Distortion
Aggressive, hard-edged saturation with heavy sustain — classic rock and metal crunch.
What it does
The Distortion effect uses hard-clipping to saturate the signal. The waveform is clipped abruptly at a fixed ceiling rather than gradually rounded off — this creates a harsher, more aggressive character than overdrive, with more sustain and a heavier, more compressed feel. This is the classic distortion-pedal sound: tight, defined, and aggressive. It works well in high-gain rock and metal contexts, but can also be used subtly for extra edge on rhythm playing.
Parameters
| Parameter | Range | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drive | 0–100% | 60% | Controls the amount of distortion. At low settings, the effect is a strong overdrive; at high settings, it is full, saturated distortion with heavy compression and sustain |
| Tone | 0–100% | 50% | A tone filter sweeping from dark and rounded (low, ~800 Hz rolloff) to bright and cutting (high, ~8000 Hz rolloff). Affects how much high-frequency edge the distortion has |
| Level | −12 to +12 dB | 0 dB | Output volume after the distortion circuit. Adjust to match levels with the bypassed signal |
| Mix | 0–100% | 100% | Blends distorted and clean signals. Lower Mix values add edge while preserving the low-end tightness of the clean signal |
Tips
- Unlike overdrive, Distortion before an amp model can stack quickly. Start with Drive at 30–40% and raise it gradually — at high Drive values going into a high-gain amp model, the result can become undefined and muddy. A moderate amount of pedal drive going into a moderate amount of amp gain often sounds tighter than either at full.
- Use Tone to cut through. In a dense mix, push Tone higher (60–75%) to carve out space. For bedroom playing where brightness is fatiguing, pull it back to 30–40%.
- Reduce Drive and raise Level to get a louder signal with less saturation — useful as an aggressive clean boost without full pedal distortion character.
- Mix below 100% (parallel distortion) is an underused technique for heavy rhythm. The clean signal's low end stays tight underneath the saturated signal, giving you weight without flabbiness.