Wah clipping the output...

[Ghost_of_Cain]

Done a bit of searching, but without luck.

The problem is, any random auto-wah block I create clips heavilly on output when strumming hard. VU meters checked; preset itself is set safely, a bit below zero bar. As wah is usually first in the chain, I don't want to tame its level too much, as it obviously trims the input to the amp.

I feel dumb - what to do in such situation? How to avoid clipping without trimming the wah level?

 

[lqdsnddist]

Reduce the wah level or run a compressor after it.

If th signal is too hot with the wah active, reduce it. When the wah is bypassed the level is bypassed so it’s not reducing the level to the amp.

 

[Ghost_of_Cain]

Reduce the wah level or run a compressor after it.

If th signal is too hot with the wah active, reduce it. When the wah is bypassed the level is bypassed so it’s not reducing the level to the amp.

Thanks. Just the auto-wah "peaks" are the problem. Any way to reduce the range, the signal peak when filter is uh... "at the top"? )

Lowering the level will cause the lead tone to suffer a lot; we are talking about severe trimming in order to keep the peaks below the clipping level...

 

[jefferski]

Compressor right after the wah. Experiment to see where to set the threshold and ratio so it only tames the peaks. You can also use either makeup gain in the compressor, or just boost the compressor's output level to get back to the level you want for the rest of the chain.

 

[Rick]

There will be something controlling the sweep of the wah effect. You can look into the controller/modifier that is creating the auto-wah effect if you want to see if limiting the range of the sweep (LFO, whatever) may avoid the clipping. Sometimes taking off some of the low or high end of a wah sound can help with clipping if it doesn't cut out a chunk of the sound you're relying on. My AX8 is in the case for a gig tonight, but I will try to look tomorrow and see what is there.

 

[Rex]

Lower the Resonance parameter.

 

[Ghost_of_Cain]

Compressor right after the wah. Experiment to see where to set the threshold and ratio so it only tames the peaks. You can also use either makeup gain in the compressor, or just boost the compressor's output level to get back to the level you want for the rest of the chain.

Thank you guys. Only the compressor after the wah seems to be working. Need to spend a while tweaking it.