Lovetone Ring Stinger User manual
Welcome to the
Ring Stinger™
THIS MANUAL CONTAINS
IMPORTANT SAFETY
INSTRUCTIONS -
PLEASE READ BEFORE USE!!
The Ring Stinger™ is in essence a ring modulator based
on the original transformer matrix (and not the ubiquitous
modulator chip) for that distinctive vintage ring mod sound
and 60s germanium distortion. This is not your average
stomp box, however, and uses concepts that are more akin
to modular synths than eects pedals. To get the most out of
it and appreciate its hidden depths it is absolutely essential
to read and understand the manual which we have taken
great care to write! All enquiries arising out of laziness will
be politely (?) referred to the manual (on a good day).
The extended features of the Ring Stinger™ give it such
numerous sound possibilities that it would be foolish to
attempt to do them all justice here. We are therefore NOT
providing sample settings (so please don’t bother to ask)
but relying instead on an understanding of the principles
involved allied to some pant-curdling experimentation.
There are nevertheless some hints and tips provided at the
end. If you want to busk it that’s ne (the pedal is fairly idiot-
proof and you’d be hard pushed not to get a sound) but just
don’t expect us to explain what’s going on.
BASIC PRINCIPLES
A ring modulator is a device that combines to inputs (A and
B) into one output, transforming them into new sounds not
originally heard at the inputs. These are in fact the sum and
dierence of the frequencies of the input signals (A+B and
A-B). The original input signals are suppressed, leaving
the sum and dierence signals to be heard together as the
output. Many harmonics can be produced by this process
yielding very complex waveforms. This results in the atonal
and “bell-like” eects that are commonly associated with
ring modulation (unless A and B are harmonically related
which has less atonal results). A special case (which the
Ring Stinger™ exploits) is when A and B are the same
thus giving an octave above (A+B). Low-pass ltering (i.e.
removing harmonics from) one or both inputs can greatly
increase the purity of the output signal.
Most simple ring mod units have only one external input and
product a tone (or “carrier”) to modulate it with. The carrier
remains static (unless manually tweaked) which greatly
limits the eects possible. Modulating the carrier frequency
(i.e. moving it around a bit) hugely increases the potential.
The Ring Stinger™ allows various ways of doing this (by
footpedal, light, external control voltage and not least the
built in LFO - short for Low Frequency Oscillator). The
carrier (or “VCO” - short for Voltage Controlled Oscillator)
on the Ring Stinger™ also has an insert point allowing the
carrier to be overridden by a second external source as
well as access to the carrier itself which can be used as a
sound source in its own right. It is important to understand
that a ring mod will produce a sound only if BOTH inputs
have sucient signal going into them (the resulting output
level being a factor of both input levels). You can also use
the insert point to treat the carrier itself (e.g. with low-pass
itering as mentioned above, gating, amplitude modulation
etc.)
All ring modulators suer from carrier breakthrough and
distort and degrade the original signal, especially those
using a transformer/diode matrix as in the Ring Stinger™.
However, by good design and time consuming selection
and matching of components the carrier rejection achieved
in other designs by using modulator chips has been
equalled and in most cases surpassed but with two distinct
advantages; mega sex tone and no periodical adjustment
required. Please note that use of compression or distortion
(after the Ring Stinger™) will greatly exacerbate carrier
breakthrough.
HOUSING (BENEFIT)
Opening up the Ring Stinger™ and accessing the battery
compartment is so simple it can stump the most highly
developed musician’s brain. There are no screws - you just
lift the front panel up by the middle footswitch while holding
on to the outer casing and voila - as they say! Keep case
closed when in use for maximum signal screening and
minimum hum pick-up. This also prevents ambient light
from disrupting the optical workings.
WARNING!! The circuit board and components can be
sharp - PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH!
BATTERY HOLDER
The clip on the back of the battery holder (opposite the
contacts) is designed to latch onto the back of the battery.
The ideal way to remove the battery is with a pen by lifting the
back of the battery and sliding the pen underneath, between
the battery and the holder, thus releasing the battery from
the clip. Alternatively you can lever it out using a suitable
blunt instrument (e.g. medium to large screwdriver) but
make sure you lever against the battery holder and not the
pedal casing.
WARNING!! Never attempt to remove the battery by
pulling on it with excessive force! Avoid placing your
hand near the circuit board.
CHROME KNOBS
For that extra spangle carefully remove the plastic covering
the chrome - you’ll be amazed at the dierence!
CONNECTIONS (TOP PANEL RIGHT TO LEFT)
In/On
Connecting a jack to this will power up the unit (whether
switched on or o). This will use battery power (if power jack
is not connected). You can connect a mic, instrument, mixer
send or the output of another eect. Please note that the
input level has a marked eect on the sound (see Drive(I)).
To attain a sucient level a mic should be 200-600 ohm and
connected via a suitable impedance matching transformer
for high impedance 50kohm output (the inexpensive in-line
balanced XLR to 1/4” jack type is ideal). The Ring Stinger™
is optimised for instument level (-20dBm to -15dBm) which
gives the best Drive range and Blend balance. Higher levels
can be used but may require adjustment of control settings.
POWER JACK
This is a commonly available type of jack for connecting a
power supply (a.k.a. psu, AC adapter, wall wart)
WARNING!! If you wish to use a power supply you
must remove the battery rst. Never have a battery
and a power supply connected at the same time (see
below).
BATTERY OR POWER SUPPLY? (or “How To Get Your
Money’s Worth!”)
Even though the Ring Stinger™ will run on a suitable battery
(e.g. 9 volt PP3, 6F22 or MN1604 type) and a battery holder
is provided, we strongly recommend that this is only as a
last resort as the performance of the pedal will be seriously
compromised! The inherent voltage decrease (esp. over
time) and the relatively high internal resistance of batteries
(compared to the low impedance of a good quality regulated
power supply) will not be attering to the potential sound
and will aect the VCO purity.
IMPORTANT: The purity of the VCO waveform depends on
the supply voltage (see “Calibrating the VCO”). An impure
VCO waveform, especially if modulated with a complex
input signal, will drastically increase the harmonics ying
around at the output. This will not generally give the most
musical results, but can of course be used if desired.
The maximum current consumption is approx. 30mA, but
even with no signal it will be relatively high. This means that
even an alkaline battery will not last very long. In the long
term it makes absolutely no nancial (or ecological) sense
to keep replacing them when you can buy a power supply
for literally the price of a few disposable batteries.
The Ring Stinger™ is calibrated for 9 volt operation. 12
volts will work ne, but it will be necessary to re-calibrate
the pedal in order to obtain a pure VCO waveform. This
may be necessary even on a 9 volt supply as no two
supplies produce exactly the same output voltage. NEVER
RUN THIS PEDAL ON MORE THAN 12 VOLTS!! Please
note also that a single power supply can be made to run a
number of pedals (easily done with a more than fashionable
Lovetone pedal board!)
POWER SUPPLY SPECIFICATIONS:
The power supply should have a Japanese-style, tip (centre)
negative, “barrel” type connector. This type of connector is
used widely in many devices and should be readily available
from music or electronics outlets. (We do not currently sell
power supplies.)
IMPORTANT!! Even though it is widely used, it is a
nonstandard part and comes in many size variations not
all of which will work reliably. The connector has a dual
function; to supply power to the pedal and also switch out
the battery supply if a battery is tted. The ideal dimensions
for the connector are 2.1mm internal diameter and 5.4mm
external diameter. Lovetone cannot guarantee that the
correct connector will be used at all times by all customers
and we therefore stress that when using a power supply
you remove the battery rst. Do not connect a power supply
without checking to see if a battery is tted.
For safety reasons we recommend using a power supply
with double insulation as opposed to earthing/grounding - in
addition this will help prevent hum loops. It should be well
smoothed, otherwise you can also get hum problems (from
“ripple” on the dc output). The power supply should also be
of the regulated type, which means that its output voltage
should not vary signicantly with load.
Voltage: the output should be 9v or 12v d.c. (or either if it
has a selector switch).
WARNING!! Never use more than 12v as this can result
in permanent damage.
Current: the current rating should be a minimum of 200mA
(0.2A) up to 1.5A. Higher current (more expensive) supplies
will generally have a stier, smoother output resulting in a
cleaner sound. Anything higher than 1.5A, however, would
be a waste of money for running a set of pedals.
PLEASE NOTE: THE CURRENT RATING OF THE POWER
SUPPLY IS ITS MAXIMUM CAPACITY - THE PEDAL WILL
ONLY DRAW THE CURRENT IT REQUIRES.
CALIBRATING THE VCO
WARNING!! The VCO output is much higher than
instrument level, so turn down your amp or monitoring
volume rst.
Open up the pedal as described previously and connect
your power supply. Plug an amp or other suitable monitoring
into the VCO out jack. Set VCO freq. to approx. 12 o’clock,
Depth/Manual to zero (fully anti-clockwise) and the VCO
selector switch to (sine wave). The trim pot is near the
middle of the main pcb (as you look from underneath) and
labelled PW trim. Using a trim tool or small screwdriver
slowly turn the trim pot to nd the “null point” (the setting
which gives the mellowest sound). Provided you use the
same (regulated) supply with this pedal no further adjustment
should be necessary. (This calibration also aects the
triangle and square waves, but is best done on sine as
described above.)
VCO Out
Together with Carrier In, this acts as the insert point for
the VCO (or “carrier”) thus providing access to the VCO
(regardless of whether there is anything connected to the
Carrier In).
WARNING: Turn down your amp or monitoring volume
before you plug into this socket.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have a signal connected to In/On at
the same time as accessing the VCO there may be some
crosstalk. If so, turn down the Drive(I) control or mute the
incoming signal.
Carrier In
This acts as a second input if you want to ring mod two
external signals. Connecting a jack will break the path
of the VCO. When nothing is connected the VCO out is
“normalised” to the Carrier In (i.e. no jack cable needs
to be connected for basic operation). This input has a
20K input impedance so when using a guitar (or other
similarly high impedance source) some preamplication or
signal buering will be desirable. Buering can easily be
achieved by connecting a FET switching pedal (e.g. Boss,
DOD, Ibanez) in bypass between the guitar and this input.
If instability is experienced using a wah pedal, the same
would be benecial (between the wah and this input).
IMPORTANT: Because in basic operation the break jack
set-up described above may be sitting idle for very long
periods of time, it may be necessary every now and again
to “exercise” the contacts by inserting a jack a few times. If
you experience any signal loss this is the rst thing to try.
VCO CV In/Pedal
This is a STEREO jack socket that accepts 3 dierent types
of controllers for the VCO frequency:
1. Volume Pedal (see WARNING!! in LFO Depth Pedal)
a) Using a MONO cable:
Connect the output of a passive (i.e. non battery-using)
volume pedal (e.g. Boss FV50 or FV60) to the socket. Use
the VCO Freq. control to oset the range of pedal operation.
b) Using a STEREO cable (this provides a better sweep):
This requires making a special cable consisting of one
stereo (TIP-RING-SLEEVE) jack “A” (which plugs into the
Ring Stinger™) and two mono jacks “B” + “C” (which plug
into a passive volume pedal, B to the output and C to the
input).
Wire the following connections: A TIP to C TIP, A RING to B
TIP, A SLEEVE to B+C SLEEVES.
Moving your foot forward will decrease the VCO frequency
for both a) and b).
2. Light Jack
Insert the jack (which is provided) into the socket. It will
respond to ambient light changes and, more directly, hand
movements (which can create, with a bit of practice, very
theremin-like eects). The brighter the ambient light, the
greater the available range will be. Maximum darkness will
give the highest VCO frequency (which will approach, but
never quite reach, that set on the VCO Freq. control if the
jack was not plugged in).
3. CV (Control Voltage)
Connect a mono jack with CV feed all the way into the
socket. Please note that the VCO is scaled at slightly less
than 1V/octave so that a potentiometer, series resistance or
volume pedal can be placed in line with the control voltage
to scale it to 1V/octave (over a moderate range).
LFO Depth Pedal
This is a STEREO jack socket that accepts 2 dierent types
of controllers for the LFO depth:
1. Volume Pedal (See WARNING!! at end of this section)
Use the same (stereo cable) set-up as for 1.b) above.
The LFO Depth/Manual control will scale the action of
the pedal. Maximum setting will give maximum available
modulation (which will in most cases be approximately half
that available without the volume pedal). Moving your foot
forward will increase modulation depth. Please note a mono
cable set-up will not work in this socket.
WARNING!! The sleeve connection to this socket must
NOT come into contact with other cable sleeves or
ground, as it is at a dierent voltage.
2. Light Jack
Insert the jack into the socket. Bright light gives maximum
available modulation (which will approach, but never quite
reach, that set on the Depth/Manual control if the jack was
not plugged in).
WARNING!! The two pedal input jacks are to be used
only in the manner described. DO NOT CONNECT
ANYTHING ELSE TO THESE (E.G. INSTRUMENTS,
AMPS ETC.) AS THIS COULD RESULT IN PERMANENT
DAMAGE.
Out
Main pedal output.
CONTROL PANEL
LFO Depth/Manual
The action of this control depends on the status of the LFO/
Unlock footswitch (i.e. whether the LFO is activated or not)
and the Oct./Ring footswitch (i.e. whether you’re in octave
or ring mod mode)
Ring Mod Mode:
1. When the LFO (and yellow LED) is on it determines the
depth (or “amount”) of modulation of the VCO by the LFO.
Depending on the position of the LFO 4-way switch this
can mean modulation of the VCO frequency or pulsewidth
“PW”. PLEASE NOTE: In certain circumstances a high
depth setting can push the VCO square wave pulsewidth
“o the scale” resulting in a momentary silence. Please also
note that use of the LFO in Ring Mod mode may cause
additional carrier breakthrough to occur.
2. When the LFO (and yellow LED) is o it acts as a ne
tune for the VCO Freq. (maximum shift being on average
1.5 octaves) or VCO PW (whichever the LFO selector
switch is set to) but only on square waves - not triangle.
(See also LFO/Unlock footswitch.) This feature can be used
to eectively extend the available range of VCO Freq. (in
both directions).
Octave Mode:
This control has no eect.
LFO Rate
Determines the speed of the LFO. The LFO has a range
from very slow up to low audio frequencies (which allows
FM eects to be heard at the VCO output, as well as driving
the ring mod bananas. The action (rate) of the LFO is shown
by the yellow LED. (In Octave Mode it is also shown by the
green LED.)
VCO Freq.
Determines the frequency of the VCO. The VCO has an
extremely large range. At the slow end it can be used to
create gating/repeater eects. This is because, as mentioned
previously, the ring mod needs both inputs to be active to
produce an output so on sub-sonic VCO frequencies the
output will follow the pulsing of the VCO. (This also means
that if you have a jack connected to Carrier In with no signal
on it you’ll get nothing - however at least it’ll be a big fat
analogue nothing!) The most pronouced gating eect will
obviously happen when the VCO is set to square wave -
see VCO selector switch.
PLEASE NOTE: In Octave mode the VCO is switched o to
prevent cross talk.
Drive(I)
Ring Mod Mode:
Determines the drive to the ring mod. More drive means
more distortion and thus a more atonal eect. For purer
more bell-like tones keep the drive low (and select sine
wave on the VCO). IMPORTANT: Too low a drive level may
result in no sound at all. The input level at In/On will also
detemine the amount of drive.
Octave Mode:
Determines the octave drive. The drive levels in Octave
Mode are somewhat higher than in ring mod mode producing
a full-on germanium octave “fuzz” eect. (If you’re using a
guitar the best way to hear this is on the neck pickup with
the tone rolled o.)
Timbre
A gloried name for a tone pot - but this is no ordinary tone
control. Clockwise it goes from a low pass, through zzy
and scooped, to a poky mid boost. At either extreme it will
roll o high end harmonics - useful for creating purer bell-
like tones.
Blend
Mixes straight signal with eect, giving 100% eect when
fully clockwise and vice-versa.Adding some straight is useful
for preserving bottom end on bass sounds for instance, as
well as some semblance of the original key.
LFO selector switch
Ring Mod Mode:
Selects triangle or squarewave on either pulsewidth (“PW”)
or frequency modulation of the VCO.
Octave Mode:
This switch has no eect. The modulation of the octave drive
always comes o the LFO square wave (and always at a
xed level i.e. it is not aected by the LFO Depth/Manual
control). The depth of modulation is, however, aected
by the Drive(I) control. Maximum Drive(I) setting will give
maximum depth.
VCO selector switch
Selects sine, triangle, sawtooth or square waveforms on the
VCO. The purest ring mod sounds will be obtained using
the sine wave (see Power Jack section on how to calibrate
sine wave purity). The VCO sine output is not 100% pure,
however. For the best bell tones you can use an external
dedicated sine wave generator - or indeed the sine wave
on your sampler. These should be connected to Carrier In.
All the VCO waveforms change shape when PW modulated
by the LFO, EXCEPT sawtooth (where subtle amplitude
modulation will result instead).
PLEASE NOTE: The triangle waveform is lower in level
thus enabling lower overall output levels.
FOOTSWITCHES
LFO/Unlock
Stops and starts the LFO, as indicated by the yellow LED
(which shows the action of the LFO - but always the triangle
wave, irrespective of the position of the LFO selector switch).
IMPORTANT (AND SLIGHTLY WEIRD):
When the LFO is switched o it is eectively frozen or
“locked” into one of two states (“UP” or “DOWN”).
Ring Mod Mode:
The LFO Depth/Manual control then scales (ne tunes) the
(now static) square wave output aecting the VCO Freq. or
PW (whichever is selected on the LFO selector switch).
Increasing the LFO Depth/Manual amount in “UP” will push
the VCO Freq./PW in one direction, and in “DOWN” in the
opposite direction. By observing the yellow LED you can
actively select “UP” or “DOWN”. This is obviously only
possible at low LFO rates - unless you’ve got the foot-eye
co-ordination speed of an insect. You could use this feature
to toggle between two discrete VCO Freq. or PW settings.
When the LFO Depth/Manual control is at minimum these
two settings are virtually identical - the dierence between
them increases as you turn up the LFO Depth/Manual
control.
As mentioned previously all of the above only happens with
the LFO square wave and not triangle.
Octave Mode:
The LFO will ash the green LED which will show the status
of the LFO square wave and consequently the level of
octave drive. The drive is lowest when the green LED is
brightest and vice versa. So for maximum drive, lock the
LFO when the green LED is “o”. As above, you can set up
the Ring Stinger™ to toggle between two discrete settings,
this lime giving two levels of drive (a subtle dierence will be
heard - most noticeably on guitars).
Middle “Bypass” switch
Switches the unit on or o (as indicated by the red LED).
Oct./Ring
Switches between Ring Mod and Octave modes. The green
LED indicates ring mod mode, however (as explained above)
it may be partially lit or ash in octave mode depending on
the status of the LFO. In Ring Mod mode however the green
LED will always be brighter than at any time in Octave Mode
even when showing minimum octave drive. (Also, the green
LED never ashes in ring mod mode.)
HINTS & TIPS:
“Dalek” eects: Feed a mic or voice signal into In/On and
dial up a low frequency “jitter” on VCO Freq. with VCO
square selected.
Bell tones: Use mid VCO Freq. with VCO sine selected.
Bowed/Plucked eects: Use slow VCO Freq. with VCO
sine/triangle/sawtooth selected.
Repeater eects: Use slow VCO Freq. with VCO square
selected. Also try blending with straight signal.
Frequency Doubled VCO: Connect VCO Out to In/On and
use blend control to mix with original. This enables VCO to
be accessed at the pedal output and also brings into play
the drive(I) and timbre controls.
WARNING: Keep amp volume/monitoring level down
when connecting!
Minimoog owners: Patch unused output or headphone out
on your mini into the In/On and the pedal output into the
external input. Adjust the external input level so the overload
lamp just ashes when the unit is bypassed.
DIY pure ring mod: Plug your input into Carrier In. Connect
a jack lead to In/On and touch the loose tip with your nger!
LOVETONE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT
OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSS, HOWSOEVER CAUSED, RESULTING
FROM THE USE OF THIS PRODUCT.
Please ensure that associated equipment e.g. ampliers (particularly
of the valve variety) and any other equipment connected to this
product is safely earthed. Always use high quality cables, connectors
and power supplies. Lovetone cannot be held responsible for misuse
of this product due to associated equipment being faulty, unsafe or
poorly maintained.
This product is guaranteed by Lovetone for a period of ONE YEAR from
the initial date of shipment by Lovetone to a distributor, dealer or end user.
Lovetone will at its discretion repair or exchange for a new one, free of
charge, any faulty or defective product returned to it within the above
period except where the product:
a/ is deemed by Lovetone to have suered unreasonable misuse or abuse
b/ has been tampered with or modied either in any way not compatible
with normal use as suggested in the manual, or without the express
permission of Lovetone.
PLEASE NOTE: If any product is found to be defective or develops
a fault please contact us rst on +44 1491 571411 or email: info@
lovetone.com before sending it back as most problems can be sorted
out by phone or email. IMPORTANT!! If you do have to return the pedal
and are outside the United Kingdom you must write: “RETURNED
FOR REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY - CUSTOMS VALUE ZERO” clearly
on the customs declaration.
LOVETONE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PASS ON TO THE CUSTOMER
ANY CUSTOMS CHARGES INCURRED IF THE CUSTOMER DOES
NOT DO THIS.
Lovetone products are subject to continuous renement and improvement.
Lovetone reserves the right to change the specications of its products
without notice. Lovetone is not under any obligation to retrot any such
changes or improvements to earlier models.
© Lovetone 2000
P.O. Box 102
Henley-on-Thames
Oxfordshire
RG9 1XX
England
Tel/Fax: +44 (0)1491 571411
website: www.lovetone.com
Lovetone is a Registered Trade Mark
This manual has been reproduced by Aion FX (https://aionfx.com) for
better legibility in digital format. No copyright is asserted and all contents
remain copyright of the original owner.
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