Distortion Pedals
Soundeffects are essential for every electric guitarists. Effects alter the sound of your guitar. This explanation sounds kind of vague, but effects can change any aspect of your sound. It can change the treble, the bass, the gain, the distortion, the overdrive, and a whole lot more. Guitars and amps also have knobs which change the sound, but these alterations are very basic. Usually they don’t have any more options than treble, bass, volume, and gain. Pedals have the option to alter very specific aspects of the sounds, which makes it possible for you to make your favourite combinations of effects and sounds. This is why many guitarists go for individual stompboxes instead of larger effect possibilities like multi-effect pedals or modelling amps. One of the most popular effects is distortion. This article will explain everything that has to do with distortion pedals, This includes an explanation on what distortion is, the differences between certain types of distortions, the pros and cons, and with which effects distortion can be combined. Heavy distortion pedals, also known as metal pedals, are explained in a different article.
What is distortion?
Distortion is that beautiful growling sound that we know from bands like The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin. It’s mostly popular in rock and punk, but nowadays it’s used in most genres. Distortion used to be made by putting a tube amp in overdrive. By putting the audio signals in overdrive, the sound distorts because it cannot properly articulate anymore. This results in a gritty and aggressive sound. This means that distortion is in reality a ‘mistake’, because it’s the result of improper soundwaves and articulation. However, it’s an amazing mistake, because distortion sounds fantastic and is very popular. Overdrive is relatively similar to distortion. It’s produced in a similar way and sounds relatively similar, as well. There are important differences, though. Overdrive is a lot more mild and nuanced, it preserves the original sound and only distorts it in a relatively natural way. Distortion is significantly harder and more aggressive. It distorts the sound way more and makes it grittier and sharper. This is also why overdrive and distortion go amazing together. Nowadays, distortion is way easier to produce. It’s not necessary anymore to throw your tube amp in overdrive, using it to its full extent. Instead, distortion pedals make an artificial recreation of this sound with modern technology. This makes it significantly easier and cheaper. You can also alter it more than a tube amp. The pedal has to be connected between the guitar and the amp, which means the signal is already altered before it reaches your amp.
The different distortion pedals
There are two major differences between different types of distortions; clipping and the authenticity of the sound. Clipping is the level of distortion. If an amp is put into overdrive, the audio signals will distort, as we explained. These signals are usually sent out in neat audio waves. If the sound is overdriven, the waves become more shallow and squared off. If the waves are only slightly shortened and squared, it’s called soft clipping. Soft clipping distortion has thus more space for different tones and harmonies. If the waves are significantly shorter and squarer, it’s called hard clipping. Hard clipping distortion sounds way more aggressive and dirtier. It also has less tones and harmonies because the waves have simply less space. Of course, most pedals have nuances between these types, which is usually done with the distortion and level knobs. But these differences do not cross the bridge between the two different clippings. Certain pedals simply have a higher clipping and sound grittier, like the Boss MD-2 and the Boss MT-2, whereas other pedals have a more soft-clipping kind of sound, like the MXR M69 and the Boss DS-1. Additionally, there are differences in the authenticity of the sound. Originally, distortion was created with a tube amp, while a pedal recreates this artificially. Consequently, it is hard to recreate the original tube amp-distortion. There are many pedals that have done this successfully, like the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, the Fender MTG Tube Distortion and the Boss ST-2 Power Stack. However, other pedals have gone for a more modern sound, which has become very popular, as well. For example, the Boss DS-2 and the Stagg Blaxx DX-DIST are popular contenders. Thus, it is most important to decide what kind of sound you want. Are you a bigger fan of the grittier sound? Or do you prefer a more nuanced sound? Do you like the authentic vintage distortion or do you love the modern sound? These are the most important factors you should take into account when picking a distortion pedal.
Pros and Cons of Distortion pedals
First off, distortion gives your guitar an amazing gritty and rough sound. This is extremely popular in many genres and is used for many legendary songs and solos. Subsequently, it’s an indispensable effect for many guitarists, especially if you like doing covers. Additionally, distortion gives your song an interesting sound and solos and riffs will sound significantly grander and fuller than they would with a clean sound. Distortion is thus a very easy way to sound more professional. Unfortunately, there are also downsides. Firstly, if the soundwaves are shortened and squared, the tones will be harder to articulate, because there is less room in the waves for different types of tones. Consequently, the distorted sound will be less nuanced than the clean sound. Secondly, some people find the rough and distorted sound irritating. As we have explained, distortion is actually a mistake, because it’s the result of a overdriven circuit. However, most people like distortion, because it results in an interesting and complicated sound. But this is subjective, of course, which is why some people actually experience it like a mistake and consider it a squandered clean sound. Nevertheless, this is not very important, because what sound you like is most important, because it is your sound, not theirs. If you like a distorted sound, it is definitely advisable to purchase a distortion pedal!
Which effects go well with distortion?
In this paragraph we will give you a short summary of popular effect combinations. Detailed explanations of the different effects can be found in seperate articles. First, we will of course talk about reverb. Reverb is one of the most popular effects next to distortion. Consequently, it is no surprise that these two effects go extremely well together. Reverb is a sort of nuanced echo, not like delay, it makes your tone sound like it was played in a room with great acoustics. This means it gives your sound a realistic and incredible sense of atmosphere. Reverb will make the distortion sound more airy and clear. It will especially emphasise longer notes. Your distortion will thus sound less flat. Next, we will discuss chorus. Chorus is similar to reverb, but the echo includes a slight untuning. This sounds odd, but it will actually result in a much fuller and more intricate echo, almost as if additional strings are played. Both reverb and echo will sound phenomenal with distortion, but chorus can sound a little messy with distortion. Lastly, you can also combine your distortion with an overdrive pedal. This is a little more complicated, because it involves stacking. Stacking is when two different distortion pedals are used together. The order in which the pedals are connected is the most important factor. The rule is that the first pedal in the sequence decides the level of clipping, whereas the second decides the tone. Overdrive and distortion are often combined, so there are many different combinations which you can try.
It’s now up to you to take this information into consideration and decide what you want. It is most advisable to take the clipping and the tone into account. This means you have to choose between an aggressive and dirty distortion, or a nuanced and articulating distortion. Additionally, you’ll have to decide between a vintage and authentic sound, or a modern sound. It is also handy to think about what other effects you want or have. Most importantly though, make sure you create a sound you like and you continue to have fun with your playing!
