Distortion

Since the earliest days of the electric guitar, guitarists have been adding distortion to the sound of their instruments for expressive purposes. Distortion effects can create a wide palette of sounds ranging from smooth, singing tones with long sustain to harsh, grungy effects. Distortion can be introduced deliberately by the amplifier (especially in vacuum tube guitar amplifiers) or by a self-contained effect, and the particular choice of distortion effect is often part of a player’s signature sound. An overview of many distortion-based effects, including modern waveshapers and new implementations, is provided. Various approaches, including new and emerging approaches, to modeling analogue distortion effects are also discussed.