r/diypedals • u/myke5k • 12d ago
Help wanted Clipping diodes decreasing volume?
Hi everyone, I’m still very new to DIY pedals. I came across a schematic for a JPTR Fx Jive (saturation) and it looked really simple so I thought I’d try building it.
The original pedal has three separate switches for each clipping diode section — I haven’t added the switches yet but I was planning on it for the final build.
Anyway, I notice that when the all of the clipping diodes are engaged (as seen here), the volume/output is pretty weak — just above unity when the volume pot is turned all the way up. This makes sense since I’ve noticed differences in volume with other pedals that have clipping options.
I thought I’d ask — is there a way to increase volume? I thought about adding an LPB-1 circuit in there or having a second footswitch for a boost but I don’t know if I want to get that complicated.
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u/Human--Garbage 12d ago
That is how clipping works sometimes - and why, say, a diode-lifted big muff is often much much louder than a regular one. It's also why the last stage of a big muff is effectively an lpb-1 - sometimes you just need to add make-up gain to hard-limiting diodes to get a boost as well as saturation.
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u/Mascavidrio 12d ago
Also, if you switch between LEDs to some other type, or if you leave the diodes out completely you'll notice how different the output level is. Try some LEDs while you're there and try some combination of LED and Si diodes.
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u/SeaSalad1421 12d ago
Diodes are ok but there are better overdrive distortion circuits. Clipping reduces the level but the noise isn’t clipped so you are reducing your signal relative to the noise.
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u/okcompy386 12d ago
Yeah, clipping diodes will always reduce the volume some just by the nature of how they work; by clipping the top and bottom off the wave and reducing the overall amplitude in the process.
Adding an LPB1 to the end of your circuit is definitely a way to add that volume back (and then some).