lex666
New member
I recently had the opportunity the try out 2 ring modulator effect pedals recently, the Moog Moogerfooger ring modulator and the new Electro Harmonix Frequency Analyzer. I’m not an expert in how the ring mod effects work, so please excuse me if I leave out the technical and scientific terms and details.
The Moog was my first review. It’s expensive, fancy and very big. It didn’t even fit on my pedal board so I had to place it on top of my amp using my amp’s effects loop. This ring mod has plenty of knobs and switches and you can tweak the speed and tone of the effect with infinite possibilities. It will take some time to learn all the proper functions of each knob and even more time to dial in the exact sound you’re looking for. There was an obvious drop in volume with the effect on. Even when thru the front of the amp there was a noticeable drop in volume. The blend and level knobs were not enough to compensate for the volume drop. I also found it complicated to dial in a good sound. I found 1 that I liked, but other settings just didn’t seem like they would be useful to me. I had high hopes for this effect, but fell short of my expectations. It was expensive, complicated and I only found 1 good sound after 1 month of tweaking. It was returned and exchanged for the new Electro Harmonix Frequency Analyzer. This is a “new” product from EH. They’ve taken the large Frequency Analyzer pedal and put it in a more compact and pedal board friendly unit. This pedal still requires the use of the supplied 40v wall wart. Although this unit had far less knobs and switches than the Moog, it was able to achieve similar sounds. The EH Analyzer was much easier to dial in a good ring mod sound. The instruction manual was well written and easy to understand unlike Moog’s crash course in sound frequencies and sound waves. Although the EH does not have adjustments for hi and lo frequency adjustments, it does have a “filter” switch to remove the hi frequency effect. I left the switch off enjoying the fuller sound of both modulated frequencies. IMO, the EH sounded just as good, if not better than the Moog. No longer was there a volume drop and that made the effect seem fuller and richer. Tweaking was easier with only 3 knobs and it was easier to tell how each small turn of the knob affected the overall effect. I found a sweet spot almost immediately. More experimenting revealed more interesting tones that sounded more useful and creative than the Moog’s. For the price, ease of use, and similar, if not better ring mod tones, I went with the EH.
The Moog was my first review. It’s expensive, fancy and very big. It didn’t even fit on my pedal board so I had to place it on top of my amp using my amp’s effects loop. This ring mod has plenty of knobs and switches and you can tweak the speed and tone of the effect with infinite possibilities. It will take some time to learn all the proper functions of each knob and even more time to dial in the exact sound you’re looking for. There was an obvious drop in volume with the effect on. Even when thru the front of the amp there was a noticeable drop in volume. The blend and level knobs were not enough to compensate for the volume drop. I also found it complicated to dial in a good sound. I found 1 that I liked, but other settings just didn’t seem like they would be useful to me. I had high hopes for this effect, but fell short of my expectations. It was expensive, complicated and I only found 1 good sound after 1 month of tweaking. It was returned and exchanged for the new Electro Harmonix Frequency Analyzer. This is a “new” product from EH. They’ve taken the large Frequency Analyzer pedal and put it in a more compact and pedal board friendly unit. This pedal still requires the use of the supplied 40v wall wart. Although this unit had far less knobs and switches than the Moog, it was able to achieve similar sounds. The EH Analyzer was much easier to dial in a good ring mod sound. The instruction manual was well written and easy to understand unlike Moog’s crash course in sound frequencies and sound waves. Although the EH does not have adjustments for hi and lo frequency adjustments, it does have a “filter” switch to remove the hi frequency effect. I left the switch off enjoying the fuller sound of both modulated frequencies. IMO, the EH sounded just as good, if not better than the Moog. No longer was there a volume drop and that made the effect seem fuller and richer. Tweaking was easier with only 3 knobs and it was easier to tell how each small turn of the knob affected the overall effect. I found a sweet spot almost immediately. More experimenting revealed more interesting tones that sounded more useful and creative than the Moog’s. For the price, ease of use, and similar, if not better ring mod tones, I went with the EH.
