What is Diode Clipping? | Too Afraid To Ask 

Overdrive pedals use pairs of semiconductor diodes to clip the audio signal, generating distortion, but what is clipping and how does it work? We take a look at the Walrus Audio Ages overdrive which features 5 different gain and clipping arrangements so that you can no longer be Too Afraid To Ask. Get your Walrus Audio Ages: www.walrusaudio.com/products/ages-five-state-overdrive Thanks to Walrus Audio for funding this video. #clippingdiodes #walrusages #csguitars Affiliate Links: Thomann - www.thomann.de/gb/index.html?offid=1&affid=367 Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/2mGGg More from CSGuitars: Gain access to exclusive content at: www.patreon.com/csguitars Buy CSGuitars Merchandise - www.csguitars.co.uk/store Website - www.csguitars.co.uk Contact - colin@csguitars.co.uk CSGuitars uses: LEWITT Microphones - www.lewitt-audio.com/ Hoffnine Cabinets - www.hoffnine.co.uk/ Hosa Cables - hosatech.com/ Dragon's Heart Guitar Picks - www.dragonsheartguitarpicks.com/ Title graphics and logo by: www.studiosmithdesign.co.uk/ Join the discussion at: Facebook - facebook.com/csguitars Instagram - instagram.com/csguitars/ Twitter -twitter.com/CSG_Scotland

We just learned a lot about our own pedal. 😉

I love the way you describe science. It’s like children’s tv but in a really good way.

The clipping LEDs at 4:42 would've looked killer on the outside of the case as the eyes of the mastodon. Missed opportunity for added badassness...

5:35 "Visaaage" Colin, you must be beating the lasses off with a stick, bro!

The thing I love about these "TATA"s is, it contains both the scientific and tl;dr versions for plebs such as me. The tl;dr versions really helped me grasping a general understanding.

Of all the creators that do sponsored content, no one else manages to create not just something that demonstrates the product excellently but also manages to educate as you do with all of your videos. I understood the sound difference between soft and hard clipping but being able to understand *why* they're different is something I only learned today. Thanks for the great videos, Colin

Out of the avalanche of 'Ages' reviews, Col gets first view of mine. I'm familiar with diode clipping, but I'll still learn something new, and only Colin gives the added edumercationizing content.

This is my favorite video series on RU-vid, and this is the best of the bunch. Thank you, Colin, for so much information and disambiguation.

Your production has come such a long way man! So happy to have followed it and learned so much.

I've spent 20+ years on this and over a decade ago, *finally enrolled in college for electrical/electronics engineering with this having been one of the driving forces.* You did a great job on this as expected. As an amateur engineer(never quite finished the degree), I still struggle with the prices people get fleeced on with stomp boxes. *What is truly goofy is the terms "overdrive, fuzz and distortion" have been grossly misappropriated since somewhere in the 70's.* For example, I just designed a "fuzz" by overdriving transistors, and some will call this a "classic fuzz" or "classic fuzz overdrive" because it's actually a product of overdrive. *The term was bastardized because these overdrives were intended to emulate the sound of an overdriven tube, and at the heart of the circuit, use soft clipping in a feedback loop.* Meanwhile, my first original design uses soft clipping, and I regularly regard it as a distortion lol. *Anyway, my best work is yet to come. I'm well into a solid-state design that will produce the clarity and note separation we expect almost exclusively from tubes.* My goal is very bassy, clustered arpeggios that don't turn into frothing slop from very high, even order harmonics. Ultimately, semiconductors can do it better, but the designs require actually giving a fuck about a solid-state that will rival or exceed tubes, and 99% of designers educated or not are married to tubes or even digital. Ironically, the recipe to achieve what I'm describing isn't complicated in the least.

I love how you take a pedal review and turn it into an amazing class about clipping. Great work with the graphics, really helps drive the points through.

The absolute perfect level of detail. Great work!

Man, it’s so clear now. I had an idea of all these things but it’s so neat and clear here. Your videos are always interesting and informative.

I love this series you've made. Keep it going, cheers from Canada mate

This over drive sounds amazing Colin and thanks for teaching us what's going on inside the pedals.👍🏾💪🏾🔥

I’m so glad you are reviewing this pedal. Living in and being from Oklahoma (where these are made) gives me a soft spot/ fanboy of Walrus. I love that you don’t just say “here is what this sounds like using this guitars into this amp” but actually explain the science of what is going on. I really love your channel and the last year or so it has elevated so much. Been a fan for a long time, but you have really done something to separate yourself from other reviewers. Thanks Colin, greatness as always. And much love from Tulsa.

Man! You are amazing! Always enjoy your videos: Solid, clear, informative, entertaining, just so cool. Thank you.

Thanks for the clear explanation. I’ve been trying to figure out how/why diode clipping works as well as differences between soft/hard clipping arrangement in a circuit. This by far has been the best explanation accompanied by visuals - and I feel much better about analyzing and potentially modifying schematics. Thanks so much!

Loved the sounds and your playing and the 2 second endings!

This is a fantastic video. Thank you!

This is the best explainer I have ever seen on this topic. Well done.

Well done per usual. I love the explanations and always learn/reaffirm things. Hope you’re well man. -Aaron

As always very informative video 👍

Fantastic video, using this to inform customers on what style they’d like for customs. Cheers Collin!

Great video! Very clear explanations and great sounding examples!

Great vid! Easy to understand and bloody important.

Brilliant. Cheers mate! 🎸🔥

Great video thanks!!

Man great video! Great amount of info without getting too much in the weeds.

I bought this pedal yesterday to use primarily, as a boost/drive for the clean channel on my 1981 Carvin XV-212, 100 watt tube amp. This amp has a luscious clean channel, and with the Walrus Ages pedal added... over the top. Great pedal, and the best bang for my buck of any I own.

Dahm Collin, this was the best explanation of an overdrive/distortion pedal circuit ever! Cheers mate!!!

That's a great breakdown of diode clipping... and man do I want to get that pedal now.

I think this everytime I watch one of these CSG videos, but this might be the first time I've commented on it: I'm so glad Colin creates videos like this! Between him and Brian Wampler, I've gone from kind of getting the basic gist of what certain tones/effects sound like to having a much better understanding of the mechanics behind the effects. Without Colin, I'd have NO idea how a tube amp works or what is happening when I turn the presence knob, and without Brian, I'd still not know what compression was at all (except that it's used by country guitarists a lot). Thank you Colin!

Nice vid, Colin! You have really stepped up your graphics game.. very informative display of clipping! Moo

Sick logos mate ! Snd those animations are on point !

you are so good at explaining things. legend. thanks.

Thanks This was a big help. 🙂👍

Thanks for the "too afraid to ask" videos. They are very informative.

Really love your animations

Great vid. very clear. I like the pedal. I wish I had a pedal that makes my guitar change like that.

These vids are class

I love that this series is called "too afraid to ask" because that literally describes me perfectly lol

Great product placement. It actually applies to the topic.

One of the overlooked aspects of "hard" vs "soft" clipping is that diodes in the feedback loop of an op-amp (i.e., "soft") tend to prevent the op-amp from crashing against its headroom limitations, since the maximum amplitude of the op-amp will be set by the diodes at roughly +/-600mv (for silicon) or +/-1.5V (for red LEDs). If, however, one directs an op-amp to provide a gain to the input signal of, say, 200x, and sticks the diodes on the output, what you end up hearing is the sound of an op-amp that has been explicitly directed to *exceed* its headroom, and *then* clipped by diodes on its output - double clipping. I recall many forum posts by people puzzled at why their MXR Distortion+ could never get "clean", even in the complete absence of clipping diodes. So, one of the differences between "hard" and "soft" clipping is that, with soft, one is hearing essentially ONLY the characteristics imposed by the diodes, while in the case of "hard" clipping, one is hearing the manner in which the op-amp responds to headroom limitations PLUS the actions of the clipping diodes. Some pedals will use a sort of combination of the two. For instance, the venerable Marshall Bluesbreaker, and its derivatives, like the Analogman King of Tone or JHS Morning Glory, provide two cascaded op-amp gain stages. (Bear in mind that gain is "multiplicative", such that a gain of 30x, followed by a gain of 20x provides a total gain of 600x to the input signal.) The first stage doesn't push the envelope too hard (max gain of 22x for the overall signal, and 31x for high end), but provides enough gain that if you crank the pedal and hit a power chord, you'll run up against the chip limitations. The output of that first stage is then amplified further by the 2nd one, which has diodes in its feedback loop. So, a blend of chip-clipping and diodes. None of this is a criticism of your excellent explanation, merely a few wrinkles you didn't get around to.

Dude! I genuinely love your channel and so much appreciate you and your teaching method... thank you for these videos. I just wished I could wrap my head around center positive, center negative and 9V and 18v and why everything can't be universal... if you have any videos on that - please let me know 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻

Every time he says clip/clipped/clipping you get to take a drink 🥃🍺🍻🥂🍸🍹

Really nice. A pedal like that sounds very useful if you have a temperamental old amp or just plug in to what ever amp is available at the time.

Great video and a layman’s explanation, which my simple brain can follow. 👍

This was VERY helpful!! - now I just might build a variable clipper with LEDs,.. as something to do while procrastinating from other projects.

Here's my TATA: why would I need high output pickups for metal if i can boost my output with a clean boost?

The animations showing the circuits are great, as I get a bit lost when ppl talk that stuff without showing anything. The added SFX during those animations is also top-notch, & lastly, that video of the truck getting the top cut off was just excellent for meme value despite your point already being made.

I love your fossil obsession. I have also learned more about guitar pedals in 2 weeks of watching your channel than 17 years of playing with them. But I subscribed mostly for the fossils.

I thought I was familiar with current the Walrus Audio catalog, so I assumed the Ages was a long since discontinued pedal. It's not, it's new and available. Thanks Colin for stepping on my GAS pedal

Im so subbed

0:56 this made my day, thank you :D

Maybe I'm just simple but it all sounds great to me. Still cool facts to know. Keep killing it friend!

9:20 instantly sounded like something I want to dial in!

All the gain!!! :)

Dang, i feel like if I dig through your videos long enough, i could learn everything I need to build my own pedals...

Ahh yes the good old clipping diodes, loathed by some players when incorporated in a tube amp’s circuit, but praised by the same when fed into a diode-free tube amp. We guitarists are a strange breed.

Rampaging Pachyderms! Ok, this video at leas let me learn some details on what is going on beneath. Thanks!

Great video topped off with a memorable line from the film Gregory's Girl ! It's a well known fact. 😊

Demo jam at 6 minutes sounds like The Darkness. Love it!

I watched one of your old videos, which was really harsh and judgemental, and honestly made me kind of angry. You didn't explain yourself very well, and were making a lot of assumptions that I felt were unfair. But the video was five years old. So I decided to watch your newest video to see if you had changed your style of presentation at all. What a difference! Not only are the visual aides super useful and make everything way more easy to understand, but your demeanor is generally much more inviting, and warmer. I am glad to see the change. One of the biggest problems I had with the old video was that it felt needlessly adversarial with the audience, and you weren't really explaining the fundemental concepts behind the ideas you were talking about. This is the exact opposite and I love it. Keep up the good work.

nice sound effects

I was with you all the way up to "hey guys, Colin here" ☺️ Not because the vid was bad (it was great), I'm just not as clever as Colin!

Great demo. Even if you weren't interested in the subject pedal you get educated. And then the rec of stacking it is more than you typically get from other reviewers. Because, to be honest, I wasn't very impressed by the pedal until you demonstrated it stacked. Well done!

Even though he explained everything like you would to a child, I still had to watch at .5 speed.

Thanks for the explanation of how clipping diodes and how soft and hard clipping work as well as symmetric v. asymmetric. The Ages seems like a nice pedal, but I've already decided my next pedal will be an Iron Horse V2. Walrus still gets the money, tho.

Wasn't expecting him to go so 80s with that demo haha

I've always wondered what a clipping diode was all aboot!

You talk faster than my wife, and she's Welsh ffs. Good post dude. :)

Can you do a tldr on how to read those diagrams you post as visual aids or maybe point me in the right direction to research on my own? Love your videos, and I've learned so much about the science of loud from you.

Im fond of that one. Like is find my fave n then months later find a new fave I do stack drives at times n i think the dry blend would be nice. I think the klon type pedals also put a mix of dry and clipped out

Nice video and explanation dude. Have a question for you. Does the amp SUNN BETA EAD its a Soft cipping amp or the clipping its different becaus of his MOSFET system ? Also the same question for the EHX Hot tubes pedal ? Its distortio. Applies for this explanation or its differenet the matter of using MOSFETS ?

Thank you for a fantastic explanation! My initial thought was that the difference between settings 1 & 3 (or 2 & 4), was the number of diodes arranged symmetrically in the feedback loop. You mentioned that the higher gain soft clipping settings (3 & 4), are the result of more voltage travelling through the opamp. Any idea how this is achieved? Maybe the voltage in those settings is diverted into a charge pump before the opamp? Thanks again for such a great breakdown of this!

That art design on the pedal looks so cool. I'm curious if this is similar with the plumes by eqd?

Maybe this is just me but the Walrus Audio Ages in and of itself is already a good drive/distortion pedal. If that is the only drive pedal on my board, I'd be more than happy with it. But would really go to town if there is another overdrive pedal to go with it, that's for sure!

I see you are a fan of The Slow Mo Guys, excellent taste sir.

Colin, I have a Marshall JCM 900 100 watt dual reverb with the diode clipping feature built in. Can you tell us how that may be the same or contrast the clipping discussed here? Also how does the JCM 900 compare/ contrast with let's say a JCM 800 or a plexi?

I know this is an older videos, but I’d be damned interested in seeing a collab between you and Paul Davids. The Dutch and The Scot; The Theory and The Science. It’d be so infotaining that both channel bases would love to see.

that v looks f'ing sickkk

Exactly what I was looking for. I want to buy a Friedman JJ jr but I wasn't sure that it would have enough compression so to make it a little more flexible I wanted to boost it with KHDK ghoul jr wich has soft and hard clipping but the mids are a little strange for me on that pedal so the Ages is the perfect solution.

How did you get the sound at 10:46? Did you roll back the tone control or volume?

OK, here's a related TATA: Given that diode clipping pedals all use similar components, why is it that one pedal can sound amazing and another, similar pedal sounds like garbage? Does it have to do with how they choose to clip the signal or is it in the EQ? Or both?

Seeing the animation for how clipping reminds me of the differences between how square and sine waves look and sound

this was a good video. TATA: how did you turn the pedal on and off while playing? does the signal pass through cleanly when pedal is unpowered while switched on?

You know, I just realized how ironic it is that a bunch of our distortions comes from diodes in pedals, yet us guitar players still sing the praises of natural tube distortion.

I wonder how this would compare to the Fuzzrocious LunaReclipse pedal. It has 12 different clipping options ranging from LED to 2 different silicon pairs to germanium to combos of diodes.

7:35, Man how you get that muffled sound? Idk if that’s the right word to describe it but damn it sounds good.

How does sustainer system works is kind of a cool topic to discuss too

How work the Overdrive and Distortion Blending? like in the pedal Boss- Os2 Overdrive/Distortion

at 2:07 you say that the excess voltage clipped by diodes goes to ground. I always figured the harmonics that clipping provides comes from the Law of Conservation of Energy, in that the difference in wavelength is put somewhere else in the wave, adding "hair" to the shape, so to speak. Does this still happen to a more limited degree, or is it really the square shape of the new crest/trough that provides the perceived harmonics?

Great stuff, as always. This may seem like a stupid question, but when you rotate a gain/distortion potentiometer on a pedal, are you increasing the forward voltage, thus increasing the part of the wave that gets clipped? And then with the volume pot, is this increase caused by some secondary amplification after the clipping diode circuit?

What about crossover clipping, like what is done on the Boss HM-2?

Hey bro... So a silicon diode + a led are asymmetric clipping? O.o I modded an overdrive I have and still don´t know this stuff lol

Colin, I believe the artwork on the Ages Pedal is "not a mammoth"

can soft clipping done on transistor based circuits like electra?

I just happened to pause at 0:15 and it looks like Colin "has the vapours."