Understanding Diodes in Series

[Kearns892]

Alright, I have been reading up on clipping and I think I have a handle on how different types of diodes clip differently due to their forward voltages, and how altering where these diodes are and what they are fed changes the sound. (Thanks a lot to Mark for all his detailed explanations on this subject). That being said, I am still confused on what is  happening when diodes are placed in series. Obviously if the diodes are stacked unevenly (i.e. 2:1) asymmetry is produced because of the differences in how the highs and lows of the waveform are clipped, but what exactly are these differences? Does placing diodes in series simply alter the forward voltage, or is there something else going on here I am not getting?

[JKowalski]

Yeah, you add together the forward voltages. Each diode needs it's voltage drop across it to conduct current. In series that means you just add them.

[Kearns892]

So essentially two Germaniums in series should sound about the same as 1 silicon, and two Si and 1 Ge = 1 Red LED? Are there any other differences that can be expected in the sound?

[John Lyons]

basically yes, Although there is something a little different about how Ge diodes conduct and the "knee" of the curve.
They add up to the same numbers but there are nuances just as there are between silicon diodes with the same
forward voltages...

John