...one utilized a different clipping strategy for each half cycle?
Let us say one inserted a single diode in the feedback loop of an op-amp, such that only one half-wave was affected, and the other half-wave was allowed to do whatever the gain-setting commanded. And on the output of said op-amp was a single diode going to ground, oriented such that only the unaffected half-cycle would be clipped. And let us further assume that the individual diodes have identical forward voltages.
Would this behave or sound any different than what we are used to? I was reading a thread on another forum, and it occurred to me that I've seen circuits where one pair of diodes is used in the feedback loop, and then another pair is used somewhere after that output, but that simply duplicates clipping on both half-cycles. And I know some octaving circuits separate half-cycles using phase-splitters and diodes, but they don't process each half-cycle differently. I don't know that I've ever seen a circuit that treats and clips each half-cycle differently.
I'm off for my 5th Covid shot in 10 minutes, or else I'd do the experiment myself. But, opinions?