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Distortion eects overview
Distortion eects simulate the distortion created by vacuum tubes, transistors, or digital circuits.
Vacuum tubes were used in audio ampliers before the development of digital audio technology.
They are still used in musical instrument ampliers today. When overdriven, tubes produce a
musically pleasing distortion that has become a familiar part of the sound of rock and pop music.
Analog tube distortion adds a distinctive warmth and bite to the signal.
There are also distortion eects that intentionally cause clipping and digital distortion of the
signal. These can be used to modify vocal, music, and other tracks to produce an intense,
unnatural tone, or to create sound eects.
Distortion eects include parameters for tone, which let you shape the way the distortion alters
the signal (often as a frequency-based lter), and for gain, which let you control how much the
distortion alters the output level of the signal.
WARNING: When set to high output levels, distortion eects can damage your hearing—and
your speakers. When you adjust eect settings, it is recommended that you lower the output
level of the track, and raise the level gradually when you are nished.
Distortion eects
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