StickMan
Experienced
To be honest, I saw this in a video on Reddit or Facebook, but it got me trying stuff out.
On the "Power Supply" tab of the Amp block, there is "Variac". It's a percentage, with 100% being the mid-point and the default. My understanding is that it controls the AC power supply value, with 100% being 120V (or thereabouts). Essentially, lowering the voltage reduces the clean headroom of the amp resulting in earlier breakup. Increasing it does the opposite.
The big thing I've noticed is that changing the Variac also changes the nature of the distortion. I'd say that the distortion with lower Variac is a lot "looser" and warmer. Raising the Variac can make the distortion a bit tighter, harsh and brighter. If you drop the Variac all the way down to the minimum (50% I think), the distortion is really wooly and wild.
It feels a lot to me have some of the same effect as adjusting Negative Feedback. Increasing NF results in less distortion and tightens it up, dropping it does the reverse. But it's not the same result.
To my ears, a lot of the models sound a lot better with the Variac dropped just a bit, somewhere in the 92%-96% zone. YMMV, but it's worth messing with if you're looking to dial in that perfect tone.
On the "Power Supply" tab of the Amp block, there is "Variac". It's a percentage, with 100% being the mid-point and the default. My understanding is that it controls the AC power supply value, with 100% being 120V (or thereabouts). Essentially, lowering the voltage reduces the clean headroom of the amp resulting in earlier breakup. Increasing it does the opposite.
The big thing I've noticed is that changing the Variac also changes the nature of the distortion. I'd say that the distortion with lower Variac is a lot "looser" and warmer. Raising the Variac can make the distortion a bit tighter, harsh and brighter. If you drop the Variac all the way down to the minimum (50% I think), the distortion is really wooly and wild.
It feels a lot to me have some of the same effect as adjusting Negative Feedback. Increasing NF results in less distortion and tightens it up, dropping it does the reverse. But it's not the same result.
To my ears, a lot of the models sound a lot better with the Variac dropped just a bit, somewhere in the 92%-96% zone. YMMV, but it's worth messing with if you're looking to dial in that perfect tone.