Assymetrical / Symmetrical clipping pot?

[Connoisseur of Distortion]

Yes, I'm new to the forum. Yes, I'm new to stompbox DIY. However, I'm to be taking a class on electronics soon... you can hope to hear less stupid questions from me.  

I searched the forums for something like this, but saw nothing... if this has already been done, someone shush me soon (though if it was, I would personally put it on every pedal of mine, just so i have one more knob to amuse me...)

Has anyone ever put a pot on the diode section of an assymetrical clipping pedal? My idea is about a 3 x 1 diode arrangement, with one prong of the pot between the first and second diodes, the other attached to the end of the third, and the wiper connecting to the ground (basically where that third diode would run anyways...)

If anyone has tried this, feedback is much appreciated!

[Mike Burgundy]

http://www.muzique.com/lab/warp.htm

[puretube]

Hi, Connoisseur, and welcome to the forum!

This may be an interesting read:
http://www.muzique.com/lab/warp.htm

edit: :oops: , too late...

[Connoisseur of Distortion]

... :oops:

sorry about that

[Khas Evets]

Don't be, it's a good idea. Someone just got there first.

[Peter Snowberg]

Welcome and please don't be sorry at all. This place is here for learning.

Be sure to read everything you can at Geofex & AMZ. An amazing wealth on knowledge!

[DDD]

Connoisseur of Distortion,
Welcome,
and plase don't be ashamed.
Russians say: "A man who knows little is not a fool. A fool is a man who don't want to learn more".

[Paul Marossy]

Welcome to obsessing on tone, getting by on next to no sleep, debating about what opamp sounds better, whether or not NTE parts suck, etc., etc., etc.   :wink:

Have fun. This is a good place to learn, I have learned a lot of what I know today from hanging out here.  

[WGTP]

Welcome.  I have learned a tremendous about about all kinds of electronics and computer stuff too, here.

The Warp Control is a very cool idea.  I have replaced the tone control on my Rat with a pot to pan between a GE diode and an LED with a SI fixed as the other side of the clipping pair.  Many possible variations.

I have asked many questions and said some stupid things around here, but they still put up with me, so don't worry about that.  

[Phorhas]

Welcom Connoisseur of Distortion

Welcome to obsessing on tone, getting by on next to no sleep

Funny how guy (and gals?) from all around the world get the same bad habbits...

This is a good place to learn, I have learned a lot of what I know today from hanging out here.

true to the letter

[Mark Hammer]

Made a TS-808 clone as per the Tonepad layout.  Instead of adding a 3rd diode to mimic an SD-1 (which I recently borrowed from a buddy, and it actually sounds pretty nice), I installed a "warp" pot as a variable resistor in series with one of the diodes.   At minimum resistance ity works just like a TS-808.  At larger and larger resistances, the clipping becomes less symmetrical.  It also, as expected, gets to be louder because only one side of the waveform is hard-clipped, and retains more picking dynamics (though largely unnoticeable UNLESS you pick hard).  Works like a charm and adds a lot more variety in feel to an otherwise unidimensional sounding pedal.  I think I used a pot between 10k and 50k, though can't remember exactly which value.

[niftydog]

incidentaly, I was involved in a thread and some experiments around the 78XX series regulators. We found they were quite an effective tool for generating asymetrical clipping (by means of applying a DC offset to the ground pin and passing signal from input to output.) No tests were done to ascertain the frequency response, however.