Tom Haig

hey, sorry for another problem of mine... I'm just addicted to knowledge!

I was wondering if anyone out there knows how to make a distortion effect? A little look around has pinted me in the direction of [kink~] to generate a phase distorion. But I'm not at all sure how to go about creating a distortion using the kink object? Anyone know how this can be achieved?

Also, just wondering, does anyone know what kinda processes are used to make vintage sounding distortions? Max being very basic, I'm thinking it will be too easy to make a very digital sounding drive.

hey, sorry for another problem of mine... I'm just addicted to knowledge!
I was wondering if anyone out there knows how to make a distortion effect?  A little look around has pinted me in the direction of [kink~] to generate a phase distorion.  But I'm not at all sure how to go about creating a distortion using the kink object?  Anyone know how this can be achieved?
Also, just wondering, does anyone know what kinda processes are used to make vintage sounding distortions?  Max being very basic, I'm thinking it will be too easy to make a very digital sounding drive.
thanks very much
tom


does-anyone-know-how-to-make-a-distortion

There's overdrive~, and other objects like it. People spend a lot of

many to get vintage sounding distortions, and I imagine it's not the

easiest task to emulate a cranked marshall amp or a vintage stomp

pedal. Doesn't at all mean that you shouldn't try!

> hey, sorry for another problem of mine... I'm just addicted to knowledge!

> I was wondering if anyone out there knows how to make a distortion effect? A little look around has pinted me in the direction of [kink~] to generate a phase distorion. But I'm not at all sure how to go about creating a distortion using the kink object? Anyone know how this can be achieved?

> Also, just wondering, does anyone know what kinda processes are used to make vintage sounding distortions? Max being very basic, I'm thinking it will be too easy to make a very digital sounding drive.

There's overdrive~, and other objects like it.  People spend a lot of
many to get vintage sounding distortions, and I imagine it's not the
easiest task to emulate a cranked marshall amp or a vintage stomp
pedal.  Doesn't at all mean that you shouldn't try!

On 10/5/06, register  wrote:
>
> hey, sorry for another problem of mine... I'm just addicted to knowledge!
> I was wondering if anyone out there knows how to make a distortion effect?  A little look around has pinted me in the direction of [kink~] to generate a phase distorion.  But I'm not at all sure how to go about creating a distortion using the kink object?  Anyone know how this can be achieved?
> Also, just wondering, does anyone know what kinda processes are used to make vintage sounding distortions?  Max being very basic, I'm thinking it will be too easy to make a very digital sounding drive.
> thanks very much
> tom
>


one obvious but often overlooked option is to actually use an analog 

or preamp, which will have the virtue of not sounding like crap. 

you *might* need to use a DI box or reamp box to get your signal to 

had some luck w/o having to use a DI/reamp box but routing other 

chain before hitting the dirt box (for example my delay box which 

puts out guitar level sig)... since i have half a dozen dirt boxes/ 

in my closet that is an easier option for me.... pleasing analog 

had if you just do it in the analog domain. It depends on what sonic 

But , If there is a Max object that makes yo $400 guitbox sound like 

coming out a dimed out blackface Vibrolux, please let me know, you 

a huge amount of cash and closet space. :-)

On Oct 5, 2006, at 10:26 PM, keith manlove wrote:

> There's overdrive~, and other objects like it. People spend a lot of

> many to get vintage sounding distortions, and I imagine it's not the

> easiest task to emulate a cranked marshall amp or a vintage stomp

> pedal. Doesn't at all mean that you shouldn't try!

>> hey, sorry for another problem of mine... I'm just addicted to 

>> I was wondering if anyone out there knows how to make a distortion 

>> effect? A little look around has pinted me in the direction of 

>> [kink~] to generate a phase distorion. But I'm not at all sure 

>> how to go about creating a distortion using the kink object? 

>> Also, just wondering, does anyone know what kinda processes are 

>> used to make vintage sounding distortions? Max being very basic, 

>> I'm thinking it will be too easy to make a very digital sounding 

one obvious but often overlooked option is to actually use an analog  
overdrive stomper
or preamp, which will have the virtue of not sounding like crap.  
 ... The downside is that
you *might* need to use a DI box or reamp box to get your signal to  
the right level, but i have
had some luck w/o having to use a DI/reamp box but routing other  
devices through the signal
chain before hitting the dirt box (for example my delay box which  
takes about any type signal and
puts out guitar level sig)... since i have half a dozen dirt boxes/ 
preamps/boosters sitting
in my closet that is an easier option for me.... pleasing analog  
sounding squash hair dirt fuzz is easily
had if you just do it in the analog domain. It depends on what sonic  
results you are ultimately after.

But , If there is a Max object that makes yo $400 guitbox sound like  
it is '53 tele
coming out a dimed out blackface Vibrolux, please let me know, you  
can save me
a huge amount of cash and closet space. :-)

> There's overdrive~, and other objects like it.  People spend a lot of
> many to get vintage sounding distortions, and I imagine it's not the
> easiest task to emulate a cranked marshall amp or a vintage stomp
> pedal.  Doesn't at all mean that you shouldn't try!
>
> Keith
>
> On 10/5/06, register  wrote:
>>
>> hey, sorry for another problem of mine... I'm just addicted to  
>> knowledge!
>> I was wondering if anyone out there knows how to make a distortion  
>> effect?  A little look around has pinted me in the direction of  
>> [kink~] to generate a phase distorion.  But I'm not at all sure  
>> how to go about creating a distortion using the kink object?   
>> Anyone know how this can be achieved?
>> Also, just wondering, does anyone know what kinda processes are  
>> used to make vintage sounding distortions?  Max being very basic,  
>> I'm thinking it will be too easy to make a very digital sounding  
>> drive.
>> thanks very much
>> tom
>>


"which will have the virtue of not sounding like crap. "

... tell me about it! Overdrive is the clostest I've got, and it still sounds way too harsh and digital.

I have and love a copy of NI guitar rig 2, I think the distortion stomp boxes on it are very good. I was kinda hoping I could make something with their qualities, with a pretty low CPU usage (guitar rig is v.hungry)

I imagine it's a case of some complex waveshaping and synthesis- subjects I'm both poor at.

If anyone's had any success, or knows of any available patches, please let me know!

"which will have the virtue of not sounding like crap. "
... tell me about it! Overdrive is the clostest I've got, and it still sounds way too harsh and digital.
I have and love a copy of NI guitar rig 2, I think the distortion stomp boxes on it are very good.  I was kinda hoping I could make something with their qualities, with a pretty low CPU usage (guitar rig is v.hungry)
I imagine it's a case of some complex waveshaping and synthesis- subjects I'm both poor at.
If anyone's had any success, or knows of any available patches, please let me know!
thanks!
tom


just play. don't worry about theory. most of my successful 

distortion algorithms come from different combinations of overdrive~ 

and extreme filtering (notch and peak). don't be afraid to overdrive 

twice, serially or in parallel. you can also try rectification 

compression and crossover effects. even a little combing doesn't 

my first inclination would be to put tall peaks in the spectrum, 

around 200, 500 and a shorter wider in the 2k range. then distort the 

piss out of it so that you've evened the spectrum back out.

have a look at the genx category of the percolate library.

v=objects&id_objet=148&requested=gen10&operateur=AND&id_plateforme=0 

just play.  don't worry about theory.  most of my successful  
distortion algorithms come from different combinations of overdrive~  
and extreme filtering (notch and peak).  don't be afraid to overdrive  
twice, serially or in parallel.   you can also try rectification  
compression and crossover effects.  even a little combing doesn't  
hurt beforehand.

my first inclination would be to put tall peaks in the spectrum,  
around 200, 500 and a shorter wider in the 2k range. then distort the  
piss out of it so that you've evened the spectrum back out.

have a look at the genx category of the percolate library.
http://www.maxobjects.com/? 
v=objects&id_objet=148&requested=gen10&operateur=AND&id_plateforme=0 


this arctan thing is cheaper than overdrive~

lp.nn~ and lp.scamp~ are two powerful tools for distortion.

There is an example patch with Litter Power that demonstrates the use of scamp~ for very flexible phase distortion effects. I think I even posted it to the mail list not long ago.

Both objects are in Litter Pro. More information at .

There is an example patch with Litter Power that demonstrates the use of scamp~ for very flexible phase distortion effects. I think I even posted it to the mail list not long ago. 

cool, I think that has much more potential than overdrive. I used it to make this guitar amp sim patch, it's a start.

Here's the patch, if anyone wants do develop it, please post it!

cool, I think that has much more potential than overdrive.  I used it to make this guitar amp sim patch, it's a start.
thanks a lot for your help.
Here's the patch, if anyone wants do develop it, please post it!
tom

> Max being very basic, I'm thinking it will be too easy to make a very

There was some discussion on the topic recently on the list, search the 

archive. My favorite is lookup~ in combination with chebychev 

polynomials. There is an example in the examples folder (you did look 

Though to make it really sound nice, you need to go deeper in it. It 

works wonder with defined sine waves, but with real signals its way more 

complicated, I am still working on a way to treat it better.

Main problem for me, the range is limited from -1. to 1...

You have to prepare the signal carefully...

register wrote:
> Max being very basic, I'm thinking it will be too easy to make a very
> digital sounding drive.

There was some discussion on the topic recently on the list, search the 
archive. My favorite is lookup~ in combination with chebychev 
polynomials. There is an example in the examples folder (you did look 
there didn't you ;-?)

Though to make it really sound nice, you need to go deeper in it. It 
works wonder with defined sine waves, but with real signals its way more 
complicated, I am still working on a way to treat it better.

Main problem for me, the range is limited from -1. to 1...
You have to prepare the signal carefully...

-- 
Stefan Tiedje------------x-------
--_____-----------|--------------
--(_|_ ----|-----|-----()-------
-- _|_)----|-----()--------------
----------()--------www.ccmix.com


does anyone know how to make a distortion?