Hi all, I saw a long long time ago an external that apply a distortion to signal~ but keeping the volume as the same level as the input. I am not able to find it anymore. I was wondering that is the best way to do just that?

Normal distortion really put more volume on the signal, I would like to have a distortion but at the same volume as my input.

Cheers~

I imagine you've found what you were looking for somewhere else. But just in case you still need something like this, here's another variation of my above linked patch:

Get it at:
http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/9088/expressive-distortion-by-transfer-function

It uses a simple transfer function, and it can create warm tones, whatever that means.

Have a nice day!
Landon

@LandonPD this is great! Thanks for sharing..

@LandonPD Not sure, but looks like the level (volume) is not like the source when applying the distortion. Have a look at this (overlay of full distortion vs no distortion):

I think the distorted signal should be similar to the highest source peak. No?

Cheers~

Hi all,

I believe that a variable [clip~] solves this, doesn't it?

expressive distortion.pd

Cheers,
Gilberto

PS: I was using an older version of Landon's patch, but the principle is the same
EDIT: patch reuploaded, now it should have all connections

@gsagostinho Yes! Thanks! (btw the patch you uploaded doesn't have the connection to [clip~])

Hello @alexandros ! Be sure to check the site from where I obtained the formula, which I tweaked a little bit. You can tweak it a little bit of course. It's very interesting.

The basic formula is: y = x / (1 + |x|)

Go here and you'll get some explanation, plus other interesting things: http://music.columbia.edu/cmc/musicandcomputers/chapter4/04_06.php

@EEight I probably uploaded it before saving the changes, sorry. I reuploaded it and corrected the link above.

@EEight said:

@LandonPD Not sure, but looks like the level (volume) is not like the source when applying the distortion. Have a look at this (overlay of full distortion vs no distortion) [...].

The idea is that you first find a distortion amount that you like and you leave it like that for some time.

For example, set it to a distortion amount of 1, and then move the pre up and down...you'll see that the waveform keeps being almost square no matter the level of pre. (When the waveform gets too small, use the zoom tool...it will allow you to see that the waveform keeps being distorted even if you cannot listen to it).

@gsagostinho Thanks for sharing that idea Gilberto, you're awesome, as always. More variables to achieve our oniric distortions.

@LandonPD You are being too nice, Landon You did all the hard work, I just spotted a tiny improvement. Cheers! G.

Perhaps, it's worth mentioning that there are two branches of exploration. One involves amplitude and the other involves volume.

Amplitude is measurable, complicated but still measurable. Volume is a different story since it has to do with perception. In this latter case, one needs to have a model of the human ear, or at least some information about how the ear/brain responds to various frequencies and amplitudes. More advanced, and CPU expensive patches, should compensate for high and low frequency audio. Very low and high frequencies are less audible than mid or upper-mid frequencies.

So depending on exactly what you want to preserve from your original signal (amplitude or volume), there are different paths that you can follow.

For example, if your input signal has a small amplitude, you might want your distorted output to sound less mid-range-like. For solving this perceptual issue, you can automatically detect low level passages and activate a dynamically changing filter that reduces a bit the mid range.

Just some food for thought...for experimenters or artists out there, or in here.

There's a little nice resource called the Interactive Ear Sensitivity Chart: http://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/freqchart/ear_sensitivity.htm

You can also enjoy this other interactive chart too: http://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/freqchart/main_display.htm

Cordially, Landon