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12 position rotary switch selects clipping diodes, D6 pads used as send/return for hard clipping, A/B pads for soft clipping. 4PDT switch selects between hard and soft clipping, for a total of 24 potential clipping styles. Right now I’ve got position 11 open, I will either add one more set of diodes or wire them to an external connector. Positions 12 and 1 represent the original clipping options.
Is it necessary? No. Are they all level matched? No. Did I have a rotary switch laying around, and a bin of diodes, yes.
Forward voltages as measured by my Fluke 37.
The drive control seems a little more subtle than I was expecting throughout the sweep, but maybe that’s normal.
Can you comment on the differences you hear from the settings? Are some too close to notice? Are some very different?
Yes, for sure the silicon diode setups with similar forward voltage sound pretty similar. But you can definitely hear subtle differences as you switch around the dial. I haven’t played it a ton so far as I’ve just finished it, and the differences are easier to hear with my larger 2×12 setup than with my practice amp. As expected you lose a lot of signal with the heaviest clipping options. The #1 clipping option doesn’t look like it does much in the images below, but you can hear it when playing.
All waveforms below are with tone and drive dimed out:
quick video of my setup:
Nick – Excellent! With that many clipping options on a single rotary, the only thing I might have done differently is to have arranged the clipping elements so they were louder-ascending order in accordance with the rotary switch – #1 (being the lowest volume & most clipping) to #12 (with the least clipping). Basically, using the measured average Fvd of each clipping combos to set the order on the switch.
All-in-all, quite the varied clipping selection options. Thanks for sharing. Bravo!
Thanks, and totally agree on that logic, to lessen the tweaks to the volume adjustments. I had to make some positioning compromises due to real estate around the rotary, but even so probably could have arranged them with more intent.
I was going to do something similar with my Clean Dirt pedal, which has 4 symmetrical and 4 asymmetrical clipping options. I had planned to use two Rototone’s to mix and match 4 clipping diode pair combinations with 4 single clipping diode choices, but just decided use a switch to switch a single diode with each different pair for a total of 8 combinations instead of the originally planned 16. I just felt it was too much decision making. I have gone back to simpler is better for me, but 24 clipping choices in one pedal is quite impressive!
Many thanks. That will be helpful!
A visual representation of why I like LEDS or an LED in the mix.
That is excellent and thank you for taking the time to post.
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