Clipping?

paste · #1 10-27-2011, 07:12 AM

Can anyone describe what a 'clipping' amp is supposed to sound like? I have a feeling my combo amp is clipping but have no idea what 'clipping' is supposed to sound like and it usually happens if I turn the volume or EQ too high.

billfitzmaurice · #2 10-27-2011, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paste

Can anyone describe what a 'clipping' amp is supposed to sound like?

A fuzztone/distortion box, though usually not quite as severe. All a fuzz/distortion box does is to intentionally clip the signal. And it can be heard from both the amp and the speaker, as both will clip when you try to get too much out of them.

paste · #3 10-27-2011, 07:45 AM

So does this damage your amp/can you do anything besides turning down the amp to stop this clipping?

RickenBoogie · #4 10-27-2011, 08:44 AM

It's the speakers that can get hurt. Turn the low eq down, or add more cabs.

Jerrold Tiers · #5 10-27-2011, 08:54 PM

Depending on the amp, it may not even be bad or undesirable. It can, if a decent sort of clipping, add tone, thickness, etc.

Generally it is bad only if it is damaging something, typically an HF speaker, or if it sounds bad.

Yet another thing that generally falls under the heading of "if it sounds good, it IS good".

There is no reason to get excited about preventing clipping.... Your amp IS clipping, if you are playing through it at all loud, but probably so little you don't notice. It is just the nature of things.

Don't get hung up on techie stuff unless it affects sound, or equipment damage. And clipping generally isn't a threat to equipment unless it is so extreme that you will already know something is wrong...

walterw · #6 10-27-2011, 09:51 PM

uh, except for bass speakers, that is.

guitar amps are supposed to distort, bass amps usually aren't. if you're clipping your bass rig, chances are you're over-taxing (and probably over-excurting) your speakers, which will die on you soon enough.

(clipping a bass amp makes it produce way more power than it's supposed to, which can cook speakers.)

T-Bird · #7 10-27-2011, 10:00 PM

Hi.

LOL, here we go again.

Majority of people, even of those in the business, can't tell the occasional amplifier stage clipping from other types of distortion in the waveform with a cheap amp. I sure as hell can't.

IME, what people usually refer as clipping, is the speaker over-excursing, especially in lower end cabs and combos.

Regards
Sam

brendanbassist · #8 10-27-2011, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walterw

uh, except for bass speakers, that is.

guitar amps are supposed to distort, bass amps usually aren't. if you're clipping your bass rig, chances are you're over-taxing (and probably over-excurting) your speakers, which will die on you soon enough.

(clipping a bass amp makes it produce way more power than it's supposed to, which can cook speakers.)

Clipping won't harm woofers; it only adds higher frequencies that can harm midrange and high frequency drivers. Excursion is dominated by the low frequency content.

JimmyM · #9 10-27-2011, 10:34 PM

Clipping can harm woofers if the clip causes them to be overpowered, but clipping in and of itself won't harm woofers. I regularly run my amps with a little bit of gain clipping just to get a little extra body to the sound that I don't get with a dead clean amp. Sounds clean in the mix but just gives it a little more oomph. Some people like to run their amps clean, some like a little grit. I'm a light grit lover myself. But clipping isn't going to hurt anything unless you do it at such a volume where you overpower your speakers.