asymetrical diode clipper question

[pinkjimiphoton]

how do you know which side is being clipped? does it matter which side of the sine wave is clipped?
is there a way to tell? i mean...say ya want just the bass frequencies thru ge for sweetness, and the treble frequencies thru silicon for more scream? 

[R.G.]

how do you know which side is being clipped?

The side with the fewest diodes gets clipped first.

does it matter which side of the sine wave is clipped?

For a sine wave, no. For real audio waves that are not perfectly symmetrical, probably. For guitar, it varies between symmetrical and nonsymmetrical as the note decays, and at different times for different strings/frets/finger pressure/phase of the moon.

is there a way to tell?

If you mean which side is clipped first, see the first answer. If you mean is there a way to tell if it matters, use a "switch hitter" circuit to flip the phase of the signal into the clipper and listen for any differences. If you can't hear any differences, it doesn't matter.

i mean...say ya want just the bass frequencies thru ge for sweetness, and the treble frequencies thru silicon for more scream? 

Diode clipping is sensitive to instantaneous voltage, not frequency. If you want to clip bass and treble differently, filter them apart, clip them separately, then mix them back together. See Craig Anderton's Quadrafuzz.

[pinkjimiphoton]

thanks rg, i understand it now. i've tried switching them but never could hear any audible difference so i guess it doesn't matter.
appreciate it!
peace!

[Scruffie]

thanks rg, i understand it now. i've tried switching them but never could hear any audible difference so i guess it doesn't matter.
appreciate it!
peace!

I would say I couldn't either untill I experimented, it really is dependant on gain levels, design & filtering etc. I made a Boost/Overdrive/High Gain Distortion and in the Overdrive & Boost mode, it was definitley smoother, but the design used a lot of op-amp clipping so it probably made more difference to the over all sound.

[Keppy]

I have wondered about this in a different way. Say I'm running an overdrive into a more intense distortion, both with asymmetrical clipping. Will I notice a difference if they both clip the same side of the wave first vs. clipping opposite sides first? Logic tells me I would, but I haven't tested it yet. Anyone experiment with this?