DISTORTION
Distortion adds overdrive, crunch or fuzz with a rounded, speaker-like top. Reach for it on guitar, or blend a little into voice or piano when you want grit without losing the performance.
Controls
DRIVE
- Range
- 0dB to +36dB
- Default
- +14dB
Pushes the sound into heavier clipping, making notes rougher and their attacks less pronounced. Reduce it if chords blur or a vocal loses its words.
TONE
- Range
- -6.0dB to +6.0dB
- Default
- +0.6dB
Brightens or darkens the processed sound after the distortion. Turn it down to soften an edgy guitar or vocal, or up if the driven sound feels too muffled.
MIX
- Range
- 0% to 100%
- Default
- 100%
Blends the distorted sound with the original recording. Lower it to keep clear words, piano attacks or the body of an acoustic guitar underneath the grit.
CHARACTER
- Steps
- SOFT · CRUNCH · FUZZ
- Default
- SOFT
SOFT gives rounded overdrive with a midrange focus; CRUNCH drives both stages harder for a rougher, amp-like sound. FUZZ is more heavily colored, with a darker top and less midrange emphasis, for a thick, coarse texture.
OUTPUT
- Range
- -12dB to +12dB
- Default
- 0.0dB
Turns the distorted sound up or down before it blends with the original. Drive is automatically level compensated, but use OUTPUT to balance your particular recording against bypass.
Start here
For guitar, try CHARACTER at SOFT, DRIVE at +12dB, TONE at -1.0dB, MIX at 70% and OUTPUT at 0.0dB. Play a chord and a single-note phrase; lower DRIVE if the chord turns into a blur, or lower MIX to bring the original attack back.
Questions
How do I add grit to a vocal without hiding the words?
Try SOFT with DRIVE at +6dB and MIX at 20%. Keep TONE near 0.0dB to begin, then reduce MIX if the consonants get buried.
Can I distort piano or a whole song?
Piano can take a little parallel grit, but listen for chords that turn muddy. On a whole song, begin with a low MIX because every instrument feeds the same distortion and loud passages can blur together.