Rings

Mutable Instruments 14HP
fw 1.2
RESONATOR OSCILLATOR EFFECTS

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Resonator built on three physical models: modal (bells/bars), sympathetic strings (Karplus network), and inharmonic strings. Excited by trigger button, internal noise, or external audio input.

Patch Ideas · 8

★ Karplus pluck sequencer
Sympathetic-strings mode plucks a mono sequence on every gate, with an envelope shaping the timbre.
Walkthrough
  1. Press the Resonator button until the LED is green (sympathetic strings).
  2. Long-press the Resonator button and release when LED shows 1 voice (mono polyphony).
  3. Set DAMPING to ~2 o'clock for medium decay. BRIGHTNESS to noon. STRUCTURE to noon.
  4. Patch sequencer pitch → V/OCT.
  5. Patch sequencer gate → STRUM. (IN stays unpatched so the internal mallet exciter fires.)
  6. Patch an envelope → BRIGHTNESS CV. Set the BRIGHTNESS attenuverter to ~2 o'clock.
  7. Patch ODD → mixer L, EVEN → mixer R for natural stereo.
Signal out ODD (L) and EVEN (R) — plucked string audio, ±8V, complementary partial content.
Listen for Harp- or koto-like plucks on every gate, each with a brightness sweep. ODD/EVEN creates a wide stereo image without a chorus.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Rings, Sequencer, Envelope, Mixer. Signals: 2 audio, 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 trigger.RingsSequencerEnvelopeMixerResonator: Sympathetic (green)Polyphony: 1Damping: ~2 o'clockV/OCT1v/octSTRUMtrigBRIGHTNESS CVcvODDaudioEVENaudioPitch1v/octGatetrigOutcvLaudioRaudioaudiocvpitchtrigger
Bell model drone
Modal mode with DAMPING full CW makes Rings self-oscillate — two LFOs sculpt the partials into infinite bells.
Walkthrough
  1. Press the Resonator button until the LED is orange (modal).
  2. Turn DAMPING full CW — Rings will start singing on its own even with nothing patched.
  3. BRIGHTNESS ~2 o'clock, STRUCTURE ~noon, POSITION ~noon as a starting point.
  4. Leave STRUM and IN unpatched — no external excitation needed.
  5. Patch a slow LFO (cycle ~30s) → STRUCTURE CV, attenuverter at ~2 o'clock.
  6. Patch a second slow LFO → POSITION CV, attenuverter at ~2 o'clock.
  7. Patch ODD → reverb → output for infinite shimmer.
Signal out ODD — self-oscillating bell drone, ±8V, partials slowly shifting.
Listen for An infinite metallic bell drone whose inharmonicity and strike position drift forever. No triggers, no envelopes.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 3 connections. Modules: Rings, LFO 1, LFO 2, Reverb (In) -> Output. Signals: 1 audio, 2 cv.RingsLFO 1LFO 2Reverb (In) -> OutputResonator: Modal (orange)Damping: full CW // self-oscillationSTRUCTURE CVcvPOSITION CVcvODDaudioOutcvOutcvInaudioaudiocv
Drum resonator body
External drum loop into IN breaks the internal exciter — Rings becomes a tuned resonant body for the drums.
Walkthrough
  1. Press the Resonator button until the LED is orange (modal) — tuned metal bar character.
  2. Set DAMPING to ~10 o'clock (short decay so the resonance doesn't smear the groove).
  3. Set BRIGHTNESS to ~1 o'clock, STRUCTURE to ~11 o'clock.
  4. Patch a drum loop → IN. This disables the internal mallet — STRUM is no longer needed.
  5. Patch a sequencer pitch CV → V/OCT so each hit resonates on a different note.
  6. Patch ODD and EVEN → mixer channels 1 and 2 (or pan hard L/R).
Signal out ODD / EVEN — resonated drum audio ±8V, pitched by V/OCT.
Listen for The drum loop's transients excite tuned metallic ringing — drums become pitched tom/bell hybrids that follow your melody.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 4 connections. Modules: Rings, Drum Loop, Sequencer, Mixer. Signals: 3 audio, 1 pitch.RingsDrum LoopSequencerMixerResonator: ModalDamping: ~10 o'clockINaudioV/OCT1v/octODDaudioEVENaudioOutaudioPitch1v/octIn 1audioIn 2audioaudiopitch
Hammer-on lead (no gate cable)
Leave STRUM unpatched — Rings auto-triggers on V/OCT jumps, so held notes stay sustained.
Walkthrough
  1. Press the Resonator button until the LED is green (sympathetic).
  2. Polyphony: long-press Resonator until 1 voice.
  3. DAMPING ~1 o'clock (long sustain), BRIGHTNESS ~2 o'clock.
  4. Leave STRUM unpatched — internal pitch-jump detector will fire the exciter.
  5. Patch sequencer pitch → V/OCT.
  6. Patch ODD → delay → output.
Signal out ODD — plucked sympathetic-string audio ±8V, only re-struck when V/OCT changes.
Listen for Legato melodies where repeated identical notes don't re-pluck. Feels like a guitarist using hammer-ons and pull-offs — smooth phrasing without programming gate rests.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 3 modules and 2 connections. Modules: Rings, Sequencer, Delay (In) -> Output. Signals: 1 audio, 1 pitch.RingsSequencerDelay (In) -> OutputResonator: SympatheticSTRUM: unpatched // auto-trigger on V/OCT changeV/OCT1v/octODDaudioPitch1v/octInaudioaudiopitch
Inharmonic FM string
High-stiffness inharmonic mode with envelope on BRIGHTNESS produces bell-like FM pluck sequences.
Walkthrough
  1. Press the Resonator button until the LED is red (inharmonic string).
  2. Polyphony: 1 voice (long-press Resonator) for maximum decay.
  3. STRUCTURE to ~3 o'clock (high stiffness — bell-like partials).
  4. DAMPING to ~1 o'clock, BRIGHTNESS to noon.
  5. Patch sequencer pitch → V/OCT; gate → STRUM.
  6. Patch a short envelope → BRIGHTNESS CV, attenuverter ~1 o'clock, for plucky attack.
  7. Patch a slow LFO → POSITION CV, attenuverter ~11 o'clock, for shimmer.
  8. Patch ODD → L, EVEN → R.
Signal out ODD / EVEN — stiff FM-string audio ±8V, with per-note brightness envelope.
Listen for FM-like bell tones that pluck sharply then ring out. The POSITION LFO adds a slow shimmer between partials.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 6 connections. Modules: Rings, Sequencer, Envelope, LFO, Mixer. Signals: 2 audio, 2 cv, 1 pitch, 1 trigger.RingsSequencerEnvelopeLFOMixerResonator: Inharmonic (red)Structure: ~3 o'clockPolyphony: 1V/OCT1v/octSTRUMtrigBRIGHTNESS CVcvPOSITION CVcvODDaudioEVENaudioPitch1v/octGatetrigOutcvOutcvLaudioRaudioaudiocvpitchtrigger
★ Polyphonic piano chords
Polyphony 4 + sympathetic mode + an arp source = a tempo-synced plucked-piano chord machine.
Walkthrough
  1. Press the Resonator button until the LED is green (sympathetic).
  2. Long-press Resonator until 4 voices are shown (polyphonic).
  3. DAMPING ~2 o'clock, BRIGHTNESS ~2 o'clock, STRUCTURE ~1 o'clock.
  4. Patch an arpeggiator's pitch CV → V/OCT.
  5. Patch a clock trigger (e.g. 16th notes) → STRUM. Each trigger allocates the oldest voice.
  6. Patch ODD → chorus L, EVEN → chorus R, chorus out → main mix.
Signal out ODD / EVEN — up to 4 overlapping string voices ±8V. Decay shortens as voices stack.
Listen for A sparkling plucked-piano or harp-like arpeggio with voices overlapping naturally. Slow the arp for ballad, speed it for cascades.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Rings, Sequencer, Clock, Chorus, Output. Signals: 3 audio, 1 pitch, 1 trigger.RingsSequencerClockChorusOutputResonator: SympatheticPolyphony: 4Damping: ~2 o'clockV/OCT1v/octSTRUMtrigODDaudioEVENaudioArp CV1v/octOuttrigLaudioRaudioOut L/RaudioL/Raudioaudiopitchtrigger
External feedback shimmer
A reverb tail fed back into IN keeps the resonator self-exciting — infinite bell shimmer tracking V/OCT.
Walkthrough
  1. Press the Resonator button until the LED is orange (modal).
  2. DAMPING ~1 o'clock, BRIGHTNESS ~2 o'clock.
  3. Patch a slow clock → STRUM to seed the first hits.
  4. Patch sequencer pitch → V/OCT.
  5. Patch ODD → reverb input.
  6. Patch reverb output → attenuator → IN. Start the attenuator fully CCW and raise slowly — too loud and it runs away.
  7. Patch EVEN → main output.
Signal out EVEN — shimmering bell tail ±8V, fed by the reverb/IN feedback loop.
Listen for Plucks that never fully decay — the reverb keeps re-exciting the resonator, producing a recursive bell cloud. Drop the feedback attenuator to control runaway.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 6 modules and 6 connections. Modules: Rings, Clock, Sequencer, Reverb, Attenuator, Output. Signals: 4 audio, 1 pitch, 1 trigger.RingsClockSequencerReverbAttenuatorOutputResonator: ModalSTRUMtrigV/OCT1v/octINaudioODDaudioEVENaudioOuttrigPitch1v/octInaudioOutaudioInaudioOutaudioInaudio121. ~10 o'clock, avoid runaway2. feedback excitationaudiopitchtrigger
★ Tuneable resonant reverb
With audio into IN and DAMPING near max, Rings works as a tuned stereo resonator reverb.
Walkthrough
  1. Press the Resonator button until the LED is orange (modal).
  2. DAMPING ~3 o'clock (near max for long tail).
  3. BRIGHTNESS ~2 o'clock, STRUCTURE to taste for the resonance character.
  4. Hold the FREQUENCY knob at a fixed position — set V/OCT with a manual offset if desired (no pitch CV).
  5. Patch your source audio → IN. STRUM stays unpatched — external audio drives the modes continuously.
  6. Patch ODD → mixer L, EVEN → mixer R.
Signal out ODD / EVEN — resonated stereo tail ±8V at the pitch set by FREQUENCY.
Listen for Vocals, drums, or any audio smeared into a tuned metallic reverb. Change FREQUENCY to retune the entire space; STRUCTURE shifts the partial spread.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 3 modules and 3 connections. Modules: Rings, External Audio, Mixer. Signals: 3 audio.RingsExternal AudioMixerResonator: ModalDamping: near maxV/OCT: 0V fixedINaudioODDaudioEVENaudioOutaudioLaudioRaudioaudio

Behaviors

Modal resonator Resonator button orange

Modal synthesis from 24–64 tuned partials. STRUCTURE inharmonicity, BRIGHTNESS damps higher modes, DAMPING sets decay. Excellent for metal bars, bells, glass, gongs.

Sympathetic strings Resonator button green

Network of Karplus-Strong strings with sympathetic resonance. STRUCTURE sets inter-string ratios (perfect fifth/octave/etc.). Produces sitar, koto, piano-like textures.

Modal / non-linear string (Inharmonic) Resonator button red

Stiff string with non-linear terminator. STRUCTURE controls stiffness: low = nylon pluck, high = bell-like FM string. High DAMPING produces self-oscillating FM drones.

Easter-egg alternate models long-press Polyphony combo

Holding Polyphony button while selecting mode exposes FM string, Western chord, and disastrous peace modes (stock firmware v1.2). Use to access drone, organ, and reverb behaviors not labelled on the panel.

External excitation patch audio into IN

Any audio source (drum, voice, synth) excites the resonator. STRUM no longer re-strikes — the external signal continuously drives the modes. Breaks the internal mallet normalling.

Self-triggering from V/OCT STRUM unpatched + changing pitch CV

When STRUM is not patched Rings watches V/OCT for sudden voltage jumps and auto-triggers the exciter on pitch change. Enables playing from a sequencer with no separate gate cable.

Self-oscillation / drone DAMPING full CW + modal/sympathetic model

Maximum damping brings the resonator to infinite decay so it sings without external excitation. Modal mode turns into a tuned sine bank; sympathetic becomes a string drone.

Polyphony note-stealing more triggers than voices

In 2- or 4-voice mode each STRUM allocates the oldest voice. Voices share DSP, so decay times shrink as polyphony rises. Tracks the last-played V/OCT for unpatched STRUM mode.

Stereo ODD/EVEN spread use both outputs

ODD and EVEN carry the same note with complementary partial content. Panned hard L/R they produce a natural stereo image without any external effect.

Chord mode (easter-egg model 4) Polyphony hold + 4th mode

Model 4 plays a 4-note diatonic chord per STRUM, with STRUCTURE choosing chord type. Effectively turns Rings into a chord-voice resonator.

Controls

Global Resonator Three-position button cycles model: modal · sympathetic strings · inharmonic/FM string (stock firmware). Long-press toggles polyphony 1/2/4.
Orange = modal · green = sympathetic · red = inharmonic · LEDs also show polyphony count
Global Polyphony Long-press of Resonator button cycles polyphony: 1 / 2 / 4 voices. Higher polyphony reduces per-voice DSP so longer decays shorten.
Note-stealing assigns new triggers to oldest voice · 1V/Oct tracks last played
Global Frequency Coarse pitch of the resonator fundamental. Covers full audio range.
±4 octaves around C3 · Attenuverter-free; pair with external offset for fine trim
Global Structure Modal: inharmonicity of partials. Sympathetic: ratio between sympathetic strings. Inharmonic: stiffness/tension of the string.
Has bipolar attenuverter for STRUCTURE CV input · 0–1 normalized range
Global Brightness Spectral tilt and excitation color. Low = dull mallet, high = bright/ringing.
Has bipolar attenuverter · also shapes internal noise exciter when IN unpatched
Global Damping Decay time of resonant modes. CW extends decay toward infinite sustain/feedback.
Has bipolar attenuverter · at maximum + modal mode the resonator self-oscillates
Global Position Pickup/strike position on the virtual body. Shifts which partials are emphasized.
Has bipolar attenuverter · sweeping produces comb-filter-like motion

I/O

IN · 7

  • V/OCT -3V to +5V CV
    1V/oct pitch input tracking the resonator fundamental.
  • STRUCTURE CV ±5V CV
    CV for Structure parameter, scaled by its attenuverter.
  • BRIGHTNESS CV ±5V CV
    CV for Brightness parameter.
  • DAMPING CV ±5V CV
    CV for Damping parameter.
  • POSITION CV ±5V CV
    CV for Position parameter.
  • STRUM >1V trigger GATE
    Trigger input. Plucks/strikes the resonator and samples V/OCT for the new voice.
    NORM → rising-edge detector on V/OCT when unpatched
  • IN ±8V audio AUDIO
    Audio input that excites the resonator. When unpatched, an internal noise+mallet exciter is used and STRUM drives it.
    NORM → internal noise/mallet exciter

OUT · 2

  • ODD ±8V
    Odd partials / one pickup of the resonator. Dry+wet mix when IN is patched.
  • EVEN ±8V
    Even partials / opposite pickup. Complementary to ODD — sum for full signal, pan for stereo.