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Put the Freak in Frequency Shifting
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By Francis Preve
A couple of issues ago, I went deep into ring modulation, showing how the sidebands they generate can deliver a heavy “WTF factor” that’s perfect for techno and electro tracks. This time, we’ll look at frequency shifting, which is a cousin to ring modulation but with different applications. Sometimes called “single sideband modulation,” frequency shifting is accomplished via a wide range of approaches, but one of the most common is a configuration of two ring modulators. This is why you’ll often find frequency shifting and ring modulation in the same plug-in, like Apple Logic’s Ringshifter (shown) or Ableton Live’s Frequency Shifter. Not to be confused with pitch-shifting, the end result is that the harmonics (instead of the main frequency) are shifted up or down, resulting in cool effects like subtle phasing or wobbles.
Phaser Alternative
Phasers add animation to pads and whooshes, but for something more subtle and spacious, try a touch of frequency shifting. The key is that a little goes a long way, so setting up the effect parameters requires restraint.
Step 1.
In any soft synth, create a simple saw pad with the filter wide open. You can use one or more oscillators, but for demo purposes, I used a single-oscillator patch so you can focus on the sound of the shifter.
Step 2.
Begin by setting the wet/dry mix to 50/50 and off set the frequency shifter’s main frequency parameter by 1kHz. It’s important to use a very small value, because this will determine the overall rate of the phasing effect.
Step 3.
To further animate the stereo field and give the effect more depth, add a tiny bit of LFO modulation. Here, we used a depth of 0.41Hz and a rate of 0.01Hz. These are extremely small amounts, so pay close attention to your settings.
Pitch Wobbles in Drum Grooves
Frequency shifting can also generate crazy wobbles in percussion loops. Grooves with lots of pitched drums like toms and congas work best. I’m using the drums from my track “Flotsam,” which include no shakers, rattles, or cymbals. To avoid phase-shifting or ring mod effects, the wet/dry balance is 100% wet, so we hear only the frequency shifter. The main frequency parameter is at zero so there’s no base effect—everything is driven by the LFO sweep. To keep things rhythmic, the LFO rate is tempo-synced to a half-note and its depth is set to 240Hz.
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