Distortion

Within the world of music and amplification, distortion is a type of effect that is commonly used with guitars, particularly within rock and heavy metal. There are two main ways to achieve distortion - either from the amplifier (sometimes from the preamplifier) or from a stomp box.

In this context, distortion refers to a clipping or compression of the wave form of an input. In fuzz boxes and solid state distortions, the signal is boosted, and the tops of the waveform clipped off. In vacuum tube distortion, or tube modelling distortion, the top of the wave form is compressed, thus giving a smoother distorted signal, that retains more of the data in the original waveform. This is generally considered more pleasing to the ear, as it is closer to total harmonic distortion. This is commonly referred to as overdrive, as it was originally (and still is) attained by driving the tubes in an amplifier a little harder than they can handle without affecting the signal.

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