Out of curiosity, the diode arrangement in the BMP looks, sort of, like the diodes in the Tuber Screamer but, people always talk about it is hard rather than soft clipping. Why is this?

It's unfair for a single BJT CE amp to be compared with an op-amp..  

Quote from: soggybag on January 25, 2025, 11:36:54 PMOut of curiosity, the diode arrangement in the BMP looks, sort of, like the diodes in the Tuber Screamer but, people always talk about it is hard rather than soft clipping. Why is this?

Online forums tend to propagate improper use of terms such as these. If you have two silicon diodes with a threshold voltage of 0.7v in a hard clipping arrangement, any signal above 0.7v in either direction gets clipped to exactly 0.7v with soft clipping, 0.7v is just the threshold at which clipping starts. Any signal above 0.7v gets drastically reduced. The maximum output on a hard clipping 0.7v section will never reach beyond 2 * 0.7 =1.4v, but with soft clipping it can.

Someone else can probably explain this better than me. I'm good at learning and knowing things, not 100% at explaining.

So here's a whacky thing I forgot to mention for anyone interested, the clipping caps on the NYC are HUGE. 1uF and 2u2. Despite what you'd think, I find these values work quite nicely with bass.

I think I will install a blend control for versatility though.

Quote from: soggybag on January 25, 2025, 11:36:54 PMthe diode arrangement in the BMP looks, sort of, like the diodes in the Tuber Screamer but, people always talk about it is hard rather than soft clipping.

It's not all about the diodes. What is the source impedance? A weak (hi-Z) source will clip more than a fat source.

Quote from: Christoper on January 26, 2025, 02:29:02 PMSo here's a whacky thing I forgot to mention for anyone interested, the clipping caps on the NYC are HUGE. 1uF and 2u2. Despite what you'd think, I find these values work quite nicely with bass.

I think I will install a blend control for versatility though.

Large clipping caps are fine for bass. They just clip the low notes more, which can sound a bit mushy on bass. And it makes the lows less dynamic. Neither of which is necessarily a bad thing, just different. The smaller caps make the sound more bassy by clipping the bass less, which is what appeals to many bass players. But you can make up for this difference with the tone control.

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