Comments on: How do you get distortion from a tube amp? http://audiograveyard.info/pro-audio/how-do-you-get-distortion-from-a-tube-amp All About vintage pro audio Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:26:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Ken C http://audiograveyard.info/pro-audio/how-do-you-get-distortion-from-a-tube-amp#comment-415 Ken C Mon, 18 May 2009 13:30:28 +0000 http://audiograveyard.info/engineering/how-do-you-get-distortion-from-a-tube-amp#comment-415 I've got concerns that you say you want to build a tube amp, but you don't appear to understand gain structure. Tube amps are not something that beginners should start out with. You'll be working with voltages (especially on the power tube plates) that can do some serious damage to you. That said, preamp distortion is achieved by putting multiple gain stages in series with each other. On some of the older Marshall's, you will have 4 stages of gain before the phase inverter. If you want to generate distortion in the power section, then you'll need to drive them hard from the phase inverter, starve the plates, or both. Good luck, and don't hurt yourself. Greetings from Austin, TX Ken I’ve got concerns that you say you want to build a tube amp, but you don’t appear to understand gain structure. Tube amps are not something that beginners should start out with. You’ll be working with voltages (especially on the power tube plates) that can do some serious damage to you.

That said, preamp distortion is achieved by putting multiple gain stages in series with each other. On some of the older Marshall’s, you will have 4 stages of gain before the phase inverter.

If you want to generate distortion in the power section, then you’ll need to drive them hard from the phase inverter, starve the plates, or both.

Good luck, and don’t hurt yourself.

Greetings from Austin, TX

Ken

]]> By: billrussell42 http://audiograveyard.info/pro-audio/how-do-you-get-distortion-from-a-tube-amp#comment-414 billrussell42 Fri, 15 May 2009 07:04:15 +0000 http://audiograveyard.info/engineering/how-do-you-get-distortion-from-a-tube-amp#comment-414 Usually designers want to reduce distortion. do not use any feedback pick the operating point to be either close to cutoff or close to saturation add diodes in parallel with signal. . Usually designers want to reduce distortion.

do not use any feedback

pick the operating point to be either close to cutoff or close to saturation

add diodes in parallel with signal.

.

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