ReeV0 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 hi guys, im a bit confused with my warwick profet 3.2 amp, and its compressor, and clipping. i'll start with the clipping. it has a little light on it that lights up whenever you "clip". i found out that in order to "clip", you must first turn up the gain nob quite far. the more you turn, the more you "clip". also, the more you turn the gain nob, the louder you become. i dont really understand what clipping is. is it damaging to the amp? is it a way of controlling how much imput goes into the amp for your bass (e.g. because some basses are "hotter" than others)? what am i doing to my equipment if i am constantly clipping? i can hear no audiable difference - and heres where the compressor comes in. when the compressor is on, and i clip, it seems to cut the note a bit. is this protecting the amp? it sounds better when the compressor is off, but i do not like to turn it off because i feel it is protecting the amp somehow. the speakers are rated for far more than the amp, so i cant see how i would damage them. would continuous clipping like burn out a transistor in the amp or something? thats another thing. the amp has a fan but it has never turned on. i played for like 3 hours continuous today, clipping whenever i hit the low E, or did some slapping (in order to be heard in the band) but the fan has never came on. the amp is in the wooden sleeve, and i could feel it getting pretty hot. does the fan wait till it gets really hot or something? thanks so much for all your help guys i really appreciate your time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 If the clip light is near the gain knob then it's 99% likely to be monitoring the preamp. In that case, ignore it. Do whatever you like with the knobs to get the sound you want - the only thing you need to worry about is making the speakers make bad noises by turning the volume up too high and/or boosting the lows too much. When that happens you'll hear a distinctive farting sound warning you that they're not happy. At that point either turn down or reduce the lows. The fan should switch on when the amp gets too hot. You're generally fighting a lost cause to be heard with a cheap 2x10" and a low power amp in a teenage rock band - either get your bandmates to turn down or get another matching cab (which will make a huge difference in loudness). Remember that midrange is your friend if you want to be heard! Did you get a manual with the amp? Does it have any useful information in it? Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeV0 Posted October 22, 2008 Author Share Posted October 22, 2008 hey thanks for your reply. yeah im planning on getting another 2x10 cab to go with it so that should help my volume situation. the amp did come with a manual, if you can call it that - pretty much a 2 paged leflet telling you how to get going. all it says is to adjust the gain nob so that it is set just before the amp clips, and then adjust the volume as necessary. thats pretty much it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 There is a lot of info in the basschat wiki. Have a read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 [quote name='jjl5590' post='312446' date='Oct 22 2008, 08:01 PM']all it says is to adjust the gain nob so that it is set just before the amp clips, and then adjust the volume as necessary. thats pretty much it.[/quote] That's pretty much all you need. Read the sticky at the top of this forum about Gain and Volume if you're confused about what each of them does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeV0 Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 i read the wiki but i couldnt find an answer for this question: if i have the cab unplugged, or i just have the mute button on (so no sound is comeing from the speakers), and i clip the amp loads, is it damaging to the amp? is it damaging to anything? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 How can you clip an amp unplugged? You are worrying about nothing. Read the wiki stuff again and try to understand it. Read the bit about compression might help as well. I dont know your amp but some amps have a clip light on the input. That means turn down if you want a clean sound, or ignore it if you want some dirt and you have a valve pre-amp. Depends on the amp. Amps with built in compression often have a light when the compressor is working, i.e. the signal is over the threshold. Many amps have a limiter on the output stage. A limiter is a compressor with a very high ratio and the threshold is set near the max output of the amp - or so the marketing bs will say. Again the limit light comes on when the signal is over the threshold. So the light means the limiter is working. Its not really a good idea to have the limiter light on permenantly but it wont hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 And one more thing - if the light bothers you that much - turn the f***ing thing down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MoJo Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 As with a lot of amps, this 'clipping' light is there to help you set the input level to the pre-amp. To get a nice clean sound, plug your bass into the amp and with the control knob usually marked 'gain' or 'input gain' right down and the output volume right down, gradually increase the input gain while playing your bass hard until the clip light is just beginning to light up. Back off the gain a nadge (technical term ) and you're set. If you find you're running your amp flat out to keep up with your mates then you need to get your mates to turn down a bit or get a more efficient speaker cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 (edited) This has come up before - apparently the Warwicks have something of a reputation for being quite quiet. The answer seems to be to ignore the clipping light and just use your ears. If it sounds alright then it is - it won't do any damage. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=14300"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=14300[/url] Incidentally, since it doesn't seem to be covered in the wiki (unless I've missed it ), clipping is where the tops and bottoms of a waveform are 'clipped' off, giving the waveform a more square shape. Square waveforms sound more fuzzy, so if you want a clean sound are to be avoided. Edited October 25, 2008 by Musky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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