The short guide
Understand the idea
Saturation and distortion reshape a signal instead of simply turning it up. Changing that shape can add harmonics: tones related to the original frequency. Here, one supplied low A2 sine stays on the same note while you explore two deliberately simple curves. This is a teaching waveshaper, not a tape, tube or 808 emulation.
What you can explore
- Compare genuine Clean bypass with your Driven settings.
- Explore Drive and the difference between Soft and Hard curves.
- Blend the texture with clean signal and adjust Output.
A worked example
Keep the note; change the texture
Choose Driven, try +18 dB Drive and compare Soft with Hard. The supplied sine reaches Hard’s clipping edge at this setting. Lower Blend to bring clean signal back, and lower Output if the result feels too loud. Return to Clean whenever you want; your driven settings stay saved. For a quick start, the Warm recipe sets +6 dB Soft at 50% Blend and Crunch sets +18 dB Hard at 100%; both keep your Output and neither starts playback.
- Source
- A2, 110 Hz; one synthetic sine, 96 BPM, one repeating four-beat bar.
- Drive
- 0 to +18 dB, before the curve.
- Blend and Output
- 0–100% driven signal; Output −18 to 0 dB, plus fixed headroom gain in both versions.
Drive and Output do different jobs
Drive raises the signal before the curve, so more of it reaches the bent or clipped region. Output changes the level afterwards. A louder version is not automatically better. Clean and Driven are not loudness matched; compare at a comfortable device volume.
Output applies to both versions, including Clean. A fixed 0.5 headroom gain also remains in both. Changing a setting stops playback; press Play again to hear the new texture. Choosing a control never starts sound.
Two curves, without mystery labels
Soft uses a rounded tanh curve. Hard clips at the shaper’s −1 and +1 edges. Both hold their endpoint beyond that sampled input range. At lower Drive, this sine can get louder while staying below Hard’s clipping edge, without flattening its shape.
The curve picture shows chosen mathematical settings, not a measured waveform, spectrum or speaker level. Four-times oversampling is requested when supported; implementations can differ. Oversampling can reduce some aliasing, but does not guarantee alias-free sound.
A little texture is a valid finish
Blend combines clean and driven signal. At 0%, the driven branch is genuinely bypassed. Clean, 0% Blend and either curve are all valid results; there is no required amount of distortion.
Quiet mode lets you explore the curve and review your settings without sound. Progress stays in this browser. The downloadable text recipe records the actual source and choices; it is not an audio file or a cross-device save.
Common questions
Does 0 dB Drive mean no distortion?
Not always. Drive is input gain. Soft still bends the signal at 0 dB; Hard changes it only when its clipping edge is reached. Use Clean for a genuine bypass.
Is this audio compression?
No. These curves reshape each signal value. The compression lesson instead explores level-dependent gain reduction and its reaction times.
Can I use my own recording?
This lesson uses its supplied synthetic sine. It does not upload, process or export your recordings.
Do I need headphones or an account?
No account is needed. Sound is optional. Headphones or speakers may make the low sine easier to hear; device volume and playback systems affect the experience.
Published by TunePal. Interactive examples for beginner music producers.