tone control Q

[enquiryband]

if im adding a tone and volume control do i want to add it at the end of a circuit or the beginning?

[bipedal]

Typically they go at the end of a circuit...

IN --> CIRCUIT --> TONE --> VOLUME --> OUT

(BTW, here's a great tone control for adding at the end of circuits -- especially overdrives/distortions: Mark Hammer's SWTC.)

- Jay

[Mark Hammer]

Depends what you want it to do.  In the case of overdrives and distortions, the typical place for tone controls is at the "end" of the circuit.  One of the principal reasons is that high gain circuits tend to exaggerate any hiss sneaking in with the input signal, plus there are often harmonic components you don't want, and tacking the tone control at the end helps to manage both.

Of course, that strategy assumes the "tone control" is a treble cut.  If the intent is to have a different kind of tone control, then a different location may be in order.  For instance, while the Tube Screamer has the tone control after the clipping section, a much earlier model from Maxon had the exact same tone control before the clipping section, top produce a different quality of clipped sound.

In most instances, a volume control at the very end is the sensible thing to do, since it not only adjusts level, but keeps accumulated noise under control as well.  If the volume is inserted early on, then you have no way of taming any hiss or noise generated later in the signal path.

[enquiryband]

(BTW, here's a great tone control for adding at the end of circuits -- especially overdrives/distortions: Mark Hammer's SWTC.)

- Jay

is this the same one on the beavis A R site? http://www.beavisaudio.com/techpages/BigMuffToneControl/

[earthtonesaudio]

(BTW, here's a great tone control for adding at the end of circuits -- especially overdrives/distortions: Mark Hammer's SWTC.)

- Jay

is this the same one on the beavis A R site? http://www.beavisaudio.com/techpages/BigMuffToneControl/

Not at all.