Pigtronix Ringmaster Analog Multiplier
With the second offering in their newest series of pedals, Pigtronix brings us the Ringmaster. This pedal is the sibling of the Mothership 2 and was even built to be used in conjunction with its sister pedal. The Ringmaster, a high quality, pitch tracking, ring modulator, can make some CRAZY sounds. This exceptional sound making machine can give the user an incredibly wide range of sonic expression, from whacked out, oscillating, high-pitched synthy sounds, to suble understated distortion-like colors, this pedal can unlock some truly unconventional but musical sounds to add to your arsenal.
External Control: Carrier Input/CV Out
Cost: $$
HornFX Review
Interface: 2/5
Although this pedal sounds fantastic, it can be frustrating to use. Like the MotherShip 2, there are A LOT of parameters (10 knobs and 2 switches). This makes the learning curve quite steep. What makes things potentially difficult is the lack of visibility of the secondary knobs. It can be very heard to see what position the outer knob is, as the indicator dot is somewhat obscured. In keeping with the themes of the Mothership's interface, there is no option for presets, which on a complicated, vastly manipulable pedal, would make this a much easier box to use live.
Versatility: 4/5
The range of sounds that this machine can produce is nothing short of impressive. Its ability to track pitch makes it one of the most uniquely well suited ring modulators for horns. There are high pitched warbling tones, deep bass heavy distorted tones, and everything in between. Whether you want to sound like a robot or make your horn absolutely scream with electricity, this pedal can do it all. When it comes to electrified, non-conventional, extreme sonic colors, the Ringmaster is at the top of the list.
Clarity of Effect: 4/5
This pedal saturates beautifully. It is surprising that it reacts to a signal from a microphone so well. The cluster of mix knobs is incredibly useful and can take your acoustic sound completely away if needed. This pedal speaks beautifully. Its only limitation seems to be with the lower end of the tonal spectrum. When used with a bari sax, the sonic options seems to become more limited. The effects tend to fuzz out and lose their integrity with the strong low end that the bari feeds into the pedal.
Complexity: Medium
Live application: 2.5/5
If you are looking to sound like an angry robot, or an electrified monster, than this is your pedal. Its use live, however, can be limited by its complexity. With so many parameters, this pedal might have to be used for one or maybe two sounds in a live context. There is simply too much work to do in order to change the settings to your liking for a secondary sound. Presets would be a major boost for this pedal. The difficulties with visibility can also be a hindrance, especially on a dark stage. With those limitations in mind, this would still be a great pedal for someone looking to add this level of sonic intensity to their setup.
| Interface | Versatility | Clarity of Effect | Live Application | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 2.5/5 | 12.5/20 |
Audio
The following clips showcase the various types of sounds one can get from the Ringmaster. Note the varying mix of dry and wet signal as well as the wide range of potential sounds. Also note in the bari clips, the slightly lesser degree to which the Ringmaster saturates and speaks with the more powerful, lower bari voice.
Product Information
Pigtronix Ringmaster is a ring modulator synth designed to create analog harmonizer and tremolo effects that can be made to follow the notes you play. Expanding on the “Intelligent Ring Mod” found in the original Mothership pedal, Ringmaster adds LFO and Sample + Hold modulation sources, pitch following tremolo and well as wave shaping for both inputs to the analog multiplier circuit at the heart of this uniquely musical ring modulator.
The effect known as ring modulation is created by merging the audio signal from your instrument with an internally generated waveform called the carrier signal. A ring modulator multiplies the notes you play by the value of the carrier signal—and outputs the sum and difference of the frequencies present in each waveform. In the Ringmaster, Pigtronix real-time pitch-tracking technology is used to make the carrier signal follow the notes you play, to produce musical harmonizer effects unlike any other pedal. The Follow function in the Ringmaster can also be switched off to achieve a comprehensive range of atonal, metallic and bell-like tones found in vintage ring modulators.
Ringmaster opens the door to a wide array of unique synthesizer tones by allowing the musician to modify both the input signal and the carrier signal, before they are multiplied together. The Source control blends between clean instrument signal and a pitch-following square wave feeding the multiplier, to increase harmonic content. The Gain control pushes the carrier signal into saturation—producing aggressive, non-linear slewing effects and brass sounds. Further warping and manipulation of the carrier signal is achieved with independent, on-board LFO and Sample + Hold function generators. These dual modulation sources can be used to add several layers of motion to the Ringmaster’s unique selection of harmony, ring-mod and tremolo effects.
In addition to tonal harmonizer and atonal ring modulator sounds, the Ringmaster features a Trem function, which divides the rate of the carrier oscillator down into the LFO range to create tremolo. When combined with the Follow function, the tremolo will speed up as the pitch of the input signal goes up, tracking the notes you play and automatically adjusting the rate of the tremolo instantly. This function works extremely well with monophonic (one note at a time) playing but can also produce dramatic and unconventional amplitude modulation effects when chords are played, essentially confusing the pitch-tracking circuit, which will jump to whatever note is loudest at any given moment.
The control voltage coming from the pitch-tracking system, as well as the CV signals coming from the LFO and Sample + Hold function generators can be used to modulate outboard gear via the Ringmaster’s CV output jack. This ¼” CV output can be used as an expression controller for other pedals such as the Pigtronix Mothership 2 pedal, or any synthesizer that allows for external CV control. The Ringmaster also allows for an external carrier to be injected into the multiplier, enabling cross-modulation of multiple instruments within a single pedal. Ringmaster is an ideal companion to the Mothership 2, delivering new modulation effects for guitar, bass, and anyone brave enough to plug in to the analog future of Pigtronix!
Tunable Analog Harmonizer
Pitch-tracking “Follow” ͟function
Ring Mod and Tremolo modes
Wide-range LFO
Sample + Hold modulator
Modulation CV output (0-5 VDC)
External Carrier input
Internal Carrier output
18DVC included
True bypass
Product info from the Pigtronix website.