Nonsymmetrical Clipping

[honcho at paia.com]

the infinitely wise sean said:

>It seems to me
that the inversion of each gain stage in the 2040 would result in a 
signal
that was clipped, amplified and otherwise modified, than clipped on 
the
other side repeatedly, resulting in a complex waveform rich in even
harmonics.  
>>>

I can't add much to this, but here's a little something:

Cascaded assymetrical distortion stages that are capacitively coupled 
add a transient "punch" to a signal because as the first stage 
squashes the top (or bottom) the average value of the waveform changes 
- equivalently there is a DC component introduced. This DC is coupled 
as a transient to the second stage and for a short period causes it to 
squash more (or less) than it will when the capacitor charges to a 
steady-state value.

I haven't put that particularly well, but I know that you guys will 
get the drift of it.

-John

---------------------------------------------------------
John Simonton                  PAiA Electronics, Inc
3200 Teakwood Ln.              honcho at paia.com
Edmond OK 73013                http://www.paia.com
405-340-6300                   fax 405-340-6378