Ring-Mod Shimmer Pad
Sounds like: A soft pad with a gentle, shimmering beat running through it.
Sound type: pad · Genre: Ambient, IDM, Experimental · Style: subtle ring-modulation shimmer/beating pad texture
A slow-moving pad where a gentle ring-modulated beating between two closely-related pitches creates a shimmering, animated texture on top of a soft filtered pad — subtler and closer to unison than a clangorous bell, so the ring-mod reads as movement rather than dissonance.
Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad
Digitone II
Exact match: WAVETONE MOD = RING MOD
SYN page 1 · WAVETONE
- TUN1: 0
- WAV1: Triangle (PRIM table)
- PD1: 0
- LEV1: 100
- TUN2: +35 cents (a ~1.02:1 near-unison ratio)
- WAV2: Triangle (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: 55
- RESO: 15
- TYPE: 0 (LP)
- ATK: 20
- DEC: 80
- SUS: 100
AMP page
- ATK: 40
- DEC: 90
- SUS: 110
- REL: 120
- MODE: ADSR
FX page
Same real WAVETONE RING MOD mechanism as a clangorous ring-mod bell, but TUN2 sits only +35 cents from Oscillator 1 — with the two frequencies nearly equal the sum-and-difference sidebands collapse into a slow beating shimmer rather than a dissonant clang. LEV2 stays at 0 so the modulator itself isn't heard. FX page Chorus and Reverb add width and space.
Syntakt
Exact match: SY RAW WAV2 = Ring modulator
SYN — SY RAW
- WAV1: Sine
- WAV2: Ring modulator
- TUNE: 64
- LEV2: 40
- DEC2: 90
FLTR PAGE 1
- FREQ: 55
- RESO: 15
- TYPE: Lowpass
- ATK: 20
- DEC: 80
- SUS: 100
AMP PAGE 1
- ATK: 40
- DEC: 90
- SUS: 110
- REL: 120
- DEL: 30
- REV: 60
AMP PAGE 2
Real, literal ring modulation again via WAV2, but LEV2 kept lower (40 vs. a clangorous bell patch's 90) so the ring-mod content shimmers underneath the sine fundamental rather than dominating it.
Novation Summit
Exact match: Mixer Ring Mod knob
OSCILLATOR 1
OSCILLATOR 2
- WAVE: Sawtooth
- RANGE: 8'
- FINE: +9 cents
MIXER
- Osc 1: 90
- Osc 2: 0
- Ring 1*2: 50
FILTER
- SHAPE: LP
- FREQUENCY: 55
- RESONANCE: 15
AMP ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 40
- DECAY: 90
- SUSTAIN: 110
- RELEASE: 120
MODULATION MATRIX
- Slot 1 sA: ModWheel
- Slot 1 Destin: Osc2Ptch
- Slot 1 Depth: +3
EFFECTS
- CHORUS DEPTH: 70
- CHORUS RATE: 20
- REVERB TIME: 70
- REVERB LEVEL: 60
- REVERB SIZE: 3 (largest)
A near-unison FINE interval on Osc 2 (rather than a wide clangorous interval) plus a moderate 50 Ring Mod Level gives slow beating shimmer instead of harsh clang. Chorus widens it further on top. Live control: ride the panel Ring 1*2 knob by hand; the Mod Wheel nudges Osc 2 pitch a little through Mod Matrix slot 1 to change the beating rate.
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: 90
OSCILLATOR · Osc 2
- TYPE: FM/RM
- WAVE (Wave of Osc 2): 40
- TIMBRE (FreqMod): 0
- SHAPE (RingMod): 50
- VOLUME: 50
- TUNE/OCT: +3 cents (click-hold fine-tune, near-unison)
ANALOG FILTER
- TYPE: Low Pass
- CUTOFF: 55
- RESONANCE: 15
ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 40
- DECAY: 90
- SUSTAIN: 95
- RELEASE: 100
DIGITAL EFFECTS · FX1
- TYPE: Chorus
- INTENSITY: 50
- AMOUNT: 40
DIGITAL EFFECTS · FX2
- TYPE: Reverb
- TIME: 70
- INTENSITY: 50
- AMOUNT: 60
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. A near-unison +3-cent offset and only moderate RingMod keeps the sidebands close together for a slow shimmer rather than a clang. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale.
Dreadbox Typhon
Approximation: No ring mod: gentle VCO cross-FM
FRONT PANEL
- WAVE: ~7 o'clock (the FM position, fully counter-clockwise: VCO1 square FM'd by VCO2 triangle)
- TUNE 2: ~12 o'clock (near-unison, subtle beating)
- CUTOFF: ~11 o'clock (~55%)
- RESON: ~9 o'clock (~15%)
- EG LEVEL: ~10 o'clock (low)
FILTER ADSR
- ATTACK: 20
- DECAY: 80
- SUSTAIN: 100
- RELEASE: 100
AMP ADSR
- ATTACK: 40
- DECAY: 90
- SUSTAIN: 100
- RELEASE: 100
FX2
- TYPE: Chorus
- DEPTH: 60
- SPD: 30
- WIDTH: 50
- FEED: 20
- MIX: 50
FX3
- TYPE: Soft Reverb
- PRE: 10
- SIZE: 70
- FEED: 60
- DAMP: 40
- MIX: 50
TUNE 2 near center (~12 o'clock) keeps the VCO cross-FM subtle rather than the wide interval a clangorous version would use — the same real WAVE-knob mechanism, just tuned gently. FX2 Chorus and FX3 Soft Reverb do the shimmer and wash work.
ASM Hydrasynth Desktop
Exact match: Mixer RING VOL
OSCILLATOR 1
OSCILLATOR 2
- MODE: Single
- WAVE: Saw
- CENTS: +15
MIXER
- OSC 1 LEVEL: 90.0
- OSC 2 LEVEL: 0.0
- RING VOL: 50.0
FILTER 1
- TYPE: LP Ldr12
- CUTOFF: 55.0
- RESONANCE: 15.0
AMP
ENVELOPE 2
- ATTACK: 400 ms
- DECAY: 900 ms
- SUSTAIN: 110.0
- RELEASE: 1200 ms
POST-FX
- TYPE: Chorus
- RATE: 0.6 Hz
- DEPTH: 50
- DRY/WET: 40%
REVERB
- TYPE: Cloud
- TIME: 6s
- DRY/WET: 50%
CENTS +15 on Osc 2 (a subtle ~15-cent interval, not a full semitone) keeps the ring-mod beating slow rather than clangorous, and RING VOL sits at a moderate 50 rather than a full 100. Post-FX Chorus and the dedicated Reverb module's Cloud type build the shimmer and wash around it.
How the synths compare
Ring modulation is literal on Digitone II (WAVETONE), Syntakt, Novation Summit, Arturia MiniFreak, and ASM Hydrasynth Desktop; Dreadbox Typhon substitutes an approximation — the difference throughout is a near-unison interval and lower ring-mod depth on every synth, turning dissonant clang into slow shimmering beating, plus heavier chorus/reverb on top to build a pad wash.
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.