrier In; with an expression pedal into the Carrier in, it acts as a volume pedal in the first 50% of the sweep, and a manual tremolo at 100% (full volume at about 2.5v and then begins to taper off). You can also use the Ringmod's Carrier on its own as a drop/tone generator, and send it via the Carrier Out into whatever you please, controlling the pitch with the Ringmods onboard controls-- no audio input to the Ringmod necessary, the Carrier is always going.

*edit* By splitting your signal and sending it to the Input and Carrier In, you get an octavia style +octave; using something like the HOG to send different pitches to the inputs can also achieve different harmonies, though they are most noticeable when playing up the neck/higher frequencies.