Audacity Forum

This might be going off-topic, but how is a universal level for digial audio waves determined? What I mean is, are all speakers affected by this, regardless of their power or frequency range, and if distortion is created from intentionally clipping a wave, how is it not potentially damaging to the speaker/amp?

GWARslave119 wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 02, 2019 5:26 am

if distortion is created from intentionally clipping a wave, how is it not potentially damaging to the speaker/amp?

Clipping is potentially damaging to speakers. Clipping (especially "digital clipping") creates high levels of very high frequencies. If played at high volume (the amp turned up high), there is a risk that it could blow the tweeters.

GWARslave119 wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 02, 2019 5:26 am

how is a universal level for digial audio waves determined?

The "universal level" refers to the "digital signal". The "analog level" (the signal / sound level at the speakers) is determined by a combination of the signal level going into the amp, and the amount of amplification (how high the amp is turned up).

steve wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 02, 2019 2:26 pm

Clipping is potentially damaging to speakers. Clipping (especially "digital clipping") creates high levels of very high frequencies. If played at high volume (the amp turned up high), there is a risk that it could blow the tweeters.

But I assume when using distortion effects in a guitar pedal, it's done in a way to where the clipping is manageable? Kinda like how you can have a mixer track going above 0dB, but as long as the Master track doesn't clip, it's ok?

GWARslave119 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 04, 2019 1:45 pm

But I assume when using distortion effects in a guitar pedal, it's done in a way to where the clipping is manageable?

This is one of the benefits of mic'ing up a guitar amp rather than "DI" (direct inject) the stomp box straight into an audio interface. Guitar amps (usually) don't have a tweeter, and naturally filter out a lot of the extreme high frequencies.

Some stomp boxes include a speaker / cab simulator, which has a similar "filtering" effect as a real guitar cab, but many stomp boxes don't.

ahh, that makes sense why when I first started recording on my computer, I used to plug my pedal directly into the onboard sound, and eventually I messed up the card (this was years ago, I can plug straight in now without damaging it, I guess newer chipsets filter perhaps). I went out and bought an Audigy 2 Platinum which came with a seperate interface to go in the 5.25" bay, which I'm assuming was a preamp:



At one point like 5 years ago I did buy a USB preamp when I bought the Boss GT-100, along with a pair of M-Audio BX5 D2 speakers...monitors, whatever ;p Nowadays I just have a guitar, had to pawn the pedal few years ago, the speakers blew out before then, so with no amp, I decided to pick up audio and video editing so I could at least do something dealing with music.