In this chapter, you'll learn all about how to design a "diode clipping distortion" circuit, the same circuit at the heart of many classic distortion stompboxes.

In doing so, you'll learn all about the basics of op amps - operational amplifiers - the most powerful and important component in analog audio electronics besides the transistor (which we will get to in a future chapter).

You'll also learn about diodes - the most basic "semiconductor" and a component which does not obey Ohm's Law(!), but instead does one surprisingly simple other thing.

Purely coincidentally, the diode is both the crucial piece in many distortion pedals, and also, quite literally, a physical piece of the almighty transistor.

Believe it or not, many popular distortion units, such as the Proco Rat, consist of little more than the same diode clipping distortion circuit you're about to build, plus tone controls similar to those that we'll cover in the next chapter.

Perhaps even more interesting than it's place in the Rat, and many other popular and histortically significant distortion pedals, is it's place in the legendary and unfathomably complex Klon Centaur. This circuit is a marvel of engineering, and yet the heart of it, the most crucial piece of the whole thing, is the same circuit which you're about to make and listen to yourself.

As this chapter is all about distortion and amplification, things can get very loud - dangerously so - whether on purpose or by accident. So for the safety of your headphones, you should not use headphones for this chapter, and instead use any powered speaker or guitar amp, or plug into your audio interface or a mixer. Always keep your volume turned down, then slowly turn the volume up to audible levels when testing your circuits. There will be a good amount of discussion of circuit safety in this chapter, for good reason.

As with chapter one, if my narration is too slow for you, you are encouraged to watch at 1.5 or 2x speed. This chapter was designed to be completed in one long, focused day - but whether that's closer to 5 hours, or 10 hours, is entirely up to you.

If you have any questions or comments, reach out to me any time at crudlabs@gmail.com.