Distortion |
Distortion allows you to precisely tailor gain at all input levels of a signal. You can use the Distortion plug-in to create dramatic to subtle distortion, simple compression, expansion, and noise gates.
Open the Sonic Foundry Distortion dialog.
Choose a preset from the Name drop-down list, or adjust the controls as desired:
a. Drag the Dry out fader to set the level of the unprocessed signal that will be mixed into the output.
b. Drag the Wet out fader to set the level of the distorted signal that will be mixed into the output.
c. Adjust the envelope graph.
The Input vs. Output level graph shows the gain that will be applied to the input signal, depending on its level over time. The diagonal line, referred to as the No Gain line, indicates where the input and output levels are equal (a ratio of 1 to 1). When an envelope point is below the line, signal attenuation occurs. This allows you to create a compression curve of your choice by adding points to the graph:
Drag the small boxes (envelope points) up or down.
To create a new envelope point, left-click on any point of the envelope.
To delete a envelope point, single-click it with the right mouse button, or double-click it with the left mouse button.
To move all envelope points, press Ctrl+A and drag when the envelope
has focus (the cursor will be displayed as a ).
By adjusting the graph, you can generate compression, limiting, noise gating, and expansion effects by moving the envelope points manually. To view examples of common graph shapes, look at some of the included presets.
The Distortion plug-in allows you to apply different envelopes to the positive and negative components of a signal. Modifying the positive and negative polarity of a selection separately can create distinctive distortions.
Choose a setting from the Graph polarity edit mode drop-down list:
Setting |
Description |
Individual |
Enables two distinct sets of envelope points. |
Synchronize |
Ties the positive and negative graph together. |
Mirror X |
Creates opposing positive and negative points about the No Gain line.
|
Mirror Y |
|
Mirror X/Y |
Click the Positive/Negative button to specify which graph you want to edit.
Edit the graph as desired.
The Slew rate slider controls how much the sound wave is allowed to change over time, which can produce useful effects even without applying any distortion.
Using a low slew rate means that the signal is not allowed to deviate very much at all, causing a bubbling effect. Low slew rates should be used on audio signals with headroom to keep clipping to a minimum.
Increasing the slew rate allows the signal to change more dramatically, meaning the signal will be allowed to follow its original path.
Using the distortion graph with a large deviation from the no-gain line will produce unwanted high-frequency buzzing. Several presets have been included to demonstrate useful distortions created with little deviation. You can apply a low-pass filter to tailor the high-frequency content in your processed signal.
Select the Low-pass start freq. check box and drag the slider if you want to filter high frequencies. Move the slider to the left to filter more high-frequency material and to the right to leave more high-frequency material. The results are a brighter or more muted sound.