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What is clipping?


Bass Guitar Jakal

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Hey guys,

Can someone please give me a SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS of what this clipping is? What is it? Why does it do that? (i know because trhe amp is turned up to much, but WHY).

 

And speaker distortion.

 

What is happening in the speaker? Why can it get louder then this? Why does the speakers do this?

 

I am wondering because les claypool as you all should know, At his shows has MASSIVE VOLUME FOR BASS. I dont understand how he gets this volume from his amps and cabs without blowing speakers and clipping. I know that your gonna say "he plugs into the PA" But I listend to the family values tour my name is mud and the bass IS SO LOUD ITS INSANE. How can a pa get that loud and not blow to pieces???

 

 

Cheers

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the power supply in your amp is finite... it only will go so far without running out of voltage... think of this as a wall you run into... if you were to look at it on an oscilloscope it looks like a flat line... on most amps it can happen to varying degrees in two different ways... in the preamp which typically all operate (nowadays) at either 15-18volts+/- or at the outputstage where the supply values vary widely....
"style is determined not by what you can play but what you cant...." dave brubeck
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A Scientific Explanation Of Clipping Click on the "Audio" option.

 

There are members of this forum who can explain "clipping" much more thoroughly than either the above wikipedia article or I can. Hopefully, they will chime in for you.

 

I've never seen Claypool's live rig, but I would have to imagine that his volume is directly related to the amount of power he is providing his signal. His (assumed) 10,000 watts of power is going to be much louder than my 400. It's that simple.

My whole trick is to keep the tune well out in front. If I play Tchaikovsky, I play his melodies and skip his spiritual struggle. ~Liberace
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Before explaining anything about clipping etc I'd like to say that you're missing the point about Les Claypool's playing. It is NOT about being really LOUD. In fact, I've yet to hear any good bassist that plays LOUD because LOUD is the answer.

 

It may sound LOUD but that doesn't actually mean he's playing LOUD.

 

Alex

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Is someone pulling our collective legs?

 

Davo

 

Note: "The best theory of the origin of the phrase is that by tripping a person -- pulling his leg -- you can throw him into a state of confusion and make him look very foolish indeed."

"We will make you bob your head whether you want to or not". - David Sisk
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some amps have more power than others. some speakers are designed to make more SPL than others. sometimes these two are paired together to make ridiculously loud volumes that will fill a stadium. it has nothing to do with clipping or speaker distortion, but rather design for intended use.

 

robb.

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Originally posted by Bass Guitar Jakal:

At his shows has MASSIVE VOLUME FOR BASS. I dont understand how he gets this volume from his amps and cabs without blowing speakers and clipping. I know that your gonna say "he plugs into the PA" But I listend to the family values tour my name is mud and the bass IS SO LOUD ITS INSANE. How can a pa get that loud and not blow to pieces???

I was going to write something really huge here but then realized that I'd wind up writing a book.

 

The short answer: because the band is using a huge PA system that is properly designed to handle insane volumes. If his stage volume is actually really loud (and I doubt highly that it is) he's using a lot more amplification that you are - or any band that is playing in your general vicinity (except maybe ThannyXIII).

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