Recording engineers introduce compression and harmonics to improve sound. It's already there in whatever music you listen to.
If your simple box is smart enough to do DSP, it should be able to support a VST plugin. Or, you could create your own 'tube-sound' emulator. Isn't that what DIY is all about?
You can exaggerate second harmonic like this. https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...ne-non-gnfb-preamp.395695/page-2#post-7591547
Buy a 6922 or 12ax7 and build a preamp. It is much cheaper to then sim it with silicon.
Gain should be 15 to 30 for good results
Gain should be 15 to 30 for good results
I run a tube preamp into a SS amp. It sounds very tubelike but also more detailed.
Preamp is good for second harmonic but push pull power stage is a good source for third harmonic which is important to have to give sharper dynamic expression. I found using soft current limit in feedback of class AB transistor amp can be made quite tubey -- the degree is tailorable depending on weighting
of current limit and threshold
Just use a cheap triode like a 12ax7 or 6922.
Bonus: 6922 works great on 40v B+ soyou only need the heater power.
I gave up on silicon solutions 6922 preamp blows away the opa2134 in sound quality, not distortion.
Bonus: 6922 works great on 40v B+ soyou only need the heater power.
I gave up on silicon solutions 6922 preamp blows away the opa2134 in sound quality, not distortion.
Maybe something like an Alesis midiverb or the guitar version? Those are ancient from my youth in the 80ies. They are rackmount effects processors. Only analog input I think. Bound to exist much better ones today with digital in/out if thats what you are after. I think there were even good mixers with build in Alesis midiverb. MacroVerb might be the top models name. Don't know which brands rule today in rack effects. TC Electronics was Uber Goodness of sweet sound at that time, but I've seen cheap stuff branded TC these days. Samsung Harman group or similar megacompany bought them.
Go to a nice musician shop and they will let you play your heart out. Good toys, but I wouldn't know what half of the parameters means when it comes to the really good stuff, even though I sold them for years😄
You may need the manual for even changing the bass level.
Cheers!
Go to a nice musician shop and they will let you play your heart out. Good toys, but I wouldn't know what half of the parameters means when it comes to the really good stuff, even though I sold them for years😄
You may need the manual for even changing the bass level.
Cheers!
When I want tube sound, I play records from the 1960s and early 1970s. This is authentic tube sound, reproduced spectacularly through my solid-state amplifier. 🙂
Afterwards, I go back to playing music from the mid-1970s through 1990s. The difference is apparent: old recordings showed the equipment's limitations.
Ed
Afterwards, I go back to playing music from the mid-1970s through 1990s. The difference is apparent: old recordings showed the equipment's limitations.
Ed
Jfet Q1 is high impedance input stage that operates at very low current. Q2 and Q3 provide output and feedback to source of through R6 and R7. D1, R7 and R8 gives rounded clipping at about the zero crossing for second harmonic generation. Value of R7 determines how aggressive the clipping. Without clipping network the amplifier gain is( R6/R1) +1 and has about 0.05% distortion -- plenty good enough for guitar and microphone application
But what does this mean in numbers?
For me all that "tube pre-amp goodness" goes hand in hand with sub 0.01 % thd, at least at 1kHz. Some of the suggestions in this thread are perhaps more appropriate as guitar effects.
Tube preamp goodness is what caught my attention from title and assumed tube distortion was the goal. So circuit posted by me can generate any degree of tube-like distortion.
The authentic tube sound that I hear on 1960s records is characterized by mushy bass, rolled-off highs, and enough distortion to be audible or to cause instruments to blur together. The distortion also comes from analog tape saturation.
ETA - On some recordings, the highs are "peaked".
Ed
ETA - On some recordings, the highs are "peaked".
Ed
Rolled off highs are essential to get good sound with 2nd and 3rd harmonic distortion . Distortion in lower frequencies is not so good sounding to me. Mids. are the sweet region.