DISTROTION TIPS.

DISTROTION TIPS.

Some of you may think of distortion as a bad thing, but distortion—from subtle to extreme—can be a

powerful tool in your arsenal.
Long before digital mixing, distortion was inherent in every project. From pushing the preamps on an

analog console to tape saturation or tube amplification, distortion was on every track in every mix.

Many musicians throughout modern popular music history have used distortion creatively to define
signature sounds. Because of this, our ears have not only gotten used to the sound of distortion, but find
it harmonically pleasing. This is one of the elements that, until recent years, have been missing from the
inherent, clean precision of digital mixing. These days however, many different harmonic distortion tools
are available to help mix engineers produce this phenomenon.

WHAT IS DISTORTION FOR?
A mix engineer typically uses distortion to enhance the presence of an audio signal. Whether it’s by adding
something punchy, such as a tube based distortion on a kick drum, or something bright, like a tape based
distortion on drum overheads or vocals, adding harmonic distortion can make a signal sound fuller and
more exciting.Many guitar players prefer to record with their overdrive or distortion active because it enhances the way
they play their instrument and can inspire a great performance that an otherwise plain guitar tone simply
cannot.