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Chapter 3 Distortion eects 78
Clip Distortion
Clip Distortion is a nonlinear distortion eect that produces unpredictable spectra. It can
simulate warm, overdriven tube sounds and can also generate heavy distortions.
Clip Distortion has an unusual combination of serially connected lters. The incoming signal
is amplied by the Drive value, passes through a highpass lter, then is subjected to nonlinear
distortion. Following the distortion, the signal passes through a lowpass lter. The eect signal is
then recombined with the original signal and this mixed signal is sent through a further lowpass
lter. All three lters have a slope of 6 dB/octave.
This unique combination of lters allows for gaps in the frequency spectra that can sound good
with this sort of nonlinear distortion.
Clip Distortion parameters
•
Drive slider and eld: Drag to set the amount of gain applied to the input signal. After being
amplied by the Drive value, the signal passes through a highpass lter.
•
Tone slider and eld: Drag to set the cuto frequency (in hertz) of the highpass lter.
•
Clip Circuit display: Shows the impact of all parameters, with the exception of the High Shelving
lter parameters.
•
Symmetry slider and eld: Drag to set the amount of nonlinear (asymmetrical) distortion
applied to the signal.
•
Clip Filter slider and eld: Drag to set the cuto frequency (in hertz) of the rst lowpass lter.
•
Mix slider and eld: Drag to set the ratio between the eect (wet) signal and original (dry)
signals, following the Clip Filter.
•
Sum LPF knob and eld: Drag to set the cuto frequency (in hertz) of the lowpass lter. This
processes the mixed signal.
•
(High Shelving) Frequency knob and eld: Rotate to set the frequency (in hertz) of the high
shelving lter. If you set the High Shelving Frequency to around 12 kHz, you can use it like the
treble control on a mixer channel strip or a stereo hi- amplier. Unlike these types of treble
controls, however, you can boost or cut the signal by up to ±30 dB with the Gain parameter.
•
(High Shelving) Gain knob and eld: Rotate to set the amount of gain applied to the output of
signals above the high shelving lter frequency.
•
Input Gain eld and slider (Extended Parameters area): Drag to set the amount of gain applied to
the input signal.
•
Output Gain eld and slider (Extended Parameters area): Drag to set the amount of gain applied
to the output signal.