Four Tet Ring-Mod Bell Pluck
Sounds like: A bright, kalimba-like bell pluck with a glitchy, glassy edge.
Sound type: pluck · Genre: Downtempo, IDM, Experimental · Style: Four Tet-style glitchy, bell-like chopped pluck texture
A bright, kalimba-like plucked bell built from ring modulation with a moderately inharmonic interval — glassier and more melodic than a harsh clangorous ring-mod patch, with a short, percussive decay.
Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad
Digitone II
Exact match: WAVETONE MOD = RING MOD
SYN page 1 · WAVETONE
- TUN1: 0
- WAV1: Sine (PRIM table)
- PD1: 0
- LEV1: 100
- TUN2: +1523 cents (a 2.41:1 frequency ratio)
- WAV2: Sine (PRIM table)
- PD2: 0
- LEV2: 0
SYN page 2 · WAVETONE
- OFS1: 0
- TBL1: PRIM
- MOD: RING MOD
- RSET: ON
- OFS2: 0
- TBL2: PRIM
- DRIF: 0
FLTR page 1 · Multi-mode
- FREQ: 85
- RESO: 15
- TYPE: 0 (LP)
AMP page
- ATK: 0
- DEC: 35
- SUS: 0
- REL: 30
- MODE: ADSR
Real WAVETONE RING MOD, with TUN2 at a moderately inharmonic +1523 cents (2.41:1) — between a clangorous bell's 2.76:1 and a near-unison shimmer's ~1.02:1 — for a glassier, more melodic kalimba-like bell. Short AMP decay with zero sustain gives the plucked shape. LEV2 stays 0.
Syntakt
Exact match: SY RAW WAV2 = Ring modulator
SYN — SY RAW
- WAV1: Sine
- WAV2: Ring modulator
- TUNE: 70
- LEV2: 80
- DEC2: 30
FLTR PAGE 1
- FREQ: 85
- RESO: 15
- TYPE: Lowpass
AMP PAGE 1
- ATK: 0
- DEC: 35
- SUS: 0
- REL: 30
Real, literal ring modulation again via WAV2, transposed up (TUNE 70) into a plucky, melodic register with a short amp decay.
Novation Summit
Exact match: Mixer Ring Mod
OSCILLATOR 1
OSCILLATOR 2
- WAVE: Triangle
- RANGE: 8'
- COARSE: +9 semitones (a minor sixth, moderately inharmonic bell interval)
MIXER
- Osc 1: 60
- Osc 2: 60
- Ring 1*2: 90
FILTER
- SHAPE: LP
- FREQUENCY: 85
- RESONANCE: 15
AMP ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 0
- DECAY: 35
- SUSTAIN: 0
- RELEASE: 30
A minor-sixth interval (+9 semitones) on the ring-mod carrier is moderately inharmonic — bell-like and melodic rather than a fully dissonant clang. Live control: ride the panel Ring 1*2 knob and Osc 2 Coarse by hand.
Arturia MiniFreak
Exact match: Osc 2 FM/RM engine RingMod
OSCILLATOR · Osc 1
- TYPE: BasicWaves
- WAVE (Morph): 50 (pure sawtooth)
- TIMBRE (Sym): 0
- SHAPE (Sub): 0
- VOLUME: 60
OSCILLATOR · Osc 2
- TYPE: FM/RM
- WAVE (Wave of Osc 2): 60
- TIMBRE (FreqMod): 0
- SHAPE (RingMod): 90
- VOLUME: 70
- TUNE/OCT: +9 semitones
ANALOG FILTER
- TYPE: Low Pass
- CUTOFF: 85
- RESONANCE: 15
ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 0
- DECAY: 35
- SUSTAIN: 0
- RELEASE: 30
Osc 1 is BasicWaves with Morph at 50 (pure sawtooth): the Morph knob runs from a square (0) through a sawtooth (50) to a double sawtooth an octave up (100), Sym only changes the pulse width below 50, and Sub adds a sine an octave down (0 here). Osc 2 is the FM/RM engine (Osc 2 only): Osc 1 modulates it; Wave is Osc 2's waveform, Timbre the FM amount and Shape the ring-mod amount. For ring modulation set RingMod high and FreqMod to 0. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale.
Dreadbox Typhon
Approximation: No ring mod: VCO cross-FM
FRONT PANEL
- WAVE: ~7 o'clock (the FM position, fully counter-clockwise: VCO1 square FM'd by VCO2 triangle)
- TUNE 2: ~4 o'clock (a moderate, bell-like interval above VCO1)
- CUTOFF: ~5 o'clock (~85%)
- RESON: ~2 o'clock (~15%)
FILTER ADSR
- ATTACK: 0
- DECAY: 35
- SUSTAIN: 0
- RELEASE: 30
AMP ADSR
- ATTACK: 0
- DECAY: 35
- SUSTAIN: 0
- RELEASE: 30
Compared with other synths: Same VCO cross-FM approximation used throughout this library for Typhon ring-mod-style patches, TUNE 2 set to a moderate interval for a bell rather than a clang.
ASM Hydrasynth Desktop
Exact match: Mixer RING VOL
OSCILLATOR 1
OSCILLATOR 2
- MODE: Single
- WAVE: Saw
- SEMI: 9
MIXER
- OSC 1 LEVEL: 60.0
- OSC 2 LEVEL: 60.0
- RING VOL: 90.0
FILTER 1
- TYPE: LP Ldr12
- CUTOFF: 85.0
- RESONANCE: 15.0
ENVELOPE 2
- ATTACK: 0 ms
- DECAY: 350 ms
- SUSTAIN: 0.0
- RELEASE: 300 ms
Compared with other synths: Real, literal ring modulation via RING VOL, SEMI 9 (minor sixth) matching Summit and MiniFreak's moderate, bell-like interval.
How the synths compare
Same ring-mod availability as Ring-Mod Bell Lead — what differs here is the interval (a moderate ratio rather than a fully inharmonic one) and the plucky, zero-sustain envelope, landing between that clangorous lead and the near-unison Ring-Mod Shimmer Pad.
Patchpad is a free reference of drum patterns and synth patches written for real hardware: Digitakt II, Digitone II, Syntakt, Novation Summit, Arturia MiniFreak, Dreadbox Typhon and ASM Hydrasynth Desktop.