clipping.

[Asa Samuel]

ok, i read the thread about what causes it but why is it so bad?

does it blow speakers? blow the power amp? the preamp or what?

 

[billfitzmaurice]

The only thing it does is add additional high frequency content to a signal, and that added content can cause overpowering and therefore failure of high frequency drivers, ie., tweeters and midranges. It has no effect on woofers.

 

[Asa Samuel]

ok, i dont have tweeters so it doesnt effect me at all?

 

[seamonkey]

Are you hearing some extreme distortion, coloration, harshness to your sound? If not - don't worry about it.

 

[Asa Samuel]

no i'm not, i was only worried cause my amp has a clip light on it and since i've started using a synth pedal its been flashing when i turn the input on my pedal up.

in the manual it says if this light comes on then i had to press the -15db PDA so i thought it was really bad but then thought whats the point in having the synth pedal then?

so i dont have to worry because i dont use horns?

 

[billfitzmaurice]

so i dont have to worry because i dont use horns?

What your clip light is telling you is that you're putting a lot higher level input into your amp, and a higher level in means a higher level out and that could toast your drivers. This is especially problematic if that synth is a creating low octave effects that will put far greater stress on your speakers than a normal signal. If turning your bass EQ down eliminates the clipping then low frequencies are the problem and you shouldn't use the pedal. If turning the bass EQ down has no effect but turning down the high EQ does then those effects are in the high frequencies and, with no tweeter, you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[Jerrold Tiers]

maybe a problem and maybe not....

A PREAMP "clip" light may not actually give you a good "you are clipping" signal. It may (as recent Ampeg do) have it set as a level light, so that it SHOULD be on some of the time, but not on solidly.

A POWERAMP clip light is usually a bit more truthful, but even that may indicate every little tiny bit of clipping. it may light up for stuff you wouldn't hear and that won't bother anything.

Generally, if you do NOT have an HF driver, and you don't get cruddy distorted sound, you may be fine. With an octave, it may be hard to tell, those often make some distortion by themselves, so the two distortions may get mixed up.

If you DID have a tweeter, you would probably hear the buzzy harmonics from clipping.

Generally, unless you know a reason why not, I'd trust your ears. As a check, try cranking up while NOT in a band setting, and listen. if it sounds fine but the light is on, you know you can have the light on that much and everything likely will still be just ducky.