DACS FwS FREQue II

DACS FREQue II - Ring Modulator

Produce pumping tracks that stand out from the crowd with the FwS FREQue II (pronounced "freak"), a genuinely new and inspirational analogue effects processor.

 

"In a world filled with plug-ins that do everything, the FREQue II is a processor that few, if any, plug-ins can emulate. The FREQue II is truly a sound designer’s dream. It’ll chew up program material like nothing else out there!" (Alex Artaud)

 

The Effects:

With low frequency modulation inputs:
Simple to complex autopan effects, gating, amplitude modulation, flanging, spatialising

 

With mid frequency modulation inputs:
Vocoding type effects, adding tunable harmonics, both lower down to subsonic, and up to supersonic, second harmonic distortion (like valves/tubes), harmonising, retuning percussion, gating, general rich distortion, Sci-Fi voices (eg a Dalek)

 

With high frequency modulation inputs:
Transposition with distortion, adding glitter, air, sparkle etc when mixed back into original

 

With music or sounds into both inputs:
Vocoding effects, gating effects, fattening/thickening effects, spatial effects, weird transformations

 

Internal FM:
Frequency Modulation of modulation oscillator at all frequencies, giving effects ranging from slow pulsation to the classic FM generation of complex waveforms

 

External voltage control of oscillators:
Envelope follower effects, FM effects as above, randomised autopanning

 

Frequency shift:
Up and down shift of frequency with change in harmonic structure, with FM for sliding effects, using feedback loop to create filter type sweeps

 

DACS FREQue II Application Ideas

This section is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all that can be done with the FREQue II. Rather it is a list of starting points for you to begin experiments from. Using the FREQue II, producers and engineers can almost infinitely extend the voices of their existing battery of synthesisers and sound generators and create vast ranges of completely new sounds, add depth and warmth to early digital synthesisers, give drums new power, radically transform voices...

 

Some treatments will require mixing with the original signal and some will need to be kept separate. For example adding distortion to a continuous sound will need mixing while gating effects will not.

 

Tone and Music Set Up
Feed a stable tone, or a slightly varying one, into the MOD input and the music or tune into the MUSIC input. The MOD input could be from the internal oscillator. If the MOD input is harmonically related to the key of the music the OUTPUT will tend to be harmonic e.g. the MOD input is a D and the music is in the key of D, then the output will tend to be harmonically rich. If the MOD input is not related, then the output will be rough, bell like and/or noisy depending on the frequency of the input.

 

Try this...
Use held chords that have a certain amount of vibrato - as the pitch of the chords varies so the harmonic content of the sound will vary
Vary the MOD frequency to generate sliding upper and lower harmonics
Use randomly generated frequencies from synthesisers on MOD input
Try varying the edge controls contrariwise i.e. turn one up as you turn the other down, to produce stereo effects

Have a go at the 1st oscillator range to produce gating effects, the 2nd range to produce tremolo effects, the 3rd range to produce heavy modulation effects while the 4th range will produce higher and higher harmonic effects

 

Drums Set Up
Feed percussive sounds into the MUSIC input and tones or other sounds into the MOD input. The MUSIC input will then act as a trigger and give a gating effect, only producing OUTPUT when the MUSIC input signal is present.

 

Try this...
Vary the MOD input frequency to produce output harmonically related to the music.  Feed the melody into the MOD input and the percussion will 'play the tune', or at least tend to go up and down with it. Feed any old music to the MOD to produce an effect similar to scratching/ Feed the MOD input with carefully selected samples synchronised with the percussive sounds. Using the FREQue II's oscillator set on the 2nd or 3rd range generate deep deep bass sub harmonics on bass drums
Using the oscillator set on the 4th range generate grain, grit and glitter on snares, hi hats, cymbals, maracas

 

Vocal inputs Set Up
Feed your voice into the MUSIC input and feed a variety of signals into the MOD input - music, tone, noise...

 

Try this...
Use the voice to gate the MOD inputs. Use the voice as a percussion imitator to produce hot rhythm sections from modulated MOD inputs
Try the 1st range to produce gating and heavy breathing effects, the 2nd range to produce tremolo and panting effects, the 3rd range to produce heavy modulation effects (Dalek/sci-fi voices among others) while the 4th range will produce higher and higher harmonic effects. 

 

Same signal or L & R of stereo into both inputs Set Up
Feed the same signal or the left and right of a stereo signal into the MUSIC and MOD inputs.

 

Try this...
Mix the output into the original signal to harmonically enhance the signal
Left and right inputs into MOD and MUSIC inputs respectively on both modules can produce phasing and other spectral phenomena, particularly if the spectral controls are varied. Try varying the edge and/or weight controls contrariwise i.e. turn one up as you turn the other down, to produce stereo effects 

 

Delay/feedback Set Up
Use a delay line to process signals going in to or out from the units

 

Try this...
Feed audio out back to MUSIC input via delay at tempo or multiple of tempo Do the above with long decays on the end of sounds Split the signal to both inputs and use delay line on one input to produce weird flanging effects on output, pan both outputs centrally or left and right 

 

Multiple Modulation Set Up
Feed music into the MUSIC input of one modulator and use the internal oscillator to modulate it. Take this OUT to the MUSIC input of the second modulator and modulate it with the same internal oscillator. The result is that the original signal is reconstituted and additional higher partials are also added.