booster question

[Barcode80]

I'm having a little booster problem i'm not really sure how to solve. Every booster I've built boosts great in clean, but just adds gain when distorted, not volume. would this possibly be due to it being placed in my effects chain before the distortions, turning into more of an overdrive than a booster? does anyone think placing it at the end of the chain would yield more of a defined boost?

[MikeH]

I've found that with clean boosters I've built (MOSFET and LPB) placing them before a distortion won't make a big difference in boosting volume, rather they just make the distortion dirtier.  But placing them after gives more headroom/boost and not more distortion.

[Barcode80]

i had a feeling, i actually thought of that as i was writing, but thought i would post to make sure i was correct. i'm also having problems in that i built the LP2 boost and got barely any boost. it was very odd. in fact the only one i've built that gives a huge boost is the may treble boost and the rocket boost (yun). any thoughts guys?

[MikeH]

My LPB gives a big, clean boost.  The MOSFET boost give a very transparent boost as well, until about 90% of the way up, then it adds some overdrive.  I also built an AMZ mini-booster, which mostly adds overdrive, with some voulme boost.

[d95err]

does anyone think placing it at the end of the chain would yield more of a defined boost?

It's not that difficult to find out... 

[Barcode80]

i was when i posted that, i was at work when i got home though, i put my rocket boost at the end and MAN what a difference. kicks ass now. i wonder why yun noted on the schem that it should be placed before?

[dominatrix_volleyball]

You mean before his Super Muff?

Probably to royally kick its ass more than provide a boost. I think he also suggests changing cap values to remove bass for just that purpose.

[petemoore]

  Some distorters can get a bit louder sounding with a preboosted signal source. Once the clipping diodes reach a certain point...as in a very heavy distortion/booster, noise seems to change more than tone or output level of the distorter.
  If there's plenty of headroom in everything after the post distortion Booster, mostly boost of volume can be heard [less tonal change w/volume change].
  Clipping diodes draw the line on voltage output. How the voltage swings before that level and the clipping events can change [at what interval to the source frequency are the clipping events, how much voltage is shunted to ground..how hard the diodes are 'hit'] but at some point it is impossible to 'sneak' any more AC past them.
 

[Barcode80]

i see, so basically, if a diode has a voltage of 3 volts, no matter how much current you drive through it there is a finite amount of signal level you are going to get, so more input means more clipping and therefore more distortion. but the output is already maxed, so no or very little volume increase. interesting. so maybe for balls to the wall hairy fuzz on a muff pi or something, you might boost first, but to get just a true boost one should probably put it after distortions, right?

[rockgardenlove]

The dirt on my amps is much more compressed than the clean.  On the clean channel the volume goes up by a HUGE amount.  On the dirty, it just thickens it up and adds more distortion.  Perfectly normal.