Distortion

Question 1

bit crushing

Answer 1

creates a lo-fi effect

• changes the resolution (dynamic content)
• changes the sample rate (less natural waveform)
  - more like a square wave

Question 2

overdrive

Answer 2

warm distortion
- soft clipping
- adds some harmonic content

Question 3

hard clipping

Answer 3

• harsh sounding
• flat clipping (squared off)
• sounds like fuzz or distortion

Question 4

soft clipping

Answer 4

• warm sounding
• sounds like overdrive

Question 5

tape saturation

Answer 5

sounds slightly warm
- adds harmonic content
- happened on analogue tape machine

Question 6

tube saturation

Answer 6

occurs when the electrons can no longer flow from the tube’s cathode to the anode, due to a positive charge that has been created between the two
- warm, musical and punchy

Question 7

distortion

Answer 7

• harsher than overdrive
• more harmonic content than overdrive

Question 8

fuzz

Answer 8

• harsher than distortion
• more harmonic content that distortion

Question 9

gain/output

Answer 9

adjusts the level of output for the track

Question 10

drive

Answer 10

adjusts how much the distortion is used
- and how much the signal is boosted by to make it distort

Question 11

tone

Answer 11

a low pass filter that can be moved if high end too harsh

Question 12

downsampling

Answer 12

• changes the number of samples taken each per second
• low sample rate = more square wave (unnatural)
• high sample rate = More natural

Question 13

bit rate/ resolution

Answer 13

• changes the dynamic content of the track
• low bits = less dynamic intervals
• high bit resolution = more dynamic range