ItвЂ™s possible that the distortion is occurring at the component level on the stage. The LED or meter lights or clip/peak light can clue you into the specific channel. ItвЂ™s also possible, though not likely, to be a combination of all the channels summed together and creating a louder output that the mixer canвЂ™t handle. This can easily be the sign of a channel problem.

Review the mixerвЂ™s output meter for clipping.

If they arenвЂ™t, the problem is with the overall signal-output. If they are, the problem is with a channel.

If the amp is clipping, check to see if any channels are clipping. This will tell you if the problem is at the amp-level or before.

Review the amplifier and check for clipping.

If itвЂ™s static-y or occasional, chances are it is noise and a review of cabling and wireless receivers is in order. When you hear a вЂњbad soundвЂќ in your system, you need to identify the source of the sound and take corrective measures. This may or may not be related to the componentвЂ™s ability to handle the signal as much as the result of busted internals. However, it could also fail and youвЂ™d hear a distorted sound passed out of the processor. For example, an effects processor could fail and youвЂ™d no longer hear any sounds passed through it.

Amplifier clipping.В This happens when, as mentioned, the amp is overdriven.

This isnвЂ™t distortion through clipping as much as it is the speakerвЂ™s hardware is unable to reproduce the signal itвЂ™s sent, thoughВ itвЂ™s still about voltage. Pushing speakers to produce louder sounds than they were designed to produce will lead to a distorted output. Working in live audio production, you might have the occasion of working on equipment not set up to handle louder volumes than your gig requires.

Speakers are being pushed beyond their limits.

IвЂ™ve seen this when a bassist uses a SansAmp on stage and is boosting their signal so much that it overloads the input.

An instrument sends too hot of a signal into the system.

For example, the microphone canвЂ™t handle the volume level which itвЂ™s detecting and thus distorts the sound that itвЂ™s sending into the sound system.

A microphone or sound source, like a computer, is overloaded with sound.

Reasons for distortionДЄudio distortion can occur for a number of reasons. It will amplify the signal only up to its maximum capacity, at which point the signal cuts or clips at the maximum capacity of the amplifier. Clipping, in this case, occurs when an amplifier is pushed to create a signal with more power than its power supply can produce. ItвЂ™s one thing to over-drive speakers, itвЂ™s another to over-drive an amp. This can be seen on the channel level, mixer level, and even the amplifier level. For the needs of this article, IвЂ™ll leave it at that. Clipping occurs when an audio component canвЂ™t provide enough power supply voltage to cleanly handle the signal. Typically, clipping is the reason for distortion as distortion is merely the audible detection of clipping. Another way to look at it is the loss of clarity is distortion, the addition of interference is noise. If you run a power cable next to an unbalanced cable, youвЂ™ll hear noise (interference) in the signal. Think of it like this, if you scream into a microphone and the mic canвЂ™t handle the loud volume, then the audio signal will be distorted.

Noise is an external (random) signal added to the original signal.

Distortion is heard as the result of a change of the original signal to something else.

Noise versus distortionДЄn easy mistake to make is hearing noise in the system and assuming itвЂ™s distortion.

For some reason, the sound coming out of the system has been negatively altered and we need to fix it. We usually identify it when we say something like, вЂњthat doesnвЂ™t sound right.вЂќ And we usually are right in that assessment. It can also be the result of a corruption of the signal at the source. What is distortion?Дistortion is the sound heard where there is an unexpected change of the original signal to something else.

And that last one is what IвЂ™m hitting today. A sound tech sees distortion as a bad sound reflecting a problem in the audio system. A guitarist sees distortion as an effect for applying to their guitarвЂ™s sound. For others, they picture a distorted image. For some, they immediately think of вЂњdistorting words or phrasesвЂќ wherein someone takes what you have said and twists it into something else. The word distortion has different meanings depending on who you ask.

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