Match capacitors??

[El Heisenberg]

I read that the green ringer works best when you match a few of the components. 2 sets of resistors one pair of caps and thr diode pair. How do you match capacitors though? Measure resistance?? Also is the setting with the diode symbol on my multimeter for measuring the forward voltage drop of the diode or something else? Thanx

[Andi]

You need a meter that measures capacitance.

Or you can do it with some jiggery pokery of timing things but I can never remember the details.

[petemoore]

  Here it is...scroll down..
  http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=131&Itemid=26
  Seems like a really nice place to have a 'balance / imbalance' control, since the prospects of having perfectly balanced input wave 1/2 cycles is quite small.
  Seeing the GR's input signal as either assymetrical to some amount, or perfectly symmetrical is a good approach to building the Green Ringer [and all the circuits which might feed it].

[El Heisenberg]

  Here it is...scroll down..
  http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=131&Itemid=26
  Seems like a really nice place to have a 'balance / imbalance' control, since the prospects of having perfectly balanced input wave 1/2 cycles is quite small.
  Seeing the GR's input signal as either assymetrical to some amount, or perfectly symmetrical is a good approach to building the Green Ringer [and all the circuits which might feed it].

Er uh, what do you mean? And i dont know what you were pointing out on the ggg site. Ive tried those mods before, but i just bought a gr kit and want to make this one perfect. If you listen to the end of danos demo of his fuzzlab on beavisaudio.com, his gr sounds way different than any ive heard.

[petemoore]

  I haven't coaxed anything like those sweet sounding, 'harmonically rich' tones from my GR. I use it for nasty fuzz/octa-ringmod type sounds.
"JC Maillet"..."Null Mod''.
  Say the input ''leans left'' [somehow, more gain was applied to the + wave halfcycle than the - ], in a perfectly balanced GR, this imbalance would be preserved, iowords to have balanced signal to octave generation circuit, adjusting the balance may allow more pronounced octave sounds to be produced.
  Not sure what Beavis had going on there exactly, the narration was a lower volume than the fuzzes, just a 'regular' GR circuit?

[El Heisenberg]

Ah ha! Im glad someine else heard this too. I was starting to think i was crazy, "that cant be the green ringer can it?"

[jessetrbo]

We had a tangential thread going  not so long ago.  I must echo say that adding a clean boost in front of my green ringer sounds awesome.  When I roll the tone knob down and give it a little boost, single notes sing... when I play more notes simultaneously, it gets real interesting.  I'd suggest germanium diodes (again), and measure the capacitance of C2 an C3 (GGG schematic)--my radio shack meter has this feature.  Good luck.  I wish that I could post sound samples just for comparison purposes, but I don't have any computer recording software... Maybe I can work something out after work...

Jesse Trbovich

[El Heisenberg]

blargh! My meter just doesnt have a setting to measuer capacitors! Im just outta luck?

[petemoore]

I must echo say that adding a clean boost in front of my green ringer sounds awesome.
  I like that it needs' something anything on the input to boost up the signal strength in order to sound stronger, that way I can have weak to strong inputs produce wierd-ring-mod to strong enough octa-ringing tones for my purposes, everything between gatey to very fuzzy/octave/ringing sound, the dynamics of the input can control to a large degree the character of the output...fuzz or distortion, before or after, pretty wide range there, comp/boost or distortion selections before and a Fuzz after allows a pretty wide range of different wierd sounds.
  If you want more pronounced pure octave, the FTM is probably the one you need...for those who prefer it for that reason...
 

[jessetrbo]

Yes, Pete, I agree with your assessment.  I struggled with this concept before committing to a mos fet booster-- do I want to ruin the weird, gate-y, fuzzed "quality" of the green ringer by adding to it?  My solution seems to keep much of that sound in tact:  when the boost control is turned all the way down, the entire circuit's output is at unity and it's still pretty gnarly sounding (I didn't notice any difference to the unboosted ringer).   This clears up as the boost knob is turned up... Overboosting the circuit made it sound shrill to me, so I took some measurements and stuck a resistor in series with the pot to keep it in a range that I found useful...

I haven't had enough time to experiment with the order I place this pedal in relation to fuzz.  Initially,  I put a silicon fuzz face before it and was quite pleased.  I will reverse the order and see what comes of it...

Jesse Trbovich

[El Heisenberg]

I use mine with an orange squeezer before it. I biult the os and gr in the same box with 2 switches. Was thinkin of putting a booster in front of the ringer but instead stuck a bass fuzz after it. The gr has the null and filtet mods. Also i can turn the octave off. I usually have the bass fuzz on and filter on and play with tone rolled back through a big muff. I put the ge rangemastrr in front of everything and it tightens up great. Like the QOTSA "little sister" tone.

[R.G.]

I read that the green ringer works best when you match a few of the components.

Can you tell us *where* you read that? 

[El Heisenberg]

I read that the green ringer works best when you match a few of the components.

Can you tell us *where* you read that? 

http://lynx.net/~jc/pedalsGreenRinger.html

[R.G.]

http://lynx.net/~jc/pedalsGreenRinger.html

OK, I see.

As with many things in the fog of the internet, there are some grains of truth there. However, don't go expecting miracles from any matching you do. There are other circuits using easy means of matching full wave rectifiers (which is what the Green Ringer is, despite the name) and many people like the sound at different points that may well be not matched.

The text there obscures rather than illuminates the issue. The operant words are "...attempt... sometimes.. can be... subtle tweak".

Don't sweat matching the caps. They will have their biggest effect at the bass cutoff point. Once frequencies are higher than the bass rolloff, they become increasingly inconsequential. It's only something where you can't afford big capacitors or some such where matching them is worthwhile.

[El Heisenberg]

Ok. But canni ask you hve u heard the fuzzlab demo on beavisaudio.com?? Wtf!?!?

[Andi]

blargh! My meter just doesnt have a setting to measuer capacitors! Im just outta luck?

Even a lot of cheapo meters have capacitance measurement now. It's a very handy feature - be worth looking for one that does it.

[El Heisenberg]

blargh! My meter just doesnt have a setting to measuer capacitors! Im just outta luck?

Even a lot of cheapo meters have capacitance measurement now. It's a very handy feature - be worth looking for one that does it.

When do you use it for example??

[R.G.]

Ok. But canni ask

Yes you can ask.

you hve u heard the fuzzlab demo on beavisaudio.com??

No I haven't.

Wtf!?!?

I'm not exactly sure what you're asking here. Can you transcode that into english to help me out?

[El Heisenberg]

Ok. But canni ask

Yes you can ask.

you hve u heard the fuzzlab demo on beavisaudio.com??

No I haven't.

Wtf!?!?

I'm not exactly sure what you're asking here. Can you transcode that into english to help me out?

Listen to the demo. The green ringer sounds nothin like a green ringer

[El Heisenberg]

Go ahead take a listen! What is that!?!