The effects of distortion : Investigating how different types of distortion affect timbral attributes and subjective preference

Abstract: The effects of distortion has been investigated prior to this study, however most of these studies focus on the objective physicalities of a certain type of distortion or they might apply distortion in static amounts to examine effects of loudspeaker distortion. Objectively the varying types of distortion may be different, however there are little explanations on how these types subjectively might sound different. This study aimed to investigate how subjective preference and perception of the timbral attributes warmth and roughness may vary between types of distortion, and if there was a pattern between these using three different types of distortion (zero-crossing, solid state and tube), applied at two different levels (high and low) and to two different instruments (guitar and vocals). The outcome indicated that subjects most prefer tube distortion and that this distortion was considered to provide the most amounts of warmth while also the least amounts of roughness. There were also interaction effects indicating guitar being less sensitive about the level of distortion while being more sensitive about the type of distortion for the measures of preference and amounts of roughness, when compared to vocals.